Page 149 of Dark and Dangerous

Team Rivera!

The van’s barely moving now as I pass the people of Rowville. I spot Jonah with his family, his girl tucked under his arm, and Lana right beside them. I wave at them and then at everyone else. A disbelieving laugh falls from my lips. “Did you do this?” I ask Harlow, my voice barely audible through the lump in my throat.

Harlow shakes her head, her chin raised with pride. “That’s all them, baby.” She’s quiet a beat, taking in the sight. “You are so incredibly loved, Jace Rivera.”

I suck in a breath, release it as slowly as I pass through the onlyworld I’ve ever known. I try to take in the faces of everyone here, and I realize now—a little too late—that these people aren’t strangers to me. I spot Glenda, the owner of the used goods store, who never once let me pay for a single item. I see grown men who came into the rink, wanting nothing more than to simply talk ball with me. And I recognize all the same faces that I see in the arena on game days, cheering me on from the bleachers.

This town, and everyone in it, has supported me through my life in ways I hadn’t even noticed before.

I stop completely, then put the van in park before opening the door.

“What are you doing?” Harlow asks.

“I’m going to say thank you,” I murmur, facing her.

“Toallof them?”

I nod. “Every single one.”

Eyes right on mine, Harlow smiles, a slow buildup of pride and admiration. And I find myself doing the same. I always thought that Harlow was my light… but maybe I was wrong. Maybe her presence merely lifted the cloud of darkness surrounding me. Because I realize now that maybe my light was here all along… living in the souls of the people of Rowville.

EPILOGUE

Harlow

“I missed you so much,” Jace coos in the voice he only uses on Penelope. He holds up the turtle until their noses touch. “Yes, I did, pretty girl.”

I giggle, glancing at them before refocusing on the road. “One day, I’m going to record you with her and send it to all your teammates.”

Jace sits up now, clearing his throat and squaring his shoulders. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I might just post it on your Instagram.”

He sighs, setting Penelope on his lap as I pull into the driveway of our new house.

Jace has just finished his second season as a Red Raider, so even though his grandpa and I moved up to Lubbock six months ago, it’s only recently that we’ve been able to look for a place to live. When I first moved up here, I found a job in the kitchen of a nearby cafe and a vacant room close to campus with a month-to-month lease, so it worked out perfectly.

Marty—who demands I call himGrandpa—is at the assisted livingfacility nearby, and he’sthriving. He loves the people and the activities, but more importantly, he loves being close to Jace again. At least one of us will visit him every day, but most of the time, we go together.

Jace gets out of my car once I’ve killed the engine, and bypasses the boxes in the trunk we still have to unload. He goes straight into the house, his second favorite girl still in his arms.

“What about the boxes?” I call out.

“I’ll grab them later,” he says, just inside the front door. “I want to get Penn in her tank.” Swear, he might love that turtle more than I do.

Our new rental is a two-bed, two-bath home in a quiet neighborhood. We’d considered moving into an apartment closer to campus, but we figured out quickly that it wasn’t our scene. We’d gotten so used to the quiet after living in Rowville that we both needed our space.

According to Jace, the money his grandpa put aside for him wasn’t just enough to help him with the assisted living situation, but enough to take care of Jace. At least for a while. It gave him the ability to focus solely on his degree and basketball without having to work through it, and it gave us breathing room when it came to looking for somewhere to live.

Jace puts Penelope in her tank, while I make my way into the kitchen, but freeze the moment I step inside. There are boxes on the counter—boxes that weren’t there before. “Jace!” I squeal. “What is this?”

Coming up from behind, he wraps his arms around my waist, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. “It’s a present.”

I gasp, then practically tear into the boxes of my brand new HexClad cookware. “You got these for me?”

He leans back on the counter now, watching as I bounce on my toes, my excitement palpable. “Listen,” he says, taking my hand and pulling me between his legs. He moves my hair behind my ear, his hand settling on my jaw and tilting my eyes up to his. “I know things have been crazy with basketball and the move and now finals coming up, and I know you say that it’s not a big deal, but it is. You got intoculinary school,Harlow.”He saysculinary schoolwith as much pride as onewould sayDivision I champions.“And in case I haven’t told you lately, I’m so fucking proud of you.”

“It’s notthathard.”

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