“You sure you don’t need help moving?” DeAndre’s brother asks.
“These boys are pro athletes. They don’t need your janky pickup truck.” DeAndre slaps the table. “They be rentin’ fancy gold trucks.”
“Nah, Jamal’s sperm donor stole my money, so we had to go for silver.” The silence at the table makes my ears ring. “Sorry, I—”
“Don’t you dare apologize,” Jamal growls. “It’s the damn truth.Andit was funny.”
There’s collective relief and a few giggles.
“Jamal, you better not fuck this up.” Nevaeh waves her fork at us.
It’s the highest compliment I could receive.
Epilogue
Jamal King
I wander out of our bedroom and find Theo standing in front of our floor-to-ceiling window with a cup of tea. I’ve converted him.
“Do you miss the Park Ave view?” I ask, resting my chin on his shoulder.
“Not for one second.” He angles his head so I can kiss him. It starts out innocent but quickly turns needy. “I’ll never get enough of you.”
“This works in my favor,” I tease, secretly loving it. Theo’s made me a cuddle whore with no regrets. He still sleeps wrapped around me, but not out of fear that I’ll leave. Progress. “How much time do we have before the bachelor party?”
Theo’s shoulders slump. “Why is it on our day off?”
“Hmmm, maybe because 90 percent of the people invited are on our hockey team? It’ll be fine. We’ll go for an hour or two and then leave. Trevor took over planning from Benzy, or should I say bullied him into giving up control? Our friends will be there, lots of food and music. Nothing outrageous. This isn’t about your aversion to marriage, is it?”
“Not my fault our friends keep choosing a death sentence, I mean marriage.” He nibbles at my neck. “And you’ll only dance with me.”
Someday I hope he changes his mind, but I’d rather have him than a ring and a piece of paper.
“Promise?” He nibbles at my neck. “And you’ll only dance with me.”
“Kitten, you don’t dance, but if you want me to put my hands on your ass and sway to the beat, we can do that.” I laugh when he bites my shoulder. My man is obsessed with my shoulders, so I go shirtless at home.
Home.
He’s my home.
We found a new place to live thanks to Liska’s connections. It’s home because Theo’s here, knowing if I’m at my worst, he’ll take care of me. And I do the same for him.
“You’re thinking awfully hard, Maj.” He pulls back to take a sip of tea.
“I’m thinking my boyfriend should fuck me before we go tonight.” I pull his body flush against mine.
“Your wish is my command, Your Majesty.” He leans over to set his tea on a side table. “Where?”
We’ve made it our mission to desecrate every single surface in this apartment. The bed is so comfortable we try to avoid it if there’s even a small chance one of us is tired.
“Window?” I ask, feeling risky.
“Not today. Too many people are out or looking at the sky. No one sees you naked but me. We could do it against the guest room window.”
I’m shedding my sleep pants and walking away before he finishes the sentence.
“You have the best ass in all of hockey.” Theo whistles behind me.
