Epilogue
TWO YEARS LATER…
“Nah, man, I’m telling you, they gotta be bigger.
It’s a fucking balloon arch. If the balloons are all teeny tiny, they’re not gonna arch, they’re just gonna bend.
” Ollie’s dispensing party decoration advice like he’s a pro.
Dime and Flo flip him off, but I notice they start making their balloons bigger.
I could get up and help, but those guys seem like they have it all under control, so I lean back in my chair and tilt my face up to the sun. Besides, if I lend a hand, that balloon arch is liable to pop and sound like a hundred cannons all going off at once.
Calla, the three-year-old birthday princess, would not be pleased about that, and as her favorite uncle, I’m not here to mess shit up, even if that might be a specialty of mine. Hell, no. I’m here to make sure Calla has the best birthday party ever.
Well, I might have a few other plans for this weekend, too.
A lot of them involve catching up with my old teammates. Living in Poland means Viv and I don’t get to hang with our old crew too often, so we’re going to soak this time with our friends while we can.
It’s wild as shit that we’re all chilling in Coach Baylor’s backyard like nothing has changed.
In a lot of ways, it hasn’t. Ollie is still in charge of all the festivities, and his wife, Fallon, is still rolling her eyes at his antics.
Pete Santos is wielding a spatula and manning the grill like he’s auditioning for a cooking show. Coach Van is sprawled out on a nearby lounger, cracking jokes with his best bud while his son sleeps peacefully on his chest.
So, yeah, I guess some things have changed.
For one, we’re in the middle of a baby boom.
It’s crazy in the best way. Like I said, Van and Josie have a little boy, Felix, to add to their brood.
Coach Baylor and his wife Jules have a son named Isaac, and Coach Anderson and his wife are expecting twins any day now.
Maggie and JT will have another baby by Christmastime, and my sister is due on Thanksgiving.
I swear, there’s gotta be something in the water around here. Yeah, a lot of us live hundreds—or thousands—of miles away now, but still. I’m not taking any chances.
Don’t get me wrong. Viv and I will be thrilled to welcome our own hellions into the world someday, but I’ve got some plans to put into place before then.
“Incoming!” I look up, ready to be ambushed by water balloons or a cooler full of ice, but it’s just Blue. He’s got Calla up on his shoulders and he’s tearing through the backyard like his ass is on fire.
“I love that he’s getting her all wound up when the party has barely even started,” JT grumbles from his seat next to me. “She’s gonna be a joy to put to be tonight.’
“Tell him he’s got to come back and do the nighttime routine.
Tell him only the best uncles know how to do it.
He eats that shit up, I’m telling you. That fool thinks he actually has me beat in the uncle department, so I think you should teach him a lesson, especially before Bridgette and Dutton’s baby gets here.
Did you hear he wants them to name the kid Royal?
That’s some bullshit. If I can’t name my niece or nephew, then neither can he. It’s unfair.”
“Completely unfair,” JT agrees, clinking our glasses of iced tea together in a toast of solidarity.
“I’m not worried about it, though. I know I won’t be right next door when the baby’s born, but I’ll be a hell of a lot closer.”
I share a knowing smile with my best buddy. The news isn’t public yet, and it won’t be for another few days, but the truth is that my time in Poland has ended. It’s been a thrilling fucking ride, and I’ve loved every minute of it, especially with Viv by my side.
But it’s a good thing my girl loves adventure, because we’re about to start a new one this summer.
I don’t know if the European league was the fresh start I needed, or if I always had the potential, but the upshot is that I’ve been signed by the Portland Sasquatch.
I’ll be on their affiliate team for the foreseeable future, but living in the same town with JT and Maggie again is gonna be freaking awesome.
Viv and I can’t wait to spoil their kids rotten.
When Pete and Van bring over a tray of food, we happily dig in. It’s glorious for a few minutes, until the smell of grilled deliciousness has half my old team descending on us and filling their plates like they haven’t eaten in a week.
“Where’s Leo?” Blue asks, looking around as he shoves food into his face. “I know the guy doesn’t love a social occasion, but I know he misses all of us. I swear, if he’s back at the hockey house, I say we storm the place.”
“Nah,” Pete says, his chest puffing with pride. “He’s at a development camp for the summer. You know he was picked in the first round of the—”
“We know,” Ollie teases good-naturedly as he lobs an empty burger bun in Pete’s direction. “You never shut up about how great your baby brother is.”
“Damn right I don’t,” Pete says unapologetically.
“He’s not the only guy missing,” JT says. “Will called this morning wish Calla a happy birthday from Boston, and Dean’s in New York because Annabelle’s show is opening off-off-Broadway.”
“Yeah, and Roscoe graduates law school this weekend, or else he and Holland would be here,” Pete says.
I look around at the guys I lived and played with in College. Sure, not every one of them is her in person, but I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without my crew. I’m grateful for them, but I can’t get all mushy—not yet, anyway. I’ll save that for later.
***
“It looks the same,” Viv says as we stroll through campus a few hours later. The party is still raging, but we managed to duck out for a few minutes to walk through memory lane on campus.
“Don’t you think?” She asks me, pulling me out of my head. Dammit. I cannot get distracted. I have a mission to accomplish, so I shake my head and get myself back in the game.
“A mission to accomplish?” Viv asks, making me realize I blurted those words out. “What mission is that, Bran Mikalski? Just why are you taking me for a trip through campus when you and I have probably walked these paths a thousand times?”
I can’t help it. I panic.
I have a plan that I need to execute, but we haven’t made it to the fountain yet, so I need to stall.
Dammit. I think she’s onto me. What can I say to throw her off the scent?
I want this to be a surprise, even though it probably won’t be a shock.
Viv knows I love her more than anything.
And she knows I want to build a life with her.
I know she wants the same thing. She’s just going to have to wait until we’re a little farther into our walk before I ask any official questions.
“Mickey,” she says, cupping my face in her hands. “Why did you suggest we go for a walk?”
“So we can fuck,” I answer, because it’s the only thing my brain can come up with. And honestly, it’s not a bad plan. I’m worked up. I need to chill out. And I always want Viv.
“You want to to fuck in the middle of our university campus? Even though we are no longer students and we have a hotel room a few miles away?”
“Yeah, I told JT we wouldn’t be gone long. Plus, you’re acting like we haven’t had sex all over this campus.”
Viv taps her finger against her lips. “You’re right. Are you thinking the storage closet behind the dining hall or one of the study rooms at the library?”
God, I freaking love this woman.
“Follow me,” I say, leading her around the back of the athletic complex. I could probably get in a shit ton of trouble for this, but what are they going to do? Kick me out of school?
We follow a group of kids inside, but instead of going to the main locker room, I clasp her hand and we duck inside a glorified storage room. I don’t bother looking at the equipment or the shelves full of supplies.
I just back Viv up against the door and cover her mouth with mine. “I love you,” I say, the words slipping out of my mouth and into hers.
Viv pulls back, her eyes finding mine. “I love you, Brannon Mikalski, more than anything else in the world.”
“Oh, really?” I tease, swatting her ass and then smoothing my hand over it. “More than anything? More than this plug that’s been teasing your ass since I put it there this morning?”
“Yes,” she pants, widening her legs for me. We’re both wearing shirts and shorts, but they’re all easy enough to work around. I hoist her up higher on the wall while she wraps her legs around me, my body thrusting on instinct.
Viv practically purrs in response. My fingers slip under her shorts and thong to trace her seam. She’s already fucking dripping, so I use my one free hand to tug my shorts down.
I line us up and drive myself home. Viv bites my shoulder to keep from screaming the whole damn place down, but I can’t blame her.
Our sex life is incredible, but feeling how full she is?
Feeling the outline of the plug as I push into again and again.
She’s trembling in my arms, but I’m not giving her what she needs. Not yet, anyway.
But Viv has other ideas. Her inner walls are clenching around me, squeezing the life out of my cock.
“I need to feel it, Mickey,” she says, pressing her lips to my ear. “I need to feel you come inside me.”
The combination of her words and our bodies moving together is enough to send my brain into overdrive. All I know right now is Viv’s pleasure.
And that’s more than enough for me. I hold her against me and unleash everything I have. We rock together, riding the wave of endless orgasms.
“Okay,” Viv says, sighing as she leans her head against my chest. “That was worth leaving the party for.”
“Marry me,” I blurt, like we’re not a sweaty tangle of limbs. Like we’re not in a damn equipment closet. Like I’m not still half-hard inside her.
“Fuck, I’m sorry,” I say shaking my head. “We were supposed to go to the fountain. It was supposed to be romantic. Instead, I —”
“Yes,” Viv says, smiling before she presses her mouth to mine. “Yes, I will marry you, because yes, I love you.”
Holding her close, I trail kisses down her neck. “Even if I messed up the proposal—”
“You didn’t mess up anything. It was perfect. My body is tangled up in yours. My heart belongs to you. And I love you exactly the way you are.”
The End.