EPILOGUE
BAE, FOREVER
Stevie
Eight months later
“Bishop? Are you almost ready to go?” I call out as I load food and some random gifts for Kody into a tote bin. His birthday was over two months ago, but I have a hard time not buying something cute if I see it. It’s my job as his aunt to spoil the hell out of him. Besides, Bishop was with me when we went party shopping, and the second I see something I like, he always tosses it in the cart. If I try to return it to the shelf, he threatens to make a scene.
The thing I’ve learned about Bishop in the months since we started dating publicly: he gives zero fucks what people think. It makes me appreciate the lengths he went to when we first started spending time together to make me feel comfortable and unexposed.
“Almost. You need help with that?”
I glance up to find my boyfriend’s package at eye level. It’s covered by a pair of boxers with the phrase CHECK OUT MY PACKAGE stamped on the front in warning-sign-yellow letters.
“Seriously? We’re supposed to be at my brother’s in half an hour. I told Lainey I’d help her set up. And I have all the balloons.” I motion to the ridiculous number of bags and boxes I’m bringing to the team’s end-of-year party and then to his mostly naked body.
Lainey would’ve been more than happy to order everything for this party, but I love decorating and being crafty—as long as I don’t have to deal with people like Joey, who incidentally was fired a few months ago for hooking up with several of his clients. The hooking-up part itself is frowned upon in general because of sexual harassment issues. It was made that much worse when the women found out he was sleeping with more than one of them. Even better, they confronted each other and him in the middle of the gym. It was epic. And karmic.
Bishop stands with his hands behind his back, wearing a half smirk. “We’ve got plenty of time, and I have a gift for you.”
I cock a brow. “I love you, Shippy, but your presenting me with your dick as a gift isn’t going to fly.”
“My dick is not the gift. At least not right now.”
“Then why are you still in your underpants?”
“Because I don’t want you to wrinkle my clothes when you get all excited about what I got you.”
I roll my eyes but give in because I know we’re not going anywhere until he gets his way. “Okay, fine. What’s the gift?”
“There are two. Pick a hand.”
I tap his left shoulder, and he withdraws his hand from behind his back. He uncurls his fist, revealing a key chain that reads HOME SWEET HOME. “We got the house.”
“What? When? Oh my God!” I launch myself at him, wrapping around him like a koala bear.
He laughs and hugs me back as he deposits me on the closest waist-high surface, which happens to be the counter. “I got the call this morning. We have papers to sign tomorrow, but I wanted to tell you before we got to your brother’s so we could share the good news with them.”
“This is so awesome!” I cup his face in my hands and kiss him, pulling away before he can deepen it. “RJ’s going to be so excited! This is perfect! I can help out with Kody, and we’ll be able to have barbecues this summer, and now my mom can visit and stay with us or RJ—whatever is easiest.” I kiss him again. “Are you sure you can handle living down the street from my brother? He’s probably going to stop by all the time. Possibly unannounced.” I attach my lips to his again.
“He’ll learn to call in advance if I answer the door naked,” Bishop mumbles before I sweep his mouth with my tongue.
A few weeks ago, a house down the street from my brother went up for sale. With the penthouse lease being up at the end of June, Bishop thought it would be a good idea to call the Realtor. It’s a big house, bigger than what we need, but it has lots of room to grow and for company in the form of my mom, or Kyle and his family, and Bishop’s mom. Nolan recently moved out of the penthouse and into an apartment of his own—with Pattie. They met at a game in the fall and exchanged numbers, and they’ve been pretty much inseparable since.
I go for the hem of my shirt, ready to celebrate with a quick orgasm, but Bishop disconnects our mouths and covers my hand with his. “Hold that thought. There’s still gift number two.”
“How are you going to top a house?” My grin falters when he bites his lip and suddenly looks nervous. “Bishop?”