My brows lift. “To…?”
“You didn’t think Phoebe and Gemma would let us sail off into the sunset without a grand farewell, did you?” He laughs. “Oh, my na?ve little snookums.”
I glare at him. “Call me that again and I will tie an anchor to your feet and throw you overboard as soon as we’re in shark-infested waters. Just try me.”
“Aw, darling!” He ruffles my hair, then releases me to climb up on deck.
I roll my eyes and follow him. As soon we enter the cockpit and the dock comes into view, the breath catches in my throat.
Everyone’s there, waving and grinning at us.
Nate and Phoebe, holding a huge BON VOYAGE sign.
Chrissy and Mark, each carrying a kid.
Gemma and Chase, toting large bottles of champagne.
Lila and Shelby, already drinking glasses of said champagne.
Colton and Luca, towering like giants on the edges of the group.
“Come on,” Parker whispers, tugging me toward the gangway. “I want to show you something.”
I walk onto the dock, grinning at everyone as I make my way down the line. Phoebe kisses my cheek, Gemma hugs me close, Lila passes me a paper cup brimming with champagne, Shelby slaps my ass, and Chrissy waves while bouncing a baby on her hip. The boys nod and smile, Nate reiterating his offer of a job while Chase assures Parker for the hundredth time that WestTech will be safe under his management. They both press polite kisses to my cheeks and wish us well on our trip.
Luca shows less restraint.
He wraps both arms around me, lifts me clear off my feet, and gives me the biggest bear hug imaginable.
“Gonna miss you, babe.”
“You too, Luke.”
“Check in, you hear me? I want to know you’re safe.”
“I will,” I whisper, feeling my throat get tight. “And you – fight smart. Fight fast. Don’t let them pin you.”
“Hey, coaching is my job.” Colton’s voice cuts in. “Don’t worry, Zoe – I’ll look out for our boy.”
“Don’t let them break his nose again,” I say, suppressing a laugh. “He’ll never find a girl to love him if you get him too banged up.”
“Who says I want a girl?” Luca grumbles, setting me gently back on my feet.
I peer up into his face. “You want a girl, Luke. And you’ll find her. I know it.”
“Don’t get sappy, babe. Not your style.”
I punch him on the arm. “We’ll Skype after every match. I want all the details.”
“And I want to hear about your adventures.” His eyes soften. “Don’t forget about me.”
“Never,” I whisper.
He looks down at his feet so I can’t see how red his eyes are getting. But, as Parker’s hand twines with mine and he leads me down the dock, I do see a certain curvaceous strawberry blonde sidling closer to Luca.
He’ll be fine.
More than fine, if Lila has anything to do with it.
“Where are you taking me, playboy?” I ask as he pulls me along, the whole group following behind us.
Parker drops my hand only to circle behind me and cover my eyes with his massive palms. “No peeking.”
“Hey!” I protest as he pushes me along blindly.
“Shh. Almost there.” We take a few more shuffling steps and then I feel him pivot my body so I’m facing the other direction. “Okay.” His hands drop away. “Now you can look.”
My eyes fly open… and immediately fill with tears.
I’m staring at the stern of the boat, which used to say the word Folly in blocky letters. Instead, the name-plate now reads Neverland in beautiful black script.
“You renamed her?” I choke out.
He nods.
“For me?”
Parker’s lips hit my cheek. “For us.”
I hear the pop of a cork as Chase opens the second bottle of champagne and suddenly, everyone’s there beside us – laughing, drinking, hugging, smiling. I look around at all these beautiful people who’ve come to mean so much to me and feel unbelievably lucky. My heart is so full I worry it might burst.
Turning, I lean into Parker’s chest and tilt my chin so he can hear my whispered words above the revelry happening on all sides.
“I love you, Peter Pan.”
His voice is rough when he replies, “I love you more, Tinkerbell.”
I stretch up onto my tiptoes and kiss him until I’m breathless. When his lips pull away, he looks down at me with shining eyes. “You about ready to fly off into the stars with me?”
I’m not sure where we’re headed.
I’m not sure when we’re coming back.
But I know, with Parker by my side, life will always be an adventure – full of love and trust and more laughter than I can handle. And that’s the only reason I need to justify the answer I give him.
“Absolutely.”
THE END
Acknowledgments
I never planned to write a rom-com series. I sat down at my computer in the dreary months of early 2015, fully intending to pen another angsty, suspenseful standalone novel.