“I wholeheartedly agree.”
“What?” I whisper with a laugh. “You will?”
“I mean, unless you weren’t serious, then I—”
I shut her up by kissing her speechless, then that leads to another kind of celebration, which ends with us both yelling yes in far more satisfying ways.
“I love you, Dee. Best thing I ever did was accidentally stalk you,” I murmur against her lips, earning a giggle.
“Maybe we should go thank that kid Pete. After all, if he hadn’t run off with my purse, who knows if you’d have said hello.”
“Oh, I would’ve. It might’ve taken you publishing a video called ‘Food to Feed Stalkers You Want to Date,’ but we would’ve crossed paths eventually. Nothing this good could be anything other than meant to be.”
“Maybe I should film that video. Might see what other stalkers I have out there.”
“Don’t you fucking dare, sweet cheeks.”
“Or what?”
“Or I’ll tie you to this bed so that you can never leave.”
Then she’s laughing against my lips. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Rhodes Anderson.”
“Believe me, Dee Duncan. That’s one you can count on.”
Epilogue
Rhodes
With Harvey and Dee walking hand in hand behind us, Jake and I make our way to the group of familiar faces already waiting for us. All of the crew are here including Zach, Scotty, Marco and Luca, along with Gio. There’s also Cohen, Ezra, Bryant, and the other two Cook brothers, Jamie and Jax, along with their wives and children.
Gio makes a point of checking his watch. “You guys are cutting it close. Who’s fault was it? Did ya take too much time doing your hair, Jake?”
Jake shakes his head and laughs. “Nah. Blame the parentals.”
Everyone turns their attention to me. Dee’s giggle gives us away. I hold my hands in the air. “Hey. Don’t lay this all on me. Dee is just as complicit.”
Ezra groans. “Dude, that’s my sister.”
“And mine!” Faith adds.
“And my mom!” Harvey joins in even though he has no clue what the joke is.
“What can I say? It’s a Sunday morning, and for once, I didn’t get dragged out to run.”
“Decide to warm up another way, huh?” Scotty flashes a shit-eating grin, making the entire group groan and Marco whack the back of his head. He rubs his scalp and glares at my best friend. “What was that for?”
“There are kids present, idiot,” Marco replies with a ‘duh’ voice.
“Jake’s not a kid.”
“No, but Harvey is.” Marco jerks his chin our way.
“Oh, shi—shoot. Sorry, bud.”
“It’s okay. Mom and Rhodes said they were sleeping. It’s important to rest before a big run. Right, Jake?” He stares up at my son, who grins at me then Harvey.
“That’s right. How about we go and see my grandparents? They’ve all just arrived, and I bet Nana Nora brought us snacks for the walk.”
Due to the accident, Jake hasn’t been able to keep up his training with the rest of us. And when Dee and Harvey told us they wanted to walk the race as a show of support, Jake volunteered to do it with them, which lead to all the wives putting their hands up. Now what is usually a Firehouse 101 and Jake tradition has grown into a rather large event all in Lily’s memory, making it all the more meaningful.
“Should we go register and start stretching?” I turn to face Dee, who’s moved beside me. “You gonna help me stretch, sweet cheeks?”
Her lips tip up into a salacious smile. “I thought I did that a few hours ago.”
“You did. That’s probably why I’m feeling so lax and limber.”
Her eyes dance with amusement. “Would’ve been hard to explain if you’d overexerted yourself though.”
I lean in and rest my forehead on hers. “Would’ve totally been worth it.” Then I kiss her gently. “I’m also thinking it’s time we try and get Gio a girlfriend. Then he might have other things to keep him busy rather than watching the clock like a fucking hawk.”
Renee sidles next to Dee and hooks her arm over her shoulder. “Funny you should say that. He told us at lunch yesterday he’s advertised for a roommate. Says he’s going to buy Marco out of his half of the house and take over the mortgage himself.”
My brows lift at the news. It makes sense, of course, but Gio has always been a lone wolf and a bit of a homebody, much preferring to stay home than go out looking to get laid with Luca and Scotty. The fact he’s willingly going to invite someone to share his house with him is an interesting development. “I wonder if Marco and I will get vetting privileges,” I ponder, earning a snort from Dee and approval from Renee.
“We should volunteer our services,” Renee says. “And make sure the roommate is female. If anyone deserves to live with a woman who’ll keep him in check, it’s Gio. He’s always giving the rest of us shit. Maybe it’s time for him to get a taste of his own medicine.”
Dee laughs. “You’re so mean.”
“Hey. Do you remember who gave me shit right in front of you when we first met?” I say with a smirk.
Both of the girls snicker. “And called Marco to tell him what happened?” Renee nods.
“Well you did stalk me,” Dee adds.
My mouth drops open. “I did no such thing, and I’ll deny it until my dying days.”
Renee winks at me “Yeah, yeah. We believe you.”
I shake my head. “Anyway. I’m gonna go over with the guys. See you at the start line?”
“I’ll be wherever you are,” Dee says softly, lifting on her toes
