The miracle groom, p.16
The Miracle Groom, page 16
He moved to deepen the kiss, and she went positively limp in his arms. “Teo,” she gasped.
He smiled against her lips. “I like it when you say my name like that.”
She laughed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him closer. “Teo,” she whispered seductively. “I love you, too.”
He growled and kissed her with urgency. She thought she’d been swept away before, but there was a whole new connection between them.
Several cars honked and they broke apart. Cedar buried her face in Teo’s chest, embarrassed that she’d been so bold in public.
“Do you want to come over for s’mores?” Teo pumped his eyebrows.
Cedar felt her face heat up. “I’d love more.”
“Don’t you mean s’more?”
“Nope. I mean more.” She winked. “More kissing. More of this.” She ran her hands up and down his arms. “More time with you.”
He hit the button on his key fob and the doors unlocked. “More it is.”
Cedar hopped into the front seat and buckled her seat belt. They could come back for her car. Teo hurried around and got behind the wheel. He reached for the call button on the dash. “I can call and ask Mrs. Park to stay for Akoni.”
“No.” Cedar put her hand on his. “I’m dying to hold him. Please, can we all be together?”
Teo’s dimples appeared. “That sounds great.”
Cedar leaned back in her seat, her fingers lacing with Teo’s, and took a deep breath. The weight that had been dragging her down for weeks had finally lifted. Her life had taken a sharp left turn the day she met Teo, but now she knew that it was the right path for her.
Epilogue
Cedar waited in the posh restaurant in Seattle. She’d been to the Titans game that afternoon and watched as the team snapped up their third win of the season. All Teo’s talk about this being the year of the Titans was followed up by victory after victory.
She’d finally come clean with her parents, explaining about her misconception over the internship and how she’d accepted the nanny position which led to her and Teo falling in love. Her parents thought it was a great story and invited them for Thanksgiving. They had to decline—because of the Titan’s schedule—but invited them to Texas for Christmas. They said they’d look into flights. She wasn’t sure they’d make the effort to travel during the holidays. Oddly she was fine having them there … or not. She and Teo already had plans to see the zoo lights with Akoni, and Teo wanted to share several island traditions with her. Her life and heart were too full to hold a grudge if her parents didn’t show up.
Mrs. Park, Akoni’s new nanny, traveled with them to watch Akoni. She and Cedar stayed at a different hotel from the team. They didn’t want to attract too much attention with Akoni around. Keeping his child out of the press was a priority for Teo, and Cedar didn’t blame him one bit. Their romance had a round of brief publicity that made her more than a little uncomfortable. She admired the players for handling the pressure as well as they did.
Teo was so attentive, so wonderful, he swept away the green monster. His focus wasn’t on her alone—he was hyper-focused on football but when they were together, she was his one and only love.
As for Mrs. Park? Cedar adored her. She was low-drama and rolled with everything Cedar and Teo sprung on her. She was ultra-supportive of Teo and Cedar dating and would stay late so the two of them could go out to eat after a game or practice. She encouraged them to find time for just the two of them, stating that doing just that had made her marriage a happy one.
Which was how Cedar found herself alone at a table, wearing a long black gown and checking the door every twenty seconds for Teo. She tapped her phone to see if he’d sent a text, but nothing showed up. It wasn’t like him to be late. She drummed her fingers on the white linen tablecloth.
A man in a bow tie and a pressed white shirt stopped in front of her. “Miss?”
“Yes?”
“This came for you.” He handed her an envelope and a gift bag.
“Thank you.” She accepted the letter and opened it quickly.
Miracle #1
Meeting you
She opened the bag to find a Tiny Titans Football Camp T-shirt. From the size of it, it must have been Teo’s shirt. She grinned, thinking of how she’d hauled Akoni around that day and he’d calmed her nerves with his big, soulful eyes and baby hugs. She brought the shirt to her face and breathed in his cologne and laundry softener smell.
A few minutes later, the same man appeared with a tray. On the tray was a stack of marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers. Several wooden skewers poked up from a cup. In the middle of the tray was a small flame. The place card on the tray said:
Miracle #2
S’mores
People at the tables around her were starting to stare. A flame would do that. Her cheeks were turning pink from the attention, though she’d blame that on the fire if Teo teased her.
The server whipped a third card out of his pocket and brandished it to her.
Miracle #3
Love
She pressed the card to her heart and closed her eyes as tears stung. This man of hers was a wonderful man.
Someone cleared his throat, and she opened her eyes to see Teo on one knee holding out a ring. He was dressed in a black tuxedo, and his hair was still wet from a postgame shower. His eyes, so warm, so full of love and absolute devotion, were fixed on hers. “Cedar Bell, will you marry me?”
“Yes!” She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and giggled like a fool. Teo didn’t even budge when she hit him—he was such a good blocker. He did laugh and smile and kiss her cheeks and her neck and her forehead.
“Miracle number four,” he whispered right before he kissed her. The whole room cheered, and they got to their feet and waved shyly.
They settled into their seats, and the server handed them skewers loaded with marshmallows before backing away. Cedar glanced down at the table and gasped. The three cards lay in order across the tablecloth. Meeting you. S’more. Love.
Meeting you is more love.
Tears pricked her eyes, and she had to dab the moisture away with her napkin. Meeting Teo had multiplied the love in her life by ten thousand. She scooped up the cards and tucked them into her purse. She’d frame them to hang on the wall when she took his last name as a reminder that miracles happen every day, and that the love they shared was her miracle.
The End
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Read on to discover more sweet romances from
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and for a sneak peak at
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Billionaire Marriage Brokers
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The Organized Bride
The Professional Bride
The Country Bride
The Protective Groom
The Resilient Bride
The Athletic Groom
Delay of Game
The Snow Valley Series
Welcome to Snow Valley, Montana, where romance is always in season.
Blue Christmas
Love in Light and Shadow
Romancing Her Husband
Wedding Fever
One-Date Deal
Quotable Romances
Sweet twists on some of your favorite chick flicks.
It Could Happen to Us
Never Ever After
Sweet Home Atlanta
The Destination Billionaire Romance Series
Beautiful locations, handsome heroes, and romance.
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For a small town in Up-state New York, Echo Ridge has a great big heart.
The Candy Counter Heiress
The Lion, the Witch, and the Library
Marrying Miss Kringle
Ginger
Lux
Preview
Delay of Game: Dating Mr. Baseball
Elise pulled the rubber gloves off with a smacking sound. “Let that cream work its magic overnight and come see me first thing, okay?” She’d walked Rex Barns through his strengthening exercises, seen him through a round of stretching, iced his knees, massaged the ligament and muscles, and then slathered him with a highly concentrated muscle cream.
The forty-year-old catcher nodded his head. “Thanks, Elise.” He gingerly stepped down from the table and made his way out the door. The poor guy. Catching was hard on the knees. She should know; she’d been a catcher on her college softball team. The constant squatting pulled on the tendons. Rex’s long career was a rarity in the MLB. God had blessed him with exceptional joints, but even the best of genes couldn’t hold up under the constant abuse baseball heaped upon them.
The heavy menthol cream should help with the soreness. Elise smiled to herself as she cleaned up. Working on Rex was much easier than working on Blake had been. They talked about the game and his family. The more she’d thought about what happened with Blake, and she’d thought about it plenty last night, the more she berated herself for acting like a mindless fan. As her time with Rex proved, these guys were human. Not the superhumans she’d idolized as a young girl. And she wasn’t that little girl anymore—the look in Blake’s eyes had told her she was all woman.
She frowned. That sounded bad.
At least she hadn’t said it out loud this time.
She glanced at the clock, noting that Camden had slipped out for his meeting with Doc Burningham. The medical staff was in constant communication and Doc was great at making sure they knew what needed to be done to keep each player in top shape. She checked the schedule to see who was next.
Blake Rygs.
Her hands went slick and the butterflies, which had been perfectly well behaved all day, decided to throw a party. She went to the drinking fountain, thinking some cold water would quiet them down. If not, perhaps she could drown them. Blake was a flirt, nothing else. And she’d been an easy target yesterday, overwhelmed by the facility and everything.
Not today. Today she was in control.
Just as she leaned over to drink, she heard footsteps echo in the hallway. Jerking around, she swiped the water off her chin, hoping she didn’t look like she was drooling. Although, she almost drooled when Blake’s athletic frame filled the doorway blocking the air.
No, wait. She was holding her breath. Grabbing the cool fountain behind her, she wondered why his gaze left her boneless. Oh, she knew that bones didn’t actually melt, but dang!
Blake scowled and hopped on the table without saying a word. He wore baggy gym shorts today, which she could easily work around, so there was no need for a towel or draping or stripping.
Is it hot in here?
“H-hi.” She smiled even though he couldn’t see it with his face in the face rest at the top of the table. She cleared her throat. “How’s that knee treating you?”
“Fine,” came the muffled response.
“Have you noticed a difference?” she pressed. One of the reasons she enjoyed working with athletes was that they were in tune with their bodies. Even a slight adjustment was appreciated.
“Yeah.”
Apparently Blake Rygs didn’t feel like talking. His tense back and fisted hands said more than his short words. A hundred reasons for his foul mood flipped through her head. A bad batting practice. An upset coach. The fact that they had lost yet another game. A conflict with another player. She gulped. A fight with his girlfriend. Normally she’d encourage the patient to talk about their issues, because getting it out helped release tension in their body. But Blake hadn’t looked like he wanted to talk. That was fine with her—his muscles would tell her everything she needed to know, and the less he looked at her, the more she’d be able to concentrate.
Rubbing her palms together to warm them, she got to work. Placing her left hand on the back of his knee to introduce him to her touch, she then focused on his tight hamstring. Getting lost in the motion, she followed the map of Blake’s muscles, gently stretching the hamstring and surrounding tissue. He sighed, a sound of contentment that did her heart, and her pride, some good. Mr. Ornery couldn’t stay that way when she worked her magic. Moving down to his calf, she zoned in, using her fingers to find the knots and release them.
Juan Castillo swaggered in. He glanced at her once and did a double take. “Hola, dulcé.”
Blake’s calf went rigid beneath her hands. She backed off the pressure, not able to go as deep when he blocked her efforts. “Easy there, big guy,” she murmured to Blake. “Hola, Juan.” She smiled politely. “What can I help you with?”
Camden wouldn’t be back for another fifteen minutes. She planned just to do the hamstring and calf today and let Blake’s tendon rest before trying to stretch it again. She’d be done in about five minutes.
“Doc says I need an ankle wrap,” replied Juan.
“I’m almost done here. You can wait on that table.”
“You married?” asked Juan as he settled in.
“No. Are you?” Her tone was friendly, interested in an I think of you as a brother kind of way, not in an I want to apply for the position way. Blake’s leg was stiff as a Louisville Slugger. What the heck? She backed off even more.
“Nope.” Juan winked.
“Divorced?” He was. Had been for a couple of years. Not that it was any of her business, but she figured that the more the guys saw her as a buddy, the less likely they were to see her as a potential fling. She’d dated for fun for years but grew tired of the empty relationships. She had her dream job; settling down was the next logical step. Of course, she had to find the right guy first.
Juan’s flirt turned down three notches. “Yes.”
“Kids?” she asked brightly.
“Three girls.”
“Awww. How old?” Pressing on the back of his knee, she lifted Blake’s foot in the air and moved his leg back and forth in an effort to release the strain. He fought her at first, but finally relented. She laid his leg back down and continued with the massage.
This time, Juan’s smile was full of fatherly pride. “Five, seven, and nine.”
“I’ll bet they are just sweethearts.”
“They are so beautiful.”
“You’re a lucky papá.” Frustrated with the fight Blake put up, she asked, “What are you thinking about right now?”
“Why?” he grunted.
She took a deep breath. “Often we store emotions in our muscles. Sometimes a massage or stretch can trigger memories. Or, if you’re focusing on something in your thoughts, it will manifest in your muscle. Your calf is fighting against me today, so I’m wondering what you’re thinking about.”
He didn’t say anything for a moment.
“Blake?” she asked quietly.
“None of your business.”
Elise dropped her chin to her chest. “Can you try to think of something else? You’re making my job harder.”
“Let’s just stop talking.” He lifted his head and glared at Juan. “All of us.”
Juan lifted his hands. “Whatever, man. I’m just being nice to the new girl, ya know?”
“I know exactly what you’re doing.” Blake glared.
Elise chewed the inside of her cheek. What was going on with these two?
“You can’t blame me,” Juan defended himself.
“Yeah, I can.” Blake pushed up and flipped over. His triceps did this awesome ripple thing, and then his chest kind of grew bigger as she stared.
Thankfully, Blake wasn’t watching her stare at him. He was too busy glaring at Juan.
Juan smirked. Not a cocky little smirk, but a smirk that said he found the whole situation pretty darn funny. “What’s your problem?” he asked, stirring the pot.
Blake shook his head and slid off the table. “I’m out.”
“But—” Elise took two steps after him. “I’m not done.”
If he heard her, he ignored her protest.
She spun around to find Juan grinning like he’d just filled Blake’s runners with shaving cream. “What’s so funny?” she asked, her hands on her hips.
“My man likes you.”
“Me?” Elise pointed to her chest. “No. Blake can hardly stand me.” She hurried to the counter, grabbed the cleaner and a fresh cloth, and began wiping down the table.
“It’s cool.” Juan shrugged easily. “He’s a ladies’ man, though. You know?”
Her movements slowed. “I’ve heard.” Besides the conversation she’d had with Camden yesterday, she’d grown up discussing baseball and baseball players over dinner. Growing up in the Smith household, you didn’t have a choice. Updating Blake’s file, she wished there was a little post-it on screen that mentioned which players were, well, players, and which ones weren’t. Not that she’d thought about Blake in that way. Okay, maybe last night, right before she’d fallen asleep, she may have allowed herself to think about Blake’s amazing body and the way she’d connected with him. Of course, she’d assumed it was purely one-sided and forced herself to think of other things. Crushing on a baseball player wasn’t professional and she was determined to take this opportunity as far as she could.
