Page 23 of Never Not Friends

I keep reading until I find one that’s so perfectly him. ‘Please join us for the wedding of…’ I place the little slip with their names on it next to the phrase. But my mind tests how it would sound if it said, ‘Please join us for the wedding of Vincent Brooks and Emma Lawson.’

This isn’t about you, I chide myself.

“I think this one.” I point to the paper.

Lila nods as she marks my choices into her iPad then moves on. “A lot of couples do another flowery sentence before they announce the date and time. Like a transition sentence that wraps up the first thought.” She flips to the next tab in the portfolio, using the tip of her pen to show some options. “So it would say, ‘Please join us for the wedding of Vincent Brooks and Juliet Montgomery...as they joyfully invite you to witness their union.’ Or a lot of couples like to use the word forever in there. ‘...as they join their lives together forever.’”

FOREVER.

The word sits on the page, bold and confident.

“That feels…”—I wrinkle my nose before I can stop myself—“intense.”

“What about always?” she suggests. “‘...as they pledge their love together always.’”

I think about it for a second. “Juliet might like that.” I stare at the options, letting my own thoughts dictate. The door behind me chimes as I start, “Actually, no. Let’s just skip it altogether and go straight to the date and time. Less pressure.”

“Less pressure for who?”

I spin in my chair, and my breath catches.

Vinny stands by the door, hands in his pockets, cute grin on his lips, sunlight catching in his light-brown hair.

“Hi!” I can’t help my immediate smile or my doe eyes whenever I see him—or as Avery calls them, gaga eyes.

His gaze drifts to the table and the samples. “Looks like I’m late.”

“I didn’t even know you were coming. Juliet’s at the doctor with Kayleen.”

“I know. She told me, but I thought I’d come and help.”

“You must be Vinny.” Lila extends her arm out. “I’m Lila.”

He shakes her hand before sitting in the chair next to me. There’s an explosion of contact—his knee knocking into me, the brush of his arm on my elbow, his shoulder bumping into mine—signs of familiarity that send me into a frenzy.

His brown eyes scan my face, fluttering my heart even more. “I see you’re already filling in for Juliet.”

“Uh.” I glance down, playing with the flap on the envelope in front of me. It takes one second for me to remind myself why I’m here and what we’re doing—picking out wedding invitations, not for me. I lift my gaze, but this time, when I stare back at him, my feelings are better masked. “Yep, we’re making good progress.”

Lila brightens. “Perfect timing. We were just finalizing your invitations.”

The word your hits funny. Like it feels like she should be saying your as in Vinny and me.

“Yes, now that you’re here”—I scoot my chair back an inch—“you don’t need me. I can go.”

His hand lands on top of mine, stopping me, the warmth and softness immediately noticeable. “I do need you. I have no clue what to choose.”

My eyes shoot to his hand, and although it’s innocent, I promptly slip my fingers out from under his, busying myself by tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

“I guess I can stay and help you finish.”

“We’re debating wording,” Lila says. “Emma’s leaning away from forever and always and thinking about going with something simpler.”

I feel stupid for nixing those sentiments. Slowly, my gaze travels to Vinny. Maybe he wants to use words like ‘forever’ and ‘always’. Maybe he loves promises of forever.

“Forever.” His nose wrinkles as he stares at the word, and for one brief moment, I wonder if Vinny had the same thought as I did about the finality of that word.

But before I can live in that thought, he turns to me with an unmistakable gleam in his eyes. “If Emma likes it, I like it.”