Page 245 of Tangled with the Tight End
“Bigger is not better, O’Connell. This is perfect.”
I kiss the top of her head and then I glance over at the pool.
The sun is dropping lower over the bay.
The sky is all oranges and pinks reflected in the water.
The hammock sways gently beneath us. I tug Winona to myself, she nestles her head under my chin.
Below us, boats are beginning to glow with tiny lights reflected in the harbor.
Our group of friends are laughing and splashing in the pool. Marcus is being ridiculous, trying to win chicken on Jaxon’s shoulders. He’s trash-talking Cass, who is on Treyvon’s shoulders, and seems to be taking no prisoners. Cass and Marcus grip forearms and push at one another.
Winona whispers, “You never did give me that swimming lesson.”
“You swim like a mermaid,” I tell her, my attention drifting from the pool to the woman in my arms.
“A mermaid?” she smiles. “I like that.”
“You like being a creature who sings songs to lure a man to his death?”
She laughs. “No. I’m like the Little Mermaid. I fall for the prince and learn to live on land so he and I can live happily ever after.”
“Mmm. Lucky prince.”
“Lucky mermaid too.” She lifts her head and places a kiss on my cheek.
“Declan?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re marrying me.” She runs her fingertip across my brows and draws a line down the side of my face. Then she drops her head back onto my chest.
“Got that right,” I say. “The sooner, the better.”
I kiss the top of her head. “And you’re marrying me.”
“The only man I ever wanted.”
There’s a commotion in the pool and then a loud splash as Cass falls from Harris’s shoulders.
Treyvon shouts, “That’s cheating, Delaney!”
“Fair and square, man!” Marcus shouts back. “I’m the best man now.”
“That’s not how weddings work!” Treyvon shouts back. “I demand a rematch.”
“Sounds like something a loser would say,” Marcus says.
Cass shouts at Marcus, “Nothing says I’m a grown man like calling another grown man a loser!”
“Are they honestly fighting over who gets to be your best man?” Winona asks me.
“Looks like it,” I say with a laugh. “Joke’s on them. I’m asking Patrick.”
The commotion in the pool gets louder.
“Rematch! Rematch!” Treyvon starts chanting. Cass joins him.
