“How’d you know who he was?”
“Dean. I kept tabs on you, Kitten. Not in a creepy way, I swear. Just in a making-sure-I-wasn’t-going-to-lose-you-all-over-again way. See, you’ve always been able to see past the front I put up. I never thought I’d be able to find someone who would know the real me and still want to stick around. And then I saw you at that frat party and my life was never the same.”
A tear ran slowly down my cheek as he continued. “I know I don’t deserve you, but I need you.” He finished talking and wiped the tear from my cheek with his thumb, his touch reminding me how much I’ve missed it.
“I need you too. I hate feeling vulnerable and I want to pretend like I don’t, but it would be a lie,” I said with a half smile.
“Then don’t pretend. Tell me you’ll try to forgive me so we can move on from our past.”
“I already have,” I admitted, and felt the weight of trying to be strong for so long drop away from me. I felt lighter and freer than I had in a very long time.
Jack leaned his forehead against mine. “I’ll earn your trust again. I promise.”
I leaned into him, burying my head into his shoulders as I wrapped my arms around him. I smiled into his neck, and snuggled closer as I closed my eyes with happiness. Then I lifted my mouth to his ear and breathed two little words.
“Prove it.”
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Jack walked into our apartment while I cooked dinner. He’d just gotten back from an away game, and his stuff was scattered in every direction, making the living room look like a bomb had gone off. “You’re such a slob. At least throw your crap in the bedroom where it belongs,” I teased from behind the stove.
“I’ll throw you in the bedroom where you belong,” he sassed, his dimples appearing on his tanned cheeks.
He’d moved in that night when he first arrived in New York last year, refusing to leave me ever again and I didn’t object, even though his presence made my already cramped apartment even smaller. With two incomes, we were soon able to afford to move into a nicer apartment in Sutton Place, not far from Central Park on the east side of the city. My commute to work became longer, but it was worth it to live in this gorgeous place with him. Our view consisted of the Upper East Side and we spent our evenings on the balcony as often as we could.
Jack took it as a sign when they offered us a two-bedroom apartment on the twenty-third floor. “It’s my number, babe. We’ve gotta take it!” And after we toured the place, admiring its granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, and marble bathrooms, I couldn’t agree more. The fact that it had a fitness center and a pool was just an added perk. I also felt safe living here, what with the twenty-four-hour doorman and the front lobby concierge.
Jack traveled frequently with the team and I was often away on assignment for work, so the security of our apartment while we were out of town or if I was home alone gave us both much-needed peace of mind. Not to mention the fact that Jack was a Mets player now, which made him a local celebrity in New York. Fans had tried to sneak into our place on more than one occasion. We found it necessary to give our doormen extra bonuses last Christmas for their efforts.
We loved living in Manhattan, the hustle and craziness unlike anything we’d ever known in Southern California. The people were also completely different. For us, it was a welcome change of pace that suited us for now.
As I stirred the pasta, the sparkle of the diamond shining from my left hand caught my eye. I glanced down at it with a smile. The three-carat round diamond mounted on a diamond-encrusted band practically took up my entire finger, but I didn’t mind. It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen and more than I’d ever dreamed of.
We hadn’t set a date yet, what with Jack’s limited time off between the season ending and spring training, plus my assignments that seemed to pop up without warning. I didn’t mind, though. For now, it was simply enough just to be together and know where our future was headed. Especially after living through the time when I thought our relationship was dead and buried, with no chance for resuscitation. If we could get through that, we were certain we could get through anything.
“I picked up my mess. Happy?” Jack walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist, then dropped a kiss on my neck.
“Yes. Thank you.” I turned, his lips moving to mine with a passionate fire we’d yet to put out.
“I’m tired of waiting to make you Mrs. Carter.” He grabbed my left hand and kissed the top of my ring finger. “Marry me tomorrow.”