Protecting the Boundary (LA Wolves #8)

Chapter 38

THIRTY-EIGHT

The next day, I’m hanging out with Kaylee playing with her stuffed animals when Romel walks into her room with Larissa behind him.

“Hey, Mrs. Brooks.”

“How many times do I need to remind you to call me Larissa?” she scolds with a smile.

I return it with one of my own. “Sorry. Larissa,” I correct. Then I glance between her and Romel, who’s also smiling but looking a little shy at the same time. “What’s up?”

“I’m taking my grandbaby for a sleepover at Grammy and Papa’s house.”

“Yay!” Kaylee cheers. “I gotta get my shoes,” she says and then she’s off running into her closet for her shoes. I furrow my brow at Romel because normally he tells me if I’m going to be off duty.

“I was hoping you’d accompany me to a sports gala tonight.”

I dart a glance at Larissa whose smile has grown even wider—and she actually looks proud of Romel. “Um, like a date?”

A sports gala would likely have press around, which would mean everyone would know about us .

He reaches out a hand to help me up and I take it. “Exactly like a date,” he says, his voice low and his eyes promising all kinds of naughty things later.

I swallow. “Okay.”

“Great. Then you’ll want to head back to your room…there’s something waiting for you there.”

Now I’m intrigued.

I walk out of the room with a quick hug and goodbye to Larissa and Kaylee and then dash to the guesthouse. When I walk into my bedroom, there’s a large white box on my bed with a smaller shoe box next to it. On top of the large box is a black envelope, and inside that is a cream card with gold painted edges and Romel’s neat scrawl.

I hope you like the dress. I can’t wait to walk into that room with you as my date. When you’re ready, come back over to the main house. We need to leave by seven. See you soon, gorgeous.

I set the card down on the bed and lift open the box, sucking in a sharp breath at the beautiful red satin gown. I quickly strip out of my clothes to try it on. The material is soft between my fingers as I slide it over my body. It hugs my breasts and has a sweetheart neckline that accentuates my cleavage. Fortunately, I have the perfect bra for this dress or else I’d be terrified about my nips poking through the thin and delicate fabric.

It hugs my torso with an almost corset-like style and then flows loosely from my waist, with a long slit on the left side that comes up almost to my hip. I’ll definitely need to be careful how I sit, stand, or move so I don’t accidentally flash someone. It adds a sexy element to an otherwise fairly conservative dress.

Looking in the mirror, I get an idea for how I want to do my hair and makeup. With a giddiness I haven’t felt since our conversation got cut short the other night, I carefully take off the dress and get in the shower. I have a lot of work to do to make my vision come to life.

A few hours later, I walk into the main house to find Romel in a tailored black tux that makes my mouth water. I’ve never met a man who was just as drop-dead sexy in sweats as he is in jeans or a freaking tux. Dressed up like this, he looks like he could be a stand-in for the actor Michael B. Jordan, but taller and with more muscles.

His eyes get darker as his gaze turns heated the longer he takes me in.

I do a small twirl, not bothering to hold the slit closed at my thigh because he’s already seen all the goods. “Is this what you had in mind when you picked out this dress?”

He rubs his hand over his mouth, his gaze hungry, then says, “You are better than any dream I’ve ever had.”

Emotion clogs my throat as my heart soars and butterflies take off in my stomach. “Thank you…for the compliment, and the dress. It’s gorgeous,” I add, looking down at my dress.

“Yes, you are.”

I meet his gaze, my heart racing. He blinks and shakes his head like he’s shaking himself out of a daze.

He grabs a box off the counter and then clears his throat as he approaches me. “I got you something else too. Something to complement your natural beauty.”

I arch a brow at him in question and then he opens the box and my smile falls as I stare in awe at the most beautiful diamond necklace I’ve ever seen. There’s a large diamond in the center, with smaller diamonds on each side that get smaller until they reach the clasp at the back.

“Is this real? ”

He laughs. “Yeah, it’s real.” Then, “Do you like it?” He sounds nervous.

I look at him like he’s insane. “No. I don’t like it; I love it, Romel. This is stunning.”

He takes it out of the box and sets the box back on the counter. “May I?” he asks, gesturing to my neck.

I nod and then spin around, grateful I wore my hair up, so the necklace will stand out even more. This is the kind of jewelry you wear for it to be seen, not hidden.

He clasps it at the back of my neck, and a shiver races across my shoulders as he places a tender kiss right behind my ear when he’s done. I spin back around to face him and don’t miss the catch in his breath.

“That necklace has nothing on you, Meredith. I don’t know how I got so lucky.”

Now I’m the one who has to catch my breath. I feel like I’m living in a fairy tale, except I desperately hope my carriage doesn’t turn into a pumpkin at midnight.

He holds out his elbow to me, his smile back on his face and that small dimple making my stomach swish again. “Ready to go?”

I wrap my hand around the crook of his elbow and nod. “Ready.”

Romel failed to mention that this was not just a football gala, but a huge network TV sports gala. There are Dodgers players here.

“Are you fangirling?” he asks with a grin.

“No,” I say, but it sounds breathy even to my ears, and then one of the best players in Dodgers history walks by and I nearly trip and fall against Romel.

He actually has the audacity to laugh at me, the jerk.

“You weren’t even this tongue-tied when you met the guys,” he says.

“Yeah, but you guys are football players. Football is my dad’s favorite sport, not mine.”

“So let me get this straight. You would’ve lost your mind when you first met me if I was a baseball player?”

“Oh, totally.”

“Alright, then I’m definitely keeping you away from all the baseball guys tonight—and in the future.”

I give him a sly smile. “Worried one might steal me away?”

He grabs my hand, spinning me into his arms. “Oh, absolutely, and I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”

My smile falls as my heart rate speeds up. Staring into his deep brown eyes, it’s easy to lose myself inside them, and I hope he’s right that he’ll never let me go because there’s nowhere else I want to be than in his arms for the rest of my life.

We walk to the table and I see the other members of the Fierce Four. Next to each one is a beautiful woman—their wives I’m guessing based on the looks of pure devotion in the guys’ eyes. Romel does the introductions.

“Everyone, this is Meredith Gable. Meredith, you’ve met Dom. This is his wife, Alayna, then Ty and his wife, Lexi, and then you’ve already met Gabe and Danae.”

I smile and offer a wave. “It’s nice to officially meet you all.”

I take a seat next to Danae and spend the rest of the night getting to know the Fierce Four wives and seeing Romel in his element. He’s charismatic, but modest, and as the dinner winds down, a presenter gets up to announce the winner of the award they’re giving out tonight for best sportsmanship.

“Without further ado, let’s welcome up here Romel Watson from the LA Wolves! ”

My jaw drops as I stare at Romel in shock. Did he know he was getting an award tonight?

Based on the bashful smile he gives me, I’d say he had a good idea.

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me,” I whisper as he stands.

And then he shocks me further by leaning over and placing a kiss on my lips. Camera flashes go off all around the room, and some hoots and hollers from other tables, and then Romel stands tall and walks up to the stage while I remain stunned speechless in my chair. I can’t believe he just did that.

He accepts his award with the grace and humility I’ve come to expect from him, and then the rest of the night is spent with people coming over to our table to talk to him. It’s fascinating to watch him interact with all these other super famous athletes like all of this is normal.

What on earth have I gotten myself into?

On the drive home, I ask him, “Do you get awards like this regularly?” This award seemed like a big deal based on how everyone else reacted, but Romel doesn’t seem all that fazed by it.

“No. I’ve gotten a few in my career, mostly MVP awards, or some accolades as part of the Fierce Four, but nothing like this.”

“You just made it seem like it’s no big deal.”

“It’s cool that my peers think I’m a good sportsman on the field. That’s what I’d like to be known for—as a good guy and a strong player. But at the end of the day, it’s a trophy that won’t mean much when I’m eighty. My legacy is Kaylee and how I raise her.” He pauses and then says, “And any future kids I have.”

My head spins so fast to face him, I almost get a crick in my neck. He must catch the movement from his periphery because he glances over at me, his expression serious.

I don’t say anything because I don’t know what to say to that kind of declaration. Hope floods me that maybe he will be able to make room for me the way I want him to if he’s thinking about a future where there are more kids.

“Can I tell you something? Something I haven’t told anyone yet?” he asks quietly.

“Of course.”

“I’m planning to retire at the end of the season.”

I rotate in my seat so I can better face him. Well, at least as much as my seat belt will allow. “Seriously?”

I can’t imagine the LA Wolves without Romel, without the Fierce Four as we know them.

He nods. “I want to be home with Kaylee. I want to figure out what my life looks like after football. And…I’m hoping we could figure that out together.”

“You and Kaylee?” I ask as he waves at the gate guard and drives through the gate to his house.

“No. You and me.”