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No.

No.

No. I am neck and neck with my ex. My awful, horrible ex.

Well, I sure as hell am not going to let him win.

Mina hits us with question after question, and we are, I’m not going to lie, tied with Jace and Holly for a good five sets.

How could they have done this? It seems unfair that two people I dislike are tied with us for first place. It seems like an insult, like the universe is laughing at us.

I’m exhausted. My brain hurts from thinking so much, but beside me, Rhett’s holding my hand, shooting me looks that says, We don’t have to win.

Yes, we do.

I hate to get all Cristina-zilla on him, but we’ve got to beat those two, stick it to them.

“The final question of the night is for the gentlemen in the lead. Jace and Rhett: Why do you think the magic picked your partner?”

There are a hundred different answers I could give—and Rhett could give, too. But the main reason? What is it?

As Rhett scribbles his response, my mind spins. Our history flashes before my eyes—from our first meeting at the resort’s opening up until this moment, I see it all so clearly. Me with the inhaler, him pretending not to see it, me fleeing after he called me his stalker, him following me, and always, always the magic pushed us together, willing us to collide.

I’ve got it.

I know exactly why we were put together.

“Time’s up, let’s start with Jace and Holly.”

My skin buzzes. This is it. The final question, what we’ve been building to for weeks.

“Holly, why did the magic pick Jace for you?”

She smirks and replies, “He’s my boo.”

Mina blinks but doesn’t break from character. “All right. And, Jace, what did you write?”

“Because I’m not too much.” Jace looks at me when he says it, and I smile sweetly back at him. Sticks and stones, Jace. Sticks and stones.

I’m exactly enough.

Mina scrunches her face. “I’m sorry, that’s not a match. Holly, Jace being your boo isn’t the same as him not being too much. On to Cristina. What do you say?”

I take a deep breath. “The magic picked us . . . so that we could heal each other.”

“Aw, that is just the sweetest reply we’ve had. And, Rhett, what did you write?”

He gives me a quick wink and flips his card. “Mina, I wrote so we could heal each other.”

“It’s a match,” Mina announces, throwing her arms up. “Congratulations to Cristina and Rhett for winning the first-ever magical matchmaking competition! Come down here!”

It’s all a whirlwind as Rhett rises and pulls me to stand beside him. We hug, and he whispers, “That’s my girl,” in my ear.

I melt because I am his girl, but more than that, I’m myself. I’m me, not someone who’s too much or someone undeserving. I do deserve this—all of it. I deserve Rhett, and he deserves happiness, too.

There’s something freeing about being exactly who you are and still being chosen.

Not a perfect person, but better.