“Payton.” The voice came from behind her, so strong and familiar. She froze instantly.
What is he doing here?
He climbed down the last two stairs so he was standing in the aisle right next to her. The nacho she’d been about to shove in her mouth, still hanging midair.
There was a small grin on his face as he stared at the feast of junk food displayed on her lap before he met her gaze. “You know, if you were going to do this thing right, you’re supposed to have beer, not soda.”
“I—I’m driving.” Were they really having this conversation? “What are you doing here, Cruz?” She looked behind him, realizing that he could be there on a date. The thought made her want to hurl the nacho chips.
“I’m here because I was given the great pleasure of receiving an early copy of this big deal contractors magazine that featured Sorensen Construction, something that should have had me flipping cartwheels and popping open the Champagne. But I got home and looked around and realized the only person I wanted to celebrate this coup with wasn’t there. Not only was she absent from my condo, but she was also absent from my life. And it was all because of me. Because I had my priorities all screwed up. See, I thought that I had to have the success first. That once I had success everything else would fall into place. That I’d gain the life, the self-confidence, and the woman that would make it all complete. But I realize now, that I had it backward. Success should follow all of that—so when you finally have it, you have someone who can share that moment with.”
Kate nudged her and Payton was barely aware of her friend pulling the nachos and hotdogs and drink from her lap, and finally tugging the nacho chip still clutched in her fingers.
The clashing sound from the ice and the crowd’s uproar told her that something had happened that didn’t look good for the Salt Lake Grizzlies. But she was unable to pull her gaze from the man in front of her, who had somewhere during that long litany, sat down on the step next to her so she could hear him better. So she could look into his face, touch it if she wanted.
“Payton,” he continued, having to raise his voice as the crowd’s fury around them grew louder. “I should have gone after you that first night. At the flower shop. I should have insisted on getting your name and your number and we could have avoided all this drama. I should have gone after you that day in Mexico when you walked out of my hotel room. Should have stopped you from leaving. I should have realized then that you are and would be my biggest priority. I should have gone down to brunch with you. I should have taken you to the beach like I promised. I should have made love to you every day. There are so many things I should have done, but I was a fool and I didn’t. Not realizing until now how much…how much I love you. Until it was too late.”
Tears sprang to her eyes and she tried to wipe them away but his hands stopped her, wiping them away himself. It took her a moment, once the blur from her tears was gone, to realize that he was now kneeling next to her. And from his jacket he was bringing out a box, holding it out.
It was happening exactly like she’d described it that day in that hot school bus outside of Tequila, Mexico, when she hadn’t even been sure he was listening to her.
Someone behind her patted her on the back and she finally processed that the people around them weren’t cheering on the game anymore, but were cheering them on…
Cruz was smiling, but there was reserve in his smile, uncertainty. “I am choosing you, just like I should have that day when you asked me to. And I didn’t. When I didn’t put us first. I’ll forever be sorry for that moment, but I promise you now, I’ll put us first every day, every minute, every second of our life. I choose you and sure as hell hope you still choose me. So to be clear, Payton Elisabeth Vaughn. Will you agree to marry me, to love and laugh with me all the days of our lives…again?”
She didn’t really have much choice when he put it like that. All she’d wanted was to hear him commit to her, to hear him promise to try and place them first even if at times life would make it hard. She reached out, running her hand over that bristly jawline. “Of course I’ll marry you.”
When he dropped his lips to hers and kissed her soundly, forgetting decorum, forgetting the hundreds of people around them, she melted into him. The shouts and cries around them finally seeped in after a moment and thanks to Kate, who pointed up to the Jumbotron, Payton realized their private moment was flashing above them.
Just the way she’d told it.
“I’m sorry to leave you like this, Kate,” Cruz said as he brought his arm under Payton and pulled her up against him. “But I think that my fiancée and I have a few more things we need to talk about.”
Then with the applause surrounding them, he carried her up the stairs and away from the blinding lights and camera lenses. Stopping only when they were out of sight and standing on the other side of the arena door.
Her back pressed up against the wall, Cruz looked down with love and tenderness in those eyes. “I meant it you know. I do love you, and I promise I’ll show you how much every day, every morning, and every night you grace me with your presence in my life.”
“I insist on nothing less. And if you haven’t figured it out, I love you too. Love you for accepting me as I am, pushing me to be true to myself, and showing me what happiness could be.”
He kissed her again, long and hard, and she was having a difficult time remembering where they were. Until the bright light from over his shoulder caught her attention. “Cruz?” She pulled away, and stared into the camera lens and the grinning faces of those around them.
He turned and saw them. His hand grabbed hers and he bent down to her ear. “Guess we better make this good.”
Then he was kissing her again, and she didn’t care about anything but the fact that he loved her.
And she was finally going to get her own happy ending.
Epilogue
The hot Mexican sun was relentless above their heads but neither of them cared as they wielded their shovels and hacked away at the stump in front of them. Payton envisioned little bursts of freckles popping up on her skin, something that her mother would certainly abhor.
And that Payton relished.
This time Cruz was successful as he whacked away at the large agave plant he’d dug up from the ground. And the crowd burst into applause.
“Your husband is certainly quite the charmer,” the older woman who was part of the tour said next to her.
She thought about the past couple of months, beginning with Cruz pulling her away from her first exhilarating hockey game and whisking her away for some much needed talking, interspersed with lots of lovemaking. His family had, of course, eagerly accepted her into their happy herd, all of them insisting, rightfully, on taking some responsibility for events that led up to their wedding.
But the real reason for this change of events was both she and Cruz letting go of everything that had held them back—whether they saw it at the time or not—and embracing whatever thrills this road together could take.
And just four days ago, the Sorensens and even her own dignified parents had stood as witnesses in a small, private but unique and beautiful civil ceremony where Payton walked herself down the aisle with Abba’s “I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do” playing overhead. They’d all been just as delighted to see them off in the car that Cruz had rented just for the occasion. One nearly identical to the first one they’d set out in just a few months before.
Cruz looked up and winked at her, sending chills through her.
Cruz? A charmer? “He certainly is.”
Many hours later, the stink of the dirt and sweat from their tour washed away, and their bodies sated and tangled together in the tangle of the covers, Payton thought about how lucky she was.
“Hey. Don’t even think of conking out on me now,” Cruz whispered in her ear. “I’m only just getting started.”
She sat up, pressing a kiss against his mouth, basking in her happiness. She reached over to the nightstand. “I was only g
iving you a chance to catch your breath. But in case you needed any musical inspiration…” She picked up his phone, scrolling through it, an idea for a song already forming.
But Cruz placed his hand on hers. “I have something already in mind.”
He took the phone from her and scrolled around another minute, obviously not as familiar with the music app. She bit her lip to stop from smiling. “I’ll have you know,” he continued, “I’ve not only created my own playlist, but I’ve added that Fandango app you’re so fond of, along with Facebook and the Twitter. You’re going to have to help me figure out that whole tweeting thing, though.” He shook his head.
She thought about correcting him, telling him that it’s just pronounced “Twitter,” but she laughed instead. “Okay. Lay it on me. What musical selection does Cruz Sorensen prefer listening to in his free time? Madonna? A little Enya? Maybe Barry Manilow?”
He just smiled smugly and set the phone onto the small stereo on the nightstand before turning back to her.
It was a breezy reggae song that started and it took her a few seconds to recognize the unmistakable sound of Bob Marley singing “Is this Love.”
She listened to the lyrics for a moment, understanding that Cruz was confirming for her that he was going to love her. Every day.
More tears filled her eyes. But then she laughed at the devilish grin on Cruz’s face as he leaned across the bed toward her and nipped her sensitive ear lobe, sending chills down her spine.
“Heaven help me, woman. I do love you,” he whispered.
“And I love you. All the days of my life.”
And what a wonderful life it would be.
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Acknowledgments
I want to thank the wonderful readers who found my first book in this series, Her Backup Boyfriend, and fell in love with the Sorensen family and asked that all the siblings get their own happily ever after, too. I hope you love Payton and Cruz’s adventure just as much as I do.
I’d like to thank all of the support team at Entangled Publishing who’ve worked seamlessly to make this book a success, including my editor Alycia Tornetta, production manager Crystal Havens, publicist Debbie Suzuki, cover designer Heather Howland, and so many more people working behind the scenes.
And as always, to my family. Always my biggest cheerleaders. xoxo
About the Author
Ashlee was thirteen when she discovered her first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss book hidden away in her mom’s closet. After two days of staying home “sick” from school to finish it, she was hooked. Her rabid love for romance has continued ever since, and after a misadventure in the world of law, she is finally settling into her dream job of writing about people finding their happily ever afters.
Whether writing sweet contemporary romances or light romantic suspense, she always aims to create down-to-earth heroines and heroes with small-town heart who will make you laugh and fall in love all over again.
You can find out more about Ashlee and her upcoming books by subscribing to her newsletter at http://eepurl.com/P1K2n or by visiting her website at www.ashleemallory.com. You can also drop her an email at [email protected], she’d love to hear from you.
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Discover the Sorensen Family series…
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