Page 92 of Play For Keeps

It’s how I found Jake, and I plan on never letting him go.

EPILOGUE

ABSOLUTE AFICIONADO IN BED

Everly

I look up to find Jake in our bedroom, bare-chested with a pair of perfectly faded jeans hung low on his hips. Those washboard abs and V-shaped muscle taunt me. I’m positive I will never get used to the sight of him.

“We can cancel our plans if you’d prefer?” he says with a smirk that slays me.

“Oh, believe me, I’d much rather stay in this room and appreciate my boyfriend’s body than go to the aquarium.”

“What do you have against fish?” he asks, stalking towards me. “What did they ever do to you?”

“They’re like fireworks, everyone knows that. You’ve seen them once; you’ve seen them all.”

“We’ll make the best of it.” He takes the romance book that I’m reading from my hands and sets it on the bed. I stare at my devastatingly beautiful man, eyes wandering shamelessly over his smooth, muscled skin. My gaze catches on the trail of soft hair that disappears into his jeans. My core heats, badly wanting to reach for him and undress him.

My heart races.

My skin pebbles.

My god, Jake Matthews is pure perfection, like chiselled stone. He knows just how to light a fire in me.

My heart flutters as I look at the bird tattoo on Jake’s ribs. A simple sparrow for Birdie and the date Jake and I ran into each other at Catch 21 for me. He surprised me one afternoon while I was doing the dishes, removing his shirt, and telling me that he had been thinking about getting the tattoos for a while. My jaw dropped to the floor when I saw it. I ignored the dishes in the sink and with soapy hands I cupped his face and kissed him. After I finished kissing him, he told me that meeting Birdie and me was the best day of his life. He says the second best is the day Birdie told him she loves him. The fact that Jake wanted to honor Birdie speaks volumes about how much she means to him.

There’s a bright twinkle in his eyes when he notices me staring. A playful smile flashes across his face. This man knows exactly how to get my heart racing. “You’ve been reading that smutty book for an hour. Has Hunter won Faith’s heart yet?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I sass back, as he reaches for my hand, pulling me to stand. I lean forward and press my lips against his and he doesn’t hesitate to slide his hand to the nape of my neck, deepening the kiss. I take his cheek in my palm, brushing my thumb over the scruff that covers his jaw. We only break the kiss when we hear Birdie bouncing down the hall.

“Are you ready?” Birdie asks, appearing in the doorway.

Pulling back, Jake shoots me a wink before slipping his shirt over his head.

“We’re ready. The question, is are you ready?” He looks her over from head to toe. She beams. I melt. “Cat ears, check. Teeth brushed, check. Pretty dress, check. You look ready to me, beautiful. Let’s go.”

“Are you sure you want to wear that dress to the aquarium, baby? It might be a little fancy,” I say as Jake lifts her into his arms.

“I’m sure, Mommy. Now come on, let’s go.”

Minutes later, Jake deposits Birdie into her booster seat in the back of his F-150, and when he slips into his seat next to me, he takes my hand in his. He pulls the truck away from the curb, but instead of going south towards the aquarium, he heads north.

“You’re going the wrong way,” I remind him, shooting him a confused look.

Jake stifles a smile.

“Are you really not going to turn around?”

“I know where I’m going.” He turns to face me with a smirk before my daughter hollers from the back seat. “Don’t tell her, Dad. We’re almost there.”

The first time Birdie asked if she could call Jake “Dad,” I froze. I didn’t know the right way to handle it. After taking some time to think about it, I decided Jake is more of a father than Grant has ever been, so why not? He is a second dad to her, and he is always there for her. Jake might not be biologically related to Birdie, but he has earned the role of being her dad, and he loves her with his entire being.

Ten minutes later, he pulls into the parking lot at the beach, then gets out and opens Birdie’s door. The two of them stand in front of the truck, all smiles, and Birdie motions for me to join them.

“What are you two up to?” I ask suspiciously, as Jake takes my hand and tugs me to the spot in the sand where we officially met for the first time. I cock my head his way, but he just smiles his sexy, serious smile. Birdie giggles with a cat-that-caught-the-canary gleam in her eyes.

Stopping in front of me, Jake takes my hands in his, making my pulse race a little faster. “Ev…” he says, dropping to one knee, and I stop breathing all together. “I fell in love with you in this exact spot and as crazy as it sounds, I knew that day that you were the one. I never believed I could be this happy. And I can’t remember ever laughing like I do when I’m with you and Birdie. The two of you are everything to me.” He pauses, glancing at my daughter. “I want to be the man you and Birdie deserve.”

---