Epilogue
T he confetti raining down on the field makes it impossible to find anyone in the crowd. People somehow find me to congratulate me on the Firebirds’ Super Bowl win. Yeah, I’m stoked about winning, but there’s something more important on my mind at the moment.
“Brent.”
Niko grabs me in a hug and slaps my back, and a part of my anxiety eases. Not because it’s him I’ve been searching for. It’s the ring he’s been holding on to for me while I played. He slips it into my hand under the guise of a handshake, keeping it hidden between our clasped hands.
He grins at me. “Good luck, my friend,” he says before moving on to congratulate another Firebirds player.
I grip the velvet ring box and look around. And then I see her. My Josie. Everything around me fades. With our gazes locked, we make our way to each other. I vaguely hear people calling my name and slapping my shoulder in congratulations, but I have no time for that.
I’m laser-focused on one goal. Just like when I have the ball in my hands and I’m going for the end zone, nothing else matters.
When I reach Joey, she throws her arms around me. I lift her off her feet, kissing her hard. Instead of shying away due to all the cameras around us, she returns the kiss briefly before breaking it to say, “Congratulations, babe! Oh my God, I’m so proud of you!” She presses a kiss on my mouth before wriggling against me to get down.
I let her stand on her feet, but don’t let go. I cup her face, my thumb automatically going to her dimpled chin to caress it while I speak.
“Josie, baby. I never dreamed I’d fall in love, or be loved by someone as perfect as you, or that I’d want to spend the rest of my life with anyone. Winning Super Bowls is fucking amazing, but nothing would make me happier…”
I reluctantly let her go, my heart thudding at what I’m about to do. I drop to one knee in front of her, ignoring everyone around us. Her eyes go wide, and her hands cover her mouth that’s popped open in shock.
“Nothing in the world would mean more to me than for you to be my wife.” I open the box to reveal the ring I bought weeks ago. “Marry me, baby.”
The only sound in our immediate vicinity is the clicking of cameras as everyone waits for Joey’s answer. A part of me feels like an asshole for putting her on the spot. She hates publicity and being the center of attention, but I’m banking on the fact she loves me too much to say no when the world is watching.
Whatever it takes to finally make her mine.
I can’t tell if she’s taking a nerve-racking long time to answer or if time has slowed to a crawl. The clicks of a multitude of cameras sound like the ticking of a hundred out-of-sync clocks.
Joey takes her hands away and takes out a folded piece of paper from the back pocket of her pants, unfolds it, and waves it in front of me. “Yes, I’ll marry you!”
I briefly catch the words Marriage License Application on the paper before she’s kneeling in front of me and throwing herself into my arms. I snap the ring box shut, holding onto it as I brace myself so we don’t topple over. Her hands cover my cheeks a second before her mouth meets mine. I kiss her back, my arms holding her tight as we ignore the chaos surrounding us.
A roar sounds throughout the stadium. We break the kiss and stand. Her face flushes when she looks over my shoulder and notices all the cameras pointing at us. I hug her close so she can hide her face against my shoulder. Beyond the crowd encircling us, people are pointing. I follow their direction and catch the end of my proposal being played on the Jumbotron. The image switches to a live shot of me and Joey. I grin and wave, and the crowd goes wild.
While Joey clings to me, I take the ring out of the box. “Give me your hand, baby. Let’s make this official.”
She holds out her shaking left hand, and I slide the ring onto her finger. When our gazes meet, her eyes are shining with tears and all the love I never thought I wanted or needed.
“I love you,” we whisper to each other before our mouths meet again, the stadium erupting with more cheers.