Page 111 of Make the Play

“What’s weird?” Knox asks.

“This.” Landry waves his hand in the air at us. “It’s going to take me some time to get used to it.”

“Do you think you’ll be used to it by March?” Knox asks him.

“Fuck, Beckett, I don’t know. You can’t put a time limit on these kinds of things,” Landry replies.

“Hmm,” Beckett muses. “I guess that means you’re not going to like me kissing her in front of a crowd at our wedding. Does that mean you won’t stand up with me?” he asks nonchalantly.

“What?” Landry’s eyes volley between Knox and me. “You set a date?”

“We did. We’re going to do a destination wedding. The Bahamas in March. I was hoping you could walk me down the aisle,” I tell him.

“And then, take your spot next to me,” Knox adds. “But we get it. The PDA is too much. Will you even be able to attend the wedding? There will be lots of me kissing and touching my new bride.”

Tears well in my eyes as I watch my brother swallow hard, and his serious side comes out. “Core.” His voice wobbles, and I’m leaving Knox’s arms for my brother’s. “I love you, little sister. I’m so damn happy for you,” he says, hugging me tightly.

“I love you, too.” By the time I pull away, I’ve lost my battle with fighting off the tears. I wipe at my cheeks when I ask, “Will you do it? Will you walk me down the aisle?”

His eyes mist, and he blinks hard to keep them at bay. “They’d be so fucking proud of you, Corie. It would be an honor to walk you down the aisle.” He pulls me into another hug. “And you”—he releases me and points to Knox—“bring it in, Brother.”

I watch as my brother and my fiancé hug one another tightly. “Thank you for loving her.” I hear Landry tell his best friend.

“Easier than breathing, my man.”

Unable to take it, I launch myself at both of them, and that’s how the rest of our friends find us, standing in the middle of Knox’s kitchen, eyes misty with tears, smiles on our faces, and locked in a tight embrace.

“Baby Reynolds, you broke them,” Reid teases.

“Future, Mrs. Beckett,” Knox says, releasing Landry, pulling my back to his chest, and wrapping his arms around me. I place my left hand over his arm, displaying my ring proudly.

“I feel like we should have seen this coming,” Baker tells us.

“The two of you are good, I’ll give you that,” Foster agrees.

“It’s weird, though, right?” Landry asks. “Seeing them all loved up and shit?” He winks at me, and the heaviness of the moment has passed.

“Oh, you mean like this?” Knox turns me in his arms and cradles my face in the palm of his hands. “I love the hell out of you, Corie girl.”

I grin. “Love you, too, QB.” Then he kisses me. Landry yells something about his eyes burning while Reid, Baker, and Foster cheer us on.

“Weird, but cool,” Foster says when we finally pull out of the kiss.

“You get used to it,” Sloane says, and I didn’t even know she was here. I leave Knox and pull my best friend into a hug before telling the guys to dig in.

I don’t know what I was nervous about.

These are my people.

Ourpeople.

Our home.

Epilogue Knox

Knox

Third down, and forty-five seconds on the clock. I glance around the Defenders’ stadium, and the crowd roars. The stands are split with fans wearing both Rampage and Defenders colors. Rowdy the Rhino, our mascot, is over with the cheerleaders, trying to hype up the crowd. I glance up at the suite I know my family and fiancée are in, and I can’t contain my smile. We’re up by three, and this next play, we’re bringing it home.

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