Zach had expected to be welcomed into the groom's home with cat calls and slaps on the back. His date had impressed his peers. He felt proud to have Lilli on his arm but pissed off they weren't treating her with respect.

JJ said, "I caught them going at it in the basement."

Going at it! He hadn't even kissed her yet. But when he did it was everything he imagined and more. JJ teased him about kissing in his basement playroom, but Zach only remembered one other time and he hadn't hit puberty yet.

Zach fired back. "You'll be the one going at it tonight and just think all five thousand guests will know it."

Oliver laughed. "Five hundred, not five thousand."

Either way, it was way too many in Zach's mind. Someday he would have a wedding and it would not be a spectacle. Maybe in Maine. Dare he jump that far ahead. He and Lilli had only scratch the surface. The physical attraction part was not a problem. Was he vain to be certain it went both ways?

JJ said, "Thank God she shut me off two weeks ago. Something about making the wedding night more special. I'll be lucky if I say my vows. My balls are so blue."

Zach wanted to laugh, but seriously, two weeks was nothing. He hadn't been with a girl in over two years and had been looking at Lilli almost every day. His dick accepted a constant state of hard. When he walked out of his parents' house in that state, he was carrying a bag, otherwise his hand would be in his pocket. He didn't want to think about Lilli dressed for the wedding. It was hard enough seeing her in jeans earlier. Pun intended.

The groomsmen had been summoned over early and Zach didn't know what was expected. Unlike the women, they didn't have hair and makeup to do. Instead of spending time with Lilli, he had to sit through a groom's lunch. How could JJ eat? Zach wasn't the groom and his gut was churning too much for food.

Troy complained about the lack of scotch. Oliver scowled. "JJ doesn't need to drink before he commits to Violet. He loves her."

Again Troy disapproved. "Committed. Sounds like going to jail or the asylum."

"Troy, shut up!" Everyone looked at Zach. "What? He's annoying. Seriously, we're thirty. Most of us work as professionals." Troy was on his father's payroll, but bragged about watching porn all day. He should be on warning posters for the Me too movement.

Porn made Zach think of Ainsley and their secret chats. He had to come clean with Lilli. How had he been so stupid? Stupid and blind to not see himself in Office Secrets. Lilli disguised just enough to throw him off her trail. Philly, architect. Her names alone went right over his head. Zach and Lillian. Jack and Jillian. Jack and Jill. He smiled. Only Lilli would choose iconic names in disguise. Hopefully, he wouldn't fall down. What was a crown? He would ask Lilli. She probably knew.

She was smart. He saw it in her editing. She may exceed him one day to be the next super agent, like Anita Browning. Zach suspected it wasn't Lilli's goal, but it was Ann's and his. He wanted to succeed in Boston. He didn't like New York. Even Olivia's brother chose Boston over NYC. Olivia would never move. The Dwyer Mitchell flagship office was her life.

Oliver chuckled. "Gentlemen, you'll find out there is nothing better than living with your best friend. If she's not your best friend, you shouldn't marry her. Troy, you onky think about sex. I promise you marriage involves sex, but so much more."

JJ smiled. "And it all begins today."

Zach felt jealous. He hoped Lilli had the same eventual goals.

After lunch, they dressed in their tuxedos. Zach looked in the mirror. Would Lilli like it better than his lucky suit. If his friends heard about what she called his suit, they would assume it involved sex. They had to report for pictures before the ceremony. When he got married, he wanted to wait to see his bride. Lilli, a guy, can dream. He wanted to wait until she walked down the aisle towards him. She would be the most beautiful bride ever.

Would he be thinking about his own wedding preferences if Lilli wasn't with him? When he was with Jane, he hadn't been looking into the future. He was still in his twenties, but with thirty, his thoughts changed. Thoughts like not wanting to sit alone in his boxers for the rest of his life. He wondered if he would stop eating cereal. Lilli might join him, but she would choose Cocoa Puffs or maybe surprise him with something healthy, like Kashi. Nope, not his Lill. Would she really be his? Hopefully, he wouldn't blow it. Their relationship felt as fragile as a fiber of blown glass. Dangerous too, because it could pierce his heart with a shard.

He smiled for the camera and milled around during family pictures, which didn't include him. He stood next to Ainsley while the Sumners posed. The photographer was earning her money trying to get the little ones to cooperate. Lilli would know some magic.

Ainsley laughed. "You're right."

"Did I say that out loud?" Ainsley nodded. He'd be in trouble if he said every thought he had about Lilli. "She has a way about her. She amazes me every day."

"She promised me she'd tell you."

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It won't change anything. I understand why she kept it a secret. I can't believe I didn't see it for myself. The scar. The names."

"We only see what we're looking for. How would you know the author you were searching for was right under your nose?"

It was true. He assumed she was working for an architect in Philly. He had never even been, but Lilly seemed to know the city. There was so much to learn about her.

The Sumner family dispersed and the wedding planner announced the guests would be arriving. The bridal party disappeared, leaving the men in a group to hang around. He didn't see her arrive, but knew she had.

Daphne ran. "Lilli! I'm a princess!"

Zach walked towards the sound of the little voice and froze. She was beautiful. He shoved his hand in his pocket and took some quick strides to catch her. She stared at him and he was afraid she would faint.

"I think I died and went to heaven. You're more beautiful than the bride."

Lilli blushed her wonderful shades of pink as she stammered. "You look boo... ti... too."

He whispered in her ear and felt her knees give out as he supported her. "Someday, you won't be nervous around me. Hopefully, before you're the bride."

Her gasp was so loud it drew attention. Let them think he was talking dirty, instead he was sharing the thought that had been in his head all day.

He reluctantly passed Lilli off to Max so they could find a seat and watched them walk away. In moments, his brother had her relaxed and laughing. Frowning, he looked away and froze.

What the hell was she doing here, and why hadn't anyone warned him?

I love how you have great ideas for stories. I will not respond except to say not Chelsea (she and I don't see eye to eye) The series is drafted out so you can't sway me. The next one might surprise you all ❤️