Page 133 of The Fast Lane

“I snuck into your backpack to find that application form. I wanted to see what it all entailed and if I could convince you to send it in, but you’d filled it all out already.”

I crossed my arms.

“And I sent it in for you. You’ll be on the ballot this spring.”

“What? I wasn’t sure I was going to do it,” I said in outrage.

He smirked. “Yes, you were.”

“You didn’t know that.”

“Yes, I did.”

“We’re going to have a talk about this later.”

“I understand.” He tried, and failed, to look properly apologetic.

“I’m serious. That is the first rule of our relationship. We don’t enter each other into mayoral races without expressed written consent.”

“Deal.”

“And no Rush during long car trips.”

“Now, wait. I am not agreeing to that.”

“We’ll see.” I raised on my tiptoes and whispered in his ear, “Kiss me, Goodnight.”

So, he did. A toe-curling, breath-stealing, name-forgetting kind of kiss.

I think I heard a few catcalls. Someone announced that the limo for the bride and groom had arrived and that it was hot pink with the words PARTY TIME in huge letters and a stripper pole inside. And I’m pretty sure Mack walked by and asked if there was a pool for wedding dates yet.

But whatever.

Theo Goodnight loved me.

I think I won.

EPILOGUE

THEO

Note to self:

Like Mack said, time to put a ring on it.

A random Thursday in June, ten months after the wedding

Two Harts

“Are you sure about this?” Abe asked, checking himself out in the small, warped mirror.

The biggest drawback of holding a wedding at a county park was dealing with the restroom situation. There was nothing romantic about metal toilets, cement floors, no hand soap, and a scratched, dirty mirror that looked as though it had been purchased from a funhouse.

But bathrooms aside, today was exactly how Ali had described her perfect wedding to me all those months ago. Kind of funny to think it had been less than a year ago when I’d unchained her from the tree we were about to get married in front of.

Or hopefully married in front of. This was a surprise. Everyone was in on the surprise but Ali. She could say no but, and I’m not being cocky here, she wouldn’t.

I finished buttoning the sleeves on my dress shirt. It was chambray blue because Ali said it almost matched my eyes. “Very.”