Epilogue
NICOLE
Guy climbs down the ladder, and I put a hand on his waist when his feet touch the floor. “Do you call this watching?”
“I—”
I don’t let him finish. “No way. I agreed to let you come help me set up my room because you said you were just going to sit in a chair and supervise. You climbing up and down a ladder is not supervising.”
He pulls me into his arms, but I avoid his kiss. “Oh no, you’re not going to kiss me and get your way.”
“I need a kiss,” he whispers as he kisses my neck.
I stop struggling and lean into his hold. “Guy, you’re recovering so well. I don’t want you to fall and have a setback.”
It’s been three weeks since San Antonio. The swelling around his eye is almost completely gone, and he’s been cleared to start practicing again, but that doesn’t mean he needs to be hanging decorations from my kindergarten classroom ceiling.
He nods. “Fine. I’ll sit here and watch, but if there’s any more climbing involved, we wait until one of my brothers can come help.”
I shrug. “Fine.”
He kisses my cheek before moving toward the tiny chair beside my desk.
I laugh and point between him and chair. “You’re not going to fit in that.”
He looks down at it. “You don’t have any normal-sized chairs?”
I pop my shoulders. “This is kindergarten.”
He lowers himself carefully into the chair and immediately looks ridiculous. I swear it groans under his weight. How can I resist taking a picture? I pull out my phone, and he glares at me. “Don’t even think about it, Foxx.”
I snap the picture anyway and then laugh at the results. He looks ridiculous.
My classroom is almost finished. I have name cards on the little tables, the shelves are full of books, and all my bulletin boards are done. I couldn’t have done this without Guy’s help.
In less than a week, this class will be filled with students, and I’m so excited I can’t stand it.
My phone dings in my purse, and I don’t even have to look to know what it is. I set an alarm so Guy wouldn’t be late for his conference today.
I turn off the alarm and look around my finished room. “Guy.”
He’s already looking at me. “I know. It’s time to go.” He stands up and walks toward me. “I want you to come with me.”
I tense. “Why? You can just drop me off at the house on the way.”
He laughs. “I can do that. But I’d rather you come with me.”
I grab my purse. I know that look in his eye, and I know what he’s planning to do today.
We’ve been photographed together several times since San Antonio, but neither one of us has officially confirmed anything.
We’ve talked about it at length, and I’m finally ready for the world to know I’m Guy Brody’s girlfriend. “Okay, let’s go.”
He wraps me up in a hug and then practically carries me to the truck. We drive to the stadium together, and he pulls into the player parking lot. He gets out and walks around to my side of the truck.
As he helps me out, I ask him, “Are you sure about this?”
He smiles widely. “Oh, I’m absolutely sure.”
I nod. “If you get up there and decide not to do it, no pressure.”
He laughs. “Oh, I’m doing it. Are you kidding me? By this afternoon, everyone is going to know you’re taken.”
We get to the media room, and I stand in the back with my dad and some of the other players. Guy kisses me and takes his seat in the front of the room next to the team manager.
There are cameras everywhere, but they are all focused on Guy.
For the first few minutes, all the questions are about baseball and his injury and when he will be returning.
He answers all of them with ease, telling them he’s doing well and was released to play this morning so he’ll be in the lineup Friday night.
Then someone asks the question I knew was coming. “Guy, there’s been a lot of speculation about the woman you’ve been seen with lately. Do you have any comment on that?”
Guy leans toward the microphone, and his smile is big. “Yeah. Her name is Nicole Foxx, and she’s my girlfriend.”
Every reporter in the room starts talking at once.
My face goes hot, and my dad puts an arm around me for support. He knows I hate to be the center of attention.
Guy holds up his hand. “And before anyone asks, yes, Grant knows I’m dating his daughter.”
Dad mutters beside me, “Unfortunately.”
I laugh, and then someone shouts out, “Is it serious?”
Guy doesn’t even hesitate. “Yes.”
When someone asks “How serious?” Guy just smiles and says, “Next question.”
Everyone laughs.
I cover my mouth, but there’s no hiding my smile. As soon as the press conference is over, Guy comes straight to me. A few people point their cameras at us, but I don’t care. “You okay?” he asks me.
I nod. “I’m good.” I put my arms around his neck. “Can we get out of here now?”
He kisses me briefly. We say goodbye to my dad and walk hand in hand out the door.
Hours later, we’re at his house in Whiskey Run.
We’re on the couch, and Guy is lying beside me. He runs his hand across my thigh. “You should move in.”
I look from the television toward him. I pick up the remote and silence the TV. “What did you just say?”
“I want you to move in.”
My heart starts to race. “Wait. Are you asking me to move in with you?”
He shrugs and takes a deep breath. “No.”
I sit up and shake my head. “I’m confused. You don’t want me to move in with you?”
He lifts my legs off his lap and then moves to the floor next to me. “I don’t want you to move in with me.”
My eyebrows lift. “Okay…”
He takes a breath and almost looks nervous. “I want you to be my wife.”
Everything inside me goes still. “What?”
“I want you to marry me.”
My mouth drops open, and I just stare at him.
He cups my face. “I know what you’re thinking.”
I tilt my head. “What am I thinking?”
He brushes his finger across my cheek. “You’re thinking this is too fast. You think that we haven’t known each other a long time, and well, I’m sure you’re overthinking it, but even with all that, you love me.”
He’s right about that. I nod. “I do love you.”
He grips my shoulder. “Is that yes?”
I nod. “Yes.”
Hie mouth drops open. “Yes? Yes you’ll marry me?”
He pulls out a small box, and I whisper, “Oh my God.”
He goes to one knee, and my hands go to my mouth. “Let me do this the right way. Nicole, the night I met you, I knew my life would never be the same. My life is better with you in it. Will you please do me the honor of being my wife?”
He opens the box, and the ring is beautiful. Tears start to roll down my cheeks. I cup his face and kiss him, and when I pull back, I nod. “I already said yes.”
I slide off the couch onto my knees in front of him, and he slides the ring onto my finger. I look at the ring and then back at him. “You know, when I met you, I was trying to have a one-night stand.”
He chuckles. “Yeah, you messed that up.”
I laugh. “I guess I did, but I think what I got is even better.”
Guy pulls me back into his arms, and I smile against his chest, happier than I’ve ever been.