Page 174 of A Sky Full Of Stars

“It’s ten.”

“Bullshit. It can’t be ten.”

“Honest truth. We don’t lie, remember.”

“I know, but I wanted to beat you home. Please tell me you’re lying. I’ll forgive you. I mean, it’s only a little white—”

I come to a stop near her makeup mirror and flip her over, dropping her ass onto the counter, my brows raised when our eyes lock. “Don’t mind me. You were saying…”

Lainey’s lips curl into a smirk before she hides it. “I wassayingthat little white lies are hardly the same and…” She trails off when I fold my arms across my chest, tapping my foot, my expression unwavering. “Stop.” She giggles. “You look like you’re going to punish me.”

She lifts a single brow in challenge, and I almost break character as my cock twitches, knowing she wants me to picture slapping her ass as a way of distracting me.

“What little white lies, Lainey?”

Without answering, she curls her fingers into the waistband of my jeans, before spreading her legs and dragging me forward, her eyes downcast toward the bulge in my pants. My gaze mimics hers, watching her hand, waiting to see what she’ll do next. And as she speaks, she unbuttons my shirt. “Insignificant stuff…” she says after a beat, reminding me we were mid-conversation. “For example, I don’t actually like techno music, but I love that you love it, and that makes me happy. Haven’t you ever lied like that?”

“Yes,” I say honestly, trying not to smile when Lainey’s eyes brighten in satisfaction.

“Ha!” She laughs as she drops my shirt to the floor. “See? What did you lie about?”

“I lied about where I’d been tonight.” I shrug and hold up my arm to show her my watch. “AndI lied about not wearing a watch.”

“What?” Lainey frowns with an incredulous laugh. “Where were you? What happened to your meeting?”

The meeting she’s asking about was for an article I’m doing withSports Unfilteredmagazine about depression in sports. Logan works there as a photographer and pitched the idea with Summer writing the article. Summer's done a few freelance jobs for them lately, but this will be her first full-length piece.

“The meeting was great. I was actually surprised by the number of athletes who came forward to be interviewed.”

Lainey beams up at me. “That’s amazing. I can’t wait to read it. But—”

“After the meeting, Summer and I went shopping.”

“Okay.”

“And I want to show you something.”

I move to lift her into my arms, but she stops me, grabbing my neck to hold me close. “Wait.”

“Yeah.” I lean in, running my hands along the sides of her legs, letting the tips of my fingers slip beneath her silk dress. “You know I’d wait forever for you, but I really need to show you something. I…” Lainey’s gaze softens, and I trail off as I stare into her eyes, emotion flooding my chest.

“I just wanted to tell you I miss you,” she whispers.

And God… I miss her too. Between my away games and Lainey’s coursework, we barely see each other, but when we do, it’s always like this. Always perfect.

“I can’t wait any longer.”

“For what?”

Scooping her up under the legs, I secure her in my hold and rush outside, hoping that none of the candles have blown out since I came in and grateful I lit the heaters.

Lainey gasps when she notices what I’ve done and then leans back to look in my eyes. “What’s going on? What are you up to?”

With a shrug, I smile before lowering her feet to the blanket I laid out under the stars, taking a step back.

Though I’m desperate to get the words out, I give her a second to take in the scene. A moment to gaze at the candles and flowers I’ve placed around her studio’s tiny yard. A moment to listen to the playlist I made with meaningful songs from the years we’ve been together, and songs I listened to when we were apart. Because even during those dark days, there was always hope we’d find our way back to each other.

I wait patiently, but as soon as her eyes settle back on mine, I drop to one knee and reach for her hand, smiling when she bites her lip.

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