Page 75 of Curveball

I listed my house for sale, sorted through furniture, and tried not to get sentimental over stupid things like a kitchen drawer utensil organizer.

The last few weeks had been busy, but it was a good kind of busy. The kind that kept Walker and me occupied while his looming announcement hung over everything.

The Aviators had made it to the playoffs, so the team decided to hold off on the press conference about Walker’s return until the series wrapped—win or lose.

Tonight, I was at the office wrapping up a few things before heading to Hops & Hills for a James-and-King sibling meetup. It had been years since all of us were in town at the same time, which meant one thing…

Chaos.

Maddie and Emma popped their heads into my office.

“Hey, Farrah,” Maddie said, handing me a stack of confirmations. “Everything is scheduled and on time for the furniture in the players’ lounge.”

“You're an angel,” I said, skimming the details. Then my eyes lifted to Emma. “What about the custom lockers and the rehab equipment?”

Emma nodded, grinning. “All good to go.”

I let out a breath in relief. This project was massive and we didn’t have the luxury of delays. “You two are literally the best.”

They both beamed like proud little golden retrievers.

Maddie nodded toward my purse sitting on my desk. “You heading out?”

“Yeah,” I said, standing and grabbing it. “Sibling meetup at the bar tonight. Pray for me. It’s been years since this whole crew has been together, and nothing good ever comes from it.”

I paused, then added, because it was only fair, “I mainly blame the boys.”

I was running late, so all eight of them were already at Hops & Hills—plus, along the way, we’d basically adopted Dean, Archer, and Harper into the mix. The place was loud in that familiar, small-town way. Music thumping, pool balls cracking, the air smelling like beer and fried food.

When I walked in, I made a beeline for Stanley and ordered a beer.

“The James and King siblings all together?” Stan drawled as he slid me my drink. “Do I need to warn the authorities?”

I laughed. “God, I hope not. I’d like to think we’ve all grown up a bit by now.”

Right on cue, Nolan and Grayson were shoving each other like twelve-year-olds.

I lifted my beer. “Or maybe not.”

Weston was bent over the pool table, lining up a shot like the only adult in the room. Grayson and Dean leaned on their cues, talking shit to Nolan. Nate, Walker, and Archer were at a high-top nearby, beers in hand—definitely talking baseball. And the girls were huddled together at the table beside them, heads thrown back in laughter.

The grin that hit my face was instant. I missed this.

Walker’s eyes found mine like they always did. That sexy grin spread across his face as he stood and pulled me into him, kissing me like he didn’t care who saw.

A chorus of groans rose behind us.

Walker smirked against my mouth. “Relax. We’re not gonna go fuck in the bathroom like Dean and Adds.”

Dean and Addison high-fived while everyone else lost it.

“No,” Nate countered, grinning. “But you two might outside against the back of the bar.”

Nolan fist-bumped him knowingly.

I glanced up at Walker. “Remind me why we thought this was a good idea?”

He kissed my nose. “No idea.”