He laughed. “You’re right. If you’d never felt the need to make him jealous, you would have never talked to me at that party.”
“Can you believe that was almost two whole years ago?”
“I know,” he said. “We’ve come a long way since then.”
We drove in comfortable silence for a while. He was humming some tuneless song and I was checking for final grades every other minute.
“Hey,” he said, breaking the silence. “Can we talk about something? I want to get this out of the way before we get there so we don’t spoil the weekend with serious talks.”
My stomach hurt just imagining what he was going to say. “Sure,” I replied.
“I’ve been thinking about the pro thing a lot lately. I think I’ve made a decision, but I want your input before I give my final answer.”
“You know that it’s not my decision to make, Shawn. I want you to be happy.”
“Part of my happiness depends on your happiness. That’s why I wanted to tell you that I’ve decided to stay here for another season. Then after I graduate, I’ll enter the draft.”
“That’s your decision?”
“Is that all right with you?”
“Of course it is! All this time, I was so worried that you were going to leave me here while you’re off making money and having a great time. I’m so glad you’re staying.”
“Me too,” he said. “I wasn’t sure what you were going to say about me turning down so much money. I’m actually really relieved that you approve.”
“I’m so happy right now.” I beamed. “Like, I don’t think I could be any more pleased than I am at this moment.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” He grinned.
I had another year with Shawn, and that was all I needed right now. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
When we got to the house, I immediately sniffed out Shawn’s mom’s cookies and scarfed one down. I could get used to this life. I loved spending time at the lake house.
“We’re going to eat supper soon,” he scolded me as he put a foil-wrapped pan into the oven.
“What are we having?”
“Do you remember what we ate on our first date?” he asked.
I thought for a moment. “Honestly, no. I do remember drinking some horrific wine, though.”
“Wow, and you give me shit for not being romantic enough,” he joked. “Don’t worry about the drink selection. I found a bottle that we can both enjoy.” He pulled out a bottle of champagne. I didn’t recognize the label.
“That looks really expensive,” I said.
“It is,” he said nonchalantly. “But it’s a special occasion.”
He had that right. Surviving another year of college with my workload deserved all the booze in the world.
“Do you need any help?” I called into the kitchen.
“No, I’m fine,” he said. “Why don’t you just relax?”
“Okay,” I replied. “I’ll be upstairs. Let me know when it’s time to eat.”
I dragged my overnight bag to the master bedroom. I thought about taking a nap, but instead, I washed my face and redid my hair and makeup. I liked making myself look extra good for Shawn, especially on romantic nights like these.
To finish my look, I slicked on some red lip gloss that Shawn always complimented. I had worn shorts and a tank top to the house, but it was chillier by the water and I knew that Shawn would want to eat outside. I dug around in his bag, looking for a sweatshirt to borrow. I loved the way his baggy clothes fit on my petite frame.
As I was blindly digging through, my hand felt something hard. I grabbed it and pulled it through the zippered opening.
I immediately pried open the tiny box and let out an involuntary screech.
He had a diamond ring.
I froze when I heard his footsteps running up the stairs. I shoved the box back in and tried to act natural.
He knew what had happened the second he walked in the room. His face fell when he saw me in his sweatshirt.
“You found it, didn’t you?” he said.
“Found what?” I feigned ignorance.
“This is what I get for trying to surprise you.” He chuckled. Shawn let out a small groan and grabbed the box from the bag.
My heart started racing. I had no idea he was even thinking about marriage. Of course, I did regularly, but we hardly entertained the notion.
“Alice Harper, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the most incredible person I know, and I can’t bear the thought of not being with you forever. Will you marry me?”
I got so choked up that I couldn’t do anything other than nod enthusiastically. I had everything I wanted. Our futures looked bright, and there was no one I would rather have by my side every day of my life.
We embraced as rays of red and gold filtered in through the wide window. We had our whole lives to look forward to, and nothing was going to stop us.
“Well, my sweet fiancé,” Shawn said when we finally broke apart. “What now?”
I looked at my beautiful ring on my finger and watched the light dance off every facet.
“Can we eat supper? I’m starving.”
He smiled and picked me up into his arms, carrying me out to the candle-lit dinner where he had meant to propose to me.
If you liked this, keep reading the rest of the Pass To Win series!
Book 1-Touchdown: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Book 2-Line of Scrimmage: A Secret Baby Sports Romance
Book 3-Between The Tackles: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Book 4-Fourth and Goal: A Bad Boy Sports Romance
Book 5-Game Winning Catch: A Secret Baby Sports Romance
Lethal Seduction: A CIA Romantic Suspense (CIA Agents Book 1) Page 39
