Page 113 of Playoff

“I was thinking two. Maybe three. Probably two.”

He laughs. “I’m down with being a stay-at-home dad if we can afford it.” His expression grows serious. “Do you love me, Rowan? Like, the forever kind of love? The let’s-get-married-soon-because-I-can’t-stand-not-being-with-you-another-second kind of love?”

I can’t help but smile. “I was ready to marry you in Mrs. Sellers’ tenth grade British Lit class,” I whisper. “If you’d asked, I’d have said yes even back then.”

“I should have asked,” he whispers.

Then he leans in and covers my mouth with his. Our tongues move together passionately but without urgency, as if we somehow already understand that we have all the time in the world now.

“Knock knock.” Harper sticks her head in. “Are we—oh, I see we are. Good. Because I have another meeting in twenty minutes.” She comes walking back in briskly and sits across from us. “What have you decided?” she asks.

“We’re staying,” I reply. “Both of us.”

“Excellent. That’s what I wanted to hear.” She rifles through some other papers. “This is your declaration of an intimate relationship or whatever the hell legal said we had to call it. It’s just a formality.” She hands a piece of paper to Blake. “Both of you have to sign and give them to me so I can get this taken care of. Then Blake, let your attorney look at the contract and?—”

“I don’t need an attorney.” Blake opens a file I hadn’t noticed before and signs something. “I’m good. I don’t care if it’s the league minimum. I just want to play and be with my girl.”

“It’s a fair amount above league minimum,” Harper says with a smile. “Three years.”

“Done deal.” He gets to his feet and reaches for my hand. “Are, uh, we done here, boss? Because we’re going ring shopping.”

Harper laughs. “It’s a good thing your playoff bonuses were deposited today.”

“I don’t care if it’s a ring pop,” I say softly. “I don’t need anything fancy.”

“I care,” he says firmly. “I’ve never been able to put your needs first, and that ends now. Starting with the biggest ring we can afford.”

We.

Because we’re a team.

Forever.

“I know a jeweler who’ll give you a good deal,” Harper says.

“Text me the info!” Blake calls over his shoulder, tugging me toward the exit. “But we have things to do—bye, boss!”

“Why are we in such a hurry?” I demand breathlessly.

“Because I can’t wait to make love to you as my fiancée. But first, we have to buy the ring.”

“We’re really going ring shopping today?” I ask in surprise.

“We really are. Right now, in fact.” He turns and presses his lips to mine as we wait for the elevator. “Today is the first day of forever. I fucking love you, Rowan Taylor.”

“I love you too.”

The first day of forever.

I love the sound of that.

EPILOGUE

Blake

Three months later

The original planwas for the two of us to just elope in Vegas, along with Bodi and Bristol to stand up for us.

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