Page 119 of Total Shutdown

Collins points the remainder of the breadstick at her friend, winking. “You bet your damn fine soccer ass I did.”

Jack holds up a hand. “Can we please stop talking in code? Because I’m confused as fuck.” He winces and looks at Ezra, who’s tucking into a plate of wings because he couldn’t wait for everyone else to get their entrée, like a regular person.

“It’s fine,” he says with a mouthful. “Everyone at school swears constantly anyway.”

I choose not to hear that and focus back on my center and recently confirmed assistant captain. “Smooth Running, Jack. Collins just bought the business as part of her expansion plans.”

Folding his arms across his chest, he looks at her. “For real? Wow, that’s impressive. Only seven months running your own business and already branching out.”

My girlfriend flushes. Taking compliments has never been her strong point, but over the past ten months, she’s gotten used to it. She’s perfection, and my mouth can’t help but spill everything I’m thinking.

When she left Smooth Running, their business plummeted. Which was unsurprising, given that the quality of work went downhill and so did their customer base. Her followers switched to The Gear Change—the name Collins eventually settled on for her garage. True to her word, she’s keeping all current employees as part of the takeover. Apart from Cameron since he was shown the door the second the former owner found out exactly what he couldn’t do. Which was everything.

“Well, I, for one, am so damn proud of you.” Jenna reaches across and takes Collins’s hand in hers. “Really and genuinely, you are living the dream.” She looks around the table. “I guess we all are. Turning our passions into careers. And me? I’m newly free and single.”

She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes. I can tell she’s still torn up that things didn’t work out with Lee.

Ezra raises his soda. “I’ll drink to that.”

We all stare at each other before falling into hysterical laughter and clinking glasses one at a time. The only person not joining in? My goalie.

“Hey, earth to Archer.” Jack thuds his foot on the floor, trying to gain our goalie’s attention, his head currently buried in his phone.

Archer flicks his eyes to Collins. There’s a genuine warmth in them, though it isn’t the only emotion I can detect.

“It’s honestly really great, Collins. You deserve it.”

I keep my attention on Archer as he goes back to his phone while the rest of the table falls into conversation. I would ask him what’s up, but I get the feeling if I did, he wouldn’t tell me. Not right now anyway.

“Dad?” Ezra leans into me as I take a sip of beer.

“Yes, son?” I ask, stealing a wing from his plate.

He narrows his eyes at me, although I know it’s not in response to me swiping his food.

“When are you planning to do it? Because I’m nervous.”

I bite into the wing, already regretting it since my appetite has been off all day.

He isn’t the only one feeling anxious.

“When do you think would be best?” I ask.

He casts his eyes around the table, just as Darcy dives in through the door. Hair windswept and looking like she just ran a few blocks, she mouths an apology at me and pulls out the remaining chair—directly next to Archer.

Looking across at Collins, wearing a trademark all-black dress, I realize there will never be a better time to ask this girl to be my wife. I’ve agonized over it for months, wondering how many years would be appropriate to wait before I popped the question.

I don’t want to wait though, and I get the feeling she doesn’t either. The past seven months of living with her have been, hands down, the best of my life.

My son has bloomed into a twelve-year-old with the world at his feet and a clear idea of what he wants to be when he’s older—“just like Collins.”

He idolizes the woman sitting opposite me, and honestly, so do I.

Everyone around the table is expecting me to ask at any second, and I can feel the ring as it burns a hole in the pocket of my jeans.

“Now,” Ezra whispers to me. “I think you should ask her right now.”

I can feel my heartbeat in my ears as I rise to my feet and round the table. Archer sets his phone down and casts a quick glance at Darcy.

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