The miracle groom, p.15
The Miracle Groom, page 15
She lifted her arms slightly. “I’m right here.”
“No.” He picked up her hand and tapped the phone. “You’re right here.”
Cedar smiled softly. “I’m sorry. The permit came through right before the interview, and I have thirty people that need the green light. This is exciting.” She put her arms around his middle.
“What about the interview?”
She shrugged. “I liked her.”
“What about her husband?” Teo asked, testing. It was a dirty, rotten thing to do, but he was pretty sure Cedar wasn’t paying attention, and he wanted her informed opinion.
“He sounded nice,” she hedged.
Teo gritted his teeth. “He’s dead.”
Cedar chewed her bottom lip. “I must have missed that.”
“You’re missing everything lately.”
Cedar nodded. “I know it’s crazy right now, but things are going to get better. I can do this.” Her arms tightened around him.
There were no such promises from Amy, and yet Teo had a hard time believing she meant what she said. How could she promise that? She had no frame of reference, no idea how busy a season was for him. He didn’t necessarily need or want a woman at home, barefoot and pregnant and at his beck and call. He liked Cedar’s drive, the fact that she didn’t need him but wanted him in her life. At least, he’d thought she wanted him. He wasn’t so sure of that anymore. And he couldn’t go into the season with all these questions.
People implied that his less than stellar performance at the end of last season was because of Amy’s health. They’d never come right out and said it was a surprise that she’d died, and the media assumed she’d struggled with blood clots for a while. He let people believe what they wanted, too wrapped up in learning how to be a father to care what was said. This season was supposed to be different. He owed it to his team, the fans, and himself and Akoni to be settled before football took over their lives.
Teo shook his head. “I can’t do this again, Cedar.”
“Do what?”
“I can’t be pushed aside or put on a shelf. I don’t want to be second-string to your job.”
Cedar lifted both eyebrows. “Says the man about to give his life over to football.”
“What does that mean?”
Cedar dropped her arms and stepped away. “Nothing. Never mind.”
Teo dodged around her. “Tell me.”
She pressed her lips flat. “From the get-go, this whole arrangement was about you and what you needed. You need a nanny; you need to meet with Elijah; you need to shoot a commercial; you need to play football. You. You. You. What did you think I’d do? Drop my life and pick up yours?”
That wasn’t at all accurate. He’d been there for her. “I—”
Cedar folded her arms over her chest. “I didn’t mean all that. I’m stressed and I shouldn’t take it out on you.”
Teo plowed ahead. “I thought we gelled. I fell for you, Cedar.”
“I fell for you, too.” Cedar’s body lost some of the edge, but when he reached for her, she leaned away. “There’s more here to consider than just a few kisses. Are we—either of us—in a place to make a commitment?”
Teo’s hands went cold. His heart soon followed. “If you have to ask the question, then the answer is no.”
Her mouth opened and closed. “I guess … I’ll … go?” Her eyebrows came together as if she was trying to figure out what she’d just said. She wandered around the living room, picking up her purse and laptop and the sweater thing she’d folded over the chair a couple weeks ago. He’d left it there, liked seeing something that belonged to her when she wasn’t there.
She stopped in the middle of the room and did a slow circle. With a sudden burst of energy, she ran to Akoni in the ball pit and pressed a kiss to his forehead. Her eyes dropped shut, the lids fluttering.
Teo longed to pull her close and run his hands down her silky hair, to stop her from leaving. He wanted to blame this all on Amy, to say that she’d messed him up and he was worried and sick and needed validation because he was insecure in a relationship. He couldn’t get the words to form. He knew what he wanted out of love and marriage. If being married to Amy had taught him anything, it was what he didn’t want. And this felt very much like what he didn’t want.
The big difference was the sorrow in Cedar’s blue-green eyes. There had never been sorrow on Amy’s part. Cedar was bent over trying to carry what she felt—what he was causing.
She bolted for the door. Teo let her go, knowing the whole time that when she’d picked up her belongings, she’d also taken his heart.
Chapter 24
The hot Texas summer turned into a warm Texas fall. Cedar worked like a dog to open the Doggie Café on time. She’d planned the schedule and should have known better than to create such a tight deadline for herself, but she was working to forget Teo and decided that the less downtime she had, the better.
He was into preseason workouts now. She wondered how he was holding up under the intensely physical sessions. How much did he see Akoni? Did either of them think of her, miss her? She missed them. Sometimes, before she fell asleep, she would remember the feel of Teo’s lips against her ear, and she’d giggle at the memory of the tickle when he hummed. Those moments didn’t last long. She wouldn’t let them, or she’d end up crying into her pillow.
Opening day arrived, bringing eager dog owners into the café. Cedar spent the morning educating customers on their specialty meals for puppies and active and older dogs. Each owner had concerns about their pet’s diet. One woman stopped in to demand she open a similar café for cats. Cedar smiled and told her it was a wonderful idea and that she would see what she could do about that.
Around three, Noah and Harley walked through the door. They’d been home for a week and a half. Seeing them brought back a host of memories Cedar wasn’t ready to face about the night she’d stood up Teo. She deserved to be dumped, but that didn’t make her miss him any less.
Harley told her labradoodle, Elvis, to sit, and he did. She smiled down at him as if he was the smartest animal on the planet. “Cedar, this place is wonderful. I love the colors and the clean lines.” She hugged Cedar. “You’re a miracle worker to get this up and running so fast.”
Cedar stepped back and dropped her gaze. There was that word: miracle. She couldn’t hear it without thinking of Teo. He saw miracles in everyday moments. Her heart gave a squeeze. “Hey, you two. How’s Elvis?” She reached her hand out for the dog to sniff before patting his head. With a dog around, there was always something to talk about. Elvis leaned into her, lapping up the attention.
Noah reached over the dog to give Cedar a hug. “You look like you could use a break.”
“Noah!” Harley shoved him aside. “Hush! You look beautiful, Cedar.” She threw an I-can’t-believe-you-said-that glare over her shoulder.
Cedar chuckled. “Noah has seen me after a muddy tug-of-war, covered in briars, covered in horse hair, and covered in pie after I lost a pie-eating contest to his little sister. If he says I look like I need a break, then I must look horrible, and he was being kind.” She brushed her fingers over her messy bun. “I haven’t been sleeping well since—” She cut off, not wanting to burst into tears in the middle of her business on opening day.
Harley gave her a sympathetic look. “Since you and Teo broke up?”
“Yeah,” she admitted, her throat scratchy. She worked to swallow down the emotions that swelled up inside.
Harley patted her arm. She was being so nice and so understanding that Cedar couldn’t keep the confession inside. “I should be thrilled today.” She waved her hand half-heartedly, indicating the stained concrete flooring, the counter where several dogs ate their specialty meals, and the wall of dog toys and accessories. One woman was putting headbands on her pug and taking selfies with her. She had several headbands in a basket by her feet and was adding to her pile of purchases. The Doggie Café was a success. “But all I can think about is that he’s not here.” She pressed her fingers over her lips to stop the quivering.
Noah nodded. “Do you want me to shoot you?”
Cedar dropped her hand and her jaw. “Excuse me?”
Harley puffed out air and rolled her eyes.
Noah lifted his chest. “It worked for me. I took a bullet to the shoulder and woke up with Harley in my bed.”
“Your hospital bed.” Harley punched his shoulder. “And you’re not allowed to do that ever again.”
Cedar widened her eyes. “That sounds like an interesting story.”
The bell above the door rang and four older men in golf pants and polo shirts filed in, leading four dogs of varying breeds. Cedar looked back and forth between Harley and Noah and her customers. She held up a finger. “Can I hit the pause button?”
Harley laughed easily. “We’ll look around for a while. I’ll call you so we can get together in a couple weeks.”
“Thanks. I’ll see you two later.” She went to talk to the men, who were clustered together and looking nervous.
Noah touched her elbow to hold her back. “Since I can’t shoot you …” His eyes danced with laughter. From what she remembered of him, Noah was rarely serious unless it came to protecting his family or police work. “I’ll just tell you that guys like women who go after what they want. Even if that means she has to apologize.”
Cedar scowled. “You’re assuming I did something wrong.” She had but he didn’t know that.
Noah lifted one side of his mouth in a lopsided smile. “If you didn’t, you’d be sleeping a lot better.” He held up both palms. “Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“I wouldn’t dare.” She moved out of his reach. “Not that I’m afraid of you. Your wife, on the other hand …”
Noah grinned. “I tell her all the time that she’s terrifyingly gorgeous.”
Cedar shook her head as she crossed the short distance to her newest customers. Noah and his siblings were the closest thing she had to cousins. Working for the Baker family at camp Buckeye was like being adopted. She hadn’t realized how much the camp had influenced her for the good in her formative teenage years. She glanced over her shoulder to see Harley and Noah discussing the display of organic dog-food samples. From where Cedar stood, Harley had it all. She had the money. She had the business. She had the man of her dreams. And she looked happy. Not fake-happy, but the real kind of happy that was in her eyes and her soul.
Noah was right: she needed to make things better between her and Teo. The opening of the Doggie Café should have been a triumph; instead, it was a revelation. There were times when she was dating Teo that she’d been alone, but she never felt lonely. Every day without him was empty and echoed with what could have been.
She’d been so worried about striking out on her own that she had isolated herself from the man she loved. All the success in the world couldn’t touch her heart the way Teo had, let alone fill it.
She needed to find him. She needed to find them.
A happy life wasn’t about balance. Balance was a cruel joke. There was no such thing as balance. There were priorities, and hers had gotten out of alignment. That’s why she couldn’t eat. That’s why she couldn’t sleep. That’s why her heart ached.
Cedar squared her shoulders and welcomed the four golfers to her store. Her smile wasn’t forced. Her conversation flowed easily. Funny, all this time she’d been trying to shove Teo out of her head when she should have been welcoming him into her heart. As she stood there, listening to the men brag about their breeds, her heart warmed.
That’s the miracle. She smiled. Love is the true miracle.
Teo had that figured out, and it was about time she caught up.
Hopefully, he’d give her a chance to prove that miracles happen—even to her.
Chapter 25
Teo ran down the tunnel, the sound of cleats on concrete bouncing off the walls. He took off his helmet, and his head was immediately scrubbed by the quarterback. “Great game!” the Zeus boomed, grinning so wide he could have been on a toothpaste commercial.
“Long live Zeus!” Teo thundered back.
Zeus laughed and bounced around the locker, running high on their win. Winning the first game of the season was a great way to start. He could only imagine what the announcers were talking about in the booth. This was the year of the Titans.
Teo entered the locker room. He wanted to celebrate with his team. On the outside, he was all smiles. On the inside, he was an empty shell. Breaking up with Cedar was supposed to make things better—to remove her as a distraction from the game.
It didn’t work. Cedar had lit up his and Akoni’s world. She made small things special. That was a gift he had taken for granted. He’d driven past the Doggie Café on opening day, thinking he would drop in and say hello. Without a dog, it was pretty obvious he would be there to see her, and he wasn’t ready to put himself that far out there. He imagined walking in and seeing her happy and content and realizing she didn’t need him the way he needed her. And then he drove away.
Yeah—he’d chickened out. If any of the guys on the team knew, they’d razz him for weeks. He’d lost his shot. That was all there was to it, and he had to suck it up and live with his issues.
The party atmosphere prevailed as guys changed clothes, gave interviews, and met their ladies to head home. Teo kept his head down and stayed out of the camera lights. He pushed through the doors to the back hallway, which led to the players’ parking lot. This area of the building was off-limits to press and much quieter.
A large poster board had been taped to the floor. He stopped to read it, curious.
Lost: 1 Boyfriend
A total STUD
If found, please return to parking lot.
He chuckled. Some poor guy was going to get teased about this one.
Teo took two steps, hesitated, and then went back to read it again. Stud? Hmmm. He’d joked with Cedar about calling him that in front of the team. He squinted. She wouldn’t … would she?
He hurried around the corner, where a trail of posters lined the way to the exit. Each one said something different.
I gave my heart to a football player
This one gave him pause. He wanted to believe Cedar loved him as much as he loved her, that she missed him.
We all make mistakes. Falling in love with a football player isn’t one of mine.
They’d both made mistakes. But he could learn from his and she could learn from hers and they’d be okay. They’d be better than okay. If this was really Cedar. If not, he was getting his hopes way too high.
You have no idea how fast my heart beats when I see you.
Maybe not, but he had a pretty good guess. The idea that Cedar was waiting outside the door, which was only one poster away, made his heart pound so furiously he was sure it shook the roof on the stadium.
Wanted: A great kisser
Please apply in person.
He laughed out loud, then looked around to make sure none of the other guys had heard him. This one had Cedar written all over it. He shoved his way out the door at a run and scanned the parking lot. There was a group of guys bunched around his SUV, so he made his way that direction. From a few feet away, he could hear Cedar’s laughter. “Sorry, I’m pretty sure the position has been filled.”
“Hey, you can’t advertise for a great kisser and not expect me to show up,” said Seth Dallas.
Like a bull in the arena, Teo saw red. He pushed his way through the group of about six second-string linemen and planted himself in front of Cedar, glaring at the applicants. “Like she said, the position’s been filled.”
“Teo? No way.” Seth guffawed. “This is your lady?”
Cedar’s delicate hands came around his middle and she poked her head out from behind him to address the group. “I’m most definitely his lady.” Though she spoke with a note of authority on the subject, she looked up at Teo with a question in her eyes.
Teo twisted around, wrapped his arms around her, and lifted her up so she was within kissing distance. Cedar’s look flipped from uncertain to ecstatic. Teo’s heart gave a giant leap as she kissed his cheek once, then again.
The guys grumbled and made their way to their own vehicles. All the while, Teo drank in the feel of Cedar in his arms, against his body, and so close he could smell her sweet pineapple scent.
“I’m so sorry, Teo. I should have been smarter.”
He kissed her forehead. “You are the smartest person I know.”
“Ha!” She kissed his cheek again. “If I was smart, I never would have left.”
“If I was smart, I never would have sent you away.”
“Sounds like we deserve one another.”
Teo chuckled. “I would very much like to give that a try.”
She drew circles on his chest, right below his collarbone, right where his pulse thundered. “Love is the miracle,” she said quietly.
“What?” He set her on her feet and cupped her face in his hands. “Say that again.”
“Love is the miracle. You once told me that miracles happen all the time. I didn’t believe they would happen for me, but … I figured it out. Love, the kind I feel for you, that’s the miracle I get in this life.”
Teo brushed his thumbs over her cheeks. “That’s a pretty amazing miracle, Cedar,” he whispered as he lowered his head to kiss her. “I’m sorry for what I said. I wish I could take it back.”
Cedar’s breath caught as Teo brought her closer to him. She’d told the truth: her love for Teo was a miracle, because it had changed her whole outlook on life. “We can’t go back,” she said, “but I want to go forward with you.”
“I love you, Cedar.” The words were barely out before Teo’s lips captured hers in a long, slow, seductive kiss that filled her insides with butterflies and had her lifting on her tiptoes for more. His large arms wrapped her up, and she melted against him, grateful for his strength because his achingly perfect kiss had knocked her feet right out from under her.
