“I admit that before this summer I always felt like I missed my shot and when we finally got together I wanted to do everything I could to make up for it, but the thing is you’ve always been exactly what I needed, when I needed it, and I wouldn’t change that. But now, I need you to be my girl.” I graze my teeth lightly along her neck. “Today, tomorrow, ten years from now… it’s always going to be me and you. I love you. So, this, date number five isn’t about looking back—it’s about celebrating it all.”

“I like the sound of that.” She tilts her head to give me better access and then pulls back with a sigh. “Emily’s going to kill me.”

“We’ll stay at your place tomorrow night,” I promise.

Sydney pulls away and flops onto my bed. She taps a button on her phone and music starts playing. “Okay, let’s see your moves?”

“My moves?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did you have a special song picked out?”

“A special song? What the hell are you talking about?”

Her mouth puckers into a smug smile. “I believe I was promised a striptease on date number five. Don’t think I forgot.”

I toss my head back and laugh. “Anything you want, babe.”

EPILOGUE

SYDNEY

Two years later

“I think I might puke… or shit myself,” Tanner says, voice high and tight.

“Charming. I’ll be the laughingstock of the Wags section. They’ll call you Skidmark and I’ll be Skidmark’s girl.”

“Skidmark’s fiancée,” he corrects me, suddenly sounding calmer.

“You’re going to be great. I’m going to FaceTime Tara and the new boyfriend so we can watch the game together.”

He grunts.

Over the past two years, Tara has dated a series of guys, each one worse than the last. I admire her perseverance, but I really hope this one works out so Tanner can stop adding guys to his glitter bomb hit list. She and I have slowly become friendly. We don’t have girls’ nights out or gab on the phone, but we both always show up to support Tanner and I think we’ve found a mutual respect for one another.

“All right. I’ve got to go. We’re pulling up to the arena. I’ll call you after the game. Will you still be up?” he asks.

“You think I’m going to bed early on my superstar fiancé’s first night playing in an NBA game?”

“Well you’re like four hours ahead.”

“Three. You’re really going to have to figure out the time zones.”

“If the other states would stop doing daylight’s savings time like Arizona did, it would be so much easier. Half the year it’s two hours. The other half it’s three. Who can store all that useless information?”