One Good Reason (Boston Love #3)(100)

“Don’t let them break his nose again,” I say, suppressing a laugh. “He’ll never find a girl to love him if you get him too banged up.”

“Who says I want a girl?” Luca grumbles, setting me gently back on my feet.

I peer up into his face. “You want a girl, Luke. And you’ll find her. I know it.”

“Don’t get sappy, babe. Not your style.”

I punch him on the arm. “We’ll Skype after every match. I want all the details.”

“And I want to hear about your adventures.” His eyes soften. “Don’t forget about me.”

“Never,” I whisper.

He looks down at his feet so I can’t see how red his eyes are getting. But, as Parker’s hand twines with mine and he leads me down the dock, I do see a certain curvaceous strawberry blonde sidling closer to Luca.

He’ll be fine.

More than fine, if Lila has anything to do with it.

“Where are you taking me, playboy?” I ask as he pulls me along, the whole group following behind us.

Parker drops my hand only to circle behind me and cover my eyes with his massive palms. “No peeking.”

“Hey!” I protest as he pushes me along blindly.

“Shh. Almost there.” We take a few more shuffling steps and then I feel him pivot my body so I’m facing the other direction. “Okay.” His hands drop away. “Now you can look.”

My eyes fly open… and immediately fill with tears.

I’m staring at the stern of the boat, which used to say the word Folly in blocky letters. Instead, the name-plate now reads Neverland in beautiful black script.

“You renamed her?” I choke out.

He nods.

“For me?”

Parker’s lips hit my cheek. “For us.”

I hear the pop of a cork as Chase opens the second bottle of champagne and suddenly, everyone’s there beside us – laughing, drinking, hugging, smiling. I look around at all these beautiful people who’ve come to mean so much to me and feel unbelievably lucky. My heart is so full I worry it might burst.

Turning, I lean into Parker’s chest and tilt my chin so he can hear my whispered words above the revelry happening on all sides.

“I love you, Peter Pan.”

His voice is rough when he replies, “I love you more, Tinkerbell.”

I stretch up onto my tiptoes and kiss him until I’m breathless. When his lips pull away, he looks down at me with shining eyes. “You about ready to fly off into the stars with me?”

I’m not sure where we’re headed.

I’m not sure when we’re coming back.

But I know, with Parker by my side, life will always be an adventure – full of love and trust and more laughter than I can handle. And that’s the only reason I need to justify the answer I give him.

“Absolutely.”



THE END





Acknowledgments





I never planned to write a rom-com series. I sat down at my computer in the dreary months of early 2015, fully intending to pen another angsty, suspenseful standalone novel.

Instead, a quirky brunette started speaking to me… and she refused to shut up until I’d written 100,000 words. A few months later, NOT YOU IT’S ME came out. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Three books later, the BOSTON LOVE STORIES are international bestsellers. That genuinely blows my mind every time I think about it.

It’s not lost on me, even for a single moment, that I have you to thank for the success of this series. You are the reason I get to spend my days with this crazy cast of characters. You are the reason my life is full of so much laughter and love.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

I could say it a million times; it wouldn’t be enough. It brings me such joy to receive your messages, your videos, your picture collages. It means everything to know you share my enthusiasm for these characters, this city, this series.

Chase, Gemma, Nate, Phoebe, Parker, Zoe.

Each of them holds such a special place in my heart. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading their stories as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.

Huge hugs to the fantastic ladies in my reader group, the Johnson Junkies. Your support and positivity is beyond lovely!

Big thanks to my family and friends for sticking with me — even during the crazy weeks when I retreat into my writing cave.

And, lastly… thanks to all the boys out there who (intentionally or not) provided inspiration for the love between these pages. If you weren’t such idiots, my fictional men wouldn’t be half as appealing.

JUST KIDDING.

(Not.)





About the Author


JULIE JOHNSON is a twenty-something Boston native suffering from an extreme case of Peter Pan Syndrome and an obsession with fictional characters. When she's not writing, Julie can most often be found daydreaming, drinking too much coffee, striving to conquer her Netflix queue, or stalking Goodreads for new books to add to her ever-growing TBR list.

She published her debut novel LIKE GRAVITY in August 2013, just before her senior year of college, and she's never looked back. Since, she has published five more novels, including the bestselling BOSTON LOVE STORY series. Her books have appeared on Kindle and iTunes Bestseller lists around the world.