Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84952 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Thank you to the Catching-A-Cares Foundation,” I say. “Thank you so much.”
When I turn around, Lincoln is walking my way. He winks.
“Go get her,” he whispers.
I laugh. “I’m on it.”
I jog down the stairs and along the side of the room.
Lincoln thanks everyone for coming and instructs them on where to donate, but I’m not registering any of it. I walk as quickly as I can across the back of the room and see Larissa and her family exiting the row.
“Riss,” I say, jogging up to her.
Her eyes are clouded with tears. “Hollis, I—”
I grab her face and kiss her with everything I have.
“Let’s try to keep this PG-13,” Bellamy says as she walks by. “People are watching.”
I pull back and rest my forehead on Larissa’s.
“Let ’em watch,” I say, looking into her pretty eyes. “I was calling you. And texting you. Where’s your phone?”
“I turned it off, and now I can’t find it,” she says.
“I’m sorry. I was stupid and—”
“I know.”
Siggy stands beside us. “Hollis, we are so proud of you.”
“Yes, honey, we are,” Judy says, standing beside Siggy.
I release Larissa’s face but grab her hand instead and pull her into my side.
“Thank you all for coming. I mean, I guess you are here to see me.” My stomach drops. “But you might not be. I—”
“Of course, we’re here for you,” Siggy says. “I think you’re family now. Right, Riss?”
I look down to see her smiling up at me.
“Well, he can try not to be, but I’ll just have to keep pestering him with questions until he gets tired of me and agrees.”
I grin at her. “I love you.”
Her eyes grow wide.
“I told you in a voice message, which was probably the total wrong way to do that, but it just came out,” I say with a shrug. “And I should’ve said it on stage so you could’ve gotten your public declaration you were telling me you always wanted, but this will have to do.”
She smiles so wide that the corners of her lips touch her eyes. “I love you too.”
“Well, I love food, and I’m starving,” Boone says. “Can we grab some food and continue this little love fest elsewhere?”
“I’ll call Hillary’s House and have them deliver,” Siggy says. “Everyone, come to my house. Judy, would you like to come?”
Judy clutches her pearls. “Why, yes. I think that would be nice.”
“Fabulous.” Siggy smiles. “We’ll see you all there.” She grabs Judy’s arm gently and helps her out.
Boone slaps my back, drawing my attention away from Siggy and Judy. “Hey, man. Good work on the field and off. I’m glad Riss found a decent guy for once.”
“Well, you can stop worrying because I’m where it stops for her.”
She stills beside me. “You are?”
I look down into her eyes and know it’s true. I can fight it, but it won’t matter.
All the doors that closed up to this point were so that I would walk through this one. And I’m jumping in headfirst.
“I am.” I nuzzle my cheek against the side of her head. “We’re going to need another pact.”
“Oohh, you’re right.” She grins against my side. “What should this one include?”
“Me and you forever.”
She wraps both arms around me. “That’s a relationship pact I’ll be happy to sign.”
Epilogue #1
Hollis
The swing goes back and forth. It’s a lazy movement, completely inconsiderate of time.
Larissa lies longways with her head on my lap. I brush her hair out of her face as I keep us swaying in the breeze.
The lasagna Siggy ordered for an early dinner was amazing, and I ate more than any guy should ever eat in front of a girl’s family. It was nice to have my appetite back.
I look down at my girl. Her eyes are closed. She looks content, and I want to keep it that way.
No matter what.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask.
“Mm-hmm.”
“How did you know I was there? And how did you get everyone to go with you?”
She grins. “Well, Boone and Bellamy and I were going to go anyway. Or we were before you decided to be a jerk.”
“Fair enough.”
She opens her eyes. They’re sparkling. “I had kind of called it off because I didn’t think you wanted us there. That and I was really mad. And hurt.”
I wince.
“But Judy called Lincoln and told him she wanted to go and that he needed to get ahold of me.”
“She did?”
Larissa nods.
“Huh.”
I gaze across the lawn behind Siggy’s house at the trees dotting the landscape—giant southern oaks covered in Spanish moss that dusts the ground at some points. There are bushes with deep purple flowers along both sides of a path that leads from the porch steps and over a hill.
Judy’s actions on my behalf surprise me. I don’t know why. She’s a meddling and territorial lady, and I shouldn’t be shocked to find out she exerted her will over anything, let alone my problems.