Page 313 of The Hopelessly Bromantic Duet

“I definitely would,” Holden puts in with a grin.

Soon, the whole table is chiming in with their plans for my romantic future.

“I can see him with someone funny. A guy with a wicked sense of humor,” Hailey says, and I want to sayyes, and I found him.

“Someone who likes animals,” Nisha adds, and she couldn’t be more spot on.

“That’s always a plus. Hey, free vet care when you’re in Tahoe,” Tobey says, and I want to loosen all this tension in me and sayTobey, you were not wrong, you were not wrong at all, and your vibe detector is perfectly calibrated.

“Someone you can travel with. We love to travel,” Steven suggests, and the coil winds tighter because that’s true as well. That’s so damn true.

“And someone you can just hang out with wherever you are,” Brooks puts in.

Stop reading my mind.

Jillian lifts her glass. “It’s always a bonus if a man is good in the kitchen.”

There’s a pause before River weighs in. “Or the bar,” he adds, but there’s a note of hurt in his voice, and a tick in his jaw, and something like sadness in his gorgeous brown eyes.

He is finally looking at me.

And I’m looking at him across the table.

Seeing everything I’ve ever wanted. Seeing theonlyman I want.

My throat tightens. My chest squeezes. A jack-in-the-box winds tighter inside me.

I clench my jaw, try to take a deep breath.

Try to let all these inconvenient, untimely, far too big feelings go.

Try to remind myself that later, I’ll find the perfect moment to tell River. Maybe outside. Or on the deck. Or I’ll sneak into his room.

Or.

Or.

Or.

Fuck the perfect moment.

I can’t take this a second longer.

I rip off the Band-Aid all at once, stripping my whole heart bare at the dinner table. “I’m not getting on Boyfriend Material. Because I already met someone,” I say to everyone. “And he’s all of those things. He’s everything.” My gaze lands on River as I say the last words. “He also happens to be my best friend, and I’m in love with him.”

River freezes.

I can’t read a thing from his features except shock.

Complete and absolute shock.

In fact, everyone is wearing the same goddamn expression.

And holy hell, that felt freeing. Like an elephant floated off my shoulders holding just the string of a balloon.

I push back my chair, catch my breath, then point to the door, putting my PR voice back on. I’m cool and calm as I scratch the back of my neck like that was no big deal. “I think I’m just going to get some air. But hey. Those were some great mashed potatoes.”

And just like that, I leave.