Jack, the host, Sam’s friend and financial advisor, is charming as hell. And gorgeous, I realize as I watch half the women at the party drool on his thousand-dollar shoes, but I only have eyes for Sam.
Which is good, because the clowns wandering the party, performing magic tricks and twisting up balloon animals, would have been terrifying if I weren’t sufficiently distracted.
Thankfully, however, Iamdistracted—by my gorgeous boyfriend and the fun of riding an old-fashioned carousel together and eating all the crack-laced hot dogs we can stuff into our greedy stomachs.
That evening, we spend the last night at Sam’s hotel together before moving his things into my apartment for the month it will take to plan my move to the UK. There are work visas to put in place and good-bye parties to plan and I want to spend as much of my last summer in New York with my besties as I can.
And, of course, I have to get my tattoo from the artist I’ve been stalking for years.
In the end, I decide on a small peach on the inside of my wrist, where I can glance down at it any time and remember that I’m ridiculously loved. Keely, the tattoo artist, issues a brief warning that tattoos inspired by lovers are always dangerous—what if we break up and I end up with a permanent reminder of that heartbreak on my skin?
But I don’t hesitate or change my mind.
Sam and I aren’t going to end badly. I know that the way I know that the sky is blue and the sun is hot and my new murder-mystery, choose-your-relationship-adventure game is going to be a wild success.
* * *
Eighteen months later,we launch season one, a romance and murder mystery set in Jack the Ripper’s London, to fan and critical acclaim. Sam and I celebrate with a party for my team at a swanky cocktail lounge before retreating to Hyrule for the weekend to celebrate our way—with long cuddle sessions with Handsome, delicious meals and nostalgic movies, and a ridiculous amount of sex.
We’re stillthatcouple, the ones who can’t keep their hands off each other even though we’re approaching our two-year anniversary.
And even though we’re engaged and planning a summer wedding.
“Vintage Nintendo gaming systems as wedding favors is cool, not nerdy, right?” I ask, my finger hovering over the “buy” button on the gaming website.
“It’s nerdy as hell,” Sam says from across the kitchen table, where he’s working on choosing a caterer. “But it’s also very us and our friends and family know we’re nerds, so…”
I grin. “You’re right. And if I order early, we can play them all before the big day to make sure they still work the way they’re supposed to.”
He sighs. “A hard job, but someone has to do it. Order an extra one for my office. I can play it when I’m stuck on a project. It’ll help me think.”
“Already added,” I say, not telling him that I also have a vintage Zelda t-shirt on lock for him for his birthday in a few weeks. I want the gift to be a surprise.
Though I’m pretty sure no surprise can match the one he sprung on me last week.
I turn, glancing at the painting above the fireplace. It’s a portrait of Sam and me in old-fashioned clothes, as Lord and Lady of Hyrule. In it, I’m holding Handsome on my lap and Sam is holding a peach, very tenderly but seriously.
It makes me grin every time I look at it. The mixture of humor and beauty on display in the piece is just so perfectly Sam.
“You look good as the Lady of Hyrule,” Sam murmurs, following my gaze.
“And you look good holding my peach,” I say, arching a brow. “Think we’ve done enough wedding planning for tonight? Because I’d really like to ravage you in the solarium.”
He grins and snaps his laptop shut. “Last one there has to pick the bakery for the wedding cake.”
“Perfect,” I say, shooing him with my hands. “Go ahead and get a head start, buddy. I have very strong cake opinions and should absolutely be in charge of that decision.”
He winks and says, “I know this about you,” before heading for the back of the house and one of our favorite places to hang out after dinner, surrounded by plants and the vintage water features he had restored a few years ago.
Once again, he’s proven he’s perfect for me.
And then I join him in the solarium and prove I’m perfect for him.