“I thought I’d ruined it all when we were just figuring out how good it could be.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I’m staying here, by the way.”
“Wait, what?” I arched my neck to get a better look at him. “You’re not going to Chicago?”
“I’m always so worried about what I think others want and not myself. I want to see you every day and do Zumba classes and go to trivia nights. I want to hang with Camden and Michael and explore new things with you. Moving to a city alone sounds horrible. My parents had been pushing it for so long that lines blurred along the way. What might’ve been my dream turned into theirs, and I let it happen. I needed to figure that out on my own, and I didn’t talk to you about it. I should’ve. I will next time.”
“Hey, I know you will.” I threaded my fingers through his sweaty hair, so happy I could burst. He held my gaze, his gray eyes swirling with emotion.
“I see my future with you. A real one.”
I nodded, my throat tightening. “Me too.”
“I kinda smell. Could we head back to my place? I need to shower.”
“That an invitation?” I wiggled my brows.
“It absolutely is.” He set me down and grabbed my hand, not paying attention to Michael and the guys totally watching us. He intertwined our fingers and led us from the quad, back to our apartment.
Senior year hadn’t started off any way I would’ve thought, but damn, I wouldn’t change a single thing. I found Freddie, Daniella, and a new love for a team I thought I’d lost. Somehow, despite all the problems, it had turned out to be the best senior year ever. I squeezed Freddie’s hand, and he looked down at me, so much love radiating from him, and I knew we’d have years of adventures together.
EPILOGUE
MAY—THE NEXT YEAR
Freddie
Cami still wore her graduation cap and gown as I covered her eyes from behind. “Be patient,” I said.
“You’re blindfolding me and not in the fun way, big guy.” She covered my hands with hers and squeezed. “What is this surprise?”
We arrived just outside my apartment door. I kissed her neck, and she let out a little hum. I loved that sound, like she was so happy with me. “I’m proud of you,” I said against her skin.
She shivered. “You have your master’s. That’s way more impressive.”
“I’m in awe of how you’ve grown, Cami.” I trailed kisses down her shoulder, pulling her against me because I could. She was my best friend in the entire world, and despite us being so different, we fit together.
“Well, thanks.” Her voice trembled, and she gripped my arms that had settled on her waist. “Your heart is racing. What’s going on?”
I willed myself to relax. The surprise graduation party with just our families was a last-minute idea, but it seemed important to do for her. Her sister had a big fancy data job lined up and all the accolades, but Cami worked harder than anyone I knew.
She brushed it all off, saying it was no big deal, but I saw her struggle and push herself all year. She worked her ass off to lead the dance team and double major with twenty-one credit hours. She deserved all the applause in the world, and it didn’t matter how many times I told her I was proud, she’d shrug.
“You’ll see.” I twisted the handle and led us into the room before uncovering her eyes. She sucked in a breath at the balloon arch, the large cake in the shape of a dance shoe, and our families.
“Congrats, Cami!” Everyone cheered.
She tensed in my arms, and for a second, worry had me second-guessing everything. Was I the idiot boyfriend who ignored his girlfriend’s pleas? Did I do the exact opposite of what she wanted? Oh, shit. I tried to think of an excuse to kick everyone out but then she laughed.
“Oh my God. Freddie, you arranged this?” She spun around in my arms, cupping my face with her slim fingers. “There’s ice cream and balloons!”
I pressed my hands into her lower back, holding her tight against me. “If I’d known balloons would make you this happy, I’d stop getting you flowers.”
“Don’t you dare stop that.” She pressed a quick kiss to my mouth before buzzing around the room in an assembly line of hugs. Her dad, her sister, Michael. Then my parents. Camden. Even some of the girls on the team were here with gift bags and large smiles. My chest got all light and fluttery as I watched her beam at the people closest to her. It was a reminder that she needed celebrations in her life. For the girl who spent most of her life cheering for everyone else, I wanted to be that person for her.
Now, a year from now, and decades from now.
I chewed my bottom lip, sweat pooling on my brow at the direction of my thoughts. We’d talked about living together, conserving water by sharing showers because the earth mattered to me. We joked about how much closet space she’d need, but the conversation never actually went to the real question.
Were we going to move in together as we started our lives?
“I’m so proud of you, Cami.” Her dad pulled her into a hard hug, his eyes meeting mine over her shoulder. I stood taller, even though I towered over everyone in the room. I lifted my chin in greeting, and once they broke apart, I immediately put my arm around her. Protective didn’t begin to cover how I felt of Cami. I wanted to slay every dragon she ever faced and fix every negative feeling she had. Even though her relationship with her dad was better than it was and always changing, I never wanted to see the look of uncertainty in her eyes. I squeezed her shoulders, and she let out a little sigh, one that went right to my soul.
It was her content sigh, the one she made when we cuddled or hugged. One thing had become clear while I’d spent the last year with Cami—staying here and not moving to the city was the right move. My life was full of people, and I liked it. Plus, nothing had changed with my dad since we had that chat. We were still close, and he always made sure to ask about Cami.
My mom pulled her into a hug as they discussed her new job. Cami would help run a small dance studio for the summer so she could see all aspects of the business. Then she’d start the process of creating her own. It’d be hard as hell, but I couldn’t wait to see her succeed.
Small talk wasn’t my thing at all, but I survived listening to Camden and Michael banter about sports with my dad. Everyone ate and drank, and Cami smiled the whole time. That was what mattered. It wasn’t until two hours later that the last guest left, and it was finally me and my girl.
“Hey, you.” She gave me a bewitching grin, one that had my heart beating a little faster. Her face was an open book once you actually knew her, and her eyes flashed with heat. “Thank you.”
“Of course. I love you and want you to know how honored I am to be with you.”
She wrapped her arms around my neck and hoisted herself up on my body. I gladly gripped her ass to hold her against me.
“You are the best fucking person I know.” She kissed me once, twice. Quick pecks. It wasn’t enough.
I moved one hand to cup her head and tilted her a bit. “Right back at you.” I nipped at her neck, loving how she squirmed against me. “Are you happy?”
“What?” She tensed and pushed my head away to look at me. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because. That’s all I want. For you to be happy.” My voice clogged with emotion, and my grip around her tightened. “I want it all with you, Cami. I’m going to work every day to make sure you’re happy, okay?”
“God, I fucking love you.” She kissed me hard then, her cherry lips attacking mine without any grace. This was my favorite Cami—the hungry, out of control one that only I got to see.
She sucked my tongue and groaned, rocking her hips against me as she whimpered. “I want it all. With you. Yes. Now, please reach under my gown.”
“Is someone ready for me already?” I slid my hands over her strong thighs and about choked when nothing was underneath.
I grazed my fingers over her ass and her already wet pussy. My heart was going to beat out of my chest and live inside hers.
The audacity of her. I loved it. “Cami. You’ve been naked under this the entire time?”
She nodded, and something wicked flashed on her face again. “Yes. Does that make you wild?”
“Oh, baby, you have no idea.” I growled. Simple as that. I slammed her back against the front door and spread her legs apart, wide. “You are… just…” I got onto my knees, supporting her so she straddled my face. “Everything.”
“You are too, Freddie. You’re my everything too. We’re in this together, yeah?” Her voice shook just a bit, and I pressed my mouth against her center, teasing her the way I knew she liked.
I licked hard, then soft. Pressing the flat of my tongue on her swollen clit until her legs shook around me. She dug her nails into my hair, begging me for more--like I could stop if I wanted.
My face between her thighs was my second favorite place to be.
I wanted to spoil her rotten, so I did. I didn’t rush her orgasm at all. I got her right the brink before slowing a couple of times, and by the third tease, she screamed a guttural sound and fell apart around my face.
“That’s my girl,” I said, kissing her one time. I barely got done before she tackled me to the ground. This petite thing leveled me in one breath. “Whoa.”
“You are fucking perfect.” She frantically undid my belt and had my cock out in her hands within seconds. I was hard as steel, and she pumped me a few times before unzipping the gown but not taking it off. It billowed around her and gave me the perfect view of her gumdrop nipples.
“I’m not done spoiling you.” I sat up and sucked one into my mouth.
“Later.” She lined up my cock right at her entrance and slid onto me with another contented sigh. “We fit together so well.” She rocked her hips in a mesmerizing rhythm. My dancer. So graceful and beautiful and kind.
I grunted, digging my fingers into her hips. She liked to do this sometimes, where she rode me and wouldn’t bend down. It was a show for me, and it was maddening. “Need you,” I growled.
“Patience, big guy.” She laughed and arched her back, taking me deeper. My thighs tensed, and my balls tightened at how fucking sexy she was. We made the decision to stop using condoms altogether once she got an IUD, and fuck, it was magnificent. Feeling her pussy raw and bare. Every single time was like heaven.
She rocked faster, and sweat beaded on her chest. I wanted to lick it off and tried to sit up, but she shoved me down again. “I’m enjoying myself on your dick. Let me spoil you.”
“Unfair.”
She winked before finally kissing me again. I liked coming this way, our chests pressed together and our mouths desperate for each other. I kneaded her ass hard and pistoned into her from this angle. “Touch your clit.”
She did and mewled her familiar sounds. She was close. So was I.
Without breaking our kiss, I opened my eyes and found her watching me. It wasn’t weird like I would’ve thought. It made everything more. Her eyes dilated as she orgasmed, and her pussy clenching around me sent me into my own orgasm. But it was her eyes that captured me, drew me in.
“Damn, that felt good.” She collapsed on top of me, her breaths coming out in pants. “You are my favorite.” She kissed my chest before smiling down at me.
“Move in with me,” I blurted out, saying to hell with the entire plan I had. It involved ice cream and a PDF of all the reasons why it was better for the environment. “I want to start a life with you, wake up with you every day, and do this… Cami,” I paused, swallowing as my heart beat too fast. “We can still go slow if you want. This isn’t an ultimatum. Just know… I want to marry you someday. Have kids. Maybe little dancers? I’m in this for the long haul, and—”
“Yes, to all of it. Oh my god.” She beamed. No other way to describe it. Her smile had an extra gleam to it as she nodded. “I want you in my life forever, big guy, and I don’t know if you realize this, but I’m a pretty determined person.”
“Yes, you are. It’s one of the things I love about you.”
Her eyes crinkled on the sides as she kissed me again. “We’re going to need to work on a story.”
“What?”
“I can’t tell my sister you asked me to move in with you when your dick was still inside me.” She giggled as she slid off me, sitting on the ground next to me with the same goofy smile. “We’ll make something up.”
“I could tell you the original plan.” I sighed, pushing myself to sit up. My own face tingled from joy. “Something about you causes me to lose control.”
“I love being the one to make you. I’ll always push you, Freddie.” She stood up, graceful as hell, and held out a hand for me. The gown hung from her shoulders, but she was still the most beautiful, best person I knew. “Come on, let’s go clean up. Then I want to hear about your big presentation about the new process at work this morning. I’ve been dying to ask how it went.”
Right there. This was how I knew she was the one. My popular, dancing girlfriend who fucked me on the kitchen floor genuinely cared about me and my nerdy job. She bought a book called Engineering for Dummies so she could understand what I did more, and it wasn’t even fair how happy I was.
As I followed her into the shower, her smile still teasing her lips, I made a plan then and there.
Six months, then I was proposing. People like Cami were once in a lifetime.
BONUS CHAPTER
Want a bonus chapter with Freddie and Cami? Click here and join my mailing list to automatically get emailed an extra epilogue!
Link: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/s1z8c1
ALSO BY JAQUELINE SNOWE:
Coming soon!
From the Top, Central State Book 2
CLEAT CHASER SERIES
Challenge Accepted
The Game Changer
Best Player
No Easy Catch
OUT OF THE PARK SERIES
Evening the Score
Sliding Home
Rounding the Bases
SHUT UP AND KISS ME SERIES: INTERNSHIP WITH THE DEVIL
Teaching with the Enemy
Next Door Nightmare
HOCKEY ROMANCE
Holdout
STANDALONES
Take a Chance on Me
Let Life Happen
The Weekend Deal
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jaqueline Snowe lives in Arizona where the "dry heat" really isn't that bad. She prefers drinking coffee all hours of the day and snacking on anything that has peanut butter or chocolate. She is the mother to two fur-babies who don’t realize they aren’t humans and a new mom to the sweetest baby boy. She is an avid reader and writer of romances and tends to write about athletes. Her husband works for an MLB team (not a player, lol) so she knows more about baseball than any human ever should.
You can find her posting photos of her sweet baby on Instagram or rage tweeting. She tries to update her website as often as she can so feel free to poke around. www.jaquelinesnowe.com
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