I held her tight, enjoying the closeness. The intimacy we shared, even here, among our family. She’d let me in her life—in her space. Trusted me with her body, and her heart. She’d helped me see that I was more than a guy who could catch a ball. That I was worth more.
Maybe we weren’t the likeliest pair. But sometimes, possibility is stronger than probability. And with June Bug by my side, the possibilities were endless.
Epilogue
June
One year later
Steam rose from the surface of the hot spring. The air was warm, and I closed my eyes, letting the heat from the water relax me.
George sat next to me, idly playing with my hair. “I’m glad y’all keep this spot secret.”
“There are a number of reasons secrecy is beneficial,” I said. “How’s your knee?”
He shifted next to me, stretching his leg out. “Good as new.”
By the time fall—and football season—had rolled around last year, George had started feeling the pangs of missing his sport. But opportunity had come in the form of an opening for head coach of the Bootleg Springs High School football team. Not many small-town high schools could boast a former professional football star as a head coach. But Bootleg Springs wasn’t just any small town.
He’d taken to his new job with enthusiasm, although I’d had to remind him not to get too involved in the team’s scrimmages. His knee was healed, but after two ACL tears, the chance of re-injury was higher than average. For the most part, he listened.
George was an amazing coach. I loved to attend practices and watch him work his magic with those kids. He was the perfect blend of supportive and challenging—expecting his players to work hard, but giving them the positive reinforcement they needed to rise to his expectations. They’d made it to the playoffs, and although they hadn’t gone all the way, there was always next year.
Apparently coaching high school in the fall hadn’t been enough for him. He’d organized a Pee-Wee league for the younger kids in the spring. Watching him coach little boys and girls in their small helmets and pads was one of the cutest things I’d ever seen.
It made me think of babies. His babies.
I let out a long breath, enjoying the warmth of the water. There was plenty of time to think about having babies with George. I wasn’t in a rush.
“I forgot to mention, my parents called this morning,” he said. “They’d like to come visit this summer. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds very nice,” I said. “We can finally introduce them to my parents.”
“Exactly,” he said. “I figured you’d be on board.”
I loved James and Darlene, George’s parents. We’d taken a trip to Charlotte so I could meet them several months ago. Fortunately, James hadn’t held a grudge about me beating him at fantasy football. Much like my own father, I’d found common ground in sports statistics with James Thompson. We’d had an excellent visit, and I was excited for them to come see us. To see Bootleg Springs.
“So June Bug, I’ve been thinking about something.”
I opened my eyes. He grabbed me by the waist and pulled me around, so I faced him, straddling his lap. I let my legs rest on either side of him and wrapped my arms around his neck.
“What have you been thinking about?”
“Do you remember the first time we met out here?” he asked.
“Of course I do. That’s not something a girl is likely to forget.”
He smiled. “You liked what you saw that day?”
“It was very impressive.”
“Why, thank you,” he said with a wink. “I’ve just been thinking about the first time I saw you in Moonshine. And then when we sat in this hot spring together. How I had no idea I’d just met the love of my life.”
I slid my fingers through the back of his wet hair. “I’m the love of your life?”
“You bet you are. I’ve been crazy stupid in love with you almost from the start.”
“I can’t say that my love has rendered me stupid, in a literal sense, but I’m very much in love with you as well.”
He smiled again. “I think it’s time I asked you something.”
My heart skipped and my breath caught in my throat. I understood the subtext behind his words. There was only one question he could be referring to.
“Yes,” I said quickly.
“I didn’t ask you anything yet.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “I jumped ahead.”
“That’s okay, I know your brain moves fast.” He laid his large palm against my cheek. “But I’m still going to do this right and ask you properly. I already spoke to your parents.”
“Okay.”
“June Tucker, will you do me the honor of marrying me?”
I looked into his brown eyes, feeling the deep connection between us. “Yes.”
He brought me in for a kiss. Slow and sweet and delicious. His hands moved up and down my back and the warm water lapped around us.
My heart felt so full, I almost didn’t know how to contain it. This man was everything. Intelligent, steady, easy-going, and fun. And he understood me in a way no one ever had. Not my parents, or my sister. He didn’t see the weird girl. He just saw June. And he liked what he saw.
It was an amazing thing.
He’d taught me to unlock a part of myself I’d been convinced I didn’t have. How to handle the emotions that had often felt foreign and confusing. His love and patience had guided me into a mutually satisfying relationship, the likes of which I’d been convinced I’d never have.
I loved him so much.
“Oh no,” I said, pulling away.
“What’s wrong?”
“This means the girls are going to want us to have a wedding.”
He laughed. “What’s wrong with a wedding?”
“A wedding means a fancy dress, and guests, and flowers, and decorations. My sister is going to get very worked up over this.”
“Should we just take a trip to Vegas?”
I tilted my head to the side, considering. “That is a tempting suggestion.”
“How about we take this one step at a time,” he said.
“Like baseball again?”
“Little bit,” he said. “First, I’ll give you a ring. Then we’ll announce our news to our families. After that… maybe we just see what happens. The important thing to me isn’t how we get married, just that we do.”
I nodded. “That, I can do.”
“Speaking of the ring.” He reached for his pants, sitting on the side of the pool, and pulled a small ring box out of the pocket. He opened it slowly.
“Oh, George.”
It was a silver band with two wavy lines engraved around the outside. In the space where each wave met, there was a small stone embedded in the band. It was simple, yet profoundly beautiful.
“They’re sinusoidal waves,” he said.
“Oh George,” I breathed. “Sine waves keep their shape even when another wave of the same frequency is added to them.”
“Exactly.” He took the ring and gently slipped it onto my finger. “It symbolizes eternity, of course. But also two things coming together and still retaining who they are.”
“Like us.” I held out my hand to admire the ring. It shone in the sunlight. “And it’s math.”
“It’s math in ring form,” he said with a smile.
“You understand me so well.”
He touched my face again and kissed me softly. My whole body tingled with happiness and love. The weight of the ring felt good on my finger. It felt right. Like it had always been meant to be there.
I still didn’t understand most people. Not in general. And maybe I never would. But George understood me, and that was much more important.
What we had together made sense. I’d found a person who appreciated me for who I was. I loved and respected him in return. It was like my parents, or my sister and Bowie. George and I made each other better. We made each other happy. We
supported each other when things were tough, and gave each other space to be ourselves. He’d never wanted to change me. He accepted me for who I was, quirks and all. And I loved him for the good man he was.
We’d found love. True love. And there wasn’t a force in the universe that was bigger, or better, than that.
* * *
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Afterword
Dear Reader,
I hope you enjoyed another trip to Bootleg Springs! To say Lucy and I have enjoyed working on this series together would be a vast understatement. It’s been one of the highlights of the last year or so.
Quirky heroines are one of my favorite things, and June is probably the quirkiest character I’ve ever written. She’s intelligent, blunt, and often unfiltered. And she lacks an understanding of the complexities of emotion and human relationships.
But like many characters we meet in Bootleg Springs, June is more than meets the eye. She’s not just a math genius who lacks social skills. She cares deeply about the people in her life, even if she’s not always adept at expressing her feelings.
Enter George Thompson. A superstar athlete is an unlikely match for June Tucker, but George is also more than meets the eye. He’s smart and sensitive, and his easygoing nature makes him a good counterpoint to June’s logic.
I really enjoy writing characters who get each other, especially when the other people in their lives don’t. George understands June from the start. He doesn’t think of her as the weird girl. He loves her quirks and all the things that make her June Bug.
I hope you’re enjoying the series! We’re having a blast, and there are more shenanigans to come.
If you enjoyed Bourbon Bliss, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads.
Thanks and happy reading!
CK
Acknowledgments
Thank you for the millionth time to my Lucy-Lou-Who for writing this series with me. This has been the BEST experience. I love your face!
To my beta readers, Christine, Jodi, and Nikki: thank you for your honest feedback and criticisms. I appreciate the time you take to help me make my books better.
To Christine: thank you for all your behind the scenes work on this launch, and everything else.
To Adrian: thanks for letting me pick your brain and helping with some of the finer details of this book.
To Cassy: thank you again for another beautiful cover.
To Elayne: thanks for calling me out on my bullshit and not letting me mess this up.
To David and my family for putting up with my weirdness and never giving up on me.
To all my readers: thank you a million times over for your love and support. I love your guts!
Also by Claire Kingsley
For a full, up-to-date listing of Claire Kingsley books, click here.
Bootleg Springs
by Claire Kingsley and Lucy Score
Whiskey Chaser
Sidecar Crush
Moonshine Kiss
Bourbon Bliss
More Bootleg Springs coming in 2019
The Miles Family Series
Broken Miles: Roland & Zoe
Forbidden Miles: Brynn & Chase
Reckless Miles: Cooper & Amelia
Hidden Miles: Leo & ?
Gaining Miles: A Miles Family Novella
Remembering Ivy
His Heart
Book Boyfriends
Book Boyfriend
Cocky Roommate
Hot Single Dad
The Always Series
Always Have
Always Will
Always Ever After
The Jetty Beach Romance Series
Must Be Love
Must Be Crazy
Must Be Fate
Must Be Home
The Complete Jetty Beach Romance Series
The Back to Jetty Beach Romance Series
Could Be Forever
Could Be the One
Could Be the Reason
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About the Author
Claire Kingsley writes smart, sexy romances with sassy heroines, swoony heroes who love their women hard, panty-melting sexytimes, romantic happily ever afters, and all the big feels.
She can’t imagine life without coffee, her Kindle, and the sexy heroes who inhabit her imagination. She’s living out her own happily ever after in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and three kids.
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Bourbon Bliss: Bootleg Springs Book Four Page 30