“You didn’t. Not once in the two months we’ve been talking have I ever wanted you to be quiet. Do you remember when you’d try to chat my ear off in the hallway, telling me a story I didn’t care about? Did I ever tell you to shut up then?”

He hums. “No. I guess you didn’t.”

“I listened, even if you annoyed me. These are the kind of things I want to know more about. Things no one else knows. It makes me feel special.”

His face softens and he kisses my cheek. “You are special, Emma.”

It’s like the universe pieced together my dream man and plopped him here in this backyard, sitting next to me on squeaky, folded chairs, pulling his suit jacket tighter around my frame and brushing rogue tendrils of wispy hair away from my face.

And he’s been in front of me all along. How stupid have I been to miss him?

I’m curious to see what kind of relationship we could have. What kind of partner Henry would be. I can’t wait to spend time with him as the two of us where we can learn even more.

“Do you want to head upstairs?” Henry asks at the end of the fireworks show.

“Yeah. I’d like that.”

He stands, offering me his hand, and I take it. I’m ready for some peace and quiet. Tonight was a lot. Between the handshakes, laughter, stories, and jokes, I’m exhausted.

I rarely do back-to-back events, so all this interaction and communication with strangers is beginning to take a toll on me. My feet hurt. My cheeks ache. My head is pulsing from having to explain my job nine times, fielding questions about why I would ever want to work in such a sad branch of law. Socialization is part of the job, and I owe it to Henry to keep it together these last few minutes.

“I’m going to say good night to Drew and Lizzie. Meet you at the door in five minutes?”

“Perfect,” I smile, kissing his cheek as we go separate ways.

“Emma, right?” Halfway across the grass, I look up at the source of my name, finding the woman Henry mentioned earlier blocking my way.

Lovely. This will be fun.

“Hi. I’m not sure we’ve met.”

“Your boyfriend has made sure of that. I’m Betsy.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“Did you sabotage Henry? Is that why he’s with you and not me?”

“Sabotage? We’re colleagues and have known each other for years.”

“It was supposed to be me. Our parents have been talking about setting us up for years, until you swooped in and snatched him up first.”