Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 114951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 575(@200wpm)___ 460(@250wpm)___ 383(@300wpm)
“By brilliant, he means absolutely idiotic,” Daddy P grumped.
“You’re just mad you didn’t think of it,” Vince chided.
“Picture this—” Jaxson held up his hands wide. “A zip line strung between two yachts, and we pass ride back and forth hanging from the trophy before doing a keg stand on the other side and tapping the next player in.”
Aleks blinked at his teammate, shaking his head. „Der spinnt doch.“
“Exactly!” Jaxson exclaimed, pointing to Aleks. “What he said.”
“Pretty sure he insulted you,” Daddy P pointed out.
“But he didn’t say he wouldn’t do the zip line,” Vince added with a finger aimed at Aleks’s chest.
The bickering continued on, and I chuckled, crossing my arms and taking in the glory of a rowdy team who’d earned this night.
My eyes flicked back to the hallway just in time to see Maven loop an arm through Ariana’s, Grace and Mia falling in on either side of her, laughter spilling from them as easily as it always had.
She wasn’t watching from the sidelines anymore.
She had her own team now.
This was the love I’d always dreamed of.
It was support and comfort, safety and encouragement, room to be ourselves while also carving out an existence together.
The Cup was right there in the center of the noise, and the night was loud and electric and unreal — but somehow, the best part of winning wasn’t the trophy at all.
It was knowing we’d both made it here together.
Time and circumstance had ripped us apart, but we’d found our way back — as if there was no other option, as if our souls were tied to one another.
And here we were. Still standing. Still choosing each other, even when it was impossible to do. Still building something honest out of the wreckage that tried to claim us.
It all started with a hand flying into the air, with a girl who captured my heart the second I laid eyes on her.
And from where I was standing, there was no ending in sight.
Ariana
One Year Later
“I feel like this should be shocking, but alas… I feel nothing close to surprise,” Vince said, smirking as he took in the ridiculous chapel we were sitting in. He had one arm around Maven, who was holding fast to the hand of Rowan, who was no doubt planning her escape so she could run around freely.
“I mean, nothing screams Grace quite like bedazzled pews and an Elvis officiant,” Livia agreed.
We were in Las Vegas, the whole crew, to finally celebrate Jaxson and Grace getting married. Grace had been reluctant to set a date at first. As much as she couldn’t wait to marry Jaxson, the very act of “settling down” went against every fiber that made up who she was as a person.
She was meant to roam, to travel, to spread her wings and fly.
When she finally did decide on a plan, Chloe had been too pregnant to fly during the offseason. And so, Grace had handed us all a very conspicuous save the date with the Las Vegas sign on it.
Here we were, one year later, each of us dressed in our sparkliest outfits — at Grace’s insistence — ready to celebrate the newlyweds.
Jaxson stood at the front of the chapel, hands clasped behind his back, wearing a white suit jacket that glittered under the lights like a disco ball. Rhinestones traced the lapels. His loafers shimmered. I was fairly certain there was actual fringe involved.
“This is the happiest I’ve ever been,” he announced to no one in particular. “If I die today, tell my story. Carve it on my gravestone. Write it in the obituary.”
“You’re not allowed to die until after the honeymoon,” Grace shouted from somewhere behind the curtain behind us. “I’ve already packed your outfits.”
Livia chuckled beside me, her gaze flicking up to Carter like they were sharing an inside joke.
Then, a dramatic crescendo of piano played over the speakers before Grace stepped through the curtain behind us. The song was a classical remix of “100,000 People” by Kings of Leon.
Grace stepped out wearing something that could only be described as art. There were layers of tulle, sequins in at least three clashing shades, and a dramatic high-low hem that revealed sparkly boots. Her hair was piled high, unapologetically wild, with a short veil pinned in at a crooked angle.
She looked stunning.
She looked ridiculous.
She looked exactly like we all imagined she would on her wedding day.
Jaxson turned, took her in, and promptly started laughing even as tears flooded his eyes. None of the guys in the pews around me dared to tease him for getting mushy — Shane already told me before the ceremony started that none of them had any room to shit talk when they were all so weak for their women.
“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Jaxson said reverently as Grace literally skipped down the aisle to him. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint.”