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Chapter One

The ivory invitation with its elegant calligraphy and lacy embellish to blow up in Madison Daniels’s face than a beautiful wedding announcement Man, did she have a problem

Mitch, her big brother by three years—her only brother—was actually getting married this weekend Married

She was totally happy for hial, and they’d beco A Hallmark movie could be based on the two Met freshreat corporate jobs straight out of college, and the rest was history

No, Mitch and Lissa weren’t the problem

And a wedding held deep in Northern Virginia’s vineyards definitely wasn’t the problem

Not even her semi-lunatic parents, ned and operated a very profitable online store called DOOMSDAY “R” US and would likely be hawking gas uests, were the problem In fact, she’d take an asteroid with “Earth’s My Bitch” emblazoned on it and headed her way over this

Her gaze dropped to the invitation, down to the list of attending bridesroo the long strands of brown hair that had escaped her messy twist

Right across from her name, separated by a few innocent dots and written in crimson ink, was the name of the best man: Chase Gamble

God hates me That was it Well, she was the maid of honor, and any of the other Gamble brothers would’ve been fine as best man But oh no, it had to be Chase Gamble He was her older brother’s best friend, confidante, homie, whatever—and otherwise known as the bane of Madison’s existence

“Staring at the invitation isn’t going to change a daainst Madison’s desk, drawing her attention Her assistant was a study in how a fashion disaster on soet wore a fuchsia pencil skirt paired with a purple peasant shirt sporting large polka dots A black scarf and leather boots coood in what should have been a clown’s costuet was bold

Madison sighed She could use a little bold right now “I don’t think I can deal with this”

“Look, you should’ve taken my advice and invited Derek fro wildafter your brother’s best friend during the whole wedding A ht I add”

Bridget had a point She was crafty like that “What a out theof her office All she could see was the steel and ce—the Smithsonian, which always made her chest sith pride She’d worked hard to beco cultural institution

Bridget leaned down into Madison’s face and caught her attention again “You’re going to put on your big-girl panties and deal with it Youlove for Chase Ganized your awesomeness by now the st”

“I know, I know,” Madison said “But he’s just so… infuriating”

“Most et winked

“It’s fine he’s not interested in ive hi his mind the one tihed withouther to understand “But he’s constantly poking atet him naked”

“It’s just one weekend—how bad can it be?” Bridget asked She was trying to add the voice of reason to as going to be the worst weekend of Madison’s life

Dropping the invitation on her desk, she leaned back in her chair and sighed, idly conte the history department

Ever since she could rerown up on the same block in the suburbs of DC Her brother and Chase had been inseparable since, well, forever Whichbetter to do as a kid than follow behind Mitch and his friends

She’d idolized Chase It was hard not to with his al dimples As a boy and into adulthood, Chase had a fierce protective streak that could irl’s heart do a little flutter in her chest He was the type of guy ould rip off his shirt in the ive it to a homeless person on the street, but there’d always been this raw, dangerous edge to him

Chase wasn’t the kind of guy anyone messed with

Once in high school, a boy had gotten a little too frisky with her in his car parked outside her parents’ house, and Chase had just been leaving when he’d heard her muffled protests as a hand went somewhere she didn’t want

After that run-in, the guy didn’t walk right for several weeks

And the occurrence pretty much cemented a puppy love that just wouldn’t die

Everyone and their h school and the first two years of college Christ, it was a well-known theory that wherever Mitch and Chase were, Madison wasn’t too far behind Sad as it was—and it was pathetic—she had attended the University of Maryland because they had

Everything changed her junior year in college, the night he’d opened his first nightclub