“You’re such a little shit,” I chuckle.
“Cameron Allen.” My mom stares me down with her hands on her hips.
“Love you, Mom.”
I give her a kiss on the cheek before we wrap up, and our families walk out together, laughing at whatever joke Andre is telling them.
Zhuri steps up in front of me, wrapping her arms around my shoulders with a dazzling smile on her face. “They loved you, Cameron.”
“Yeah?” I ask while grinning. “They did?”
“Mhmm.” She leans up and gives me a kiss. “They can see just how happy you make me, how much you love me.”
I rest my hands on her lower back and pull her closer. “They can’t see how much I love you, baby, because I couldn’t quantify that if I tried. It’s never-ending.”
Zhuri fists my shirt and ghosts her lips over mine. “They also heard you say things like that. My dad asked if they should go ahead and reserve a wedding chapel.”
“I don’t think either of us could step foot in a chapel, Zhuri baby.”
She buries her face in my chest and laughs. “No, we couldn’t, but I told him not to get ahead of himself.”
“That’s fine. As long as he knows how serious I am about you, I don’t care about anything else. As long as I have you, I have everything I want and need for the rest of my life.”
Zhuri presses her lips to mine again, kissing me tenderly as we lose ourselves in each other.
In June, I was dreading this upcoming season. It was a new team that I was supposed to co-captain with a woman I supposedly hated.
I didn’t know, though, that that woman was actually the love of my life, and us being forced to work together is the best thing that could have ever happened to me.
She’s given me everything I’ve wanted—love, comfort,happiness.
We may not have been together long yet, but there’s one thing I’m certain of—I’m going to love her for the rest of my life.
Zhuri Hart is my forever.
Epilogue - Zhuri
Several weeks later…
“What a game tonight, everyone!” I smile, sliding into the booth next to Cameron.
Hops and Dreams is a popular place to be tonight after a Comets win.
“It was a damn great game!” Venda cheers from the booth next to ours.
Our team has come a long way in just a few weeks. We’re a couple of weeks into our first regular season as the Comets, and I think Cameron and I have done well at showing them that nothing has changed for the team. We play fairly no matter what.
Elisabet and Sidney didn’t have as much work to do to get the team to understand, but their relationship has been fully accepted now, too.
Michael, though, seems to have continued his antics on the Asteroids because ESPN reported this week about how he’s been released from the team. He hasn’t signed anywhere new yet, but good luck to whatever team decides to sign him. They’re going to need it.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” Wes drawls as he watches Blake walk up, arm linked through Ivy’s.
“Had to practically drag this one out tonight,” Blake teases as Ivy sighs, and they slide in next to Wes.
“You know I’m working on my dissertation,” Ivy says.
“Exactly why I brought you tonight.” Blake smiles brightly at her friend while Nico’s eyes catch Ivy’s. “You need to let loose.”
