The Happy Ever After Playlist (The Friend Zone, #2)

by Abby Jimenez

Sloan: I haven’t painted my own works since my fiancé died two years ago. The dots started to jump. Then they stopped. Then they started again. Jason: I’m sorry to hear that. There was a pause between texts while he typed again. Jason: Sometimes the hardest place to live is the one in-between.

She hit me and I laughed, kissing the top of her head. Tucker settled at the end of the bed and I shut my eyes, feeling a sense of calm, like everything I needed was in one place at the same time.

This was just a season, and there’s beauty in all seasons. Even if you are looking forward to the next one.

“Have them. They’re yours,” he said. I smiled. “You’re giving me your hands?” “My hands, my voice. My back to do your heavy lifting, my arms to carry you to bed when you’ve had too much tequila. My money, my time, my heart. It’s all yours, Sloan.” I could feel the love in his words. It was so earnest, it made my heart ache so much, tears pricked my eyes.

“It’s just how I feel. I’m yours. All of me. I think I always belonged to you. Even when you belonged to someone else.” His eyes moved back and forth between mine. “Tucker knew it. He took one look and he saw the other half of me inside of you and he brought you home.”

You can’t control the bad things that happen to you. All you can do is decide how much of you you’re going to let them take.

I knew how hard it was to battle against yourself. To wrestle your desires down every single day of your life to do what you know is best.

“Someone smart once told me you can start over again. Start now.”

“You think you know what love looks like. You think the fairy tales and the romantic movies prepare you. And then you finally, really truly find it and you realize you never knew a thing about it until her.” He shook his head. “She was every love song I’ve never been good enough to write.”