Page 168 of Gathered Sparkle

Before he can fire back, the sound of a car pulling up outside catches both our attention. The low rumble of the engine dies, and Levi’s entire face lights up like it’s Christmas morning.

“My man is here,” he exclaims, shoving his phone into his pocket and scrambling for the door.

I lean back on the bench, chuckling as I watch him practically leap out of the van. Ezra and Levi being in love is something I never expected, but damn if it doesn’t make me smile.

Levi’s laughter echoes back toward the van, followed by the low murmur of Ezra’s voice, and the ache in my chest eases a little.

This? This is what we’re fighting for.

Our family. A future. Something worth all the blood, sweat, and chaos we’ve poured into it.

And I’ll be damned if we don’t pull this off.

I jump out of the van, too, and the moment I seeher, my grin widens. Levi might be excited about his man showing up, but I’ve got my eyes on mywife.

And damn, does she look good. That blonde wig is an interesting choice, but it works. Not that it matters. She could wear a paper bag, and I’d still want to rip it off her just to get to what’s underneath.

Before I can take a step toward her, though, Ezra blocks my path with one arm still slung possessively around Levi’s hip. His other hand presses firmly against my chest.

“Give me my fucking credit card, Sy,” he commands, his tone sharp but laced with that quiet exasperation he always has when dealing with me.

I blink, feigning innocence. “Why?”

“Because it’smine. You have your own. And really? Fiftythousandin the last two weeks? What the actual fuck?”

“Preparations are expensive, okay?” I reply, shrugging. “Itwould’vebeen sixty-six K, but I made sure Harrington paid for the van.”

Ezra narrows his eyes as Levi bursts out laughing. Sparkle raises a brow, glancing between us. “What?” she asks, clearly intrigued.

I flash her a grin. “Hey, he can pull his weight. The guy’s doing nothing except sulking around looking pretty, so he can pay for shit.”

Ezra scoffs. “He’s gettingevidence,which isobjectivelya very important part of this.”

“Tomato, tomahto,” I shrug, pulling my wallet from my pocket with an exaggerated sigh. I flip it open, pluck out Ezra’s credit card, and hold it up. “Fine. Here’s your precious card, Captain Buzzkill.”

Ezra snatches it, muttering under his breath about irresponsibility, while I take my chance to step around him. Sparkle is standing there next to Alaric, watching the scene unfold with barely contained amusement, and I waste no time grabbing her throat and pulling her to me.

“Hi, Sparkle baby.” I grin, crashing my lips against hers. She melts into me instantly, her hands clutching at my shoulders as I deepen the kiss, savoring the way she tastes sweet, warm, and like everything I’ve ever wanted.

When I squeeze her throat before letting go of her, she whimpers slightly, and I pour every single reassurance I can muster into the space between our mouths. I finally pull back, but my lips don’t go far, trailing down the curve of her jaw to her neck, where I sink my teeth in. She gasps, and I soothe the sting with a soft kiss, letting my lips linger against her skin as I whisper, “Can you steal the card back for me later?”

She chuckles. “You’re the fucking worst.”

“And you love me for it,” I reply, pulling back to catch the sparkle in her eyes.

Levi pipes up from beside Ezra, his voice dripping with drama. “God, you two are disgusting. It’s like watching a horny soap opera.”

Ezra glares at him. “You literally kiss me like thateverywhere.Public, private, doesn’t matter.”

Levi grins wickedly. “It’s calledaffection,Ezy. Look it up.”

Sparkle laughs against my chest, and I tighten my arms around her, leaning down to kiss her hair, or rather, her wig.

This is it.

Chaos, banter, love.

My kind of family.

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