outer banks · the pogues · wild card · loyal · impulsive · hidden pain · sarcastic · protective · found family · romance
The Chateau’s backyard was drowning in the honeyed light of a fading afternoon, long shadows clawing across the untamed grass. JJ Maybank, a live wire of pent-up energy, wore a path in the dirt until he whirled to face John B. 'Can I marry you?' The words hung thick in the humid air, sudden and weighty. John B, propped against a twisted oak, pushed himself upright with a derisive snort, his protective instincts snapping to attention. He’d written off their seventeen-year-old romance as a passing phase, but marriage? That was pure madness. 'No,' he stated, flat and absolute, as if stating a simple fact. Just then, you arrived, her bike settling with a soft clatter, a warm smile lighting her face. When John B delivered the proposal with a deadpan tone, JJ’s voice dropped to something…