Page 1 of All In

Chapter 1

Grayson

When I was twelve, I asked my best friend to marry me.

I didn’t really understand what marriage was, but my mom and dad were married, and they did everything together—they still do. They said they were the best of friends, and they acted like it. Every movie night was spent with them tangled in each other’s arms, and neither of them would go to bed without the other. They even got to do boring things together—like grocery shopping and running errands.

Spending that much time with Harlow seemed like it would be a dream.

There’d be no one to tell us we couldn’t have a sleepover. No one to say that we needed to do chores. No one to ground us and keep us apart.

Obviously, I didn’t quite understand that marriage was more than just hanging out and being the best of friends. And that’s why, when I turned sixteen and realized I still wanted all of those things and so much more with him, I asked him again.

He said we were too young to think about marriage, but to ask him again when we turned twenty-five, and we could get married then.

There’s a soft knock on my bedroom door, then Harlow pushes it open and pokes his head inside, his blond hair wild and sticking up in a hundred directions. It always gets like this by the end of the night. He can load it with product and style it for hours, and it doesn’t matter—it always ends up this way.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Do you have your tux yet?”

My heart slams against my ribs. “It’s the night before the wedding.” He stares at me like that means absolutely nothing to him. “Of course I have my tux. I’ve had it for almost two weeks.”

I mirror his look, raising my own eyebrows.

His concern melts into an easy, breathtaking smile. “Perfect. I don’t know why I’m freaking out so much.”

“Wedding jitters,” I say, trying to smile back at him.

He hums. “Must be.”

Without another word, he ducks out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him.

Harlow wanted to stay true to tradition and spend the night away from his fiancé. I guess that means I get one last sleepover before his big day.

It’s not quite the same as it was when we were kids. For one, he’s not in my room. He’s in my guest room. And two, he’s getting married tomorrow. To someone who is decidedly not me.

Fun.

The door to the bedroom opens again, and Harlow pops his head back in. “Are you gonna stay in here all night? I thought we’d hang out at least.”

I give him a nod and a smile. “I’ll be right out.”

Instead of leaving again, he stands there, his long, slender fingers wrapped around the doorjamb. “Now.”

I never have been able to deny him a single thing, and I know I’m not going to start tonight, so I climb quickly out of bed with a sigh. “Alright, alright. I’m coming.”

The smile he flashes me is almost enough to stop my heart.

I didn’t actually believe that Harlow meant it when he told me all those years ago that we would get married at twenty-five. Hell, we’ve never even kissed.

That doesn’t make the pain of knowing that he’s marrying someone else any better.

I don’t like the guy—Josh. To be honest, I’ve never met a Josh I’ve liked, and he’s no exception. He’s older than the two of us by a few years. He’s a doctor too, which I guess makes him think he’s better than all the people around him.

“Are you nervous?” I ask as I follow Harlow into the living room.

He shakes his head, but he’s nibbling on his bottom lip. “Thank you for letting me stay the night. I think Josh was a little hesitant about spending the night before the wedding apart.”

“It’s tradition,” I say, even though I don’t give a fuck about tradition.