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He decided this before the game.

He’s putting himself out there and exposing his vulnerability. Again. But this time in a much larger setting. Henley’s right. I can’t stand him up. “Ava.” I spin around as a new excitement wells in my chest. “I’ve got to go down to the field. Can you stay with Trudy and Henley?”

She nods with a knowing smile while Henley's not-so-innocent expression beams behind her.

“Thank you. I love you.” I press a kiss to her cheek, and she scrunches her nose.

“Love you too, Mom. Have fun with Mr. Beck-kett.” She practically sings his name in a teasing manner, and my eyes flash to Henley’s as she shrugs. Sometimes those two are too close for my liking. But now is not the time to worry about that.

“I’ll be back.”

“Bye.” They all wave in unison, making me laugh as I walk away.

It’s chaos as the security guard leads me onto the field, and I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of people gathering around the players. There are streamers flying, people bouncing up and down, and I’m out of my depth.

Panic tries to take over, but I will myself to fight it until a gentle hand touches mine, and my gaze snaps to the beautiful redhead standing beside me. “Sorry to startle you.” Her eyes soften in sympathy. “I’m Keeley. I work with the team. Are you looking for Beckett?”

“I am. How did…” I trail off when she points toward the crowd, and I pivot to face where she’s pointing, locking eyes with Beckett as he jogs toward me.

“In case you didn’t know it…” Keeley settles at my side, and I briefly glance her way before my eyes return to Beckett. “I’ve never seen him happier than he has been since New Year’s,” she continues. “And it has nothing to do with his first Super Bowl win.”

She walks away without letting me respond, and I’m not at all mad about that. Because I have no idea what to say. Winning the Super Bowl has always been his dream.

Beckett reaches me, and my pulse thunders in my ears, drowning out the celebrations around us.

“You did it.” I throw myself into his arms, and when he lifts me, I wrap my legs around his waist, curling my arms around his neck. “You’re a Super Bowl champion.”

Emotion mists his eyes but he doesn’t speak. And he doesn't have to. He’s saying more with that one look than he could possibly say with all the words in the world.

With one hand under my ass, he grabs the back of my neck, pulling me in for a wild kiss as flashes go off around us. And when he pulls back, his eyes are shining brighter than the lights.

“I’m so incredibly in love with you, Lily Callahan,” he whispers in my ear, keeping this beautiful moment just between us. “I’m. All. In.” My chest tightens as he punctuates his words, and I almost falter when I try to speak, taking a second to clear my throat.

“I love you too, Mr. Beckett. All. In. For the rest of our days.”

VALENTINE’S DAY

Epilogue Two

BECKETT

ONE YEAR LATER

My driver pulls up in front of The Bookish Aroma and I wince at the sight. It looks like someone vomited pink and red love hearts, and if I didn’t love Lily, I’d be turning around and hightailing it out of there. Lily warned me that Henley had gone all out for their Valentine’s Day display, but it’s safe to say I wasn’t prepared.

I thank my amused driver and jump out of the car, waiting for the usual nerves to hit me the second my feet touch the ground. I get the same feeling whenever I’m about to see Lily after time apart. As though I’m going to discover something happened to her while I was gone, and she held back from telling me because there was nothing I could do.

I’ve been working on managing my thoughts with a therapist, and I’m happy to say my anxiety has significantly lessened since I began. But it’s still there, lingering in the background, a reminder of what can happen if I let my guard down.

Taking in a deep breath, I walk slowly toward the door and pause at the threshold, a smile tugging at my lips.

Today is different from the rest. Today, I’m coming home for good.

My name hits my ears as I open the door, and I bite back a laugh.

“On a scale of one to ten, how grumpy is Beckett going to be when he finally arrives?” Atlas presumably asks Lily, though I can’t see either of them yet. Holding the door still, I wait for a response before I keep walking. If I take another step, the bell’s going to ring, alerting them all to my arrival.

No one speaks at first until Lily’s beautiful voice drifts through the air. “How would you feel?”