He gave a solemn nod. "I may or may not have run away screaming."
"Dare." Viola scoffed.
"What?"
"You didn't do that."
"No, but it's only because I love you and didn't want to embarrass myself in front of Coach."
She arched a brow. "Don't you think it's weird that you still call my dad that? You don't even play for him anymore."
Dare Frost shot her a grin. "Nah, he'll always be my coach. But I'll start calling him 'Dad' if you want."
Viola laughed out loud. "Oh my gosh, that would be priceless."
I grinned despite my nerves. "Uncle Becks would hate that."
"No, he wouldn't," Dare replied. "Coach Kent loves me."
"But are you sure he loves you that much?" I asked.
"How could he not?"
Viola shook her head, gazing up at him with a mixture of love, joy, and amusement. "I have to see his face. Do you know where he is?"
"Yeah," I said. "He broke away from the uncle inquisition a second ago to dance with your mom."
"Okay," she said, "so we'll let them finish their dance and do it after."
Dare placed a kiss against her temple. "Whatever you say, flower."
Internally swooning, I watched Uncle Becks and Aunt Sally dance. It was a slow song, and as they stared into each other's eyes like there was no one else in the room, it was clear to anyone watching how deeply in love they were. Still. After all this time. I smiled, thinking they were the perfect example of best-friends-to-lovers I'd ever seen.
Lottie apparently agreed.
As she sidled up to me with her boyfriend in tow, she sighed and said, "Aren't they the cutest?"
"I was just thinking the same thing."
Bo Stryker, Lottie's boyfriend, was frowning. But he usually was, so I didn't read anything into it. Looking back to the corner, I noted that my uncles—minus Uncle Becks—werestilltalking to Tolliver.
"Hey Bo," I said, "what did my uncles talk to you about? When you first met, I mean."
He shrugged. "Lots of things."
"Was it scary?"
"Yeah."
I waited, but when he didn't elaborate, I asked, "Can you give me any more details?"
Bo was a big guy, as built as Tolliver and possibly a bit taller, so it was an odd thing to see someone like that blanch.
"I'd rather not," he said gruffly. "But it was nothing compared to meeting Lottie's dad for the first time. That was…yeah."
"He was a bit traumatized," Lottie said as she wrapped her hand around his. "I try not to make him relive it."
Bo threaded his fingers with hers, and there was a crack in his icy demeanor when he looked at her. "I would do it a hundredtimes again. No question. So long as it meant I got to be with you."
