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The Game Changer(98)

By:J. Sterling


“Oh sure, sure. Congrats! And let us know what we can do. We’ll pay for anything you need and handle anything you kids want.”

I hesitated before realizing that he’d never follow through on those offers. Cassie was right about how easy it was to get sucked in by his charisma and enthusiasm.

“Jack? Tell me you asked him what I think you asked him!”

I laughed into the phone. “I did.”

She squealed with delight. “When are you asking her?”

“I’m not sure, so please don’t say anything to her if you two talk.”

“I won’t say a word. We’ll wait for her to call us with the big news!”

I exhaled with relief. “Great, thanks. I’ll talk to you later, OK?”

“Alright, Jack. And hey.” She paused before continuing in a hushed tone. “Thank you for calling. I know you didn’t have to, but it was nice that you did.”

I smiled to myself, finally convinced that I’d actually done the right thing for once.




Nerves rarely raced through my body, but they were having a field day as I waited to pop the question. I loved this girl more than anything in the world and we’d been through a lot.

I longed to make this girl my wife, and I hated sitting here at dinner, waiting to ask. Why couldn’t I just ask her now, while her mouth was filled with pasta? Should I get down on one knee? I wondered if she sensed what was coming. I’d never cooked dinner for her before and here I just went all Gourmet Chef on her ass.

What if she says no?

She won’t say no.

Fuck.

She’d better not say no.




Cassie

After dinner, Jack carried all the dishes into the kitchen and loaded them into the washer. He refused to let me help at all. I stared out the window at the skyline. I really did love living in New York.

Suddenly, Jack was kneeling next to my chair. As he placed my hand in his and started speaking, my heart began to race. “I don’t know any other couple who has been to hell and back more than the two of us. I feel like everything we’ve been through has only made us stronger. We’ve had to learn to work together. To be a team. To support each other and stand by each other.”

I started to shake. Nervous energy consumed me, and I could barely hear half the words he said. My brain started to spin, and I couldn’t concentrate on anything other than the fact that Jack was kneeling next to me.




Jack

Her eyes glazed over, and knowing Cass the way I do, I wasn’t sure she could even hear me anymore, but I kept talking. “I promise to stand by you, to hold you up when you’re about to fall, and to always keep you safe. I never believed there was a girl out there for me. Until I met you. You changed everything. And I never want to live without you. I love you more than I ever thought possible.”

I closed my eyes before taking a deep breath. All my confidence wavered in this moment as I realized Cassie held my future in the palm of her hands.

“Kitten. Be my wife. Marry me.” I opened the black velvet Tiffany’s ring box.




Cassie

Seeing the diamond inside caused me to gasp. It sparkled and danced in the light. The center diamond was huge and was surrounded by smaller diamonds. It looked too pretty to touch.

“Kitten?” Jack’s voice cut through my sparkle coma as I realized I hadn’t answered him yet.

My gaze moved to meet his. “Yes. Of course I’ll marry you. Who the hell else would I marry?” I smiled, still not reaching for the gorgeous ring.

He grinned and his dimples appeared as he reached inside the box and pulled out the ring. I held out my left hand, and he pushed that gorgeous piece of jewelry into place. My eyes were transfixed on the diamonds lighting up my finger. “It’s huge,” I said breathlessly.

“You don’t like it? We can take it back.”

I pulled my hand away from his, clutching it against my chest. “No way. It’s amazing.”

“We’re going to be very happy.”

“I already am.”





Epilogue


SIXTEEN MONTHS LATER, JANUARY 12

Jack

I stood at the end of a makeshift aisle in Gran and Gramps’s lush backyard. It had been transformed into a light-filled wonderland. Every tree, bush, and branch was covered with tiny bright white lights. I waited underneath the large tree where lanterns flickering with candlelight hung from the branches. Oversized Mason jars were lined up in two rows, forming the aisle, and each jar was filled with a few inches of quarters to hold up the white candle burning inside. I glanced at the few round tables decorated all in white and smiled. My eyes grazed past my old teammates from Fullton State, Melissa’s parents, Cassie’s parents, Gran, Nora, and, finally, Matteo and Trina, who started dating pretty soon after Trina and Kyle broke up. I found myself smiling at our group of friends and family filling the small space, excited to share our intimate moment with us.