Page 128 of Delayed Penalty

Does this mean Hayes and I are getting married?

Are we going to kiss in front of her now?

She was really grossed out by the thought of our answer to that second question being yes. I wasn’t. The fact that I can kiss Hayes freely now is so…well, freeing. I won’t lie and say a part of me didn’t love the secret aspect of our relationship. It was fun sneaking around, but loving him in the light? It’s so much better than loving him in the dark.

“So, Flora, did you have a good Christmas?”

She nods. “It was thebestChristmas.” She grabs her cat, who is always by her side, and holds her up. The poor kitten looks absolutely miserable wearing the bow on top of her head. “Pickles loves her new headband.”

Hayes laughs. “Pickles looks like she’s plotting world domination.”

“She is,” Flora says with a shrug.

“Well, before she gets too far into her plans, do you want to open your last present?” I ask her.

She whips her head to me. “I have another present?”

“Yep.” I grab the box I’ve been keeping hidden behind me, then hold it her way. “Here.”

She eyes it warily before grabbing it with lightning-fast speed. Like the others, she takes her time peeling up the edges, and I sit on pins and needles the whole time. When she finally pulls it out, she looks confused.

“But I already have a Serpents jersey.”

“I know. Look at the back.”

She flips it around, and I hearher gasp before I can see the look on her face.

“Just Quinn! This is amazing!” She spins it back around to show me. “Look! I’m Little Flower!”

I grin at her. “YouareLittle Flower, and now you have two different jerseys to choose from when you go to Serpents games.”

“I’m going as Little Flower all the time.”

“Hey! What am I? Nothing to you?”

She rolls her baby-blue eyes. “You already know you’re my favorite Serpents player.”

“I am, huh?” He grins smugly. “Wait until Lawson hears about this.”

I laugh, shaking my head at him as I rise from the floor and begin picking up the trash. With the amount of paper and boxes stacked everywhere, you’d think we had ten kids living in this place, but nope. It’s just Flora. Hayes even worried if he bought her enough at one point. I pinched his nipple for being so silly.

We’ve been searching—together this time—for someone to come in and help with Flora while I’m in school, and we have it narrowed down to two candidates. It’s crazy to think I’m looking for a replacement for my old job, but I’m okay handing off the torch. Besides, I’d rather be their someone special instead of just their nanny.

“Hang on,” Hayes says. “Looks like we missed something under the tree.”

“There’s no way. I checked three times.”

But when I glance over there, yep—there’s a boxsitting right in the middle. I look at Hayes, who just shrugs, a small smile playing on his lips.

I walk over to the tree and grab the box. It’s addressed to me.

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