“Hi, angel.”
“Hi.”
He leaned across the table, careful not to touch the trays of teetering cups, and planted a quick kiss on me. I licked my lips when he pulled away. “Mm, you taste salty.”
“And you taste like caramel.”
I nodded toward Jo and June, who were currently manning the table full of cinnamon buns. “I might have already eaten a cinnamon roll.”
Two-and-a-half of them to be precise.
“That’s my girl.”
My panties nearly spontaneously combusted when he lifted the bottom half of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, exposing the deep, muscular V pointing straight toward my new favorite sucking candy. I wasn’t sure what Jared did to maintain his eight-pack, but he took the phrase “engage your core” to new heights during our bedroom activities.
“I can’t believe you stole him from me,” Xan jabbed playfully. “You know I called dibs.”
Jared interjected before I could respond. “It’s Xan, right?”
Their eyes practically bugged out of their sockets. “He knows my name.”
Jared flashed them a charming smile. “No offense to you, but my heart has been spoken for for nearly a year.” He kissed me again before jetting off to nab a cinnamon bun.
Within minutes, Bennett, Soren, and Matty had joined him, bypassing the rosé table in favor of the sweet, doughy treats. Based on how much food I knew Jared could put away, especially after his daily workout, I had asked June to set aside a few extra buns for each of them.
Just one of the perks that came with dating the festival director.
When Ryan finished the race, Kaylani was already there, waiting to leap into his arms. He caught her with ease, wrapping his arms around her waist and meeting her passionate embrace. Never mind his sweat-drenched T-shirt. That wasn’t going to stop her from delivering their happy news.
I snuck away from the table, leaving Xan and Nero to pass out drinks to the thirsty racers, and met them by the finishing line.
“Alright, lovebirds,” I said, loud enough to break their lips apart. “That’s enough of that. There are children watching.”
“Sorry about that.” Ryan reluctantly set his bride-to-be back on her feet.
I lifted my phone. “Can I get a picture of you two?”
“Sure.”
Kaylani held up a finger. “One second, Ness.”
While Ryan fiddled with his finishers’ medal, Kaylani unzipped her hoodie, revealing the white T-shirt underneath that was about to change their lives. The words “future racing buddy” were written in delicate script across her imperceivable baby bump. She tucked herself into Ryan’s side before he could see them.
“Okay, hold up the medal, Ryan. Just like that.”
A small crowd gathered behind me as I captured Kaylani’s announcement on camera. When a pair of bulky hands wrapped around my waist from behind, I relaxed into them. I knew it was Jared without looking—his spicy, sweaty scent was unmistakable.
“That’s one hell of a photo, angel.”
“Yeah,” I said, smiling through my tears.
Ryan figured out that something was up after the first couple of photos. The next few captured the moment he turned to face Kaylani, the surprise and then elation that washed over his face, and finally the bear hug he wrapped her up in.
It was the last picture, though—the one where he dropped to his knees and sobbed against her flat stomach—that would hang over their fireplace for years to come.
“You okay?” Jared whispered against my neck.
I twisted in his arms, lacing my fingers behind his neck. “Never better.”
