Chapter 1

The night before my wedding, my bestie Delphine suddenly wants to make a bet with my fiancé Reid.

"I'm guessing how many candies you've got in your hand."

"Guess right, and you have to do whatever I bet."

"Guess wrong, and I'll cover the rest of the drinks tonight."

"I say five."

Reid opens his right hand. Three.

Delphine tips her head back, ready to down her drink.

Then Reid says, "You won."

He pulls his left hand out of his pants pocket.

"Two more. Right here."

Delphine smiles with tears in her eyes.

She unfolds a note she'd written earlier.

"Sorry, Reid. I really didn't think I'd get it on the first try."

"I wrote... Postpone your wedding for three years."

The whole room goes dead silent.

Then Reid laughs, "I've never gone back on a bet since college. A bet's a bet. I'll postpone the wedding for three years."

This isn't the first time Reid has bet on me.

I glance up at the clock. It's past midnight.

Right on cue, my phone is buzzing with two new messages.

Happy birthday.

Twenty-seven and still not married. Marry me. Deal still stands?

I type back: A bet's a bet.

--

The silence shatters, and the living room erupts.

"You're really going through with this?"

"A wedding isn't a game!"

"Wren handwrote five hundred invitations. Do you know how much work that was? We've already told every relative. You can't just call it off. What kind of stunt are you pulling?"

They crowd around Delphine, all talking at once.

"Wren is your best friend. Say something. Tell everyone it was just a joke and not a real bet."

Delphine sits in the corner with a wineglass in her hand, avoiding everyone's eyes as she slowly swirls the red wine.

"I wasn't joking."

"You all know I don't joke about bets."

"It'll bring bad luck."

The moment she says "bad luck," the room goes silent.

Everyone understands.

The wedding is really over.

The reason is simple.

I'm the only one with a normal job, working at the gallery.

Reid and his crew make a living buying storage units at auction.

At an auction, you get a few moments to look through the doorway before bidding on the entire unit without seeing what's inside.

Cut the padlock, roll up the door, and you might find a Rolex, a Cartier watch, or a stack of cash in a shoebox.

Or you might get a rusted lawnmower and forty-year-old newspapers. Every unit is a coin flip. Every one is a bet.

They hit the big auction circuits every month. Vegas, Miami, out of state. Their first real money in college came from one of those runs.

A bet is a bet. That's their rule.

Nobody speaks anymore.

I lower my eyes and pour myself a glass.

"Reid. Your call."

Reid looks at me, his eyes hazy with alcohol. He reaches out and pinches my cheek, just like he always does.

"Wren, we can still have the wedding three years from now."

"But risking everyone's luck over a wedding date isn't worth it."

"You'll understand, won't you?"

It's exactly the answer I expected.

I lower my head and swallow the bitterness in my throat.

When I look up again, I smile.

"I don't understand, but I agree."

Reid lets out a breath that almost sounds like a laugh.

"Still cracking jokes. Guess you're not that upset."

The room falls silent again.

Then the door swings open.

Callum is standing there. I hadn't even noticed him step outside.

He wheels in a three-tier cake, its candles lit and the frosting spelling out Happy 27th, Wren.

"Happy birthday!"

Reid startles, then seems to come back to himself and is the first to clap.

And just like that, my pre-wedding party turns into my birthday party.

A few rounds of drinks later, the room is filled with the rattle of dice cups and someone singing off-key.

I get up and walk over to Reid. I slip my hand into his suit pocket and pull out a fistful of wedding candies.

"Why?"

Reid smiles.

"Knew I couldn't hide them from you."

He pulls me into his arms, his voice low and rough from the wine.

"If Delphine had lost, she'd have had to drink everything. Her liver can't handle much. If it were you, you'd have done the same."

I tilt my head and look at him for a long moment.

I want to ask if he already knew what Delphine was going to bet, if he'd been expecting it.

But the words die in my mouth. There's no point.

I get up and go find Delphine.

"Why?"

Delphine looks back at me.

The wine has made her bolder than usual.

"Because I love Reid."

"And I'm not apologizing. I've held back for seven years. For you."

The answer is exactly what I expected. The honesty isn't.

She's been my best friend since college.

I tip my head back and take a long drink.

And suddenly, I can't help but think how absurd it all is. Completely ridiculous.

I set down my glass and reach for the bottle again.

A steady hand settles over mine.

Callum is behind me. I hadn't heard him come over. He leans down, his warm breath brushing my ear.

"Got your answer?"

"Then, three days from now. Wedding?"