The End Zone (Atlanta Lightning 2)

West and Anson were doing great, like always. We spent a lot of time together, the four of us, between You Belong, You Belong Too, and our personal lives. We’d worked on expanding, adding more programs and following this dream West led us all on. It had started out as his love, but it was now the heart of all of us. Later this summer would be the first time all four of us took time off together. We were planning a Hawaii vacation.

When I saw Jada carrying a couple of twelve-packs of soda from the house, I jogged over. “Here, Momma. Let me help.”

“Thanks, baby.” She handed one over to me, and we put them in the fridge outside. I’d lost my parents, but I’d gained Jada and Deon when I fell in love with Darren.

We finished cooking, and then we sat down to eat. We’d added some tables in the back so there would be enough room for everyone. Carly kept her hand on her belly the whole time. She wasn’t showing yet, but you could see how happy she was that she would be a mom soon. Elias too—I’d never seen anyone as happy as he was about becoming a father.

There were lots of laughs, everyone staying until late in the evening before they began trickling out.

When all the guests except Anson and West were gone, Kordell said, “I’m gonna go out with Abel.”

“Okay,” Darren replied. “You coming home tonight?”

He looked at Abel, who shook his head. “Nah, probably not,” Kordell said with a grin.

He was eighteen, had graduated from high school, was smart and had a good head on his shoulders, so Darren and I trusted him to make most of his own decisions.

“Okay, we’ll see you later,” I said.

“Thanks again…for the party and, well, everything.”

“You’re good. We got you.” Darren gave him a one-armed hug, and then Kordell and Abel left.

“Check you out, Daddy Darren,” Anson teased.

“I’ll be your daddy,” Darren joked back, and Anson flipped him off.

“You wish, Edwards,” West said playfully. “I got him on lockdown.”

We all laughed, then talked for a while longer before they left for home. As soon as the door closed, Darren wrapped his arms around me. “Finally, I got you alone. I’m feeling bottomy.”

“What if I’m feeling bottomy?” I was good either way but liked to give him shit.

“Flip fuck?”

“Last one upstairs tops first!” I said because I knew he would beat me, and I was definitely down for fucking him.

We ran upstairs, laughing. Darren beat me the way he always did, somehow stripping off his clothes as he went. Since Kordell wouldn’t be home, we could pick them up later.

The second we got into our bedroom, we were on each other. I played with his ass, the way he liked, before I took him.

We fell to the bed afterward, panting and sweaty.

Even though it had been three years since West and Anson’s wedding, when this all began for us, sometimes I still couldn’t believe we were here, that I was so fucking lucky.

“Angel?”

“Yeah?”

“You thinking about this…about life and how fucking crazy it can be?”

“I am.”

“Me too.” He rolled onto his side and pulled me close. “Spend the rest of your life with me, or spend the rest of your life with me?”

I smiled. “Spend the rest of my life with you…happily.” I rolled over on top of him, and he let me, falling to his back. “Thank you…for talking to me at the wedding, for coming to see me at the center when they were on their honeymoon. If not, we might not be where we are.”

“I knew somehow, even back then. I knew at the wedding that something had changed when I sat down to talk to you. Maybe it doesn’t make a damn bit of sense, but it’s true. You had me from that night. You got me always.”

I leaned down and kissed him. “You got me always too. I love you…so much it hurts sometimes.”

“Maybe you should take a pill for that,” he teased. “Or don’t.”

“You’re a dork.”

“You love a dork.”

“Yes, I do.”

We’d made it to the end zone and beyond, and I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.

Darren grinned. “I love you too.” I rolled off him, and he turned out the light. “Night, Angel.”

“Good night, Troublemaker.”