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We head right inside Remy’s house without knocking and the party is already going. We’re the last ones to arrive. Mitch and Noah are on the large sectional in the living room, distanced from everyone else. Typical. West is leaning against the dining room table with Mel nestled against him, feeding him a bite of pepperoni pizza. Bruce and Remy are in the kitchen, both with a beer in hand, laughing and talking.

“Hey, gang!” I say, announcing our presence. “The party has arrived!”

Bruce and West whoop and clap. Mel leaves West and walks over, hugging me and Noel. Andie does the same.

I grin at Remy. “Look at you, hosting parties! Such a social butterfly these days.”

He shrugs. “The house feels remarkably quiet now that Amber went back home. It’s nice to have people here.”

I nod, reminding myself to ask him later how Amber’s visit went.

West clears his throat, and we all turn to stare at him. “Me and Mel have an announcement to make.” Mel ambles over to his side, a big grin stretching across her face.

“Oh, my gosh! You’re pregnant!” Andie says with a gasp.

“No!” Mel says with a laugh. “We just got married.”

“We bought a house right down the street, so we’re moving to the neighborhood,” West says, probably to avoid any weirder guesses.

“Yes!” I say, pumping a fist in the air. “Now me and West can ding-dong ditch Remy.”

Remy glares at me. “Absolutely not. Or I’ll ban you from my gym.”

West brings his hand to his chest. “Wow, that hurts.”

Remy’s eyes widen and he smiles like he just remembered something. “Oh, hey! Colby, you might be interested in some team news.” He smirks, waiting for my reaction.

“Okayyy,” I say, drawing out the word. “What is it?”

We all quiet down and wait for him to tell us the news. “Well, I had a meeting with Tom Parker and Coach Young, and we all agreed that Evander’s defensive skills were overshadowed by a few of the new rookies we have. So, they made the decision to send him back to the minor leagues and give the rookies more playing time instead.”

I pump my fist into the air and yell, “yes!”

Noel sighs in relief next to me and loops her arm through mine. “I’m glad he got sent back before you two got into any more scuffles. I’m fond of that pretty face of yours now, I don’t want it messed up.”

Leaning in, I press a sloppy kiss to her cheek. “He wouldn’t have gotten close enough to mess up my face. Mitch would’ve beat him up for me before it got that far.”

“Damn straight,” Mitch growls from his seat on the couch.

We laugh and everyone grabs some pizza and drinks that Remy arranged on his butcher-block island. Food in hand, we make our way into the living room where his large T.V. is mounted on a wall. The pristine, white U-shaped sectional takes up most of the living room, but there’s also a giant puff in front of it. Bruce sprawls across the puff, and the rest of us take up the couch. Noel nestles in beside me; we have to sit close since there are so many of us.

I notice there are a few decorative pillows on his couch that I’ve never seen before. They have a subtle floral pattern on them. “Nice pillows, man. Very quaint.”

“Shut up,” Remy mutters. “Amber got them. Said my place needed a feminine touch.”

“They look great,” Noel says, elbowing me in the side and giving me a warning glare.

Remy nods and takes a bite of pizza.

Turning toward my girl, I watch her and can’t help but think about how lovely she is for the millionth time. She’s so elegant and smart… and she’s mine. Sometimes it still feels like a dream.

Noel must sense my gaze and turns her head to look at me. One of her blonde curls falls into her eye, and I bring my hand up to brush it away. I allow my thumb to graze the soft skin of her cheek in the process. She closes her eyes like she’s savoring my touch.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Her voice is barely above a whisper.

“Looking at you like what?”

“Like you can’t believe I’m here.” A sweet smile plays on her lips. Lips that I want to kiss later.