Total pages in book: 153
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 152064 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 760(@200wpm)___ 608(@250wpm)___ 507(@300wpm)
“They’re like a family, aren’t they?” Mom muses.
“Yeah, they really are,” I agree. “They’re like a bunch of older siblings.”
“It makes sense. You were always taking care of everyone, and you found friends who take care of each other.”
Hemi and Shilpa call us over and we join the rest of the group as the game gets underway.
They’re all playing hard, but the Seattle Storm went to seven games in both series before this one. They’re tired, and the Terror had some downtime to recharge before the final series. Time off can go either way. Sometimes it causes a team to lose momentum, but in this case, it rejuvenated the Terror and added enough fuel to their tanks to make them a formidable opponent.
In the first period, Grace and my boyfriend score a goal together. Seattle tries to even the score, but defense is playing tight, and Romero and Palaniappa are working hard to make Ryker’s job easier. Bright scores a goal at the end of the first and we keep that lead through the end of the second period. In the third, Stiles scores with Phillip as the assist. Seattle finally puts themselves on the board with ten minutes left in the game. They try for another goal, but Phillip gains control of the puck and scores again for Toronto.
The last ten minutes of the game are intense, with lots of hard hits into the boards, but the Storm can’t recover, and the Terror bring home the Cup.
It’s a glorious win.
A perfectly epic end to an epic season.
And a beautiful start to the next chapter in our lives.
EPILOGUE
FLIP
THREE YEARS LATER
“Phillip? Baby? Are you ready to go?” Tally calls from down the hall.
“Coming!” I flip the tiny velvet box closed and tuck it into my pocket.
“Not without me, I hope.” My girlfriend (soon to be fiancée) pokes her head in our closet. We’ve been living together for two years, now, and I’m more than ready to make it permanent. “What are you doing in here?”
“Grabbing my wallet.” I nab it from the dresser and tuck it in my pocket as well. “Ready to go?”
“Do I look ready?” Tally does a full-body shimmy.
She’s wearing the dress I bought her, her athletic dancer’s body stunning in the flowy, clinging fabric. “You look incredible.”
“Incredibly edible?”
“Don’t start.” I wind an arm around her waist. “I will spend all night edging you.”
“It’s my birthday, though.”
“You think that gives you a free pass from the edging?” I kiss a path up her neck. “We need to go, or we’ll be late.”
“You’re terrible,” she grumbles.
“You love it.” I bite the edge of her jaw.
“I really do,” she agrees.
“When we get home, I’ll fulfill whatever new fantasy you come up with,” I promise.
After three and a half years together, we long ago exhausted her original list. Cammie’s fics-turned-published works definitely keep things creative these days.
“Will you at least give me a hint about where we’re going tonight?”
I gaze down at my girlfriend. “No hints.”
“Obviously we’re having dinner somewhere.”
“We are definitely having dinner,” I agree.
“And then what?” Tally fingers the hair at the nape of my neck and bites my chin.
“And then it’s a surprise.”
“I’ll try to swallow your whole cock later if you just give me one hint,” she bargains.
I snort. “Nice try. It’s like your favorite fucking pastime.”
She huffs, then sighs. “It’s true.”
The elevator doors slide open, thankfully, because I can see my girlfriend’s wheels turning. We hold hands as I guide her to the car and drive the short distance to the restaurant. It’s her favorite place, and I’ve rented it out so we can celebrate her twenty-fifth in style.
“Oh my gosh! This is perfect! I wonder what their special will be. Maybe they’ll have lobster ravioli. Oh! And the panna cotta with sour cherries. I love it when they have that!”
“It’s a favorite for sure.” They’ll have all of Tally’s most loved dishes, of that I made sure.
The host greets us, and Tally is too busy being excited to notice that the restaurant is deserted as he guides us to the main dining room.
The lights come up as we round the corner and all our friends and family shout, “Surprise!”
Tally turns to me, already overwhelmed with emotion. “You are the best.” She cups my face in her palms and brings my mouth to hers. “How did you plan this without me finding out?”
“I had help from some friends.”
“I love you. You’re amazing.”
The restaurant is decorated in her favorite colors, and a banner that reads Happy 25th Tallulah! is strung across the back wall. A photo booth with a stage backdrop takes up one corner of the room.
It’s full of all the people we love and who love us. Quinn even managed to make the trip out from Chicago. Kellan wasn’t wrong about manifesting a trade. Gage Steele, one of Tilton’s enforcers and Tally’s friends, was picked up by the Terror, and Quinn went to the Rage, along with Kellan. It all worked out the way it was supposed to, though. Quinn is close to his family again, and finally got the girl he’s been longing for. Steele and our new goalie have been a great addition to the team.