The Last Word, page 35
“That is not true! I would have had a luxurious time getting things packed,” I counter.
“Now you can have a luxurious time waltzing around the terminal with no panic about missing the flight.”
“That’s the last time you’ll fool me. From now on, I’m in charge of booking flights so there won’t be any chance of you pulling the wool over my eyes again.”
He sighs, turning back to stop me and wrapping his hands around my waist.
“I think from our Prague experience we both know that it’s not a good idea for you to take charge of travel plans, wouldn’t you agree?”
I blush at the memory, before stubbornly saying, “I still maintain that the hotel got the dates of our stay wrong, not me.”
“No question.” He grins, dipping his head and kissing me on the cheek. “Even though your booking confirmation stated the same dates the hotel had, it makes much more sense that they were somehow at fault.”
I exhale as his lips brush along my cheekbone, sinking into him as he holds me close. It’s very difficult to argue with him when he does this. My brain is compromised and my line of thinking becomes scrambled due to the fluttering deep within my stomach.
“All right,” I say, unable to fight a smile, “you can be in charge of travel plans. But I get to be in charge of travel snacks.”
“That seems fair,” he murmurs against my skin, his hands pressed against the small of my back so that I arch into him as his lips make their way to mine. He kisses me, a long, deep kiss that drowns out the hubbub of the airport surrounding us, before pressing his forehead against mine and giving me one of those knowing smiles of his.
“I thought you wanted to get through security for a luxurious couple of hours waltzing around the terminal,” I say, closing my eyes and grinning.
“No rush,” he says, finding my hands and threading his fingers through mine. “We have all the time in the world.”
I don’t usually let Ryan have the last word. But as he leans in for another kiss, I decide that I might just let him have this one.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Huge thanks to my wonderful editors, Kim and Sarah, for your creativity, guidance, and excellent senses of humor. Working on this book with you both was, as ever, so much fun, and I’m very grateful to you for believing in Harper and Ryan. You’re the best, thank you.
Thank you to Amy, Olivia, Jenny, Rebecca, Drue, Marissa, Kejana, Mary, and the talented teams at Hodder & Stoughton and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you for everything you’ve done to make my book ten times better than it was and for getting it out into the world.
Thanks to my fabulous agent, Lauren; to the amazing Justine, Julie, and Paul, who stepped in to help with this project; and to everyone at Bell Lomax Moreton for always cheering me on.
To my family and friends, thank you for your continued encouragement—I couldn’t do any of this without you. Special thanks to Ben for your unwavering support and for making me hot chocolate to keep me going through late nights writing, and to my loyal and loving dog, Bon, who snoozes at my feet while I work and never fails to put a smile on my face.
And, finally, a huge thank-you to everyone who takes the time to read my books. I write stories like this one in the hope of bringing some joy to your day and making you laugh, so fingers crossed it does just that.
ALSO BY KATY BIRCHALL
The Wedding Season
The Secret Bridesmaid
Jane Austen’s Emma (Awesomely Austen—Illustrated and Retold)
Morgan Charmley: Teen Witch
Hotel Royale: Dramas of a Teenage Heiress
Hotel Royale: Secrets of a Teenage Heiress
Superstar Geek
Team Awkward
Don’t Tell the Bridesmaid
How to Be a Princess
Praise for
THE WEDDING SEASON
“Birchall manages to design a cheer squad of fully supportive chums and a sexy, sensitive love interest in this witty, relatable tale that doesn’t fall prey to the trite rom-com formula you may be expecting.”
—USA Today
“Birchall strikes gold with the comedic cadence of her prose and balances the humor with her winning heroine’s sincere efforts to find her inner strength. This is a snappy, empowering pick for fans of Sophie Kinsella.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A fast-paced, well-written story … the real HEA ending is Freya’s realization that being jilted was a beginning, not an end.”
—Library Journal
“The Wedding Season is the perfect antidote to recent stressful times; like a glass of prosecco, it’s bubbly, fun, and over way too fast.”
—Lindsay Emory, author of The Royal Runaway
“Fun, hilarious, and heartwarming, The Wedding Season is like a giant hug for anyone who has faced the challenge of a failed relationship. With a stellar cast of loyal friends, quirky family members, and a wacky plan to get through the wedding season, this book had me laughing, crying happy tears, and turning pages late into the night.”
—Sara Desai, author of The Singles Table
“An utterly charming story about what to do when life hands you Something Blue: turn it into Something New. The Wedding Season is exactly what I needed to read right now.”
—Julia Whelan, author of My Oxford Year
“I adored The Wedding Season! Its wit made me laugh, its relatability made me cry, and its delicious slow-burn romance had me swooning. I can’t wait to read what Birchall writes next.”
—Lacie Waldon, author of The Layover
Praise for
THE SECRET BRIDESMAID
“A pure delight.”
—BookPage (starred review)
“A unique, hilarious spin on wedding mayhem. Birchall pays just as much attention to the complex nuances of female friendship as to the healing power of love, resulting in an entertaining romp.”
—Publishers Weekly
“With a delightfully plucky heroine and laugh-out-loud hijinks, The Secret Bridesmaid gives the wedding rom-com a much-needed update: focusing on the friendships between women as much as the romance. Charming, escapist fun.”
—Katharine McGee, New York Times bestselling author of American Royals
“This laugh-out-loud funny rom-com provides the cheery escapism we all need these days. Charming, hopeful, and swoon-worthy enough to sweep even the most level-headed reader off their feet.”
—Hannah Orenstein, author of Meant to Be Mine
“Hilarious and heartwarming—the perfect wedding season read.”
—Heidi Swain, Sunday Times bestselling author
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
KATY BIRCHALL is the author of The Last Word, The Wedding Season, and The Secret Bridesmaid as well as numerous books for young readers. The former deputy features editor for Country Life magazine, she is also a freelance journalist. She lives in London with her husband, Ben, and their corgi-cross rescue dog, Bono. You can sign up for email updates here.
Thank you for buying this
St. Martin’s Publishing Group ebook.
To receive special offers, bonus content,
and info on new releases and other great reads,
sign up for our newsletters.
Or visit us online at
us.macmillan.com/newslettersignup
For email updates on the author, click here.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Also By Katy Birchall
Praise Page
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
THE LAST WORD. Copyright © 2023 by Katy Birchall. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Olga Grlic
Cover art: man and woman © An240/Shutterstock.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Birchall, Katy, author.
Title: The last word / Katy Birchall.
Description: First U.S. Edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2023.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022056749 | ISBN 9781250882752 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250882769 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PR6102.I724 L37 2023 | DDC 823/.92—dc23/eng/20221202
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022056749
eISBN 9781250882769
Our ebooks may be purchased in bulk for promotional, educational, or business use. Please contact the Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department at 1-800-221-7945, extension 5442, or by email at MacmillanSpecialMarkets@macmillan.com.
First U.S. Edition: 2023
Katy Birchall, The Last Word
