Page 180 of Never Not Friends

His brows lower. “Em, I know how much you love her.”

“But here’s the thing: as sad as I am over losing Juliet, I’m happier than I’ve ever been…because of you.”

Vinny stares at me but doesn’t speak.

“So, yes, I love Juliet. But, Vinny”—my heart pounds harder and harder—“I just came back to tell you that I love you too.”

There’s an instant smile then an astonished laugh. His hand goes to his mouth like he’s trying to cover up how happy my declaration made him.

“Did you just tell me you love me?”

“Yes.” I laugh too—the giddy, happy kind. “I’ve spent years not being honest or saying how I really feel, and I’m not going to do that anymore. Vinny, I love you. I love how easy it is to be myself around you. I love how I still pause for a second every time you walk into a room. I love how ordinary moments with you somehow become special. I love you! And I should’ve told you that sooner. I should’ve risked everything and just said it out loud because the silence hurt everyone more. But I’m telling you now. And I⁠—”

He leans forward mid-sentence and kisses me.

His hand cradles my cheek, thumb tracking along my jaw as his lips move over mine until he can’t take it anymore, and he laughs against my mouth, resting his forehead on mine.

“I love you too,” he whispers softly between us. “I loved you when we were fifteen. But when you broke up with me, I thought you didn’t feel the same way, so I did what I had to do to move on. And I did move on. I loved Juliet. But you were always important to me, Emma. You were always there, in the back of my mind, even when I wasn’t thinking about you like that. Even when I was with Juliet. You were the person who somehow still felt familiar, no matter how much time passed. Part of my heart has always belonged to you. And I’m so glad we found our way back to each other.”

Everything inside me goes still.

I think I already knew that Vinny loved me back, but knowing and hearing him actually say it are two entirely different things.

His head tilts up, and he presses his lips to my forehead.

A forehead kiss!

Something I’d seen him do with Juliet and secretly wished he would do to me.

And he did.

My eyes close as I sigh.

He pulls back, tucking a piece of hair behind my ear. “I know this is all happening fast, and maybe it looks like we’re rushing things⁠—”

“We’re not rushing.” It’s my turn to interrupt. “We’re just no longer holding back.”

I slide my hands around his neck.

Vinny’s smile is the last thing I see before he kisses me again.

EMMA

It’s the monthly friends’ dinner.

Minus Juliet.

The empty seat at the table puts an exclamation point on her absence.

I sit between Vinny and Blair at a large table at Oregano’s, staring across at Camila while Carly and Nate argue over whether we should order two appetizers or three.

We invited the significant others because, apparently, Hess and Nate wanted to hear the recap on all the wedding drama, so they insisted that they be able to come as well. Although, Hess just arrived.

“Sorry I’m late.” He kisses Camila before sitting down across from me. “The traffic from Queen Creek was terrible.”

“That’s why people don’t live out there,” Nate says.

“Oh, my gosh!” Hess’s hand goes to his heart.