‘I’m so ready for the mess. As long as it’s yours.’ His hands on my waist, his thumbs rest on top of the thick leather of my belt. ‘Love you, Red Card.’

‘Love you, New Haven.’ I scrunch my nose. He mimics me before brushing his lips across my forehead.

Woodchucks. What a thing to call your lacrosse team. Too bad I’m going to have to get used to it.

Epilogue

Colt

Prosperity, Oklahoma, Three Years Later

‘I hope you know that tomorrow will be an even longer, more hellish day.’

‘I’m sadly well aware.’ I stifle a yawn, lying back in the slightly overgrown grass beside May. Her curled hair still holds, half of it pinned up by red roses that are now more or less flattened. She rolls over to her side, resting her head on her right hand, her left on my chest. Her fingers trace the knot in my matching crimson tie. ‘Planning all this shit was a lot easier than doing it,’ I add.

‘Wasn’t it just.’ May cracks a mischievous grin. Oh, no. She scans my backyard, checking the somewhat faded white lines drawn across the grass, and nods with satisfaction when she confirms it’s still up to her standards. ‘What do you say?’

‘May, I think I’m about to fall asleep right now.’

She drops a kiss on my cheek before she lugs herself to her feet, dusting off the grass clinging to her black salwar-kameez outfit. She tosses the white stole embroidered with red roses and green vines matching those on her mariachi-inspired pantsuit over her shoulder. Big gold hoop earrings inlaid with diamonds sway back and forth as she rushes over to the backyard gardening bin. On her feet – she has on a pair of close-toed slippers, matching black velvet with roses. There’s no way at all she can be doing this in those damn shoes of hers.

‘Got it!’ She emerges victorious with two practice lacrosse sticks, one in each hand. Her long braid whips around when she turns, so the chunky gold tassels at the end almost whack her in the face.

For a moment, I just stand there and stare at the woman in disbelief. But when you’re getting married to May Velasco, you kind of have to suspend that disbelief for the rest of your life.

‘Well. We already escaped our own pre-wedding event.’ I smirk, slinging my suit jacket over my shoulder and standing up. ‘Why not push it?’

‘That’s the spirit, New Haven.’ May tosses a stick to me, and just like every other time we’ve done this, I catch it, checking the stringing of the head. Perfect.

She grabs a ball, throws and grabs it out of the air a few times. The thick white and red bangles on her wrists shake so hard with every movement that they create a deafening cacophony. ‘Let’s take a draw?’