I’m just grateful she has basketball back now—even in this small way. Seeing her out there smiling, laughing, taking shot after shot… it lit something in her. Something she thought she’d lost forever.
The way she and Anna fell into each other’s arms and just held on, both of them crying with joy—that’s something I’ll never forget. Those two have survived some unimaginable things. Anna with her parents. Miranda with her past. And through it all, they became each other’s family.
Watching them tonight, full of emotion and pride and healing, I was just happy. So damn happy.
Tonight was a win long before anyone looked at the scoreboard.
The moment we step inside the house, Miranda turns to me, her eyes already shimmering with another round of happy tears.
“You, Miles Keller, are the single most amazing person I’ve ever known,” she says, her voice trembling with emotion. “Your love is unbelievable, and I am so incredibly grateful to have it. Tonight… what you did for me was a gift I’ll never be able to repay. I don’t know why you chose me, but I’m so glad you did.”
She takes a breath, her smile wobbling as tears finally spill.
“And I want you to know that you’re it for me. You’re my one. You’re my everything. I want to marry you, have all your babies, grow old with you, and spend every single second of the rest of my life loving you. And even then, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to express just how much I love you.”
I stare at her, stunned, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it might break free from my ribs.
“I feel the same way about you,” I say softly before leaning in and kissing her—slow, sweet, reverent. I smile against her lips. “Was that a proposal?”
She lets out a breathy laugh. “No.” She wipes a tear from her cheek. “I expect a traditional proposal someday… but I’m just letting you know that it’s happening. And when you do ask me, it will be the most beautiful yes I’ll ever say.”
CHAPTER
THIRTY-THREE
MIRANDA
Standing in the foyer, he brushes his thumb along my lower lip before he kisses me—slowly, deeply, with a seductive sweetness that steals my breath. His mouth moves against mine like he’s pouring every unspoken feeling into the kiss. By the time he pulls back, with barely an inch separating us, I’m trembling, unable to form a single word. Miles just smiles, like he knows exactly what he’s done to me.
I roll up onto my toes, desperate to feel his mouth on mine again.
Miles cups my face in both hands and crashes his mouth against mine with a heat that steals every ounce of air from my lungs. There’s nothing soft or hesitant about it—this kiss is fire and urgency and every feeling we’ve been holding between us. His lips move over mine with fierce, consuming need, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that makes my whole body tremble.
I clutch at his shoulders, pulling him closer, desperate to feel every inch of him as his kiss grows deeper, hotter. He tilts my head and devours me, kissing me like he’s been waiting hiswhole life to taste me—like he’s afraid to ever stop. A low, hungry sound rumbles from his chest, and the vibration sends sparks racing down my spine.
My knees weaken. My breath stutters. And still, Miles kisses me harder, fuller, until I’m drowning in him—his scent, his hands, his mouth claiming mine like a promise.
I’m lost in the kiss. My body bursts with love, need, and indescribable happiness. Miles pulls away, leaving me panting and aching for more. I’m flushed, breathless, and completely undone.
“We should shower,” he says, though the words hold no urgency.
“I don’t care.” I cradle his face in my hands and pull his mouth back down to mine.
“I’m sweaty,” he manages between kisses.
“So am I,” I whisper, my tongue slipping eagerly into his mouth again.
I’m not waiting another second.
He groans—low, rough, hungry—and presses me back against the wall of the foyer. Our lips part only long enough to strip away our clothes, and then they’re fused again, hot skin meeting hot skin in a desperate slide.
My hands roam greedily over his body while his leave trails of fire along mine. When his hand dips between my thighs and two fingers slip inside me, my head hits the wall with a gasp.
“Miles,” I choke out.
He’s everything.
Every ounce of gratitude I felt today revolves around him.
