The Wrong Quarterback: SECOND EPILOGUE

I kept my eye on Casey, who was swaying dangerously while holding up Nat as they tried to spell H-O-T-T-O-G-O while incredibly drunk. Matty and I were laughing as we watched. Her bachelorette party was in full, wild swing, and I had designated myself as my fiancée’s personal watchdog, making sure nothing happened to her in the process.

“Where’s Jace when I need to make a bet?” Matty grumbled, looking around the room for the man in question.

“Why can’t you make a bet with me?” I asked, offended.

Matty smirked. “Because the bet is on you. I’m just wondering how long you’re going to be able to hold yourself back from punching that guy who’s staring at Casey’s ass.”

I quickly studied everyone that was around Casey, but didn’t see who he was talking about.

“Where?” I growled, pushing off the bar I’d been leaning against.

Matty started laughing hysterically. “This is too fun.”

I huffed and rolled my eyes. They liked to give me a hard time about how obsessed I was with Casey, but I liked to think that someday they would understand the irrational feelings I experienced on a daily basis.

I sat back down, content that Casey was safe…for now, when Jace finally reappeared. He was looking…well, wrecked, staggering like he’d just stumbled off a rollercoaster. His shirt was half-untucked, collar askew. His hair was a total mess, sticking out at wild angles. His face was flushed, and there were faint red lipstick smudges along his neck, standing out against his skin. He plopped down heavily on the barstool, his face a mix of shock and something close to awe.

“What’s wrong with you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Matty and I exchanged a glance, the beginnings of a smirk already forming on Matty’s lips.

“And what, or rather who, did you just do?” Matty added.

Jace looked at us, his expression so serious it was almost comical. “You’re never going to believe this.”

“You got funny since you went to the bathroom? Yeah, I’m probably not going to believe that,” Matty muttered, leaning in with an exaggerated sigh.

Jace didn’t even blink. His eyes were still wide…kind of crazy-looking, actually. “I just…I just found the love of my life.”

Matty and I stared at him, both of us trying—and failing—not to burst out laughing.

“Where?” Matty asked, biting back a grin. “In the bathroom?”

“No, man. She was out there,” he gestured wildly toward the dance floor. “We were dancing, and then…well, you know.”

I choked on my drink, laughing. “Wait, you did that just now⁠—”

“Yep. Right out back. Best fifteen minutes of my life—and don’t give me a hard time about fifteen minutes. I had to work my ass off to even last that long.” He sighed, staring down at the bar like he was lost in a daydream. “She was perfect.”

“Okay…so where is she? What’s her name?” Matty asked, glancing around the room like he thought he could pick her out of the crowd.

Jace’s face started to turn red, and he looked genuinely distressed. “She left. And…I don’t know her name. She wouldn’t give it to me.” He leaned back in his chair, rubbing at his chest like he was having a heart attack. “Fuck. I don’t know her name. What the fuck am I going to do?”

Matty was practically doubled over at this point. “Let me get this straight. You think you met the ‘love of your life’ and she wouldn’t give you her name?”

Just then, the bartender appeared in front of us. “Hey, man, that blonde you came up to the bar with—was that your girlfriend?” he asked Jace.

Jace sat up in his seat. “Yeah. Why?” he said casually as he lied through his teeth.

“She left her credit card behind. Figured you might want it back.”

“Thanks,” Jace responded, his voice coming out two octaves higher than usual. He cleared his throat as he took the card with shaking hands, glancing down at the name on it. He looked up, his face breaking into a slow, ridiculous grin.

“Gentlemen,” he announced, holding the card up like he’d just been handed the Holy Grail. “Do you know what this is?”

“What?” Matty and I asked, almost in unison. We were hanging on Jace’s every word at this point…because we’d never seen him like this.

“This—this is a sign.”

Matty rolled his eyes, clapping him on the shoulder. “Or it’s just her credit card, man. Either way, let’s get you another drink before you have another revelation about your future wife.”

Jace ignored him, clutching the card like it was his ticket to paradise. His face curled up in a smug, confident grin as he tucked the card into his pocket. “Nope. I’m telling you. Mark my words. I’m gonna find her.”

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