I was never going to be lonely again.
“Kate, step on it!” Lizzy thumped me on the shoulder. “I’d like to get to the field before it gets dark!”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s the middle of the afternoon,” I said. “We’ll be fine.”
Lizzy and Connor were snuggled in the backseat of my car together, making me feel a bit like a chauffeur, and at my latest remark, they both collapsed in a fit of giggles.
It had been a good year. My show was off to a great start, and Jay had been able to spend a lot of time on his charity, Helping Hands. He got it started after the crash at Manchester Airport, and it had done a lot to rehabilitate his public image. I was so proud of him—occasionally, an old photo would pop up in the tabloids, but that’s all it was.
History.
Nothing but history.
Now, he was a changed man, and I knew for certain that a person didn’t need to have a perfect past to have a perfect future. He was living proof of that, and thankfully, we didn’t even have to worry about the tabloids dragging up old stories very often. His ex-girlfriend Hannah had been fired from her job after it was discovered that she’d been plagiarizing work from other journalists, and since then, we hadn’t heard a peep from her. For a while I’d worried about her coming back into the picture, but nowadays she was the farthest thing from my mind.
When we got to the stadium, we were taken up towards the VIP Lounge, and Lizzy and Connor ran ahead of me, skipping and jumping like a couple of kids. I grinned. I loved seeing my younger sister happy, and with a man who treated her so well. When I’d been her age, dating had been a nightmare. I’d been a nervous wreck and New York guys had treated me like crap—including Josh.
Speaking of Josh, the last I’d heard of him was that he’d had to move back to his hometown after Keeping Current With Kate was canceled, because he couldn’t find another job in the NYC TV industry, and just like with Hannah, we hadn’t heard a peep from him since.
Hmm…maybe someone needed to set those two up on a blind date. They really deserved each other.
To my surprise, Jay was waiting for me in the VIP lounge at the stadium. He was wearing his home colors, and when he saw me, a grin broke out over his face. “You look amazing,” he said as he pulled me close and gave me a kiss. “The most stunning WAG here, by a long shot.”
I smiled and rolled my eyes in a good-natured manner. Despite whatever Jay told me, I was never going to feel as glamorous as some of the other women who were involved with football players. “You’re full of it,” I told him, playfully poking him in the chest as he pulled me close.
“No matter,” Jay said with a grin. “You’re mine, and that’s what counts.”
He leaned down and gave me another brief kiss, but not so brief that I didn’t feel a bolt of lust coursing through my body.
“Come on, knock it off with the mushy stuff!” Connor clapped Jay on the shoulder, and Jay gave me a smile then turned away and embraced his friend.
Ever since Connor had checked into Promising Light, his relationship with Jay had been much better. They were back to living like brothers, and I couldn’t have been happier about it. Even though Connor and Lizzy stayed over all the time, I loved having them around. Lizzy had her own flat, a few blocks away, but she was still obsessed with football, and if there was even the slightest chance that one of Jay’s mates was going to drop by, she was over in a flash.
“Kate, come here,” Lizzy said. She grabbed my wrist and tugged me over to the bar. “I want to talk to you.” She looked at me, her green eyes flickering around nervously. “I think Connor is going to ask me to marry him soon.”
I smiled and raised my eyebrows. “Really?”
“Yes.”
“Well, that’s great. But don’t you think you’re a tad young for that?”
Lizzy rolled her eyes. “Come on, you’re like, two years older than me! I’m not too young!”
I laughed. “Lizzy, you’re five years younger than I am!”
Lizzy raised her eyebrows. “But I’m responsible for your current happiness. After all, I introduced you to Jay,” she said. “Don’t you think you owe me a little more credit?”
I laughed drily. “Fine, I’ll give you that one. But remember, whether you get married or not, you’re only twenty-two,” I replied. “Enjoy it.”
“Yeah, soon I’ll be old and married and boring,” Lizzy retorted. She stuck her tongue out. “Oh, look, the game is starting!”
Grabbing my arm, she dragged me over to the viewing area. We were so far up in the air that Jay and his mates looked like little specks, but I could always tell which one was my husband. I grinned again. I loved seeing him on the field; I loved seeing him do what he did best.