EPILOGUE ONE
Zane
ONE MONTH LATER
Iwatch Blair as she takes in the beautiful beachside apartment, her lips parted in awe. When her eyes widen with excitement, I know I’ve lost her. “Are you sure you don’t want to move in with me? You said you loved my apartment.”
She sighs longingly. “I do love it, but I want to do this right. And to do that, I think we should start from the beginning.”
“Meaning you want me to court you?” I shudder slightly, much like I did the last time I made that ridiculous suggestion.
“I’m beginning to think you want to court me.” Blair bites back a giggle. “I’m sure my dad would love it if you asked his permission to date me.”
“We’re already dating. If it was up to me, we’d be more than that. Which is your fault. You and your grand ‘we’re in this together’ speech.”
It’s been a month since Blair saved me from making the worst decision of my life. If she’d agreed to being better off without me, I would have walked away again, no questions asked. I’m that obsessed with making her happy.
But now that she’s convinced me not to, I’m all in. I don’t want to be apart anymore. Taking it slowly is a kind of torture that I’m not the slightest bit interested in.
Having Blair by my side through the aftermath of Landon’s death was probably the only thing keeping me sane. No matter where I went or what I did, I was hounded with questions. Like the world was desperate to send me back to the depths of my hell.
But Blair wouldn’t let that happen.
When my days were as dark as my nights, she was there, torch in hand, guiding my path. And I’ve never felt that kind of love, except from my sister.
And maybe Cade.
Speaking of my girlfriend’s brother… We may not be the best friends we once were, but Cade’s been hanging around like a bad smell, and he’s growing on me again.
It didn’t take long to realize that if any of us are stuck in the past, it’s him.
He’s the same guy he was back then, but if I’m honest, that’s not such a bad thing.
I hope he never changes. Though I am glad he’s accepted my relationship with Blair.
I’m not sure he would have done that back then.
Credit for my new life should also go to Keeley, D’Angelo, and Wes. And, of course, the guys from my support chat. Sorry, Keeley’s support chat now.
They’ve been steadfast in ensuring I know they have my back, and I’m certain that football would have lost its appeal if they hadn’t been around to help me through it all. There’s nothing worse as a player than having your own fans turn against you, and for a little while there, that was my life.
But with Reed and Luke constantly singing my praises, and Easton telling the media to fuck off on my behalf, it was hard for their hatred to remain.
That and the fact that I’ve proven myself on the field, and showed them that I’m here for my team—our team—no matter what they throw at me. I’m ready to take it all the way.
Blair cringes and I can’t help but smile at how lucky I am to have her by my side. Even though she doesn’t want to live with me.
“We are in this together. Forever. But I think this’ll be good for us—getting to have a proper relationship instead of rushing into things.”
“You know I’d do anything for you, B. To extremes. But did your apartment have to be so far away from mine?”
“It’s thirty minutes. And it’s next to the beach. Somewhere you probably would have chosen if you hadn’t said yes to the first apartment you viewed.”
My eyes flash to the incredible view before moving to the outdoor hot tub, and I have to admit, she’s right. I could see us spending a lot of time here. “Okay, let’s do it. Let’s get you this apartment.”
“What? No. I can’t afford this one.” Her cheeks turn pink, her lips pulling into a sheepish grin. “I wanted to see it so I could manifest it for the future.”
“What?” I frown, staring longingly at the balcony as her words take it away from me.
“I’m sure you noticed the huge difference between this place and the others we’ve seen,” Blair says, drawing my gaze back to hers.
“Honestly, I thought you were messing with me when we looked at the others. I was waiting for you to tell me you were joking, that you couldn’t bear for us to be apart.”
“Nope.” She pops the p and I can’t help but chuckle.
“If you insist on living separately, we’re getting this place. I’ll be here as often as you’ll allow. I should contribute.”
“You’re not paying for my apartment.”
“Okay. How about this then... Blair Jasmine Stevens, I would like to hire you to write a book for me.”
“You what?”
“I’ve said this before, and I mean it. I want you to write our story, and I want to pay you to do it.”
“Goddammit.” She huffs adorably. “You’re not going to make this easy, are you?”
“Nope.”
“Fine. You can pay for a quarter of my rent. But I still can’t afford—”
“Three quarters.”
“God, you’re impossible. No.”
“This is what people call a negotiation. You have to meet me somewhere. You can’t just say no.” A cocky smile lights up my face and Blair rolls her eyes.
“Ugh. A third then.”
“Three fifths.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Nope. And I refuse to go any lower than half.”
“Fine. Half.”
“Thank you.” Without another word, I stalk out of the bedroom, chuckling when Blair groans behind me.
“What are you doing?”
The realtor steps into view and my victorious smile widens. “We’ll take it.”
“Zane.” Blair groans again before turning to Suzanne, her smile apologetic. “Sorry. We’ll just be a moment.”
“Take your time.” Suzanne waves her off, but I mime signing papers just to reassure her.
“What’s going on?” I play dumb as I follow Blair outside, my brows furrowed.
“Why this apartment?” she questions me. “What does it matter?”
“Because of the hot tub.”
“Your place has a hot tub.”
“Oh, yeah. It does.”
“Zane?” she huffs and I finally give in.
“Because it’s you. B. Everything about this apartment screams Blair, and you know I want to give you the world.”
“I appreciate that but—”
“Uh-uh. Just look at it.” Grabbing her shoulders, I spin her around and walk her through the apartment, pointing out the little details that make this place her home.
“Look at the ivy climbing up the exterior wall, making you feel like you’re bathing in nature, while you stare out of the window, taking in the view.
Now shh. Listen.” I fall silent, giving Blair the chance to hear what I hear, covering her mouth when she begins to laugh.
“The proximity to the beach means you can hear the waves crashing from anywhere in the apartment, reminding you of home. Of Sierra. You know she’d agree with me if she was here.
” Blair glances over her shoulder, her eyes wide as she looks at me, but I continue on.
I’m not done yet. “Next you have the mountain view from the master bedroom. I know it’s not the huge mountains you’re used to in LA, but it gives the same vibe.
A sneak peek of your solace. Something for you to dream about whenever I piss you off.
And on top of that, you have the warmth, the quiet street, the home office.
I wasn’t kidding when I said you should write our story. Either way, it’s perfect for you.”
Blair shakes in my arms but otherwise remains silent, and I wonder if I’ve said the wrong thing. “B?”
She turns to look at me, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “That may have been the corniest thing you’ve ever said, but thank you. For seeing me and for always putting me first, even when I think you’re not paying attention.”
“I’m always paying attention. Always. What do you say?”
With trembling lips, she nods a few times, walking backward toward the door.
“We’ll take it.” She calls for Suzanne and spins around, throwing herself into my arms, pressing her lips to mine.
Her kiss is chaste, and when she pulls back her sassy grin has me desperate to get her alone.
I love it when the playful, carefree Blair comes out.
“What’s that look for?” I ask, lifting her until she wraps her legs around my waist, my body heating at the thought of seeing her happy. In this home.
“I’ve changed my mind.” She rubs her nose against mine and laughs, a new giddiness about her.
“You don’t want the apartment?”
“Oh, I do, I definitely do. But I want it to be ours. I want you to move in with me.”
“Yeah?” My chest tightens as my pulse spikes.
“Yeah. Because as much as this place is me, it’s you too. And I can’t imagine living here without you.”
“Thank fuck.” I sigh dramatically and Blair kisses me hard, most likely to shut me up. But I don’t care. I’ve finally got the girl and we’re finally starting our happily ever after.
We joke about it sometimes, but I have no doubt that if Sierra was watching over us, right now she’d be rolling her eyes, breathing a sigh of relief. She’d absolutely be thinking…about fucking time.
And she’d be right.