Page 40 of The Score

This time, when Bear and I look at each other, it's confusion that fills his face.

With slow movements, Evie pulls at her necklace to reveal an engagement ring.

Gasps from the rest of us.

Logan takes over. He frees the ring and puts it on Evie's finger.

"Hey—" Saint exclaims. "I thought I was the one with the cheeky chain!"

"It was the only way to surprise you guys," Evie says. "Seems Damián and Nat had the same idea."

Logan holds Evie's hand tight. "I couldn't stop thinking about proposing, especially after we won. So I proposed during our vacation."

"Wow," Ames says. "An engagement and a wedding in one single offseason. The group has been busy!"

Saint makes a pacifying gesture with a hand. "Meanwhile, I promise Ames and I have only been busy with our food baby— I mean her business. Her show. I've been an official taste tester for weeks."

For a third time, Bear and I exchange a look. Humor has returned to him. I bite my lip. He rubs my thigh.

"Didn't want the party?" I ask Nat and Damián.

"What do you think this is?" Damián asks and laughs. Barkley bumps his hand, asking for a pet.

"It's time for that champagne, then." Bear winks at me. "I'll bring it."

Before he goes back inside in search of our contraband, he leaves a casual caress on my face. Tingles take over my skin. It's anxiety for what we're about to do.

I sigh and catch Evie watching me. She raises an eyebrow. I smirk.

Whenever someone catches us being affectionate, they assume it means something romantic. I've gotten used to challenging them. Except things are changing. Ironic, that my friendship with Bear has been so tight, so close, that we're getting married. Platonically.

I bite the inside of my cheek not to laugh. It's the nerves, but it's also the irony of it all.

"Do you plan to elope, too?" I ask Evie and Logan like nothing happened.

She shakes her head. "I'd love a Fall wedding, but that may not work with the guys' schedule, so we'll have to see."

"As long as we get married sooner rather than later," Logan says, "I don't mind. If we end up getting married during a bye week, so be it. We'll keep the pre-honeymoon short, and the real thing in the offseason."

"Are you guys going on a honeymoon?" Evie asks Nat and Damián.

Nat nods. "We have a little trip planned in a couple of weeks…"

She stops herself when Bear arrives with a bottle in one hand and a tray in the other.

"Please take a glass and an envelope," he says to our friends, "but don't open it yet."

Everyone holds their glass and every couple has an envelope. Dom has his own envelope as well. Bear serves champagne and when he's almost done, he asks everyone to go ahead and read.

I bite my lip. A few waves of nerves travel through my belly. Meanwhile, Bear looks confident as he approaches me. Enviable, to be honest.

He stops by my side and bends until we're forehead to forehead.

"It's going to be great," he says.

He stands as a few gasps fill the space. In the envelopes, they just found our wedding invitations.

"It's a day of good news, it seems," he says in his deep voice. "We hope you'll be excited for us, too, and join us at our wedding in a month."

Silence fills the space. Even Barkley knows to stay quiet and study us. His head falls to the side, like he can understand what's going on.

I snort. Everyone else remains immobile. Shock is so heavy among the group, it could be sliced with a knife.

Oh, it's so, so ironic.

As I wait for everything to cut loose, I let myself react from deep in my gut, and laugh.