Page 159 of The Heart Breaker

I finally turn around, pausing when I see Sophie standing with all of the guys as they look at Aurora’s painting.

Coach and his wife are standing a few feet away with their eyes locked on my sister and smiles on their face, and it hits me all over again how different my life is now.

Everything is good, for the first time in… fuck. Maybe ever.

I’ve got teammates, who, somewhere along the way, turned into family.

My sister is safe and close enough that I can see her whenever I want.

I have the love of my life standing by my side.

And I don’t wake up every morning with my chest tight anymore, waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

For once in my life, I can just be happy.

EPILOGUE

Cole

Kids are loud as hell.

That’s my first thought when I step out onto the back deck with a coffee in my hand and immediately have to sidestep Cameron Reed charging past me with a plastic sword raised over his head.

“Slow down,” Isabella calls out to her son from somewhere behind me.

But he doesn’t.

Neither do Austin and Maisie’s twin girls, who come running after him in matching swimsuits.

I take a sip of coffee and look out over the beach as Austin grabs Ava around the waist and hauls her off her feet, spinning her while she kicks and yells at him to put her down. He carries her straight into the water, then goes back for Leah, but Cameron launches himself at him before he can get there, so Austin just grabs them both and flops into the water with the two of them hanging off him.

Beside me, Isabella sighs. “I’ve told him multiple times Cameron gets sick if he swallows too much salt water.”

I scoff. “Tell your kid to stop drinking half the ocean, then.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m grabbing him before he throws up on somebody.”

She heads toward the beach and attempts to grab her son, but he just runs back into the ocean. Kid loves the water. I huff out a laugh and glance back at the house behind us, still feeling that split second of disbelief, because ten years ago, I wouldn’t have known what to do with a place like this. Hell, ten years ago, I wouldn’t have even let myself imagine owning something like this.

Now all of us do.

The place is ridiculous. Four bedrooms upstairs. Three downstairs. A huge open kitchen and a deck wrapped around the back that leads straight onto a private stretch of beach.

A couple of years ago, one drunk summer weekend turned into Ryan saying we should all buy a place together, and the rest of us were dumb enough to take him seriously.

Best dumb decision we ever made.

The door slides open behind me, and Aurora steps out with her sunglasses pushed up on her head, wearing a black bikini that makes my mouth water.

She stops beside me and sighs. “There are too many children in this house.”

None of which are ours.

We’ve talked about kids before. More than once, especially once everyone else started having them, but Aurora doesn’t want to be a mother. Not right now. Maybe not ever. And I’m good with that.

I spent practically my entire life taking care of my sister, and while I don’t regret it at all in the slightest, it’s nice not having the pressure of being responsible over someone.

Besides, Aurora’s the one who’d have to carry a baby, so if one day she changes her mind, then we’ll have kids. And if she doesn’t, then I’ll be happy with spending my life with just her.