Rachel and I practically sprinted out of the warehouse, and I was convinced every step of the way that this was a trick, that someone would be coming after us to stop us and yank us back inside. However, we made it out of the warehouse and to the parking lot where I found my car parked in the far corner of the lot with the keys still inside.
“After they first knocked you out, I told someone where your car was and asked one of the men to drive it back to Jersey for you,” Rachel said.
I kissed her forehead. “Most people don’t make demands after being kidnapped by the mob.”
She shrugged. “Most people don’t get kidnapped by the mob twice. I’m getting pretty used to it.”
I laughed and opened the passenger door for her. “Well, don’t. It won’t be happening again.”
By the time I walked around the car and got into the driver’s seat, however, my smile was gone.
Rachel leaned across the center console and grabbed my forearm. Her hands were freezing. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re like ice,” I said, turning around to grab a hoodie I occasionally wore after the gym from the backseat. “This looks ratty, but it’s clean, I swear.”
Rachel quickly pulled it over her head, rolled up the long sleeves, and then grabbed my arm again. “Seriously, what’s with that face? You look like someone peed in your potatoes.”
The corner of my mouth raised in a hesitant smile. “I think it’s ‘cereal.’”
She shrugged. “My mom always said potatoes. But don’t change the subject. What’s up?”
“I just don’t know what comes next,” I said.
“Normalcy, I hope,” Rachel said. “I would love not to be on the run anymore. Twenty-four hours is just about my limit. What do you think?”
I nodded. “I absolutely agree, but what happens with us now that we’re in the normal world?”
“Well, that’s a good question. I’m not really sure.” Rachel twisted her lips in thought and leaned her head back against the headrest. “I suppose we could start with you meeting my family.”
My eyes widened. “Your family?”
“Oh, absolutely. I can’t sleep with a handsome guy like you and not have you meet my mom at least once. She’ll be overjoyed that I’ve brought you home. And my dad will love talking to you about the military. He never served, but he has great respect for those who do. Oh, and Jenna! She will definitely want to meet you. Speaking of, I should call her and let her know she can go home.”
Everything Rachel was saying sounded wonderful. I wanted to meet the people who raised her and watch them embrace the more confident woman she had become in the last twenty-four hours. But I also had to wonder what it all meant.
“Are you sure you want to introduce me to your family?”
She wrinkled her forehead for a minute and then nodded. “Yeah, I’m sure. Otherwise, it would be really weird when we got a place together in Chicago, don’t you think? My parents would want to meet you before that happens.”
I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. “So, we’re moving in together?”
“Do you think it’s too fast?” Rachel asked. “I figure we slept together after knowing each other for eight hours, which most people save for the third date. And moving in usually happens after a year or so, but on our accelerated schedule, I think we would be fine if it happened by the end of the week.”
I leaned across the console and grabbed her face, pulling her towards me. “That math seems sound to me.”
“I thought so, too,” she said, biting her lower lip. Rachel brushed her nose across mine. “So, you want to?”
I kissed her, pouring every bit of stress, joy, and craziness from the day into it until we finally broke apart, both of us panting.
“Was that a yes?” she asked, eyes squinted in a huge grin.
I laughed and pulled her in for another kiss. I would never get tired of this.
Chapter 19
Rachel
Two Months Later
“Make sure you tell Grandma about you and Colton shacking up together after only knowing each other a week,” Jenna said, adjusting her veil in the mirror.
“What? No. Why would I do that?”
Jenna turned to me, her arms held out to the sides. “How do I look?”
“Beautiful,” I said. “Radiant. Marvelous.”
“Thank you. And you would do that because it’s my wedding day and I do not need Grandma Kendrick giving me another lecture about being five weeks pregnant on my wedding day. You and Colton are so much more sinful than me and Evan.”
I opened my mouth in mock offense. “Absolutely not. Grandma Kendrick is ninety-four. Telling her about Colton would give her a heart attack.”
“You don’t have to mention the…mobster part,” she said, whispering. “Just the ‘moving in together after a week’ part. That would totally get her off my back.”
I shook my head. “No way. But if you’re lucky, Aunt Debbie might finally confess that she really did try to steal those designer jeans and didn’t just accidentally walk out of the store wearing them.”
Jenna furrowed her brow and nodded as though she were considering this as a possible solution.
Just then, Lizzie burst through the door looking like she was on the verge of a panic attack. “Ladies, what are you two doing in here? The music has started. You have to walk down the aisle in less than two minutes.”
“What will happen if I don’t?” Jenna asked, marching out the door with her bouquet in her hand and the train of her dress draped over her arm. “Will Evan get married without me?”
I stifled a laugh. We’d kept things cordial so far, but things between Lizzie and I had been pretty tense all day, and I didn’t want to ruin the peace. She and Jenna were still friends, but Jenna swore to me she made Lizzie promise to never say another bad word about me or their friendship would be over. It didn’t matter to me, either way. The way Lizzie had gawked as Colton and I arrived at the wedding rehearsal the night before was victory enough. She had practically been drooling into her starter salad.
But, to be fair, I couldn’t keep my eyes off of Colton either. All throughout the wedding, I tried to pay attention to what the preacher was saying and how Evan and Jenna were looking at one another, but my eyes kept finding Colton in the third row. He had on a navy-blue suit that made him look so good it should have been illegal.
I found him standing in the lobby of the church as soon as the ceremony was over and wrapped my arms around him from behind.
“Hey,” he said spinning around and hugging me to him. “I thought you had to ride to the reception in the party bus with the bride and groom.”
“I told Jenna I wanted to ride with you,” I said. “Is that okay?”
He smiled. “Is that okay? Of course it is. Come on, I parked behind the church to avoid the post-wedding traffic jam.”
“How much time do you think that will save us?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Fifteen minutes, at least. No offense to your elders here, but they drive way below the speed limit. Why do you ask?”
I looked up at him and waggled my eyebrows.
Colton snorted. “Honestly, Rachel, we are in a church. Have you no decency?”
“You’re asking me about decency while wearing pants that tight? You can’t look this good and expect me not to take notice.” I made it sound like a joke, but I was mostly serious. Jenna’s wedding was a complete blur because the idea of sneaking away to be with Colton was stealing all my attention.
He kissed the top of my head as we walked through the back doors and into the alley. “You look good, too, Rach. Beautiful, actually.”
“Then we’re in agreement? We should find somewhere private, immediately.”
He helped me into the car and then jogged around the front and got into the driver’s side. “Perhaps not immediately.”
I groaned. “Being in a long-term relationship has made you soft, Long. You used to be so spontaneous.”
“First of all, Long?” he asked, eyebrows raised. “Watch your tone, sassy face. Second of all, if by ‘used to’ you mean when we were on the run from the mob, then yes, I was very spontaneous. But now, my life is normal, and I’m quite pleased with it. Plus, I let you convince me to pull over at a rest stop and crawl into the backseat on the way home from the rehearsal dinner last night, so I don’t want to hear any complaints from you.”
Colton really had softened, but in a way that only made me love him even more. For a man who claimed he couldn’t do relationships, he was a fantastic boyfriend. We’d only been living together for two months, but he cooked dinner most nights because my cooking skills still depended heavily on frozen meals. And he came to most of my comedy sets. I kept telling him he didn’t have to come, because they were a lot of the same jokes over and over again, but he insisted on at least being there for the end so he could walk me home—no matter how late at night or early in the morning it was. He cared about me, and he made sure to show it. I couldn’t ask for anything more.
“I’m quite pleased with our life, too,” I said, reaching over to pat his thigh. “And if you don’t want to have random sex with me in a semi-public place, then fine. That’s okay.”
“Thank you,” he said, lifting his chin indignantly. “I didn’t say I didn’t want to, though. We should just wait until later. You know, when everyone is kind of drunk and not paying as much attention. That way, no one will notice if your dress is wrinkled or your hair is messed up.”
“I knew you wanted to do it!” I said, pointing at him.
He reached over and twined his fingers through mine, pulling my hand back against his chest. “I said you looked beautiful, didn’t I? Of course I want to. I just want to make a good impression when we walk in together.”
I grinned. I loved that he was thinking about the impression he would make on my family. Though Colton told me often that our relationship was serious for him, it felt nice to know he was taking it seriously. If he cared what my family thought, it meant he planned to be around long enough for their opinion to matter.
“Good. Then we’ll plan to meet up later,” I said, looking over at him, the sun streaming in through the window and casting his perfect profile in silhouette.
He grinned at me and winked. “It’s a date.”
The wedding reception was beautiful. Jenna and Evan had rented out an old farm house that had been painted completely white inside and out, complete with long dark wood farm tables for the guests, and string lights hanging from the rafters. The doors on either end of the barn were wide open, letting in a cool cross breeze, and guests were milling in and out all night, moving between the dessert and cake table and the dance floor.
The bride and groom were busy most of the night greeting their guests and giving hugs and handshakes to partiers, so I was free to sit with Colton at the end of one of the long tables. I introduced him to every family member who passed by, enjoying the look of surprise on their faces when they learned that not only was he handsome, but he had just received a huge advance from a publisher interested in his first book.
“Could you please stop telling people how much money they’re paying me?” Colton asked after we talked to my Aunt Debbie, who I’m positive really did mean to steal those designer jeans.
“You’re successful, and I just want them to know that,” I said. “Plus, they all think I’m poor, so I like to rub you in their faces a little bit.”
He twisted his lips in thought and then held up a finger. “Okay, how about you tell them how big our apartment in the city is. Once they hear the square footage, they’ll know we aren’t poor.”
I reached across the table to tap him on the tip of the nose. “The subtle brag. Good idea, clever boyfriend.”
He grabbed my finger out of the air and kissed the tip. “Or, you could tell them about how many shows you’ve been doing lately. You’re successful, too, Rach. I’m sure everyone would like to hear that you’re moving up in the comedy world.”
I waved him away. “Nobody wants to hear about that. Rachel’s hot new boyfriend is the talk of the wedding.”
He laughed. “I’m sure Jenna would be thrilled to hear that I’m the talk of her wedding.”
“She’s way too busy kissing up to Evan’s snooty relatives to care,” I said, quickly dropping my voice to a whisper when Evan’s mom moved within hearing range. “Plus, I’m proud of you, and I want to brag. All our friends in Chicago already know about your book deal, so I have to tell everyone in Pineville, too.”
Colton was about to open his mouth—probably to continue being humble and ask me to also stop telling my cousins his gym routine—but he was cut off before he could.
“Rachel?” I turned around to find Lizzie standing behind me with a cordless microphone. “It’s your turn to give a speech.”
“A speech?” I asked, eyes wide, turning from Lizzie to Colton and back again. “But I’m not the maid of honor.”
“But you are her cousin,” Lizzie said. “And Jenna wants you to give a speech.”
I pushed the microphone away. “Tell her I said ‘thanks, but no thanks.’”
Lizzie narrowed her eyes at me. “You would tell a bride no on her big day?”
I nodded. “Yep. Especially if it means I don’t have to give a speech.”
Colton nudged me. “I don’t know, Rach. Maybe you should do it.”
I turned around and glared at him. “Et tu, Brute?”
He smiled. “See? You’re funny. Make people laugh and say something sweet. It will make Jenna happy.”
I groaned. “But what about what will make me happy?”
Colton leaned forward so his lips brushed against my ear as he spoke. “Your happiness will come immediately after, when we ditch this party for our hotel room.”
A shiver ran down my spine. That sounded like a pretty good deal. I pulled away from him. “Promise?”
He nodded and I turned back to Lizzie. “Give me the mic. I’ve got a speech to give.”
A couple months prior, standing in front of my entire family next to Jenna and her new husband would have given me major anxiety. It would have been a miracle if I’d managed to mumble through a speech and then walk back to my seat without passing out. But now, I wasn’t fazed at all.
“Hey, everyone,” I said, tapping on the mic to get the crowd’s attention. Slowly, everyone began looking up towards the head table, and when I had the attention of about half the room, I began my entirely improvised speech.
“I know no one is here to listen to me talk, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. Also, in case anyone is confused, I’m Rachel, Jenna’s cousin. Not her twin. I’ve already had a few members of the groom’s family congratulate me and tell me to take care of their beloved Evan. The sentiment is sweet, guys, but I’m pretty sure Jenna can take care of him just fine on her own. I know we’re in Ohio, but I’m pretty sure the ‘sister wives’ thing was just made up for reality TV.”
The crowd chuckled—I heard Jenna specifically loudly laugh at the inside joke—and I looked over at Colton, who gave me a thumbs-up. Buoyed by their response, I continued. I told them about how much better at everything Jenna had always been than me, nailing the perfect balance of self-deprecating and sincere. I talked about growing up in her shadow and accepting that I would never walk through life with the same grace and ease as her.
“However,” I said, turning to Jenna and giving her a small smile. “Watching Jenna plan this wedding, seeing how happy Evan makes her, I didn’t have a choice but to be thrilled with her. Their love for one another is infectious, lighting up any room to the point that I worried there wouldn’t be enough for the rest of us.”
A few guests laughed at this, and I took a second to look over at Colton, who was beaming, before I continued. “But I’ve learned, these past few months, that love, and happiness, are not finite resources, and when two beautiful people like Jenna and Evan find each other, we don’t need to worry that their love will detract from ou
r own. Love never diminishes, only grows. And I hope that Jenna and Evan’s love will continue to grow forever.”
I raised my champagne glass in the air. “To the bride and groom.”
Applause broke out, and I grinned at the other four bridesmaids as I made my way over to hug Jenna, noting that even Lizzie was misty-eyed. I said my goodbyes to Evan and Jenna, then slipped to the edge of the room where Colton was standing.
“Do you think anyone will notice if we leave?” I asked.
He grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. “I don’t care if they do.”
He’d been right before. My happiness definitely came once we made it back to the hotel room. It came twice in a row.
Epilogue
A Year Later: Colton
I pressed myself against the wall in the hallway just off our entryway and hoped Rachel wouldn’t see me when she got home.
We’d only been in our new apartment for a couple weeks, so I didn’t yet know which hiding spots would work best. In our old apartment, I would stand beside the refrigerator and jump out at Rachel when she walked through the door. She always screamed and hit my arm, but I knew she liked it. She’d told me so on several occasions, always reminding me of how I’d jumped out at her the first night we’d met.
“When I tried to kidnap you?” I asked, my tone turning sarcastic. “Yeah, I remember that.”
“That was hot. You know, after I realized I wasn’t going to be murdered.”
“Hot? Like, you liked it?”
She nodded. “Not then, but I like it now. It feels dangerous.”
I knew she was hinting at role-play, but acting had never been my strong suit, and I didn’t like to dwell on the mistakes of my past. However, today was special. Rachel was signing the final round of paperwork to accept a job in the writing room of an acclaimed current affairs comedy show, and my book—an autobiography, of sorts—had just become a bestseller. We were becoming a power couple, achieving our dreams, and I wanted to celebrate it.
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