Page 81 of Make Your Shot
A chuckle rumbles in my throat and I press my mouth to Mia’s, feeling her warmth beneath my lips. She kisses me back before Nova clears her throat and begins to drag Mia away from me. I release her, my heart swelling as they pull her into a circle and all start to dance together.
“Happiness looks good on you, Ford,” Rowan says as he throws his arms over my shoulders, tugging me toward him.
“You and Mia are good together,” Lincoln chimes in, a small smile on his lips. “I never thought I’d see the day, but I’m glad we’ve all gotten the chance to.”
“If there’s anyone who deserves to be happy, it’s you, Caleb,” Nash chimes in, holding his drink toward me as Carson steps up beside me. They all begin to close in, forming a circle. “To all of us.”
We all clink our glasses together before taking a sip. My eyes survey the barn and I catch sight of Willow pausing by the door, her hand slipping into someone else’s who stands just outside the door and she ducks out into the darkness. Forgetting about her, I look over at my brother. “I’m proud of you, little bro,” I say to Carson. “You’ve done well for yourself. You’ve made a life with the woman you love and your son.”
“I’m proud of you, Cale,” he reciprocates, his arm replacing Rowan’s around my shoulders. “After everything that has happened, look at where you are now.” He smiles and hugs me closer. “Mia is the best thing that could have happened to you.”
I look past the guys, over to Mia where she’s dancing with Tella in the center of their little circle. All the girls and the kids are holding hands, circling around as Mia spins Tella around in the circle.
“She really is. I don’t know what I did to deserve her, but I plan on making sure I do whatever I have to do to prove my worthiness for the rest of my life.”
“Do you think you’ll marry her?” Rowan asks.
The corners of my mouth twitch. “I do.”
Lincoln raises an eyebrow. “Do you have a ring yet?”
I chew on the inside of my cheek. “I do.”
“So what the hell are you waiting for?” Nash cuts in, his voice raised slightly. “Sorry,” he laughs, shaking his head. “You’re the last one left. What are you waiting for?”
“The perfect moment,” I admit with a shrug.
Rowan laughs. “There is no perfect moment, bro. Just stop wasting time.”
Time. What a fickle, fleeting thing.
He’s right. What am I actually waiting for? There is no perfect moment other than the present, while we still have time.
“You’re right,” I tell him, nodding as I glance around at my teammates. My friends. My family. “I need to just do it.”
“Fuck it. Do it tonight,” Carson says, winking at me.
My eyes widen. “I can’t do that. Today is your wedding.”
“I’m telling you to do it tonight,” he insists. “You don’t want to wait any longer than you already have. You know how things can go...how quickly life can change.”
A lump lodges in my throat and I chew on the inside of my cheek as I slowly bob my head. “I know.”
“Okay, boys, he’s mine now,” Mia says, smiling brightly as she sashays her way into the circle, pulling me away from them. “You can have him tomorrow when you all go golfing.”
Carson’s eyebrows tug downward. “We’re leaving for Paris in the morning. You guys are golfing without me?”
“Oops,” Mia giggles as she drags me away from them. I let her lead me over to our table, but as we reach it, I slip my arm through hers, pulling her away from it. “Where are you taking me, Mr. Ford?”
“You’ll see.”
“Oh, wait,” she says in a rush, stopping as we reach the door. “I need to find Willow. She wanted to get pictures together.”
“I saw her leaving the barn a little bit ago,” I tell Mia. Andi and Carson invited Willow and her brothers to the wedding, since they got to know them through Mia and due to wedding planning.
“Hm,” she hums, her eyebrows cinching closer. “Well, I’ll just have to try to find her later.”
“I’m sure you will,” I say, leading her through thedoorway and out into the grass. Mia falls silent and she tips her head up to the sky as thunder rumbles in the distance. I lead her past the barn, the clouds lighting up as heat lightning illuminates the night sky.
