The lights in the arena and the red carpet is extended out to mid-ice. It’s been months since Lauren gave me that ring back, but now I’ve got a shiny, bigger one in my pocket as the announcer comes over the speaker.

Mauro and Cris bring a blindfolded Lauren out to the ice’s edge.

“This is ridiculous and I want you both to know that payback is a bitch.”

Mauro shoots me a look to say I owe him one, which I do.

He and Cris convinced her that she needed to appease me because I was able to score tickets that let us meet the team, but I wanted to do a lame birthday surprise for her.

I had no choice but to tell one little white lie because it’s Lauren and she’s not a girl who’s willing to be blindfolded unless we’re in the bedroom. In which case she quite enjoys herself.

Wanting to make me happy she agreed to pretend to be blindfolded for the last stretch, but what she doesn’t know is that I’m in the middle of the United Center, on bended knee in front of thousands of people.

The last four months have been amazing. I got to unwrap her at Christmas, kiss her at midnight on New Year’s, pretend to shoot her with cupid’s arrow on Valentine’s Day and watch them dye the river green with her on St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not just the holidays that Lauren has made sweeter. It’s every day that I get to come home to the woman who keeps life interesting and fills me with joy.

Since my mom’s last ablation two weeks ago was successful, and they caught the arsonist—which by the way was the Osmond Brothers, who kept stealing properties from Mauro and Maddie—I count my blessings every day. Ma might not always remain A-fib free, but we’ll take what we can get while we have it.

Maddie and Mauro are planning their wedding for this summer and Cris has yet to ask Vanessa, but I can’t wait any longer. Staring at Lauren’s empty left hand nauseates me every time.

The Jumbotron lights up with a slideshow of the two of us with “Speechless” by Dan + Shay playing in the background. Lauren’s shoulders droop when the song starts, and she strips the blindfold off, which I kind of expected from her. Her eyes find me and her face scrunches into that expression right before she’s about to cry.

The crowd roars to life and I hold my hand out for her to come to me.

The closer she gets, the more I see the scowl through her tears and I can’t help but chuckle.

I know what she wants, but I’m a ‘go big or go home’ guy. She said so herself. Since I can’t announce to every single person in this world that I love Lauren Hunt, this is the closest I’ll get.

The song finishes, and I pick up the microphone. Jesus, I never thought I’d be this stressed about it when I was putting it all together. I’m pretty confident of her answer, but I’ve been wrong before.

“Luca,” she says my name in a mock scolding way.

I chuckle. “Sorry, babe, but you love me anyway, right?”

Laughter rings throughout the arena.

“What are you doing?” she asks.

“I’m telling all these people how much I love you.”

Again, the crowd laughs and I’m second guessing my decision to call in a favor after saving the general manager’s life a couple months ago.

“Nice, babe.”

She’s in her ratty Blackhawks jersey and jeans. Her hair is thrown up in a ponytail and her flawless face has little makeup on it. Exactly how I love her most.

“Oh, but one more thing.” I pull the ring from my pocket and take her left hand in mine.

“Luca.” She sighs.

“Lauren Hunt, you make my life worth living. If I was a poet or a writer, I’d probably make all these people swoon with oohs and aahs. But I’m not. I’m just the man who can’t live without you. Who wouldn’t even want to try. Without you, my heart will be just as cold as my bed at night. What do you say? Torture yourself for the rest of your life and agree to be my wife?”

Laughter falls down from the rows of seats.

Lauren smiles and nods, tears in her eyes. “I do love to hate you.”

I slip the ring on her finger and applause rings out.

“I’m just thankful you love to love me more.”

Her arms wrap around my neck. “You know it.”

“Forgive me for all this?” I glance around at the thousands of spectators.

“I have a feeling I’ll be doing that for the next fifty years or more.”

I chuckle. “You know it.”

Later that night we get home and though I know she’s excited that we’re really, truly engaged this time, I’ve sensed something else below the surface.

Once we’re in our house, I’m ready to give her one more surprise, but I want to figure out what’s going on first. If she thinks it’s too soon to be engaged, I want to hear it. No more keeping our feelings bottled up inside.

“Hey, babe, I have one more gift for your birthday, but are you okay?”

She nods, sitting down on the couch. “I’m good.”

“You’re not acting good.”

Her fingers play with her new adornment on her left ring finger. She stares down at it. “It’s really pretty.”

“It is.” I should know, I’ll be paying for it for a few years.

“Is it returnable?” she asks.

My heart stumbles over a beat. She’s kidding me, right?

“I suppose I could be one of those schmucks who have to return a ring.” I put my palm out for it.

“Luca, I…”

“Spit it out, Lauren.”

“Do you have the other ring still?” she asks like I’m about to go off and she’s worried about my reaction.

“What ring? The first one?”

She nods.

My forehead wrinkles. “Why?”

She stares down at the new and improved ring on her finger. “When I gave it back to you, it was so you could give it to me again.”

“But that ring was when everything was a lie?”

“It really wasn’t. It’s the first ring you gave me and you know how I am about firsts.” She smiles.

With my heart lighter now, I run up the stairs, digging into my sock drawer and running back down.

“You really want this one?”

She holds out her left hand for me. “Yeah. It’s ours. That first engagement was just the beginning of us falling in love with each other. This one means so much more to me. Do you know how many times I stared down at this ring wishing it was real?”

I sit down beside her pushing the small box aside.

“No.”

“I did, Luca. Not at first, but later on. It’s what first gave me the thought of what it would be like to be Mrs. Lauren Hunt-Bianco.”

“Okay then. I’ll happily be one of those poor schmucks who returns an engagement ring then.” I slide off the big diamond and put on the smaller diamond and she’s right, that’s her ring. “We need to talk about the whole hyphenating your last name thing by the way.”

She chuckles and lays her head on my chest, staring at her outstretched left hand. “I’ll go with you.”

I reach around and pull out the box I’d stashed behind the couch cushion earlier. “One more thing.”

“You’re really upping your game here. I don’t think I can top this for your birthday.”

She rips off the paper and opens the box. “How sweet, papers.”

“Read the papers, babe,” I say with a laugh.

She looks them over, her jaw dropping the farther into them she gets. “You bought the house…from Maddie?”

Pride fills my chest. “I did. She did give a pretty big brother-in-law discount, but it’s ours. Just like that ring, this place is ours. It’s where we’re meant to grow our love and build our family.”

“I love you.” She leans in and wraps her arms around my neck.

“I love you more,” I say and kiss the top of her head.

She pulls back and stares at me with joy in her eyes. “I love you until infinity.”

“I love you to infinity plus infinity.”

“I love you…”

“Babe, shut up and kiss me.”

Our lips crash together, and I’m lost in her orbit. Screw that, this is our orbit now.

We know what you’re all thinking… WHITE COLLAR COUSINS SERIES! And you’re right. The Bianco’s NYC cousins, The Mancinis, are getting their own 3 book series starting in June. to preorder Sexy Filthy Boss for $2.99.

Also, we want to introduce you to a new series in a BRAND NEW WORLD. Scroll forward for the FIRST CHAPTER!

Nine siblings navigate through life in their Alaskan town, Lake Starlight. First up, Austin, the oldest Bailey!

The gorgeous guy on stage with his jaw hanging wide open, shock and awe in his eyes?

That’d be me. Austin Bailey. Eldest Brother of the Bailey clan, guardian to my younger siblings, history teacher extraordinaire, baseball coach, good neighbor, and all-round pretty great guy.

Before we dive into the fact that karma just raised its middle finger at me, you have to know how my morning began.

Today was like every other morning.

I woke up, got ready, prepared breakfast for my ungrateful twin sisters, Phoenix and Sedona, and then we all hopped into my Jeep to head to school.

Of course, Phoenix didn’t eat the pancakes.

Her exact words, if I remember correctly were, “They taste like cardboard. Can’t you just follow the recipe?”

Sedona ate the pancakes but as soon as we pulled into the parking lot of Lake Starlight High School, where they’re seniors, her appreciation for me ended. “Park in the back, I don’t want to be seen stepping out of this monstrosity.”

I’ve learned that there’s no pleasing a teenager—especially a female one—no offence ladies, but her comment still irked me. How is my Jeep embarrassing? It has a snorkel so when I off-road, I don’t have to spend my money on a new engine and can instead afford to buy her whatever new outfit she wants. She should be grateful, thanking me. But she’s seventeen. Pleasing her is impossible.

I purposely park in the first row and honk my horn to announce our arrival to everyone at the school, because pissing off Sedona is one of my top five favorite things to do.

I’ll probably miss that come next year.

Phoenix’s stomach rumples as she exits the car while Sedona has already raced off to the nearest entrance like that creepy IT clown is following her.

I stroll toward the door, reloading my emails on my phone, hoping I receive the response I’m waiting for this morning and that it contains good news.

Elijah, my star pitcher cuts me off. “Coach. I need some advice.” He runs his fingers through his long hair.

“How to cut your hair? Come see me. I’ve got clippers in my office.”

It’s like a contest these days with the kids to see who can grow their hair and look the most unkempt. I just don’t get the appeal and Elijah is the worst of them all.

“No Coach, Becca broke up with me.”

There’s a hitch in his voice. His eyes scour the courtyard where most of the kids hang out until the first bell rings.

I stuff my phone into the pocket of my jacket. “Why?”

“Well…” He runs his fingers through his hair again.

For the love of God. Once the season starts I’m making a new rule, if your hair covers your eyes, I’m your barber.

Of course, then JP’s mom will call to complain. She always calls. I think if we changed the flavor of the performance drink we give them from strawberry to lime she’d call. You know the type. He’s her only kid, her pride and joy. She probably still wipes his ass to make sure he did it right.

I push JP’s mom out of my head because just the thought of dealing with her will give me a headache. “What did you do?”

I open the door into the hallway. With it being Monday morning, my fellow teachers nod, gripping their coffee mugs like life vests.

A group of three girls lingering around one locker follow Elijah as we head down the hall. I’m not blind. He’s kind of a big deal around here and I can guess what path his teenage hormones led him down. They’re tricky fuckers to manage.

“You know Sara Pylar?” Elijah asks in a tentative voice.

See? Too bad I can’t bet on my player’s screw ups. I wouldn’t be working here, that’s for sure. I’d be a rich man.

I open up the door to my classroom and Elijah heads in first.

Do I know Sara Pylar? Of course, I do. She’s usually the one in the short skirt with her finger twirling a strand of hair. The worse her grades are, the more bubble gum she chews and asks to move to the front row, so she can see the smart board better. Sara would eat up and spit out a kid like Elijah if he ever tried to tangle with her.

“Yeah, I know Sara.”

He sits down in the chair next to my desk. “There was this dare…”

“Nothing good comes from those.” I cross my arms over my chest.

“JP was razzing me about how I’ve only ever kissed Becca and that when I went to college, we’d break up and that the girls at college are on another level.” His eyes widen, silently asking me.

I went to college, I played in college and at one time I thought maybe I’d hit the majors. Not that I even knew if I had a shot, but family responsibilities brought me back to Lake Starlight. Now I teach and try to advise kids like Elijah not to make the mistakes I did. Then again, youth is your free pass to do stupid shit. It’s a rite of passage.

“Girls in college are just girls that you went to high school with but a little older.” I sit in my chair, grabbing a pen. I always have to hold something in my hand. Sitting still is kind of a hard thing for me.

“He said that I’d regret not having experience.”

My gaze lands on the clock. Elijah has about five minutes before first class bell.

“Listen.” I hold my hand up to stop him from his rambling on.

Elijah is good enough to be drafted first round and this town can’t wait to see him succeed. He’ll have plenty of temptation come his way over the years and he needs to decide now how he’s going to handle it.

“Did you kiss Sara?” I ask.

“No, but…”

“I’m gonna guess here and tell me if I’m wrong.” He closes his mouth, so I continue. “You let your friends get to you. JP, whose mom probably follows him on dates you realize, tells you that you don’t have enough experience and should kiss another girl.” He’s nodding now and smirking because everyone knows JP’s mom will probably put up spy cameras in his dorm room next year.

“You thought hey, what if Becca does break my heart and fall for someone next fall. Where does that leave me? So, you went into a bedroom or somewhere private with a very willing Sara. Then Becca somehow walked in on you right before you finished debating in your head if you were going to kiss her?”

You see me trying to make it seem like he would never cheat on Becca? Probably bullshit. He’s seventeen. He would’ve kissed Sara and blown his own relationship with Becca into smithereens and only realized what a mistake that was down the road.

“Exactly Coach.”

“Now you have to grovel.”

I check the clock one more time. Three minutes until first bell.

“I did. I went to her house. I texted her.”

I stand to let Elijah know he’s leaving before my class arrives.

“Sorry,” I smack him on the back. “You need to pull out the big guns.”

His shoulders slump.

“Just think of what makes Becca happy. Why she fell in love with you and you’ll figure it out.”

“How do you know, Coach?”

I open the door and wait for him to walk through.

“Because I was you at one time. And another piece of advice?” He waits for me on the other side of the door. “Don’t go listening to your friends. They usually give shit advice and, honestly, you usually get a lot more experience with a girlfriend then by flipping around with multiple girls. Teenage boys have shit for brains. Don’t listen to them.”

I really don’t want to know how far he’s gotten with Becca. Especially with Phoenix and Sedona being the same age as Elijah.

“Well, we have…” He looks up at me sheepishly.

“That’s a conversation I don’t want to hear and no one else should either. Don’t be a dick and kiss and tell.”

The bell rings. “Go to class.”

He turns around. “You mean assembly.”

“Assembly?”

We walk out into the hallway where everyone is filing toward the auditorium.

“Yeah, remember Principal Miller had the baby?”

Shit. Now I’m running my fingers through my hair. All the teenage angst this morning had me forgetting that we all have to meet the new Principal of Lake Starlight High School this morning. The last principal I’ll ever be under because next year I’m heading to the college level—I hope.

“Yeah. Go. You don’t want to be late.”

“Thanks Coach…for everything.” He jogs down the hall, catching up to his friends.

I turn to go through the back entrance since I’ll have to sit in a chair in front of all the students so that we appear as a united front for the new principal. A symbol that says we have their back.

I run smack dab into Fay Murphy, the office assistant.

“Hey, Fay.”

“I’m so happy I found you.”

She seems a tad flustered, and her face has that beet red overlay she gets when Principal Miller used to reprimand her for not refilling her stapler. It’ll be a nice change around here without that dictator. Let me tell you—pregnant women do not like it when they have to give up coffee—something we all paid the price for.

“What’s up?” I start walking because we’re going to be late if we don’t hurry.

“We need you to introduce Principal Radcliffe.” She peers behind me and then pushes up on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear. “Dick, I mean Vice Principal Ealey, called in this morning. I think he was still…”

Fay doesn’t have to finish the sentence. Dick Ealey went through a very public divorce last year and has been spending a lot of his time at the Lucky Tavern drowning in a helluva lot more than his sorrows.

“Why me?”

She hands me a piece of paper. “The kids look up to you and everyone thinks that the kids will welcome Principal Radcliffe if you introduce her.”

Her. Another woman.

Hopefully, this one is well caffeinated and not pregnant. We’ll all stand a better chance that way.

I accept the piece of paper, looking over what I need to say.

“Fine.”

I’m not scared of public speaking. I’ve got two teenage girls at home. You don’t know a hostile environment until you’re trying to break up a fight between those two.

“You’re the best, Austin.” Fay squeezes my forearm and walks down the hall.

My footsteps slow as I read over the new principal’s bio. What the hell is a Yale graduate doing in Alaska at Lake Starlight High School? I fold up the piece of paper, after skimming over her education. I can wing it from there, besides the kids could care less about what’s printed on that sheet.

Heading into the auditorium, I search out the new face of our principal, but I know everyone here.

“She’s running a tad late, so if you could stall, I’ll tap you on the shoulder when it's safe to announce her,” Fay informs me.

“I’m not a zoo keeper.”

Fay laughs.

I will not miss this part of my job next year. I sure hope when I decide to stroll in during second period, Principal Radcliffe doesn’t raise a paddle to my ass.

Before I realize it, I’m in front of the podium, clearing my throat. My gaze searches out Sedona who rolls her eyes and looks away. I have no fucking clue why she’s so embarrassed of me. I mean, look at me. Six foot two, two ten, short and neat haircut. I work out four times a week, hike, bike, ski. My muscles aren’t from just the gym…

Okay before I keep sounding like a male seeking female want ad, let’s get on with how my day went into the shitter in a matter of twenty minutes.

I tell a few jokes, and the kids loosen up a bit. Maybe I should rethink the whole college baseball coach thing and go for standup comedy, I’m pretty good at this.

Fay taps my shoulder and thank God because I’m running out of material. I pull the paper out of my back pocket and clear my throat one more time.

“Alright everyone. We all know that Principal Miller has left us to enjoy her new baby and so we’re welcoming a new principal into our school. Our new principal for the remainder of the year is Dr. Radcliffe. She graduated from Yale with her doctorate in education. She comes here from the lower forty-eight, so make sure you give a big Alaskan welcome!” About half the kids in the auditorium clap while the rest of them stare at the stage with an expression that only a bunch of unimpressed and uninterested teenagers can manage. Time to grab their interest and get them to buy in. “Principal Radcliffe’s hobbies include streaking during football games, ferret racing, and taking surveys for money.”

The kids roar with laughter finally looking like they’re interested and want to be here. Fay steps up and nudges me.

“Sorry,” I mumble an apology. “We’ll bring Dr. Radcliffe out to explain her hobbies more in depth.” I turn from the podium at the sound of heels clicking across the stage.

This is the part where my mouth drops open in surprise and my testicles jerk up seeking out protection.

See the auburn-haired woman walking right toward me?

The one who looks as pissed off as Sedona did when I honked my horn in the parking lot this morning?

Yeah, that’s my new boss.

The new Principal of Lake Starlight High School.

I don’t believe in kissing and telling, but I’ll tell you—this is the first and only principal I’ve ever given an orgasm to in the backseat of my Jeep.