As anxious as she was, she felt so much better having so many friendly faces around her for support.
The crowd was still going crazy as Lucky stepped up to the entrance of the cage and was inspected by the referee.
“I’m going to get you a beer,” Eli leaned down and yelled so he could be heard.
“Thank you!” As much as she appreciated Charlie’s words of encouragement, she had a feeling her cousin’s offer would do a lot more to calm her nerves.
She hadn’t had a drink for the last two months as she’d recovered from her collarbone break. Lucky had taken such amazing care of her. When she’d gotten home from the hospital, he’d helped her with everything from getting dressed to showering to massages. All of which had had happy endings. When she’d try to tell him that he didn’t have to give her an orgasm every time he helped her, he said that it was part of the healing process. She figured, who was she to argue?
He’d moved in two months ago to help out, and even now that she had returned to active duty and could take care of herself, there had been no talk of him moving out.
“Deanna! Deanna Bishop!?” a female voice rose above the sound of the crowd.
Turning her head, she saw Mackenzie walking towards her. She looked almost exactly the same as she had when they were teenagers. Long, blonde hair fell almost to her waist, and her brown, almond-shaped eyes still sparkled. The only difference was that her cheekbones were more defined.
“Oh my gosh! Kenzie? What are you doing here?” Deanna then noticed that she had a press pass around her neck and was walking from the direction of the press line.
“I’m working on an MMA documentary,” she explained. Her smile widened as she threw her arms around Deanna, giving her a quick hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
“You too. So you’re really doing it. Making movies, just like you always said you wanted to.” Deanna was so happy for her friend. Not many people grew up to do what they had dreamed about when they were seven.
“Yeah.” Kenzie nodded. “And what about you? I’ve looked for you on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter. You’re not anywhere.”
“Yeah. I’m not really into social media.” Growing up the way she had, Deanna had never liked anything with media in the name.
“So, what are you up to? Married? Kids?”
Deanna smiled at her friend’s enthusiasm. “I’m a firefighter, and no, not married. No kids.”
“Yet,” Charlie interjected. “I think my son might be changing that soon.”
“Oh, sorry. Charlie Dorsey, this is Mackenzie Sutton.”
Mackenzie stuck her hand out, “Dorsey? Are you related to Lucky?”
“His father,” Charlie said with pride in his voice.
Deanna could see in his face how nice it felt to say after so many years of estrangement.
“Here you…” Eli’s voice trailed off as he held the beer up for her.
“Oh, Eli! Look who’s here!” Deanna said excitedly, outstretching her hands in a ta-da motion towards their childhood friend.
The color drained from Eli’s face as if he were looking at a ghost.
Okay, not the reaction I was expecting.
“Mackenzie,” he whispered almost reverently.
Deanna could barely hear him over the crowd.
Mackenzie’s spine straightened, and her chin jutted out. “Eli.”
The air between them was thick with tension, and her cousin’s warning came back to her.
“So, if you love him, don’t let your pride or fear, or whatever, mess it up. Because, I promise you, you will live the rest of your life regretting it.”
Was this who he’d been talking about? No. She and Kenzie had been “summer best friends” for years. In all the years she’d lived next door to her cousins, Mackenzie had never said anything about Eli; Deanna would’ve known.
Right?
Turning back towards Deanna, Kenzie gave her another quick hug. “Make sure I get your number after the fight so we can keep in touch.”
“I will,” Deanna agreed, and then her friend was gone.
When she was out of view, Deanna’s head swiveled back towards Eli. The expression on his face reminded of her of how she felt when she’d gone on the Big Dipper roller coaster after eating cotton candy, two hot dogs, and a large soda. She was afraid he was going to lose his lunch.
“Are you ok—”
“I’m fine.”
Before she could press the issue, the lights flashed and the bell rang. The fight was starting. At first, Lucky and his opponent hopped around and walked in a circle while facing each other. They both threw a few punches, but none of them landed. Deanna was starting to think that maybe seeing Lucky fight wasn’t going to be as bad as she had thought when, suddenly, both men were on the mat and it looked like Lucky was going to break Moyer’s arm. From that point on, everything happened so fast that it was a blur.
She kept having to close her eyes. She couldn’t see the man she loved getting hurt. Not that she was sure who was doing the hurting and who was getting hurt. They were both on the mat and legs and arms were everywhere. After the first round, Alder got in front of Lucky and shouted things she couldn’t hear.
The crowd was screaming through the entire thing. She must’ve breathed at some point, because she was still alive in the third round when the ref blew his whistle and stopped the match.
Cheering boomed all around her, and she opened her eyes and found the ref holding Lucky’s arm up in the air.
“He won!?” she yelled to Charlie, who was screaming beside her.
“He won! Our boy won!” He enthused as his hands pumped in the air.
Deanna jumped up and down, clapping and cheering. She was happy and so proud of him for winning, but also, she was happy that the fight was over and he looked like he was in one piece.
A cut over his eye was bleeding down his face, but he was smiling and running and jumping around the ring as he held the belt over his head.
Never in her life had she thought she would fall in love with an athlete, much less a fighter. But she had. She might not like what he did, but he’d been there for her and supported her, so she owed him the same. Even if she ended up with ulcers, she would support him.
Several camera crews climbed into the octagon and microphones were shoved in Lucky’s face. He looked around them in her direction and called her name.
She froze. Why was he calling her name?
“He wants you to go up there,” Charlie encouraged her.
“No.” She shook her head emphatically.
There were cameras and so many people there; that ring was the last place she wanted to be. Not that she had a choice even if she’d wanted one; her feet felt like they had been dipped in cement.
Lucky started moving through the reporters, still calling her name.
“Go!” Eli gave her a small push, and then Alder was in front of her, pulling her arm.
Her face went numb and her legs were wet noodles as Alder led her into the cage.
There were lights and people and the room was spinning until Lucky locked his arm around her waist and tugged her towards him. The minute she was in his arm, her world tilted right back on its axis.
“I want to take this moment to thank my team…” Lucky began.
Deanna tried to listen, but her ears were ringing. She heard Jerry’s, Alder’s and Jessie’s names, and then she heard him say that he was retiring. Her head spun up at him and the rest of the arena disappeared.
Questions flew at him left and right, but he ignored them all as he stared into Deanna’s eyes.
“You’re retiring?” she asked in a voice so small she wasn’t even sure he could hear it.
He’d mentioned that he had thought about it a few times, but he hadn’t said anything specific. It had always seemed more abstract.
He nodded as a huge smile spread across his face.
She was just about to ask him why he hadn’t said anything, when he dropped down on one knee.
A
s she gasped, her hand flew over her mouth. They hadn’t talked about getting married since the day she’d woken up in the hospital. The question that had been a theme in their relationship—popped out of her mouth.
“What are you doing?”
The crowd quieted as he began speaking.
“Deanna Bishop, I love you. I have since the first time I laid eyes on you and tore out the magazine ad you were in.”
Laughter rose in the building and Deanna blushed, her cheeks red hot.
“I knew you were the one before I even knew your name. But then, when fate, in the form of a dog named Lucky, brought us together”—there was another chuckle in the crowd, and Deanna’s eyes filled with tears—“I fell even more in love with you. And every day since then, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper.
“I can’t promise you that things will always be perfect. But if you give me one day at time for the rest of your life, I can promise that I will always take care of you, protect you, get rid of any headache you ever have, and make sure you see stars forever.” Lucky winked, and Deanna’s cheeks flamed with even more heat.
No one else knew what that meant, but she did.
“My mom used to tell me that, when I fell in love, it would be hard and it would be fast and that, when I did, no other woman would exist for me. And she was right. You’re it for me. The only woman I’ve ever loved and the only one I ever will love.”
Lucky motioned to Alder, who handed him a ring. Tears poured down her face as he held the ring up.
“Deanna Bishop, will you make me the happiest, luckiest man in the world and be my wife? Will you marry me?”
“Yes!” Her entire body shook as Lucky stood and pulled her into his arms. “Yes, yes, yes!” she repeated as he spun her around.
She barely noticed the flashes going off all around them. When she was in Lucky’s arms, it was just the two of them. The rest of the world disappeared.
His lips brushed against his ear as he spoke. “I love you, Pop-Tart.”
“I love you, too!” And she planned on showing him just how much, one day at a time, for the rest of her life.
The End
Hope Falls
We will be returning to Hope Falls
Spring 2017
with Eli and Mackenzie’s story
in
Wild Heart (A Hope Falls Novel, #13)
Other Titles by Melanie Shawn
THE HOPE FALLS SERIES
Sweet Reunion
#1
Sweet Harmonies
#2
Sweet Victory
#3
Home Sweet Home
#4
One Sweet Day
Novella #4.5
Snow Angel
#5
Snow Days
#6
Snowed In
#7
Let It Snow
#8
Perfect Kiss
#9
THE CROSSROADS SERIES
My First
Book 1
My Last
Book 2
My Only
Book 3
My Everything
Book 4
Tempting Love
Book 5
Crazy Love
Book 6
Actually Love
Book 7
Fairytale Love
Book 8
My Love
Book 8.5 (Novella)
About the Author
Melanie Shawn is the writing team of sister duo Melanie and Shawna. Originally from Northern California, they both migrated south and now call So Cal their home.
Growing up, Melanie constantly had her head in a book and was always working on short stories, manuscripts, plays and poetry. After graduating magna cum laude from Pepperdine University, she went on to teach grades 2nd through 8th for five years. She now spends her days writing and taking care of her furry baby, a Lhasa Apso named Hercules. In her free time, her favorite activity is to curl up on the couch with that stubborn, funny mutt and binge-watch cable TV shows on DVD (preferably of at least eight seasons in length – a girl’s gotta have her standards!).
Shawna always loved romance in any form – movie, song or literary. If it was a love story with a happy ending, Shawna was all about it! She proudly acknowledges that she is a romanceaholic. Her days are jam-packed with writing, being a wife, mom aka referee of two teens, and indulging in her second passion (dance!) as a Zumba instructor. In the little free time she has, she joins Melanie in marathon-watching DVDs of their favorite TV programs.
They have joined forces to create a world where True Love and Happily Ever After always has a Sexy Twist!
You can keep up with all the latest Melanie Shawn news, including new releases and contests, at:
melanieshawn.com
and
facebook.com/melanieshawnbooks
Lucky Kiss Page 27
