“I like hotel sex. I like bedroom sex. I like kitchen sex.”

“Reason number five thousand, two hundred, forty-four why you’re perfect for me.”

When we arrive at the hotel, I hope to convince her of one more: that I know her. That I remember how we started. That I appreciate the little things, the big things—all the things.

We step into the elevator, and I hit the close button immediately so we’re all alone.

Just like we were the night before Enzo’s wedding. “Do you remember the last time we rode this elevator?”

She smiles magnetically. “I do. I told you I didn’t want to live in a world where you’re out of my system.”

“And I said the same. It was the first time we admitted what was happening. I said, too, that we’d figure out what to do next. Now I have another idea of what to do next.”

Her breath catches as I drop to one knee and take her hand. “The last time we were in this elevator, I knew I’d want this with you someday. I knew you were the one. You are . . . the only one for me.”

“You’re the only one for me,” she whispers.

“I could give you a speech about all the things I love about you, but I’d rather show you every day for the rest of our lives why I’m madly in love with you. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

She clasps her hand to her mouth and nods as tears streak down her cheeks. “I would be honored to be Mrs. Modern Gentleman.”

Laughing, I slide a stunning diamond solitaire onto her finger, rise, and kiss the red lipstick off her lips.

“Mrs. Jason Reynolds works too,” I murmur. “And so does Truly Goodman, as long as you’re mine.”

“Always. I’m always yours.”

When we reach the twelfth floor, I take her to a suite, and we enjoy reason number five thousand, two hundred, forty-five.

EPILOGUE

The next weekend

“Dude! You’re a rock star. I can’t thank you enough.” Eddie lumbers over to me on the lawn, clasps my hand, and pumps it up and down.

Admittedly, I was a little surprised to receive an invitation to his wedding, but weddings can be fun. I said yes, especially since Troy is working undercover at this one, albeit in a new capacity. He’ll be rapping though, so some things never change.

“I’m not sure what you have to thank me for, but I’m just happy to be invited.”

He gapes at me, sweeping his long hair off his forehead. “Are you kidding? If you didn’t turn down Randy, I’d never have had a chance to score with such a smart and sexy babe.”

He tips his forehead to the bride-to-be, the redhead from Gavin’s wedding who wanted to fuck me and my accent.

She rushes over in her dress, a tight white number that’s plastered like a bandage around her body. Guess they aren’t doing the whole don’t see the bride before the ceremony bit either. “Jay Bond,” she purrs. “I’m so glad you never gave me your digits. If you had, who knows what would have happened? Instead, I went home with this total babe. And he’s all mine now, with all his crazy scars.”

He winks at his bride. “I’ve got some new ones thanks to her.”

She smacks his shoulder playfully. “And bite marks. Don’t forget the bite marks.”

“Bite marks, scratch marks, rope burn, you name it,” Eddie says, grabbing her arm and dropping his mouth to her neck, ready to give her a vampire’s kiss.

She shoos him away. “Don’t mess up my hair before the ceremony!”

He snaps to attention. “You’re right. I’ll mess it up later.”

She drags a finger down his shirt. “You better.”

And yes, it seems Eddie indeed found his perfect, unfiltered match. He looks my way. “And thanks for doing me the solid with the Troy hookup. He rocks.”

“He does. And I’m thrilled for you and Randy. You guys really are perfect for each other,” I quip.

Randy squeezes his arm. “We are. Know what my favorite thing about Eddie is?”

I shake my head, sending a prayer to the gods of polite discourse than I’m not about to hear her top ten naughty nights out with him. “You don’t really have to tell me.”

“I’m going to anyway.”

“No, seriously. You don’t.”

She smacks my chest. “I do, I do. My favorite thing is he loves to cook me dinner. When I come home from a hard day at work, because managing mutual funds all day is exhausting, the last thing I want to do is cook. But he cooks gourmet meals for me. And that’s not all. He also loves to rub my feet. Did I score or what?”

That’s thoroughly unexpected—her two favorite things, as well as her job.

“I’d say you did,” I say with a smile, filing away this latest bit of data about couples. There is often so much more to a couple than you see. You might think you know one thing about them—they’re filthy mouthed, they like pugs, she’s the quintessential older woman and he looks like a boy toy, but beneath it all, there’s more that makes them tick.

Art and foot rubs, love and patience, heart and soul.

I catch sight of Truly standing under a tree, chatting with Troy. She’s making small talk with my former subcontractor, looking effortlessly beautiful as she sweeps a few strands of hair off her cheek, tucking them behind her ear.

Once again, I’m keenly aware of how stunning she is, inside and out. How she’s now mine, and I’m so damn grateful my friends and my sister didn’t let me walk away from the best thing that ever happened to me. I almost let her slip through my fingers because of business, because I was stubborn, and because I was afraid.

But I have her now, and I plan to keep making her happy every day.

We’re one of those couples now. We share a passion for work, humor, sarcasm, hobbies, fitness, and of course, we connect in the bedroom. We’re connected on so many levels, it’s like we were meant to be.

But I suppose that’s how you should feel when you fall in mad love with a very good friend.

I head over to join my fiancée, dropping a kiss to her cheek.

After we take our seats and the bride joins the groom at the front of the lawn, Troy, now an internet-ordained minister, clears his throat and proceeds to rap their wedding vows, as only Troy can do.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in holy matrimony. Not to be entered into lightly, holy matrimony should be entered into solemnly and with reverence and honor. If any person here can show just cause why these two people should not be joined in holy matrimony, speak now or forever hold your peace.”

I can’t think of any reason to speak now.

Also, as Sully would say, the man has skills.

ANOTHER EPILOGUE