Page 93 of Play For Keeps

I press my hand to his chest. “Jake—” I murmur. “You are. You always have been.”

“I want to love you both forever. Say yes, Ev. Will you marry me?”

When he slides the ring onto my finger, my heart pounds in my chest. Every cell in my body ignites. And every fiber of my being is present in this moment with him. “Of course, I say yes. Yes, baby, yes, I want to marry you.”

I close my eyes as tears slip down my face. I never thought I’d be able to find anyone who loves my daughter like she is his own. And I certainly never thought a man seven years younger would be that guy. Jake has been the best surprise. But nothing surprises me more than the fact that I am going to marry him.

“I love you.” I drop to my knees in front of him and gather his face in my hands. I capture his lips with mine, and Birdie giggles before Jake pulls her into the two of us. Just us. It’s perfect. When the three of us are together I feel complete.

“I love you, too.”

I kiss the top of my daughter’s forehead. “Were you in on this, Birdie?”

She’s all smiles as she nods while Jake brushes the tears from my cheeks with his gentle, solid fingers.

My heart bursts in a way I’m sure it never has before with my baby next to me and Jake’s strong, protective arms wrapped around us.

We spend the next several months as a family of three, eating breakfast together in the mornings and dinners at night. Jake and I take turns driving Birdie to school and dance classes, and I haven’t missed one of her recitals since I started working for Jake. Instead, Birdie has an entire cheering section in the audience. My parents, Sierra and Grayson and Gran all come to watch her perform. Franny often joins us as well. It feels like a dream. I’m positive it doesn’t get better than this.

Jake and I flew to New York one weekend to stay at the very upscale Seaside Hotel. We toured the city, ate pizza, and went to a Rangers game, where we cheered them on to victory over the Florida Panthers. When we weren’t busy sightseeing, we lounged in the jacuzzi tub on the private terrace overlooking Manhattan and made love for hours. It might have been the hottest sex we’ve ever had, and that’s saying something. Jake is an absolute aficionado in bed. Sex with him is a dirty, wild affair.

A few weekends after that, we watched Sierra marry Grayson. It was a picture-perfect wedding and Jake stood beside Grayson as his best man. Tucker and Holden were at his side too. I was completely floored when Sierra asked me to be a bridesmaid; I remember hugging her profusely.

Back at home, the three of us have dinner with my parents on Sunday nights, where Jake is only too happy to sit and watch sports for hours with my dad. He has become a second son to my parents, they love Jake as much as I do. On weekends, Birdie begs us to take her to Sierra’s new bakery, where there always seems to be a pink-and-purple cupcake waiting for her. Sierra quit her job at The Seaside Hotel to open Buttercup Bakery—a dream she has had since she was a little girl baking with her mom. And now it’s a reality. Jake is so proud of her. He’s always stopping off on the way to the office to pick up boxes full of croissants and muffins.

Time has flown by, and I still can’t quite believe that tomorrow is our wedding day. It feels like just yesterday that Jake and I crashed into each other at Catch 21, but it also feels like I’ve been waiting my entire life for this.

The night before the wedding, we host a rehearsal dinner in our back yard, surrounded by everyone we love. We sit under twinkling patio lights and drink champagne as dusk casts a lilac-hued glow over a picture-perfect evening.

I gaze across the yard at our friends and family, everyone laughing and chatting, and it makes my heart expand in 10 different directions. Gran is here, looking like a dame with pearls around her neck and sequins sewn into her yellow sweater. She’s chatting with my parents while my brother Adam and his wife stand to the left of them catching up with Willa, who made the trip from Brookmont to be my maid of honor. Holden and Tucker are getting drinks at the bar with Aubrey and Franny. We even invited Miranda and Douglas, who regretfully declined. They are in California visiting Grant. From what I hear, he is doing well. He calls Birdie every few weeks, which is more effort than he’s shown in a while.

“No more champagne for you?” Sierra asks, tapping my shoulder with her clutch as she and Jules come to stand beside me.

“Nope.”

“Birdie is the sweetest with Maya,” Jules gushes. “You three should really join us for the weekend in Cape May next month.”

“That sounds like fun,” I agree. “I’ll check with Jake.”

“What, so Grayson and I aren’t invited because we don’t have kids? How is that fair?” Sierra asks, pretending to be offended. She bites her lip, looking from me to Jules.

“Okay, I’m going to tell you a secret, but this is not to be broadcast,” Sierra warns. “We’re not telling everyone just yet.”

“Wait…” I say with wide eyes. “Wait… are you serious?”

Jules leans in closer, a huge smile on her powder pink lips. “You are pregnant?”

“Yes!”

It takes a real effort to stop myself from screaming.

“I am so happy for you!” I tell her in an exaggerated whisper as Jules pulls Sierra in for a hug.

I sneak a look at my fiancé. He is across the yard talking to Tucker and Holden, and as if he can sense me looking at him, his gaze finds mine. His greens blaze into my hazels, and my pulse races with lust. I almost forget how to breathe. Jakes walks my way in his navy dress pants, crisp white button-down, tan belt and shoes. His shirt sleeves are rolled up his forearms, and his skin is smooth with that sinewy vein that makes my mouth water. I couldn’t stop staring if I tried. I don’t really believe in magic, but the intense desire I feel to touch him, to press my lips to his mouth, it’s almost like he’s casting a spell.

“There you are.” His voice is low and smooth. “Please tell me you’ve changed your mind. Or are you really that determined to torture me?”

“You’ll live, Lover Boy. It’s only one night.”

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