Chapter Twelve
Austin
"Goddamn," I mumble, coming to a dead stop in the hall outside the locker room when I see Serena standing there in my jersey, waiting for me. "A motherfucker could get used to this."
She hears me. Her eyes light up, her lips curving in a smile so bright it knocks the breath out of me. I prowl across the hall toward her, not stopping until she's in my arms, pressed up against my chest where she belongs.
"Congratulations."
I bury my face in her hair, breathing her in. "Thank you, baby."
For long moments, I just hold her, letting traffic stream down the hall around us. My teammates catcall and tease, but I ignore them. I ignore everything but the woman in my arms, thanking God she's here.
I spent most of last night going out of my mind, questioning if leaving her alone to get her head on straight was the right choice or not.
Fucking worried out of my mind that giving her that space would have the opposite impact, and she'd decide to bolt instead.
I don't think I slept at all. I couldn't. When something matters this much, sleep isn't a priority.
Seeing her standing in the weight-room today was the answer to every prayer I've ever had.
Hell, she's the answer to every prayer I've ever had.
I never even saw her coming—a streak of red tackling me in the goddamn hallway at Stu's.
But I'd kill to keep her now that she's here. Now that she's mine.
"I love you," she whispers.
My whole system lights up, every nerve ending firing at once.
I tip her head back, kissing her so thoroughly she tries to climb my body right there in the hall with my asshole teammates cheering. I don't fucking care. Let them.
I keep kissing her until neither of us can breathe, and then I reluctantly let her up. Her lips are swollen, her cheeks flushed. She's so goddamn beautiful.
"You ready to hit the after party?" I murmur, tucking strands of hair behind her ear.
Her teeth sink into her bottom lip. "Actually…I had something else in mind."
"If it's you in my bed, the answer is yes."
She rolls her eyes, a smile dancing at her lips. "Get your mind out of the gutter, quarterback. It's not that."
"Then your plan is bullshit."
"Whatever. You'll love it." She turns on her heel, marching down the hall.
For a minute, I just stand there, watching the way her ass sways in her jeans. It's a damn shame they're going to have to go because they fit her like a glove.
"Move your ass, quarterback!" she shouts over her shoulder.
"Are you sure you don't mind?" she asks two hours later, peeking up at me with her bottom lip caught between her teeth. "We can go to the party if you'd prefer. I just thought—"
"This is perfect," I say, cutting her off before she can second-guess herself. I hoist an entire store's worth of shopping bags in my hands, discreetly checking my pocket to make sure her ring is there. "I'd rather celebrate with them tonight than anyone."
Serena beams at me.
We stroll through the park hand in hand all the way to the far side. I move a branch aside, letting her lead the way. She's already got it memorized. She doesn't miss a single step or falter as we troop through the woods until the tents come into sight.
Dawson's seated beside the fire, fiddling with his guitar.
"Yo!" I call out to let him know we're here.
He looks up, grinning as soon as he sees us coming toward them, bags in hand. "Look what the cat dragged in," he says, hauling himself to his feet. He meets us halfway, taking Serena's bags from her.
"Thanks, Dawson." She grins at him, and my heart squeezes in a vise.
Christ, she's perfect in every damn way someone can be perfect.
There isn't a single other woman I know who would rather spend the night out here, passing out necessities in a campsite made from the scraps they've collected from every questionable spot in the city than at a party full of free booze and food.
"Didn't you just win a game?" Dawson asks me as we pile the bags onto a table. I spot his radio sitting on the edge and realize he must have been listening to the game. "Why the fuck are you out here?"
"She wanted to come." I nod at Serena, grinning. "She likes you guys better than fancy parties."
"Of course she does," Lucinda says, emerging from her tent. "We're damn good company."
Dawson looks at Serena, but she just smiles, blushing. "Um, I hope you don't mind," she says softly, her gaze shifting to Julie, who is standing beside her tent, and then to Anthony, dozing on the far side of the fire. "Fancy parties aren't really my thing."
"You're welcome here anytime," Julie says. Mark and Olivia nod their agreement.
Serena beams gratefully, her gaze drifting to Julie's foot. "How's your foot?"
"Better." Julie lifts it, moving her ankle back and forth to demonstrate. "The clinic got me all fixed up."
"Awesome," Serena whispers. "We brought dinner. And dessert. And some other stuff."
"Some other stuff?" Dawson lifts a brow, poking through the bags. "Looks like you brought the whole goddamn store."
Serena shrugs sheepishly, shooting me a mischievous look. "Blame Austin. He let me have his credit card."
"That's not how I recall it happening," I say dryly. "I seem to recall you playing grab ass with one hand while stealing my wallet with the other."
"Yeah, but you didn't steal it back so…" She shrugs, smirking at me.
I just lift her hand to my lips, brushing my lips across the back of her knuckles. When I lift my gaze, everyone is grinning at us.
"Come see what we brought," I murmur. "Julie, there's a new coat in there for you."
Julie's eyes light up.
Serena and I step back as everyone descends on the table, pulling items out of bags, chattering back and forth, teasing and laughing.
"You were right," I murmur, wrapping my arm around Serena's waist to pull her close. "This beats another goddamn party any day."
She grins up at me, resting her head on my shoulder as Dawson carries a new pair of shoes across the campsite to Anthony, gently shaking him awake.
He takes the shoes, blinking at Dawson and then at the shoes like he's trying to process what's happening.
I don't miss the way his eyes go watery, and he clutches them to his chest.
My throat grows tight.
"You're incredible, you know that?" I ask, tipping Serena's chin up to meet her gaze. "Once you're in charge at the soup kitchen, you're going to change a lot of lives for the better, princess."
"No," she whispers, shaking her head. "We are."
I dip my head, kissing her softly. "Yeah? You going to do it as my wife?"
"I mean…you basically already told the whole world that I'm marrying you, Austin," she says against my lips. "You're unhinged like that."
"No, I'm desperate like that." I slip my hand into my pocket, pulling out her ring box. "But I don't care what the rest of the world thinks, baby. I care what you think. So, are you going to change lives as my wife?"
I open the velvet box between us, the simple princess cut diamond a devastating spark of brightness in the dusk.
I never pictured proposing surrounded by tents, the smell of woodsmoke, and a handful of people I've come to care about deeply, but I can't imagine it any other way. This is perfect for us.
When you strip away the media and all the bullshit, this is who we are. This is what matters. I don't need parties. Neither does she. The only thing I need is her, right here, right now, for the rest of my life.
She freezes, her lips parted, her eyes wide and watery. For once, she's completely speechless.
Lucinda lets out a whoop that echoes off the trees.
Julie gasps, her hands flying to her mouth.
Even Anthony sits up, blinking at the ring like maybe he's dreaming.
I love that they're witnessing this part of our story, when we were right here with them the night that I realized I'd fallen in love with her.
"What do you say, baby?" I ask, my voice rough. "You going to make an honest man out of me now that you've had my cock all over the internet?"
Serena laughs, a wild, beautiful sound that quickly turns into a sob. She nods silently, unable to form words.
"Fuck," I breathe, my heart in a vise. This is everything. Every goddamn thing.
Her hand trembles as I slide the ring onto her finger, and then pull her into my arms, kissing her so hard the rest of the world falls away.
The only thing left is her body trembling against mine, the taste of her tears on my lips, and the absolute certainty that this right here is precisely where I belong.
"I can't believe you asked me to marry you," she whispers hours later, her head on my chest as sweat dries on her skin.
"I can't believe you said yes."
Her head comes up, her gaze flicking to mine. "You thought I'd say no?"
"Before you showed up at the stadium, I wasn't sure if you'd ever be ready to take this step," I admit softly. "But I bought the ring right after you met my parents, anyway. I knew before then that you were the one, but at dinner that night? I knew I wasn't going to rest until you agreed."
An endless well of guilt washes through her expression. "I cried all night last night," she whispers. "I was afraid I'd never see you again."
"Baby," I groan, pulling her close. "That wasn't ever going to happen.
I didn't leave last night because I was leaving you.
I left to give you space to deal with your feelings.
I've been in your space, in your face, refusing to let up for weeks.
I wanted you to have one night to really process how you felt without me distracting you.
I think you needed that more than anything last night. "
"I did," she whispers softly. "I, um, I called my mom this morning."
"Yeah?" I stroke the back of my hand down her cheek. "How did that go?"
"Okay, I think. I kind of unloaded on her, told her everything I probably should have said a long time ago." She chuckles ruefully. "She handled it well, better than I expected, honestly."