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We grab a quick group picture by the fire, thanks to the fairy runaway who was hiding under the porch sneaking another brownie. The moment before the flash lights us up, Felicity leans up on her tiptoes and plants a soft, gentle kiss to my cheek, and my grin turns into a megawatt smile.
“All right.” Lottie sits in the middle of the chairs in our circle and pulls out a deck of cards from her back pocket. “Five dollars each, winner takes all.”
Ledger groans. “Don’t do it. I lost fifty bucks last weekend, and I can’t keep on like this; bull riding is not as lucrative as you’d think.”
“You could just not place a bet,” Lawson argues.
“I can’t not place a bet; I’ve been set out to beat her for years now.”
Ledger pulls out a five and places it on the small portable table that Lottie has pulled in front of her to place the cards on. “Come back to me,” he whispers at the bill.
Lawson shakes his head and says, “You know it’s a scam. You’ll never win.”
“Only a scam if you lose,” Lottie sings. “Who knows, Ledger? It could be your lucky day.”
“My lucky day. My lucky day,” Ledger whispers to himself, rocking in his chair as Lottie shuffles.
“This is taking away from the Legolas costume, I think,” Odelia whispers, and Felicity, sitting cross-legged on the grass next to me with her dress fanned out and her flowers shining under the string lights, laughs, her head tossing back to my shoulder. I lean closer and let my blond hair drape over her curls.
Lottie launches into her trick, cards shuffling and hands moving fast as Ledger watches intently with the rest of them. Walker smiles at my sister, knowing this trick well enough to know Ledger can’t get his money back.
Even Felicity, with her temple on my shoulder, watches. Meanwhile, I only have eyes for her.
“Okay.” Lottie smiles. “Pick a card.”
Ledger grabs one, his brows furrowing below the blond wig as if this is as serious as a battle with the Orcs.
“Don’t show me, but show everyone else.” He does so. I think.
I’m a little caught up with Felicity’s soft grin, how her shoulder is pressing into me, her hands wrapped around my bicep like I’m escorting her somewhere, and that feeling of her really being mine sinks deep into my bones.
She glances up at me, smiling. I slip a loose tendril of curls behind her ear and place a gentle kiss to her forehead.
Lottie spreads the deck, Ledger picks a card, things move around, she does something behind her back. I don’t care enough about what’s happening to yank myself away from this moment.
There’s a bout of silence before Lawson mutters, “Here we go again” as Ledger stands up and says, “HOW DOES SHE DO IT EVERY TIME?”
Lottie scoops up her pile of cash with a grin. “Magic.”
“You should know by now: My girl will always win.” Walker collects the cards and hands them to her.
Ledger shakes his head. “Legolas would never have let this happen.”
Odelia winces. “I can forgive that.”
Felicity laughs again, bright and shining, her head tipping back to mine. The sound of it, soft and bright, settles somewhere permanent in my chest. I press a kiss to her curls, breathing her in—smoke from the fire, flowers, cold air, and something warm and familiar that feels more and more like home.
Chapter Thirty-Three Knox
We don’t necessarily mean to disappear from the party. It sort of just…happens.
One minute, we’re by the fire listening to Lottie counting her second round of winnings and Lawson moaning about how he hates other couples—assuming due to Felicity and I being completely wrapped up in each other—and the next minute, her lips are to my ear, a low and soft whisper. “Can we go inside? For a minute or two?”
I glance around, and everyone else in our group is too distracted by Ledger promising Odelia he can do twenty one-armed pushups.
“I—yeah, yeah, we can.” I clear my throat. “That would be nice.”
Felicity gives me a grin, a promise of something more to come, and it feels like a miracle my heart hasn’t beat all the way outside my chest. Maybe I really have cartoon birds floating around me and hearts for eyes around her.
