“The man she loves,” I amended. “The man she never wants to be without ever again. The man she wants to be hers, forever and ever. The man who she wants the whole world to know belongs to her, and only her.” I stood on my toes and wrapped my arms around Tate’s neck. “Mine, and only mine, always.”
Tate lifted me so that my face was level with his. “Always,” he breathed. “Only yours.”
He carried me to the dance floor just like that, heedless of the murmurs and hoots around us. When he’d found a spot for us, he let me slide down his body until my feet touched the floor, although I had a feeling I was going to feel as though I was floating for a very long time.
He took my hand in his and slid his other arm around my waist, pressing me close. We swayed gently to the rhythm of the music, but our gaze never broke.
“Gia,” Tate murmured. “I want your forever. I want to make it real and official. We don’t have to make any grand announcement or have a big blow-out like this one, but I want you to wear my ring, share my name and live with me in the house we both make our home.”
Not long ago, the idea of all of that had been terrifying to me, but just now, I couldn’t remember why. I knew that this was what I wanted, with this man who was mine.
“I might have a few conditions,” I whispered, just to tease a little. “What if I want you to take my name?”
“Done,” he replied instantly. “I’ll tell the front office to change my jersey on Monday.”
Warmth flooded me. He really meant it. This man . . .
“I was only joking. I’d never ask you to do that. I’ll be happy to be a Capri-Durham. But that’s not my only condition.”
He frowned warily. “Name them.”
“Well, it’s the townhouse. You’re talking about how many bedrooms we’ll have, and how they can be guest rooms or offices or whatever. We need six bedrooms. At least.”
“Okay . . .” Tate cocked his head, his fingers drawing tantalizing circles on my lower back and making me shiver with need. “Why six?”
I shrugged. “I want at least four babies, and I believe kids should have their own rooms, if it’s at all possible. Then there’s one guest room, and one bedroom for us. Six.”
The hugest grin I’d ever seen spread over Tate’s face, and his irresistible dimple appeared in full force. “Four babies, huh? Wow. Think I’m man enough to make that happen?”
I lifted one eyebrow. “I don’t have any doubts at all. And just thinking about the fun we’ll have making those babies is getting me a little hot and bothered.”
Tate gave a strangled groan, and I could feel his hard length against me as we danced. “I wonder how fast we could get back to the hotel?”
I sighed, resting my head against his chest. “I happen to know there’s a private spot not far away from here, if you’re up for an adventure. And if you’re willing to trust me. What do you say?”
He squeezed my hand. “I trust you with all of me, and I’m always up for an adventure. Lead the way.”
Giggling like kids who were getting away with something, Tate and I slipped out of the tent. I stopped to take off my shoes, and Tate insisted on carrying them for me, making me laugh all the more at the sight of my delicate silver sandals dangling from his large finger.
“Look.” Tate tugged on my hand, halting us for a moment. Several yards away, walking toward the ocean, Leo and Quinn were hand-in-hand. In the moonlight, I could just make out the flower in her hand.
“They’re saying good-bye to Nate,” I whispered. “Quinn told me that she and Leo had decided to do it this way, just the two of them.”
“Then let’s not bother them. Are we close to where you’re taking me? Can we sneak past without them seeing us?”
I pointed down the beach. “Just beyond this dune, there’s a staircase that leads from the street to the sand. Underneath the stairs, it’s very dark and private. I have it on good authority that it’s the perfect trysting spot. If we’re very quiet, I don’t think Leo and Quinn will even notice us, if we wait a minute until they’re closer to the surf.”
Tate wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close until I was plastered against him. “I’m a patient man.”
We stood in silence, watching our friends walk to the edge of the water.
“They’re so happy today,” I whispered. “I’m glad. They deserve every bit of it.”
“They do,” Tate agreed. “So do we. Happiness and love aren’t earned, but sometimes, we need to get past all the crap so we never forget the gift we have. So that we never take it for granted.”
He nudged my chin up until I was looking into his eyes again. He lowered his lips to mine, but just before he kissed me senseless, he murmured against my skin.
“This is the beginning of a long happily-ever-after—the one we’ll build every day, you and me. I love you, Gia.”
The ocean pounded, a salty breeze teased over our skin, and the moon was bright. All of our tomorrows lay before us, bright with the promise of love and forever . . . together.
Part One
“Hold it right there, you two. Don’t take another single step.”
The tone in Quinn’s voice wasn’t the kind of thing any person with an ounce of common sense ignored. Gia and I both froze, our eyes sliding to each other. Her fingers squeezed mine in what I assumed was supposed to be a gesture of reassurance.
“What’s up, Quinn? Is there something I can do for the lovely bride?” Gia turned a winsome smile on our friend.
“Cut the shit, Gia. I’m not stupid, you know.” Quinn’s hands were on her hips, and the skirt of her long dress swayed.
“Busted.” Leo, who was standing next to his bride, murmured the word, drawing out the last syllable.
“You.” She shook her finger at her new husband. “If you knew about what was going on and didn’t tell me . . . well, let’s just say you’re damn lucky that only this afternoon, I promised to love and cherish you forever.”
Quinn swung back around and pointed to me and then to Gia. “When did this start?”
In an effort to take the heat off Gia, I answered first. “Well, ah, I guess it started six years ago, when I met Gia in a bar down in Carolina and began to fall for her—”
“Six years ago?” Quinn’s eyes went round.
“But I was too stupid to stick around and act on our mutual attraction,” Gia interrupted. “We didn’t really see each other again until about a year and a half ago, when we found each other again and became friends.”
I lifted our joined fingers and kissed Gia’s hand. “And then we were more than friends.”
Her gaze never wavered from mine. “And then I broke his heart, because I thought I wasn’t good enough to love him.”
“But last fall, she made both of us whole again, and we went back to being friends and even more than that.” I slid one arm around Gia’s shoulders and tucked her close to me. “And now we’re building a house and planning our future. Together.”
Quinn stared at me and then at Gia, her lips twitching. Finally, she swung back to Leo. “And how much of this did you know?”
He held up his hands. “I only knew the friends and the more than friends part from the first time around. And the heart breaking.” He grimaced. “I had a close-up view of that one. But I had no idea they were back together.”
“Gia, why didn’t you tell me? Why did you keep this a secret?” Quinn tilted her head.
“I know I should have, and I’m sorry.” Gia shook her head. “Tate told me I should. I was wrong. I didn’t want to throw one more thing at you before the wedding.”
Quinn took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Is there anything else I should know?”
I wrapped my arms around my girl, pulling her against my chest and kissing the top of her head. “Just that I love her more than anyone or anything in the world, and I plan to spend the rest of my life making her as happy as I can.” I paused. “And giving her four children, apparently.”
“At least four,”
Gia corrected. “Remember, if my parents had stopped at four, I wouldn’t be here.”
“True,” I conceded. “That would be a tragedy.”
“Well, you both look like you’ve gotten a start on that tonight.” Quinn’s eyebrows rose as she looked us over. “Were you out rolling around in the sand? Hiding in the dunes?”
Gia bit her bottom lip. “I might have taken advantage of that little secret place you told me about once . . . you know, under the steps?”
Leo made a noise of outrage. “Babe, you told them about that spot?”
Quinn’s cheeks went pink. “I think it might have come out under the influence of beer.”
“Dude.” Leo wagged his head and gave me a good-natured punch in the arm, which I was sure hurt his fist more than my bicep. “Listen, if you did make a baby out there tonight, you owe me. You have to name it Leo, boy or girl. That would be only right.”
Gia closed her eyes. “No babies were made here tonight. And Leo, I love you, but no way in hell will I be naming any daughters after you.” She stepped forward and opened her arms to Quinn. “Sweetie, I really am sorry for holding out on you. It was totally my fault. When you get back from your honeymoon, we’ll go out for lunch, and I’ll tell you everything. I promise. Can you forgive me?”
Quinn tossed up her hands. “Of course. I’m thrilled for you guys—I was just surprised.” She hugged Gia. “Every detail, right?” Her eyes swept and down my body speculatively. “Because I’m thinking some of those details are pretty damn hot.”
Gia grinned. “Oh, you have no idea.”
Leo cleared his throat. “If my wife is finished making suggestive comments about one of my best friends, maybe we can get back inside? They’re waiting for us to cut the cake.” He offered Quinn his hand, and she took it, standing on her toes to kiss him as they re-entered the tent.
“Would it be small of me to do the I-told-you-so dance right now?” I whispered into Gia’s ear.
She shivered as my breath washed over her neck. “I’d say it would be unwise, if you were looking for a repeat any time soon of what we just did under the steps on the beach. I think you should just . . . kiss me and tell me how much you love me.”
Grasping her shoulders, I turned her in my arms to face me and lowered my lips to hers. “I love you madly, deeply and without end, babe. And even though I was right about telling Quinn, you’ll never hear me say a word about it.”
Then, because I really was learning about the wisdom of listening to her advice, I kissed the woman whose love made my life complete.
Hey, I might be just a football player who never claimed to be that smart, but as it happens, the same rule applies in love as it does on the field: when you make a catch, hold on tight and never let it go.
Part Two
“Hey. Look over there.” Eli nudged my arm, and I followed the direction of his gaze to the edge of the tent, where just beyond the shadows, I saw the silhouettes of Tate and Gia, their lips fused and their bodies pressed together. His arms were around her, and she stood on her toes to reach him.
I sighed, smiling. “Ah, young love. Another happy match made, despite all the bumps in the road and obstacles on the path.”
Eli picked up my hand from where it rested on the table between us, his fingers stroking mine lightly, teasing and tantalizing until I shivered. “Is that what people say about us?”
Shifting in my chair, I leaned back to rest against the solid comfort of his chest. “Maybe. Although even our closest friends don’t actually know about the real bumps in our road.” I tilted my head up to look into his eyes. “Everyone probably thinks, ‘That nice Tucker boy took on the crazy and promiscuous Zelda. What a saint he is!’”
“If they only knew the whole story,” Eli snorted. His lips touched my temple lightly, and his fingers tightened around my ribs. “Sometimes I never thought we’d get here, to where we are now. And I know that nothing is perfect. But . . . I’m happy.” He said it almost wonderingly, as if it were as much a surprise to him as it was to anyone else.
“I am, too. Happier than I ever thought I could be.” I covered his hands with mine, linking our fingers together over my middle.
“If Gia’s moving in with Tate pretty soon, I think you’ll need a roommate, won’t you?” Eli dipped his lips to brush over my ear lobe.
“Are you submitting your application?” I teased. “There’s a lengthy vetting process, you know. Lots of forms to fill out . . .”
“I was thinking,” he went on, ignoring me. “Maybe we want to find something that works for both of us. Maybe not in the city. We could think about a little house over here on the Jersey side. You work at home half the time, and the drive into Philly wouldn’t be so bad. Lots of people do it.”
I was quiet for a moment, considering all the pros and cons of moving from my beautiful high-rise apartment in a beautiful city neighborhood to a suburban house in New Jersey. The cons were many and plentiful. But one pro—Eli Tucker—outweighed them all. Before I could give voice to that thought, he spoke again.
“I don’t just want to live with you casually, though, Zelda.” His mouth found the sensitive spot on my neck and nipped it lightly. “I want to marry you. I want to make us official. Seeing Quinn and Leo tonight . . . it made me realize that I don’t want to waste another second of our lives with what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. And I want the rest of our lives to start now.”
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Are you proposing to me, Eli Tucker?”
“I am.” His voice wobbled just a little. “I guess the not being to go down on one knee makes it tough to figure out. But yes. Zelda, will you marry me?”
All around us, music swelled and conversation buzzed, but I was aware that what was happening in this moment between Eli and me was pivotal. This was a turning point in our lives. How I responded would determine our future.
I ran the tip of my tongue over my lips. “Eli, I love you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you. I can’t imagine being with any other man. Before I answer, there’s something I need to tell you . . .”
The End
If you enjoyed Tate and Gia’s story, please consider leaving a review at the vendor site where you purchased the book and/or on social media.
Each one is appreciated more than you know!
The next Keeping Score Book
Your Wildest Dreams
(Zelda and Tuck’s story) will be released in 2018.
Don’t miss the first three Keeping Score books
When We Were Us
Hanging By A Moment
Days of You and Me
When I finished writing Days of You and Me last summer, I knew a few things. One, there would be at least three more books in this world. Two, one of those books would be Tate and Gia’s story. Three, Gia’s history with Matt Lampert was deeper and darker than either Quinn or Leo realized (which was why we didn’t get more than glimpses in the first three books). Still, I didn’t know details. Those began to filter out to me over the year between that release and the time I seriously launched into the writing of Not Broken Anymore.
There are a few things that are important to touch on here. This is fiction, and I had no intention of portraying Gia and Matt’s experiences as typical or normative or as a PSA for mental health issues or for sexual assault recovery. Gia’s history is important to the story as it informs her relationship with Tate and her recovery after Matt’s suicide. It is not meant to be more than that.
An early reader was jarred by Zelda’s revelation to Gia about Matt—and I was, too. I debated a long time about whether or not that should have been omitted. However, the value of the assault in reminding Gia of Matt’s true nature and what that event will precipitate in Zelda and Tuck’s upcoming book convinced me to leave it in. The fact that Zelda doesn’t expand on what happened here or that she wondered at the time if Gia would even believe her will be further explored in Your Wildest Dreams.
<
br /> I don’t usually like to write angsty books. I didn’t realize how much depth of emotion this one would involve until I was into it. I told one friend that Gia just bled all over the place, and that was true. However, the saving grace was that if Gia’s brokenness was even deeper than I’d expected, Tate was even more wonderful and amazing than I’d known. I think he may be my new favorite leading man. I don’t think I’m alone.
This is my first new book after a short hiatus. I was blessed to have the ability and the reader support to take a few months to breathe this year, which allowed me time to spend with my family. I’m very grateful for everyone who cheered me on!
First and huge, tremendous loving thanks go to my special beta team for this book: Carla Edmonson, Kara Schilling, Dawn Line and Christy Durbin. You all made this book better than it might have been. Hugs and hearts and a big glass of wine for y’all.
Thank you to Meg Murrey for creating the super-hot cover (whew, Tate!) and to Stacey Blake of Champagne Book Design for designing the interior. Tate and Gia thank you, too!
Appreciation to my amazing Temptresses and to my supportive friends, who kept me sane during this very difficult year. You know who you are and how I adore you.
Thank you to every reader who emailed, tweeted, posted or private messaged about how much you love this world. I’m immensely grateful.
So much of this book was inspired by music. Please DO check out the play list and considering listening to the songs . . . it will give you more insight into the characters.
On that note, another big thank-you is owed to Blue October and Justin Furstenfeld, as their song Not Broken Anymore gave me Tate and Gia’s title and shaped their story. I am always moved by their music.
Be sure to come back for Zelda and Tuck’s story, planned to release some time in 2018. While their book is slightly less tearing, it’s just as deep and rich a tale of love conquering all.
Not Broken Anymore Page 28
