Daphne didn’t answer my question, so I shifted to Theresa. She was holding hands with her husband, Nick, but she gave me a thumbs-up. I moved over to Izzy, but she only grinned. Antonia had a hand slapped over her mouth, and she was giggling. Hookup pursed his lips and gave me a nod, but like everyone else, he had nothing to say, no explanation to give.
As I stared at everyone in bewilderment, two more people walked into the garage—Rodney and Felicia. They were the most shocking to see—Benneti riders never came over here during the day. Keith was going to have their heads if he found out they were on “enemy” territory.
“What are you guys…?” Stopping my question, I looked up at Hayden. He was beaming at me. “What’s going on?” I asked him.
In answer, he sank to one knee. I stopped breathing as he reached into his pocket and grabbed a sparkling diamond ring. Holding the ring up to me, he softly said, “Mackenzie Cox, being with you has made me so incredibly happy. I can only think of one thing that would make me even happier. If you would be my wife. Will you marry me?”
My eyes watered, and as I stared at him, everything—everyone—vanished. He was all that existed. “Yes,” I whispered. Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Yes, absolutely…yes.”
A chorus of cheers went around the room as Hayden rose to his feet and slipped the ring on my finger. Tears were streaming down my face as Hayden leaned forward and gently kissed me. Over the sound of cheers and clapping, I heard the sound of champagne bottles being uncorked. Then I felt cool droplets landing on me, as we were sprayed with the bottle’s buildup. Laughing, I pulled away from Hayden to see Eli and Ralph holding foaming bottles. “It’s okay,” Eli said, “We’ve got more.”
Daphne pulled a discreetly placed cover off a workbench, displaying cake, snacks, and several bottles of champagne. I could only gape at how quickly a normal day of work had turned into a celebration. “You all knew about this?” I asked the group, stunned.
Everyone nodded, grinning devious smiles. My gaze shifted back to my boyfriend. No…my fiancé. “You arranged this?”
Hayden grinned, then nodded his head toward my father, of all people. “I had help.”
My jaw dropped as I looked at my dad. He shrugged. “All I did was call Daphne. She took care of everything else.” Even still, I was shocked that Hayden had even considered asking for my dad’s help. Or Dad’s blessing, because clearly, he had. The smile on my father’s face was warm and untroubled.
After that, I was bombarded by people giving me their well wishes. Rodney looped an arm around each of us, pulling us close. “Kenzie, Hayden, congratulations, guys.”
I laughed as I hugged him back. “Thanks, Rodney.”
When he let go, Felicia took his place. She extended a hand to me, and as I took it, I searched her face for any sign of stress or sadness. All I saw was joy though. “Congratulations, Kenzie. I’m happy for you. Truly,” she emphasized.
“Thank you,” I told her, grateful to fate that she genuinely seemed to mean that.
Releasing my hand, she turned to Hayden. “Congratulations, Hayden. It makes me happy to see you happy.”
“Thank you, Felicia,” he told her. Then his eyes drifted to Rodney, busy talking to Myles. Grin on his face, Hayden leaned forward and told her, “Don’t freak out, but rumor has it that guy wants to marry you.”
She grinned as she glanced over at Rodney. “I know. And I’m not freaked out. I’m not ever running away again. I learned my lesson.”
Hayden gave her a warm, brotherly smile. “Good. I’m happy to hear that…he’s a good guy.”
She winked at me. “Yeah, he’s all right.” As I laughed at her comment, she said, “Rodney and I need to get back before Keith kills us, but we’re taking you out this weekend to celebrate.”
“Sound good,” I said. “Call me.”
As she nodded, I marveled at the fact that somehow we’d all become friends. Just like Rodney had predicted.
Nikki flung her arms around me the second she got a chance. “Oh my God, Kenzie! I’m so happy for you guys!” When she pulled back, there were tears in her eyes. Seeing them made my eyes tear up again.
“Thank you, I’m happy for you guys too.” I indicated the ring that Myles had put on her finger last week. They were getting married next year at Monterey—the birthplace of their relationship.
“Thanks,” she giggled. “Maybe we can have a double wedding?”
“Oh no, after everything it took to get you guys together, you’re not sharing your day.”
She sighed happily as she looked back at Myles, then she returned her eyes to me with a frown on her face. “Your journey wasn’t easy either, Kenzie.”
Hayden kissed my head. “Well worth the pain,” he murmured, and I sighed in agreement.
Myles congratulated us next, then my sisters, their husbands, and John and my father. Hookup came up to us with Antonia. She squeezed me tight as Hookup said to Hayden, “I always knew you’d end up with Felicia Two.”
Hayden smacked his shoulders. “Stop calling her that.”
Hookup laughed, then nodded. “Yeah, all right.” Antonia let me go to give Hayden a bear hug, and Hookup turned his attention to me. “Congratulations, Kenzinator. I knew you’d make an honest man out of this chump.”
I smirked at him, then shook my head and flung my arms around him. He seemed surprised that I was hugging him, but he squeezed back. When I let go, I told him, “Now if we could only find someone to make you an honest man.”
He made a dismissive noise as he put a hand on Antonia’s shoulder. “Already done. Right, munchkin?”
Antonia looked up at him and nodded. “Yep.”
I smiled at the two of them, then looked around for Izzy. “Antonia, where did your mom go?”
Antonia pursed her lips, then jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “She’s sharing some cake with that cute guy.” She giggled after she said it.
Hayden and Hookup both got the same overprotective look on their faces as they searched for Izzy. I spotted her first, standing in the far corner of the room, and just like Antonia had said, she was indeed sharing a piece of cake with Dex. He laughed as she told him something, and the grin on her face was a mile wide. They were…adorable.
Hayden spotted the pair a split-second later. “What the hell are they—”
Not finishing that thought, he started taking a step toward Dex and Izzy. I grabbed his arm, holding him back, and his jade eyes flashed to mine. Holding his gaze, I said, “Don’t even think about it, Hayes. Izzy’s an adult and can flirt with whoever she wants.” I flicked my eyes between Hayden and Hookup, since Hookup seemed ready to interfere too.
Hayden pursed his lips like he didn’t agree. I raised my eyebrows. “Dex is a good guy, even you can’t deny that. And doesn’t Izzy deserve someone decent after everything she’s been through?”
Hookup looked at Hayden for confirmation, since he didn’t know Dex. Hayden sighed and rolled his eyes. “I guess, yeah…he’s all right. But…it’s weird.”
I lightly tapped his stomach with the back of my hand. “It’s not weird. It’s sweet.”
Dex and Izzy stayed locked in conversation for the rest of the afternoon, and I made sure Hayden and Hookup, and even Antonia, left them alone to bond. There was a lot of laughter coming from their corner—it made me exceedingly happy to hear it.
My father came up to me while I was enjoying a piece of my sister’s cake. I pointed a fork at him. “If you’re about to tell me I shouldn’t eat this because it’s my third piece, well, you just might find this fork in your arm.”
His lips stretched into a relaxed smile. “You’re the defending champion, Mackenzie. And you’re celebrating a pretty momentous occasion. You can have all the cake you want.”
My eyes widened. “What have you done with Jordan Cox?” I asked.
With a small laugh, his gaze dropped to the floor. “I’ve been hard on you. These past couple of years have shown me that…very clearly.” Lifting his eyes to
me, his expression turned sad. “It was never my intention to push you away. Just…to push you. But you never needed me to do that for you. You were always a champion, Mackenzie. And you never needed me.”
With a sigh, I set down my cake. “That’s not true. I did need you. I do need you. But not as a coach, or a trainer, or a business partner, or even a friend. I need you…as a father. That’s all I’ve ever needed from you.”
Dad’s jaw tightened, and his eyes turned glossy. With a stiff nod, he reached out and pulled me to him. Hugging me fiercely, he whispered, “Then that’s what I’ll be, and that’s all I’ll be. I’m so proud of you, Kenzie.”
His words, his use of my shortened name, made a jolt of joy go through me, and I felt the void of his rejection being forever patched and sealed. Dad left not too much later, inviting John to go out with him for a beer, to celebrate the ‘good old days,’ he said. Dad seemed lighter, happier. Maybe he’d finally left his ghosts behind.
My sisters left next, dragging their reluctant-to-leave husbands with them. Then Nikki and Myles left to take Maria home. When the afternoon shifted into evening, Eli, Kevin, and Ralph gathered up the remaining bottles of champagne and headed back to their gargantuan house on the coast. Then Hookup left with Antonia. I was just wondering why Hookup had Antonia when Izzy and Dex approached me.
Dex looked a little unsure as he stepped up to me. “Hey, uh, Izzy and I were gonna take off…get some dinner…unless you needed me to do something before I left?”
Smiling at him, I shook my head. “No, there’s nothing that needs to be done right now. You guys go have fun.”
Dex gave Izzy a shy smile, his bright blue eyes glowing. When he returned his face to me, he looked completely at peace, and I was happy to see the calm. Things had been tense between Dex and his father ever since New Jersey. Richard, proving he truly was a douche, had indeed tried to take away Dex’s trust fund. Fortunately for Dex, though, his grandmother adored him, and since she had the real power in the family, she’d put a stop to Richard’s retribution. Richard hadn’t been able to touch a dime of Dex’s money.
“Congratulations on your engagement, Kenzie,” Dex said, extending his hand.
“Thank you, Dex,” I said, briefly shaking his hand. “I hope you two have a great night.” I pointed a finger at him. “But don’t be out too late, because we’ve got a ton of work to do tomorrow.”
His expression was even brighter as he nodded. “I know, and I can’t wait.”
He turned to Izzy, then nodded his head toward the door. “Shall we?” he asked, offering his elbow.
Izzy bit her lip before taking it. “Absolutely.”
As they walked away, Izzy looked back at me with an Oh my God face. I laughed, then wished them well. When I turned back around, Hayden was watching them leave, too, a small frown on his face. Then he sighed, shook his head, and smiled at me. “So, Future Mrs. Hayes…what would you like to do now?”
My stomach swarmed with butterflies at hearing the words Mrs. Hayes…God, I loved the way that sounded. Grinning, I looked around the empty garage, then my eyes settled on my bike. “Well, Mr. Hayes… I was thinking…how about a spin around the track?”
He pursed his lips as he studied me. “Loser has sex with the winner?”
I laughed, then nodded, and a glorious smile spread over his face. “Then I only have one thing to say.” Fast as lightning, he grabbed my waist and pulled me into him. “Race me or chase me, Twenty-two.”
Lacing my arms around his neck, I examined the way the lights danced across my ring. “Too late… I already caught you.”
“True,” he murmured. “Very true. But to be fair, I let you catch me. Because your arms…they’re the only place I want to be.”
My heart swelled with love, adoration, and absolute certainty. “I know.” And I’d never doubt that again. I had Hayden’s heart just as surely as he had mine. And together, there wasn’t anything we couldn’t do.
* * * The End * * *
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
S.C. Stephens is a #1 New York Times bestselling author who spends her every free moment creating stories that are packed with emotion and heavy on romance. In addition to writing, she enjoys spending lazy afternoons in the sun reading, listening to music, watching movies, and spending time with her friends and family. She and her two children reside in the Pacific Northwest.
You can learn more at:
AuthorSCStephens.com
Twitter @SC_Stephens_ (https://twitter.com/SC_Stephens_)
Facebook.com/SCStephensAuthor
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ALSO BY S.C. STEPHENS
Thoughtless Series:
Thoughtless
Effortless (Book 2)
Reckless (Book 3)
Thoughtful (Thoughtless alternate POV)
Untamed (Book 4)
Rush Series:
Furious Rush
Dangerous Rush (Book 2)
Undeniable Rush (Book 3)
Conversion series:
Conversion
Bloodlines (Book 2)
‘Til Death (Book 3)
The Next Generation (Book 4)
The Beast Within (Book 5)
Family is Forever (Book 6)
Standalone books:
Collision Course
It’s All Relative
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Undeniable Rush Page 24
