PART 4–CHAPTER 171
LUKE
The room was buzzing with laughter and music, the kind of background noise that meant everything was going exactly as it should. I’d just spotted Josh across the room, his shoulders relaxed, a drink in hand, and a wide grin splitting his face. It was good to see him like this, finally looking like the guy I’d known before everything turned sideways.
I crossed over, and when Josh spotted me, his grin got even wider. He wrapped me in a bear hug, clapping my back with a familiar force.
“Good to see you, man,” he said, stepping back and looking me over. “Missed you.”
1 chuckled, shaking my head. “Right back at you. Glad to see you finally got your shit together,” I replied, a hint of teasing in my voice. He laughed, shaking his head.
Then, a pair of slender, manicured hands slid around Josh’s waist. A tall blonde, dressed to kill, leaned into him, murmuring something in his ear that I couldn’t catch. Her eyes flicked over to me, assessing, before Josh wrapped an arm around her and turned her toward me.
“Luke, meet Jasmine,” Josh said, his eyes gleaming.
I gave her a nod, offering a polite smile as I extended my hand. “Nice to meet you, Jasmine.”
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PART & CHAPTEN 199
She gave me a smile back, something bright and knowing in her expression, then turned to Josh. I’m going to go mingle for a bit, babe,” she said with a kiss on his cheek.
When she was out of earshot, I tilted my head and raised an eyebrow. “Really, man? A Sports Illustrated model?”
Josh just laughed, shrugging. “What can I say? I got lucky.” Then he glanced over my shoulder, his smirk deepening. “Since when do you go for brunettes?”
I followed his gaze to Francesca, who was chatting with Jasmine. One hand gestured animatedly while the other clutched her champagne flute. Of course, they knew each other.
“She’s a distraction,” I said with a half–shrug, meeting Josh’s eyes again. “Nothing serious. You know that.”
Josh’s expression softened a bit. He rested a hand on my shoulder, giving it a firm squeeze. “You good, man? I mean… I should probably still be pissed at you for leaving Jess the way you did, but I know you were hurting.” He sighed, voice dropping to something more serious. “It’s been two years, Luke. You gotta move on.”
bright smile and slipping her arm through mine. “Hey, babe! Let’s take a quick selfie,” she chirped, already lifting her phone up. I managed a quick, forced smille just as the flash went off. As she checked her screen, probably typing out a post that would make some headlines by morning, she gave me a peck on the cheek and sashayed away leaving the scent of her too- sweet perfume lingering.
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