He nods and rubs his nose against mine.
“You do realize that means you’ll never be able to escape me, right?”
He nods again and presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“You’re going to have to wake up to me every morning. And I’ll be the last face you see every night. I’m going to be—”
“Jules, babe, you’re making me hard,” he interrupts, grinning like the menace he is. “So, if you don’t mind, let’s keep the dirty talk to a minimum until our mothers leave.”
I burst out laughing, burying my face in his chest.
And Ace wraps his big, strong arms around me, pressing another kiss to the top of my head. “Love you, Lia.”
I smile against his shirt. “Love you too, roomie.”
Man, life sure is good. You know, besides Ace’s brother possibly going to jail. Really, though, that’s another sign that everything is right in the world.
Saturday, July 4th
Ace
Fourth of July at Aunt Paula and Uncle Brad’s lake house is always a big deal.
And this year is no different.
The whole crew is here. My mom and dad and my brother Gunnar, who is miraculouslynotin jail. Julia’s parents, Kline and Georgia, and her sister Evie. And Wes, Winnie, Lexi, and her little brother Wes Jr.
Lexi and Blake Boden are still together, stronger than ever. Blake will be joining the NFL draft this year, and all eyes are on Wes Lancaster and the New York Mavericks to see if they’re going to draft him. Word on the street is that he’s a first-round draft pick, but there’s obviously no good in counting chickens before the eggs are hatched.
The entire Winslow clan is scattered across the lawn and deck—Wendy, Howard, Remy, Flynn, Ty, Jude, their wives, their kids. It’s chaos, but it’s our chaos. The Hayes family is here too. Finn, his mom, his brothers Reece, Jack, and Travis, and his sister Willow.
Basically, it’s a full house in the best way, and it’s exactly how Fourth of July should always be.
I’m standing on the deck, watching the lake shimmer under the July sun. It’s hot as fuck outside, but I can’t stop grinning.
Julia is out on the water, floating in an inner tube, her hairslicked back, sunglasses on, laughing at something Scottie just said from the tube beside her. Scottie’s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. She’s walking again—slowly, with a cane—but she’s walking. And every day, she gets stronger.
My mind flits back to last year, when I was standing right here, watching Julia the same way. I knew I loved her then. I just hadn’t told her yet. Hell, I even kissed her that night and called it a best-friend kiss because I was too much of a fucking coward to tell her the truth.
But now, she’s mine. And I get to kiss her every damn night. Every morning. Every chance I get.
Thank fuck.
Behind me, the deck creaks with new arrivals, and I pray to the fire marshall and whoever constructed it that it can handle the load. I glance back and see Gunnar strutting toward the drinks table like he owns the place. He grabs a glass of lemonade and hands it to Finn’s sister Willow like it was his idea all along.
“Seriously?” Evie huffs from her spot in the shade. “What about me?”
“You have legs, don’t you?” Gunnar shrugs, already walking away.
Evie flips him off.
Before she can rise out of her chair in dramatic teenage fury, Reece—Finn’s eldest brother—slides a glass of lemonade in front of her like it’s nothing.
“Thank you,” she says sweetly, her voice gone soft as she stares up at him like he’s the fucking sun and the moon and the stars. It’s a teenage fantasy daydream happening right in front of my eyes, and I find myself blinking hard to make it go away.
Slow your roll, Evie.Reece is definitely too old for you.
I turn my attention back to the lake. Scottie and Finn are joined by Blake and Lexi, but there’s no sign of my girl. I start scanning the waterline, frowning.
