Page 87 of Late to Love

She smirks. “I know.”

I swat her ass. “Brat.”

Her smile widens as she wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you, too.”

With a laugh, I slant my mouth over hers, capturing her lips in a kiss that has never felt sweeter.

Epilogue: One Year Later

Darcy

“And the trophy goes to Hall’s Belles!”

The four of us squeal and grip each other tight, then I step forward to take the trophy and hoist it above my head. “We won!”

Amanda, Devon, and Agatha surround me, and we cheer once more, jumping up and down and generally losing our minds. It’s probably a little over the top, but I don’t care.

“Smile!” Aaron calls from somewhere to our right.

We all turn, each of us holding the trophy, and grin like maniacs. Winning the Mobile Regional Bowling Tournament isn’t going to put us on the road to professional bowling or anything, but we practiced so hard this past year. Even got another couple of teams up and running at Hall’s Balls, so who knows? Maybe we’ll start our own baby tournament.

We break apart, each of us heading to our respective people. Devon is swept into Aaron’s arms, while Agatha’s daughter Betty coos over her and hands her a thermos of iced tea. My dad stands off to the side, his proud gaze bouncing between me and Betty. She and Dad finally stopped hiding their budding romance, and they couldn’t be cuter. Then there’s Amanda stepping into Harrison’s arms—becausethathappened, talk about a plot twist!—and my grouchy hot bartender glowers at me from where he stands a little farther away.

I lick my lips as I close the distance, not missing the way his eyes dart down to watch before raising back up.

“Your approach on that last frame was sloppy,” he admonishes.

I bite back a smile. “Was it, now?”

He nods, deadly serious. “It was a miracle you got that spare.”

I wrap my arms around his waist and tuck myself against him, making sure he’s got a good view of my tits. “Sure was,” I agree. Then I sigh dramatically. “If only our coach would just, I don’t know, coach us or something.”

A corner of his mouth quirks. “You little brat.”

I wink. “You gonna spank me later?”

He pretends to consider it. “Only if you’re good.”

“And if I’m bad?” I counter.

He brings his lips to my ear and speaks low. “Then I’ll make you swallow my cock.”

I shiver with delight.

“You two done over there?” Harrison calls, breaking up our party of two.

I turn and Anthony’s hand wraps around my waist before dipping to squeeze my ass. “For now,” Anthony hedges.

We walk outside, with Agatha carrying the trophy like it’s her baby.

“Party back at Hall’s?” Amanda asks.

“Of course,” Harrison answers, pulling her to him for a quick kiss.

“We’re celebrating more than our win,” I say. “I accepted my fiftieth order today!”

My friends shout and whoop, and the smile on my face is probably big enough to crack me in two. This past year has been a wild ride. A celebrity bought one of my pool tables and posted about it on social media, and business exploded. I ended up renting a workshop a block off the main road in our downtown and have been so busy that I’ve had to turn down more orders than I’ve accepted. I’m interviewing apprentices, of all things.

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