Total pages in book: 166
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 169305 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 847(@200wpm)___ 677(@250wpm)___ 564(@300wpm)
From the seats, a tiny black dog sprinted to us and snatched the shoe out of my hand, running in circles with it clamped between its molars.
Little shit.
“Did you say love?”
I snapped my head up at the voice, spinning around when I realized it had come from behind me.
Farrow Ballantine stood before me in all her glory.
Beautiful, and breathtaking, and glowing, and mine.
She wore flushed cheeks, a sheepish smile, and a coaching uniform draped over with an ID lanyard.
For the first time in a month, I felt alive again.
“Octi.”
The fencer I’d mistaken for Farrow tore off his mask, revealing a skinny preteen with his face painted in a grimace.
“Sorry, bro. One second, I was laughing. And the next, you stormed over here.” He shrugged, backing away. “You just grabbed my hand, dude. I didn’t know what to do.”
In the distance, Oliver’s distinct laughter pierced the moment. The crowd remained silent, eager to catch our conversation, now that I had ditched the mic.
Farrow collected my hand, intertwining our fingers. “Did you say love?”
Despite the near frostbite, all I could feel was warmth.
I cupped her cheeks, bringing our foreheads together, breathing her in.
“I’m madly in love with you, Farrow. You have completely consumed me. Heart, body, and soul. There’s no one else. Never has been. Never will be.”
“Zach…” She glanced down at the piste, then peered up at me beneath a curtain of impossibly long lashes. “What is this?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “A declaration of love. A groveling scheme. And… a marriage proposal?”
For the first time since the accident, I relinquished control.
I was soaring into the unknown without a plan, completely at the whims of Fate, and scared shitless. With only Dad’s dying words and the woman of my dreams to accompany me.
I’d never felt so damn alive.
“You do realize this is so unlike you.”
“I do.”
“And that everyone in the state will know about this by the end of the hour.”
“I don’t care.”
“Including your mother.”
“She approves of our relationship.”
Farrow’s lips parted. “She does?”
“I swear it.”
At my words, she nodded, processing the news.
Finally, she squeezed my hand, staring down at where we joined. “Tell me something about the octopus.”
I answered without missing a beat. “The octopus ranks highest in the animal kingdom at camouflage. It can change colors in an instant, contort its own body, and rearrange its arms. That’s what you did. You slipped into my life pretending to be a problem and turned out to be my solution. My salvation.”
On cue, the dog sprinted over to our heels, dropping Fae’s shoe on the piste with a bark. I’d kill the little shit’s owner if I weren’t so eager to propose to Octi right this second.
Dropping to my knee, I collect her ankle, slid her sneaker off, and replaced it with her old shoe she’d left behind. A tiny gasp rushed past her lips.
“Perfect fit. Just like you.” I peered up at her, thumbing a circle on her ankle. “Say yes, Farrow.”
She sank her teeth into her lower lip, feigning hesitation, but I knew she hid a grin beneath that bite. “Are we endgame now?”
“Baby, we’re not only endgame. We’re in our own goddamn league. Please, put me out of my misery and say yes.”
Our friends—correction: our family—materialized at the edge of the piste, shooting out their unsolicited opinions in rapid succession.
Romeo flicked something off his suit. “I’m embarrassed for you, Zachary.”
Dallas swatted his shoulder. “Why haven’t you confessed your love for me in public?”
“I took a bullet for you in public.” He turned to Fae, nodding in my direction. “The only way he’ll be able to show his face in this town again is if you say yes.”
Farrow snorted, her ankle waving in my palms with the movement.
Frankie shoved Romeo out of the way, fighting to get closer to us. “We all know your answer, Fae. Can you hurry it up? He’s been a miserable asshole since you left.”
“Say yes, girl.” Dallas jumped up and down, holding her belly still. “Also, did you know octopus brains are shaped like donuts? Epic.”
Fae burst into a fit of giggles. She clutched her stomach, struggling to stay upright with a foot in my hands.
You wouldn’t have to struggle so much if you’d just say yes, dammit.
“This is too good.” Oliver slow-clapped. “I’m the last bachelor standing. Does this mean I won the bet?”
Hettie stood off to the side, carrying a tub of something in front of her. “Good thing I bought popcorn.”
Farrow’s fingers curled around her throat. An audible whoosh soared past her lips.
She admired our friends for another moment before returning her gaze to mine. “You gave me a family.”
“I had nothing to do with it.” I shook my head. “You earned a family all on your own. They love you.”
Her fingers dropped.
She pulled back her shoulders, all business now. “If we get married, I expect to maintain my independence.”