‘… wrong time.’ May clicks her tongue, nodding matter-of-factly. The tingle of anxiety swirls in my chest as I watch her calculate her next words. ‘I mean, I have been told there’s no such thing as the right time, you know.’

Oh, God. That doesn’t sound good. ‘No right time?’ I choke out. This is it. I’m so screwed.

Her stern expression breaks into an enormous, beautiful grin, her eyes tracing the planes of my face. ‘And if there’s no such thing as a right time … what in the hell are we waiting for?’

I thank every force of nature at work out there when our lips collide.

The rush when I feel her touch again is unparalleled. Maybe it’s only been weeks, but it’s as if I’ve waited ages for this. I can still feel her smile against mine, her warm hands pulling me to her through my shirt. Just over ten years in the making, everything that brings us together in that moment, and now, all finally worth it.

She pulls away with a giggle, and she says, ‘Are you over your beef with Dylan Wright yet?’

I almost burst out laughing. That dumb main chambelan battle feels like a thing of the distant, distant past now. ‘I’ll bury the hatchet,’ I give in. ‘But only’ – I press my forehead to hers with a smirk – ‘because he’s not the luckiest guy in the world.’

May blushes the slightest shade of pink, and I only feel luckier when I cover her burgeoning laugh in another kiss. Curls escape her braid and thread themselves between my fingers. Her eyelashes brush my skin with every flutter.

I, for the millionth time, get to fall in love with Manmayi Velasco all over again. Except this time, I’m not going to walk away and run circles around my feelings. This time, I’m not afraid to love her so hard that I’ll need another lifetime to make sure she knows just how much she means to me.

Chapter Forty-Seven

From Home

May

One Month Later

‘The Wi-Fi out here is horrendous. I swear, I’m about to move us to New Haven so we can get a decent—’

‘JJ, if you don’t shut up for once in your life, the Wi-Fi will be the least horrendous thing in this room.’

I bite down on my tongue to keep from laughing as JJ crosses his arms and pouts like a toddler when Colt shoots a glare his way. Inviting the guys to watch this was a fantastic idea. It provides me with free entertainment to calm my currently haywire nerves.

The Women’s MLL logo pops up with a chime, taking over the enormous projector screen in the Riders’ boardroom with fancy animations and theme music, buffered with the slight glitch that has got JJ so miffed. ‘It’s starting!’ announces Rod.