Epilogue
Marigold Belmore
I bounce on my toes outside of the arena. My face is hurting from smiling so much. We won! The Thrashers hockey team won the National Championship, and Jameson was able to play. After his injury, he wasn’t sure the coach would let him, but he did.
“I can’t believe they won!” I squeal.
“You’re going to pierce someone’s eardrums,” Aurora says, but even she looks happy tonight. We all sat together to watch the game, and now they’re waiting with me for Jameson to come out.
“Oh, let her be happy for her man,” Jasmine says with a laugh from where she’s snuggled into her man’s arms.
Shepherd grins. “It was a fun game. I bet their locker room is insane right now.”
I laugh, thinking of all the antics the players could be getting into, especially Nash.
“It might be a minute if that’s the case. Y’all can head to the party if you want,” I tell them.
“You’re just saying that because you want to kiss Jameson without an audience,” Saylor teases from next to Graham, the guy who isn’t but definitely should be her boyfriend.
His arm is thrown over her shoulders casually, as if he’s used to the action.
I don’t understand how their relationship works, but since I held off dating my best friend for way too long, I can’t judge.
“Oh, I’m kissing him whether you’re here or not,” I reply, making everyone laugh. “But I figured I’d spare you the view.”
Saylor lets out a sigh. “Maybe I should go. I’ll get depressed watching you two.” Her voice is light, but I can tell the words hold some truth. Saylor has a detailed timeline of when she needs to meet her future husband. Apparently, her clock is ticking, even though we’re freshmen in college.
Graham gives her a concerned look but doesn’t comment.
“We have to see her give the muffins,” Jasmine says with a grin.
“He doesn’t know what they mean. He’s going to think they’re just muffins,” I say with a laugh.
On the ground next to me is a bag containing a dozen pumpkin–chocolate chip muffins, the recipe we deemed to be “marriage muffins” last year before Jasmine and Shepherd got together.
You’re only allowed to make them for a guy you love and could see yourself marrying one day, and this morning I asked Jasmine to help me make them for Jameson.
I thought security might get called with how loud the apartment got once I asked her.
Though to be fair, we reacted the same way when she made them for Shepherd.
“Yes, but we know what they mean,” Jasmine says, her eyes sparkling.
“I think that’s them coming out now!” Saylor says, and I whip my head back toward the arena.
Sure enough, all of the guys are walking out. They’re laughing and shouting as they do, making my smile stretch wide across my face. I search for Jameson among them. I find him the same time he finds me. His face breaks out in one of those rare full grins.
I race toward him, and he breaks away from the crowd to meet me. I jump into his arms, and he spins me around once before crashing his lips into mine. The team hoots and hollers behind us, and I can’t help but laugh into the kiss.
“I’m so proud of you,” I tell him when we break apart. “You did amazing.”
He sets me down on my feet and kisses me again, this time a touch softer.
“Couldn’t have done it without you.”
I shake my head. “I wasn’t out there on the ice.”
“Is it cheesy to say you were in my heart?” he asks.
“Yes.” I make my tone as flat as possible, barely holding in my giggles.
“If Shakespeare put it in a sonnet and I quoted it, you’d think it was romantic,” he replies dryly.
I throw my head back and laugh. He joins in, and by the time our laughter fades into soft hums of joy, I question whether I’ll ever be this happy again. And then I meet his eyes and know that each day can only get better by his side.
“I love you, Goldie,” he says softly. “I love you with so much of my heart that none is left to protest.”
A Shakespeare quote. Because even though he despises reading it, he loves me.
“I love you, too,” I whisper, and then kiss him again.
I’ve found that no quote, no book, or play, or metaphor can encapsulate my love for him as much as kissing him can. So I give all that I have, not caring who’s watching.
We’ve been through everything together. Jameson has been as constant as the sun and moon. Even when we were disconnected, in my heart I knew that he was truly never more than a call away. And standing here wrapped up in his arms I know that nothing and no one will change that.
This is my forever.
Keep reading for a peek into the next love story!