Page 157 of A Little Secret
When she comes up sputtering a few seconds later, she slaps his shoulder and wipes at her eyes. “Oliver freaking Reeves! I thought you were coming to avenge me, not replicate the reason for avenging!”
Throwing his head back, Reeves’s chest rumbles with amusement. “Sorry, Pickles. I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”
“Of course you did,” Dylan glares at him, her glasses askew, but the wide smile she’s sporting doesn’t exactly help her case. “Now, get over here so I can climb on your shoulders.”
“And here I thought I’d climb on yours.” His bottom lip juts out in a mock frown.
“Whatever.” Rolling her eyes, Dylan pats his shoulders and tries to shove him down, but he barely budges. “Oh, come on,” she begs.
Giving in, he crouches down so she can climb onto him as Griffin moves toward me.
Wrapping his arms around my waist, he pulls me in for a hug, and I lift my chin, kissing him softly before my attention cuts to Reeves. “And that’s how you treat a lady.”
“Lady.” He scoffs. “You do know we’re talking about Finley, right?”
I flip him off, and he laughs even harder. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Fin. Come on. We’re about to take you down. Ain’t that right, Pickles?”
“Bring it on,” Dylan says.
With a smirk, I turn back to Griff. “You know, I almost feel sorry for them.”
“Me, too.” He glances at the couple while the rest of our friends prepare for their own chicken war a few feet away. “Sorry, little sister, but we’re not gonna go easy on you, so if you want to surrender now, we completely understand.”
Dylan’s jaw drops. “Who said you need to go easy on me?”
“I once saw you trip over nothing,” I point out. “You weren’t even walking. You just…fell over like a dead tree.”
With a low laugh, Reeves squeezes Dylan’s calf and cranes his neck back so he can look up at her as she sits on his shoulders, and I’m not going to lie. The adoration in the man’s gaze is adorable as hell.
“It’s okay, Pickles. I won’t let them win,” he promises.
Her face scrunches. “Yeah, well. Neither will I.”
“Sure, you won’t,” Ophelia calls, pointing to me. “Enjoy beating her because after I take care of Raine, you and I are gonna tango, missy.”
“So much talking, so little fighting,” Raine interjects from on Everett’s shoulders. He widens his stance and motions for Ophelia and Maverick to bring it on.
It’s ridiculous and silly, and I’m not gonna lie. I love it.The banter. The sass. The camaraderie. It just might be my favorite thing in the world.
Warm hands hit my waist as Griffin steals my attention. I can see the question in his eyes. The silent check-in. Am I good? It’s what he’s asking. I nod and lift my chin again, waiting for a kiss. When he meets me halfway, I close my eyes and bask in the gentle brush of his lips against mine, knowing it’ll never get old. This. Me. Him. Surrounded by family and friends.
I didn’t know if I’d ever feel this way again. Light. Happy. At home. I didn’t even think it was possible.
And honestly, maybe I never would’ve felt this way again. Without Griffin’s push. Without my family’s support. And it makes me grateful. So damn grateful. That I have these people in my life. People who make me smile. Who make me laugh. Who put up with my bullshit without batting an eye.
And even though there are dark days, and I have no doubt there will be many more in my future, it’s moments like this, surrounded by loved ones, when I realize it’s still worth it. This life. The bumpy ride. The earth-shattering moments. Because if I have this, then it’s enough.
It will always be enough.
And I hope one day, my future children will be able to find the same thing. A support system. A family. A home they can take with them across the world.
But for now? For now, I’m going to bask in the sunshine with my best friends while we play a ridiculous game in the warm ocean and balmy summer breeze.
“All right, Griff.” I pat his shoulder, and he squats down so I can climb onto them. “You and me. Let’s do this.”
“You read my mind.”
HIJACKED EPILOGUE