Chapter 19
Sure, the game was exhilarating, and watching Carson kick the winning field goal to send his team to victory was incredible.
But there’s something about being in his arms, being spun around like we don’t have a care in the world, that has my heart damn near beating out of my chest. My giggle is loud and carefree.
“It’s official. You’re our good-luck charm, books.” He stops, setting me on my feet before pressing a kiss against my hair.
Beside him, Roscoe and Owen are watching me intently.
“Great game, guys. It’s been forever since I’ve been a part of this, and I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”
Owen holds out his hand, and I slip from Carson’s arm to tangle my fingers with his. He pulls me into his chest, giving me the world's best hug. I can feel the tension ease from his entire body as he just holds me like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“We’re so glad you were able to make it tonight. It meant a lot, seeing you cheering for us in the stands.”
I glance up, catching his green eyes with my own.
A saucy smirk plays across my lips. “Who the hell else would I cheer for? I’ve been a Hawks fan my whole life.”
“Smartass.” He boops me on the nose, then turns me toward Roscoe.
The serious man with the big heart is a lot harder to read than the other two, but when the corner of his mouth quirks up, one brow rising just the slightest bit in challenge, I grin. Stepping out of Owen’s arms, I walk over to the broody boy who never fails to sear me with a simple look.
“Good game, big guy.”
“Mmmm.” His hand snakes out, dragging me closer and spinning me around so my back is pressed to his front. Thick, muscled arms wrap around my shoulders, and I feel him burying his nose in my hair. “It was better with you there.”
Those damn butterflies in my belly are in a riot of motion because I don’t know how to react to words like that, especially from them.
Sure, this isn’t exactly platonic contact, but it’s not really all that different from how we used to be back in the day before my brother’s epic fuck-up—minus the kissing, of course.
And yes, I’ve been intimate with two of them recently, but…
I don’t know. This really does seem like it’s leaning more toward the real side of the scale with each passing day.
There’s no crowd here, no prying eyes to put on an act for, yet their touches seem genuine and their words are finding a place that had been hollow in my soul and filling it up piece by piece.
I’m not sure how I feel about that.
Deciding to ignore that line of thinking entirely, I reach up and grip Roscoe’s wrists, looking at the other guys.
They’re watching us with rapt attention.
It might as well be a physical caress because my whole body comes alive, heat spreading from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
“So what’s this about wanting to take me somewhere? ”
“We have a surprise for you,” Roz whispers in my ear.
He slides in beside me, keeping one arm wrapped around my back, and guides me to the parking lot.
“Y’all drove here?”
Carson nods. “Yeah. Specifically for an opportunity like this.”
“Wait, did you know I was coming?”
Owen laughs. “You forgot how big Cassidy’s mouth is, huh?”
My snort escapes, loud and undignified. “Yup. Sure did.”
“She may have also helped us a little with the surprise. Just so there’s no miscommunication there. We’re awesome and all, but we’re also not above asking my sis for a little extra support to ensure success.”
“What is this? A date?” I quip.
They share a panicked look before Roscoe squeezes my hip. “What if we said it was?”
My brain fights to process the myriad of emotions stirring within me. On one hand, the girlish side of me is giggly with excitement, but the cynical side is listing all the reasons why this isn’t a good idea…especially after that last pep talk with myself.
“We don’t like it when you get all caught up inside that big brain of yours, love bug,” Owen says softly, drawing my attention to the tall man striding alongside us.
“What are we doing?” My voice is barely a whisper, but it’s the first thought that comes to mind. “Like… The line has become so blurred I’m not sure what side we’re on anymore.”
“What side do you want to be on?” Carson asks, pressing the button to unlock his SUV.
He stalks over to the back passenger door and grabs the handle without opening it. The guys have all huddled around me, and while I should feel boxed in, I can’t help but feel safe and secure in a way that I never truly have.
There are no certainties in life. No one is guaranteed a happy ending.
The stories where the knight sweeps the princess off her feet are just fairy tales.
But does that mean we should stop giving in to the hope that someone would care about us enough to want to be our hero?
Have I become so jaded by life that I no longer feel worthy of being the heroine in my own love story?
I’m too young to be that cynical. There’s so much life left to live, and isn’t it about time I at least tried to do something for myself rather than everyone else?
I meet Carson’s stare head-on, straightening my spine and exhaling deeply.
“I want to be on whichever side makes it so I’m not alone anymore.”
Roscoe tugs me into his side a little tighter while Owen reaches down and grabs my hand. Carson leans down until our faces are inches apart.
“Done.” He brushes his lips against mine in a kiss so tender, I almost wonder if it’s just wishful thinking. At least until he leans back and says, with a quick smack to my ass, “Now get in the car, little one. We’ve got places to be.”
In a matter of minutes, we’re all loaded in and Carson’s driving through town.
When we hit FAFO Crossing, he carefully pulls to a stop, double and triple checks that the lanes are clear, makes the sign of the cross—again, no one trusts this four-way stop—then makes a left.
This road only leads to one place. Somewhere I haven’t been since the last time I came here with them.
“Are we going where I think we’re going?” I ask, excitement clear in my tone.
Carson’s eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror. “Yup.”
I’m practically bouncing in my seat. Last Light Point—or as locals call it, The Spot—is a place of town lore.
The go-to locale for everything from heart-to-hearts to hook-ups, you can do it all with breathtaking views of the mountains and lake.
There are so many memories of this place that I’m anxious to see what, if anything, has changed.
We trek up the steep, winding road that always freaked me out whenever we came up here as teens.
Something about looking over the edge of the mountain and seeing nothing but a long way down really fucks with your head.
When he pulls to a stop in the empty lot, I’m the first one out of the car.
I run straight over to the railing, place my hands on the cool metal, and look down over Hollows Lake.
The moon is high in the sky, making the waves appear to sparkle like diamonds spread across the water from this distance.
“Over here, baby girl,” Roscoe calls out, and when I turn, they’re spreading out a blanket in a grassy area near the edge.
It brings back another night, one where my brother wasn’t able to join the four of us because he was grounded for sneaking Nan’s whiskey out of her cabinet to share with his buddies and stupidly got caught.
Who knows? That night might’ve been the start to something more if everything hadn’t gone south just a couple days later.
Slowly, I walk over, taking in the picnic basket Owen’s holding as Carson spreads out the goods.
“You guys, this is adorable.”
Carson shrugs. “Figured we’d all be hungry after the game, so Cassidy prepped some sandwiches and snacks for us.”
“That’s not the surprise though.”
I sit beside Owen, crossing my legs and feeling goosebumps break out as our knees brush. “There’s more?”
“There is,” Roscoe murmurs.
“Everyone dig in so we can get to the main event.” Carson hands me a turkey sub, a bag of Ruffles Cheddar and Sour Cream chips, and a Coke.
The wind picks up, sending my hair fluttering in the breeze. “You even remember my favorites?”
Roscoe tucks a stray hair behind my ear. “We remember everything about you, baby girl.”
I almost choke on my bite of sandwich. I’m not sure if they’re laying it on thick, or if I’m just extra sensitive to their pheromones tonight, but holy hot damn.
Whatever it is, I don’t think I’m fully prepared.
Aside from the orgasms Roscoe gave me, I haven’t had a DJ Vibrato session in days. This is gonna be torture.
We make small talk while we eat, the guys sharing stats on the team they just beat and the one they're facing next week down in the Valley. I remind myself to ask Cassidy if she ever travels to their away games. If she does, maybe we can roadtrip together.
“So, do you remember the legend of Last Light Point?” Carson asks, wiping his mouth with his forearm.
I roll my eyes. “Of course I do. It’s said that a woman waited hours for her lover to arrive so they could run away together, but he never showed up. No one ever saw or heard from her again, and it was assumed she flung herself off the mountain, unable to bear her broken heart.”
“Do you remember what you said to us the last night we hung out here together?” Owen grabs his backpack and begins to rummage through it.
“Yes. I’d always been fascinated by the paranormal. I wanted to do our own little ghost hunt up here and see if we could find a way to speak to her to help her find peace.”
“If by fascinated, you mean terrified, then yes.”
I glare at Roz, but he just smirks in reply.
“Sure, ghosts scare me a little, but the thought of a woman pining away alone up here is incredibly sad.”
“You always were a romantic,” Owen says, grabbing my hand and kissing the back.