Epilogue
EPILOGUE
Preston
Five months later…
“ H i, Preston. You are Preston Lawrence, right?” a woman calls out to me as soon as I exit my SUV with my duffle bag hefted over my shoulder. It’s not just any woman, but a gorgeous blonde. “Could I pretty please have just one moment of your time?” she adds with a wink and a smile.
“Just one moment? That’s all you want?” I ask as I approach the fence surrounding the player’s parking lot.
“I know what you’re thinking,” she replies. “But I’m not a puck bunny.”
“No? That’s too bad.”
Biting her lip to keep from laughing, she says, “Right well, I just wanted a selfie, or an ussie, since I would like for you to be in the photo with me.”
“No.”
“No? You won’t take pity on a lonely woman?”
“Hmm. I don’t know.” I drop my eyes to her snug, blue and yellow striped tee. “You a Bobcats’ fan?”
“Of course. I could show you my lucky Bobcats’ panties to prove it.” She hooks her thumb in her jeans to tug them down enough to show me the blue string.
“Hell yes. Let her through right now,” I order the security guard manning the gatehouse.
I drop my duffle on the ground while he unlocks the gate to let her slip through, and then she’s jumping into my arms. Our mouths meet, then our tongues as I back her into the fence to let her feel how hard I got just from seeing her lucky panties.
“Are you excited for your first home game in a new arena?” Elle asks against my lips when we both have to come up for air.
“More excited about using my teeth to pull off your little panties tonight when I get home.”
She laughs and swats playfully at my chest, so I lower her feet to the ground again.
When I moved into my new apartment in Greensboro in late June, one in Christian’s building, Elle refused to move in with me. But by the end of July, she was staying over every night, neither of us willing to sleep apart. By the end of August, Elle finally caved and made it official.
“You look very dashing in that new suit, Mr. Grumpy Hockey Player.”
“Thanks,” I say, while straightening the front of it. “My girlfriend helped me pick it out.”
“Aww. You’re taken. That’s too bad.”
“That’s right, cupcake. All I can offer you is a picture before I have to get my ass inside.” While Elle pulls out her phone from her jeans, I tell her, “I’ll have someone bring you one of my jerseys before the puck drop. I can’t believe it has taken this long to slap my name on one.”
“Can’t wait to wear it,” she replies, holding up her phone to try to capture us both as I slip my arm around her waist, pulling her closer to my side.
“Do I need to stoop down a little?” I ask, since it’s just my head showing up on the screen.
Giggling, she says, “Just a little bit.” I hunch down and she says, “A little more.”
“Let me try, since my arm is longer.”
Taking the phone from her hand, I quickly swipe to the right to press the video option and hit the red button.
“A little lower,” she says, not noticing that it’s recording us now.
I drop to one knee and ask, “How’s that?”
“Perfect! Smile…no, wait, it’s on video mode.”
“Then I really hope you say yes,” I reply while retrieving the ring from inside my suit pocket. I had been planning to wait until after the game tonight, but I can’t wait a second longer. Proposing in the exact spot where we first met is even better than doing it in a fancy Italian restaurant where we had our first official date or in the middle of a crowded arena with everyone watching.
“Yes?” Elle repeats, but it’s a question, not an answer.
She finally glances away from the phone and at me, down on one knee, holding the black velvet jewelry box. I pry it open with my thumb to reveal the diamond ring inside while keeping the phone recording us. Who knows, maybe one day we can show this moment to our kids or grandkids.
Her palm slaps over her mouth as if she just figured out what’s happening.
“Elle Townsend, the first time I saw you, I couldn’t believe anyone would be foolish enough to ever let you go or to break your heart. But I’m glad he did. It gave me a chance to get to meet you right here in this very parking lot. And now that you’re mine, I don’t know how I lived in this world for so long without you by my side. So, will you try to overlook my grumpy ways, my past and future mistakes, and all my flaws, and believe that no matter how badly I screw things up, I’ll always love you more than anything? Will you please be my wife?”
“Yes!” Elle exclaims as a tear races down her cheek. Ignoring the ring box, she throws her arms around my neck, sealing her answer with a branding kiss. I lower the phone and box gently to the ground to free up my hands, so I can finally pull her into my arms.
The kids and grandkids have seen enough.
The End