Page 288 of Heartache Duet

“There he is,” Mom says, bringing me back to the present. I stand when I see him. Connor’s in his game-day suit, walking toward me with Trevor on one side and a man I’ve never seen before on the other. The man’s talking and Connor has his head down, nodding and listening intently. Trevor—Trevor’s wearing a shit-eating grin, and my pulse begins to pound. They all stop in front of us, only a few feet away, but then Connor closes that distance. He grasps me by my waist, lifting me effortlessly over the barrier. I hold on to him when he places me back on my feet. He kisses me once before throwing his hand out between me and the unknown man. “Vaughn,” he says, “this is my future fiancée, Ava.” I choke on air, my heart swelling at his choice of words. He adds, “Ava, this is Vaughn.”

I raise a timid hand, move closer to Connor. “Hi.”

Vaughn smiles. “Hi, Ava. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You have?”

Behind me, Corey chuckles.

Vaughn nods.

And Connor says, “Vaughn is the president of the Hornets.”

My eyes widen, and I look up at Connor. “Hornets?” I breathe out. “As inCharlotteHornets? As in Charlotte,North Carolina?”

“Yeah, babe,” Connor says, shifting a loose curl from my forehead. “I told you, you gotta work harder if you want to get rid of me.”

“So, we’re not moving? And my mom doesn’t have to… You—you’re staying here?” I cry, disbelief forcing tears of joy.

“Of course I’m staying.” He takes my hand, places it right above his heart, and I feel his life, his love beating beneath my fingers. “For love and basketball.” Then he smiles…

And that smile…

That smile fills my world withmagic.

bonus epilogue

CONNOR

ONE YEAR LATER

“Connor, six-six!” Miss D sings, getting up from her seat around the table. Next to her, Trevor rolls his eyes jokingly. At least, I think he’s joking. Sometimes, it’s hard to tell with Trevor. Still, I take the opportunity to give him the finger the second I’m in Miss D’s embrace and her back is to him.

He returns the gesture with a chuckle, shaking his head.

Oh, so he was joking. Good to know. Being an only child, I’ve never had to deal with sibling relationships, so most of what I know is from witnessing the way Ava and Trevor interact. It’s… interesting, to put it mildly. They’re affectionate one second, then yelling and throwing things at each other the next. I guess most people would call it a love/hate relationship. But the way I see it, it’s all love. They wouldn’t be where they are if it wasn’t. And that love is why I asked him to be here today… and to keep it a secret from Ava.

Too soon, Miss D releases me from her tight, one-arm hug, and Trevor stands, giving me what my girl calls a “weird bro handshake.” And then we hug—far less bro-ish.

We’re in a private room at a restaurant close to home, because today, of all days, I don’t want to be interrupted. Don’t get me wrong; I usually appreciate the Duke and Hornets fans who ask for pictures or autographs, but what I’m about to do… it’s not for anyone else’s eyes and ears.

“Thanks for coming,” I tell them, taking a seat. I focus on Miss D and smile over at the woman who so quickly became a mother to me when my own couldn’t. “You look good, Miss D.”

Happy.

She looks happy, and there are no words in the entire English dictionary to describe how that makes me feel.

Miss D gives me her classic eye-roll, a trait she definitely passed on to her daughter, and covers my hand resting on the table. “How many times have I told you? You, Connor, call me Mom.”

“Funny you mention that…” I trail off, removing my hand from under her touch and swiping both palms along my thighs. I’m sweating. Bad. “Is it hot in here?” My voice cracks, my throat suddenly dry, and I pick up the glass of water off the table and down the entire thing in a single gulp. It’s a short glass, and it doesn’t seem to have any effect, so I reach over for the jug, refill it, and repeat the process.

Twice.

I ignore the way Trevor watches me, confusion pinching his eyebrows. Then I slip a finger in my collar and tug. Hard. “It’s hot, right?”

“No,” Trevor deadpans; at the same time, Miss D says, “Are you okay?”

Am I okay?

---