Risky Play

by Van Dyken, Rachel

  Matt: Are you sure you don’t just want me and Slade to take care of this?

  I grinned down at the phone, heart still a little bit broken, exhausted, but ready to fight.

  I would never have fought for Alton.

  And even though I was petrified of the power Slade held over me, I decided I would not be powerless again.

  I wouldn’t be the girl who would marry just because it made business sense. That girl was gone.

  I wasn’t going to sit back.

  Old Mackenzie would have smiled through her teeth while people hurled insults.

  But Slade had changed that.

  And I loved him for it.

  I loved the Slade that jumped off that cliff with me.

  And I loved the Slade that joked with me—that used his anger as a shield and his grief as a weapon.

  I loved every part of him.

  I loved him more than I loved me.

  Me: Tomorrow evening. Don’t tell Slade.

  Matt: If you guys could please stop telling me not to tell what you’re all doing, that would be fantastic. It’s hard to keep everything straight. For the record, Alton is the one that outed everyone. He had the password to your old iPad so he could see your emails and texts. Alton got ahold of Britney after stalking Slade online and seeing her picture. They both wanted money—and she wanted Slade back. The plan was to use you as the fall guy and make it look like you were the reason for everything that happened back in Europe. I’m sorry.

  I gulped.

  Me: And what did Slade say?

  Matt: Oh sorry, Slade’s in prison with Jagger right now—they went after Alton, more details on that soon!

  Me: WHAT?

  Matt: Don’t worry, they’ll get roughed up, I’m sure, but they’re fine! Are you sure you really want to do this?

  Me: Yes.

  Matt: Alright . . . I trust you.

  Me: And Slade? What about his trust?

  Matt: He let his fear speak for him. I would extend a bit of grace to the guy.

  I smiled down at my phone.

  Me: I’ll be set up at seven p.m. We’ll have wine for the press.

  Matt: Oh good, drunk paparazzi. Great idea. Bring a Taser!

  Chapter Fifty-One

  MACKENZIE

  I didn’t sleep.

  Slade didn’t text.

  I tried not to be heartbroken.

  I ignored everything and everyone and powered through my day, and when my dad approached me with arms wide—that was when I almost lost it.

  I held on by a thread.

  And by the time I made it to the press conference, I was a giant ball of nerves and stress.

  Matt waved me over to the stage. He’d been talking to my dad for what felt like hours as the press made their way in, enjoying free wine and appetizers.

  I slid my hands down my white skirt and adjusted the collar to my black blouse. The idea was to go for classy, not home wrecker, not the sort of girl that would just sleep with a soccer star in order to make a name for herself outside of her father’s business. I was my own woman. I had no reason to go after him, no reason to take what wasn’t mine.

  I reminded myself that it didn’t matter. I had money and my family’s backing. I hadn’t needed to expose him or anyone, and Britney was the one to blame for all of this—well, she and Alton, may he rot in whatever hole he was hiding in. On top of it all, they needed to know that I never knew Slade. I wasn’t the one who came between them. I was the one who hopefully saved him—just like he saved me.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like to start,” Matt said into the microphone. I wiped my hands on my skirt again and exhaled slowly.

  I felt the sting of tears.

  And hated it.

  Hated that the one man I wanted to see.

  Hadn’t so much as texted me.

  Had broken all contact with me.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, opened them, then slowly made my way to the front of the room. I hated the public eye. Hated it. They had thrown me to the wolves after my failed wedding.

  I wanted vengeance against Alton.

  For myself. For our reputations.

  But now that I had Slade? If I even had him?

  I wanted peace more.

  I wanted to prove to him that I wasn’t going to walk away, that even if he did, I’d fight for him, for us.

  “Hi, everyone,” I said into the microphone. “It’s safe to say you probably all know who I am by now.”

  The audience chuckled.

  “I met Slade Rodriguez—”

  “On a plane,” came a loud voice from the back of the room.

  My eyes roamed the strange faces until they fell to his.

  The one I loved most.

  He stood, and beside him was a beautiful woman with silver hair and kind eyes I recognized from family photos, who patted him on the hand and winked at me—his mom.

  He was wearing a three-piece suit, and his golden eyes were locked on me with such warmth I almost burst into tears.

  “Yeah,” I said, voice shaky. “A plane.”

  He made his way up to the stage. He stood next to me and held my hand. He squeezed it tight, and he leaned in and kissed my cheek in front of everyone, like he was claiming me.

  And then he whispered just so I could hear, “Partners jump together.”

  I hugged him.

  I couldn’t help myself.

  He held me so tight it was hard to breathe. “I love you.”

  “I know.” He chuckled.

  “No, I really, really love you. I think I fell in love with you the minute we jumped.”

  “Really?” He grinned. “Because I fell in love with you the minute you lectured me on wine.”

  The crowd laughed.

  I pulled away from him and heat bloomed across my cheeks.

  “As you were saying, Mack . . .” He winked.

  I smiled so bright, on cloud nine as I explained. “The plane lost an engine. I was terrified I was going to die. I may have shaken Slade awake. I honestly had no idea who he was, just that he was nice to look at.”

  “Gee, thanks.” He laughed, making me feel warm all over, it was so easy for him, wasn’t it? And yet, I realized at his side, it felt easy for me too.

  Everyone in the crowd was grinning so wide it was almost comical.

  “I asked him one thing . . .” I whispered.

  Slade tucked my hair behind my ear. “She asked me what I would do differently, just one thing.”

  “And then I kissed him.”

  “I kissed her back.” He smiled. “And for the first time since my ex-fiancée cheated on me—I felt something other than anger.”

  “And I felt something other than fear,” I added.

  Slade turned to the cameras. “We spent the day together. Those memories are some of the best of my life, only to be topped when Mack came back to the States. I was a complete ass to her after my father’s death, blaming her presence for the reason I didn’t answer his phone call . . . and she just . . . supported me.”

  A tear slid down my cheek, then another.

  He continued. “She fought back, she told me what a jackass I was, she let me feel my pain, and she fed me . . .” Everyone burst out laughing. “I’m serious! She fed me casseroles, brought me coffee. She took care of my dog, but really, she was helping me heal bit by bit, until I finally pulled my head out of my ass and realized that this woman, this beautiful, talented, amazing woman was right in front of me . . . all I had to do was reach out.” He cupped my chin. “She was the partner my father always promised I’d find.”

  “And Slade was the adventure I always wanted,” I said with a shaky breath.

  He didn’t turn away from me. “There’s been a lot said about me, about Mack—but this is our truth. I love her. I love her so much that I would quit soccer if she asked, I’d walk away from my life’s greatest joy. Because without her, there is no joy. Because somehow I was lucky enough to get her, and she fulfills me in ways soccer
never will. She’s everything.”

  I wiped the tears from my cheeks.

  “Mack . . .” He knelt down on one knee. “Marry me.”

  “What!” I exploded.

  “Marry me.” He smiled so bright, then dug into his pocket and pulled out a five-karat solitaire that looked like it had its own zip code. “Marry me in Mexico, let me take you back to the vacation we should have had together—marry me on our cliff. Be by my side . . . and forgive me for ever doubting your love and trust.”

  It was too soon. Logic told me this. My own stupid rationale told me this.

  But it felt right.

  I’d known Alton my whole life. And it had been wrong.

  I’d known Slade for weeks—and it was so right my heart came alive in my chest.

  “YES!” I shouted as he jumped into the air and twirled me around, kissing me soundly in front of all the cameras as they snapped our picture.

  Matt whistled from his spot in the room.

  And right next to him. Holding Alfie.

  Was Jagger.

  With a smile on his face.

  Epilogue

  MACKENZIE

  Waves crashed against the rocky cliff. The salty warm breeze wrapped itself around me and then strong arms were pulling me back against an even stronger chest. Slade’s mouth pressed kisses down my neck. “Was it everything you wanted?”

  I smiled and let out a satisfied sigh. “Well, the groom didn’t bail and I only cried happy tears, so what do you think?”

  “Sorry that Alfie went the wrong way down the aisle.”

  I burst out laughing.

  “And”—his voice cracked with amusement—“sorry that Jagger felt the need to stand up in the middle of the ceremony just because he wanted to freak you out.”

  I laughed even harder and turned in his arms. “I’ve never seen you look so angry.”

  “Bastard’s still upset about shaving some of his hair.”

  I shrugged. “It just makes him look more mysterious.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “Second thoughts?”

  “Nope.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “In fact, my only thought right now is how in the heck I managed to jump off this cliff in the first place without freaking out.”

  “I’d like to point out I was the one swearing and freaking out.” Slade pulled away then shrugged out of his white linen shirt. “Ready?”

  I bit down on my lower lip. “Is this a bad idea?”

  “Now you ask?” He grinned, his golden eyes heating every inch of my body as that grin spread over his face like I was the most perfect thing he’d ever seen. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but weren’t you the one that said, ‘Hey, Slade, you know what would be great? An epic wedding picture of us jumping off that cliff.’ To which I replied, ‘Never again, no.’ To which Matt said, ‘Just think of the publicity.’”

  “I was wrong.” Matt came up behind us and peered over the cliff. “A man can admit when he’s wrong. This wasn’t a smart decision. In fact, I think we should all go back to the hotel and drink.”

  “Scared?” Jagger joined us, already shirtless with nothing on but his linen pants and bare feet. “Think of it as an adventure, Matty.” He slapped him on the back. “Plus, nobody likes a guy that colors inside the lines. Live a little.”

  “Oh, I live a lot,” Matt grumbled. “At least when I’m not babysitting.” He grinned at both of them, then gave them a pointed stare for good measure just to make sure they understood who he meant.

  “Ready?” I asked Slade in a nervous voice.

  He interlaced his fingers through mine and then kissed the back of my hand. “Name one thing you would have done differently.”

  “One thing,” I repeated with a grin.

  “Just one.”

  “I already did it—I kissed you.” I leaned up on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his lips. “And then I jumped.”

  “And then we jumped,” he corrected as we both leaped off the cliff amidst screaming, followed by our friends.

  When the cold water hit me all I heard was swearing from Matt and Jagger, but all I saw was my husband’s face as he pulled me close and wrapped his arms around me and whispered, “I’ve never been so thankful for engine failure in my entire life.”

  Acknowledgments

  First off, I have to thank God.

  Oh man, this book was one of those books for me, one of those books that I wanted to be epic and romantic and just a wonderful joyride for my readers, and I remember just staring at the cursor going, Where is this going? What’s the story? I had the first part of Puerto Vallarta written, but then I realized I can’t just make this about soccer, I have to make this more . . . and the story was born. The minute Slade’s father dies and we get into his head I saw that this guy needs help, he needs to heal, but I don’t want Mack to be weak and put aside her needs for his. She has to be her own woman. You see, here’s a secret: female characters can be really challenging to write because they can come out as damsels or whiny or just plain irritating, and that’s such a misrepresentation of all the strong women I’ve been blessed to know in my life. But how do you create a strong female character without making her come across almost too harsh? It’s such a difficult balance! I truly feel like Mackenzie is the perfect female representation of what to do when life gives you lemons. I look up to her so much, and it was such an honor to write her story. Thank you so much for joining me on their journey, guys! And thank goodness for answered prayers!

  Thank you to my husband and son for all the time they let me have with my computer while I agonized over this story. To my family for their constant support. To the best publisher around—Amazon Publishing knows how to treat their authors. I always feel like I’m part of the family, and I love writing for you guys! Melody and Maria, thank you so much for your support with this project. And to the marketing and merchandising team, thank you for helping me name this book, hah-hah! It was a struggle, I know! It took a village for this one, didn’t it?

  To Erica, the best agent in the world (no, seriously, she really is), thank you for supporting me, thank you for all of your encouragement.

  To Nina, Becca, Jill, Angie, and the rest of my admins, you guys are a big part of making it so that I can write. I’m so thankful to have such an incredible team behind me. You do all the things I can’t do, and I would be lost without you guys! Social Butterfly PR, thank you for another successful launch and for taking me on when I was desperate! Nina, you are more than my publicist. Thank you for always being available to me.

  To the bloggers and readers, it never gets old. I’m so thankful for you guys, for the shares, the reviews, the comments. Thank you for caring and thank you for always being so supportive. I truly believe this community is one of the best around, and I’m so thankful to be a part of it. To my Rockin’ Readers, I kind of feel like we’re our own mafia now, hah-hah. Blood in, no out, RRR family ;)

  Readers, if you want to connect with me, join the happiest group on Facebook: Rachel’s New Rockin’ Readers. We’re big but we’re a family, and we really care about each other. Everyone is welcome!

  Thank you for reading!

  Until next time.

  HUGS, RVD

  About the Author

  Photo © 2014 Lauren Watson Perry, Perrywinkle Photography

  Rachel Van Dyken is a Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and #1 New York Times bestselling author known for regency romances, contemporary romances, and her love of coffee and Swedish Fish. Rachel’s also recently inked a deal for her Wingmen Inc. series—The Matchmaker’s Playbook and The Matchmaker’s Replacement—to be made into movies.

  A fan of The Bachelor and the Seattle Seahawks (not necessarily in that order), Rachel lives in Idaho with her husband, a super cute toddler son who keeps her on her toes, and two boxers. Make sure you check out her site, www.RachelVanDykenauthor.com, and follow her on Twitter (@RachVD).

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