Page 36 of Falling for the Quarterback

“What you may not know is that I’ve fallen in love. I’ve never loved a woman before Lottie. Er, Charlotte,” I correct. “I’m a man who has made a lot of mistakes in my past, but meeting Lottie has changed me. She’s taught me valuable lessons about myself and that when it comes to love, it’s better to give than receive. And right now, all I want to do is give everything I am to be with the woman I love.”

Thunderous cheers and applause erupt throughout the room, but it’s all drowned out by the crushing drum of my heartbeat in my ears.

Lottie stands there shell-shocked. I turn her so she’s facing me and join both our hands together at our chests.

“Lottie, I love you. I’ve missed you and want to be with you. I want to make this official because now the rules have changed. The only question is whether you’ll have me?”

I stare into her bright green eyes that now sparkle with unshed tears. She licks her bottom lip. “Will you be my girlfriend, Lottie?”

“I…I…oh, bugger. I can’t believe you pulled aJerry Maquireon me.”

“What’s that?”

She rolls her eyes. “Never mind. It’s not important.”

“But you are important to me. Will you say yes?”

“Yes, Joel,” she gives me a watery smile that has my stomach doing a touchdown dance. “My answer is yes.”

Epilogue

Charlotte

I look at myself in the mirror. I’m wearing a sexy nurse costume, which is apparently supposed to match Joel’s doctor’s costume. I feel a little silly, but he assured me that everyone would be dressed up for the party.

My cheeks turn pink as I remember how he kissed me in front of my class. I don’t know what it was about that kiss, but it changed something in me. It was like a veil had been lifted and I saw the world clearly for the first time.

I grab my house key and stick it in the world’s smallest pocket in the front of my outfit. The walk to Joel’s only takes five minutes, but I quickly regret not bringing a coat. By the time I knock on the door and he answers, I’m shivering.

“Hey, sexy nurse. Are you cold? Get your cute ass in here,” he demands, yanking me inside and against him, warming my body instantly with his. Somehow, just the feel of his arms around me warms me and relaxes me. This is where I’m meant to be right now.

“I forgot a coat,” I manage through the chatter of my teeth. “Youf-feel s-so g-good.” I really underestimated how cold it gets up here in the mountains in October.

I press my body closer to him, partly for the heat and partly because I love the hard lines of muscles on his torso. His hands run lines up and down my back and after a minute, I feel myself thawing.

“Come on, let’s get you a drink. It’ll warm you up,” he insists before stepping back and roaming his gaze over me. He smirks and I roll my eyes as he holds out his hand. I accept it and he leads me into the kitchen.

There are several young men standing around a counter filled with alcohol. Young women stand next to each of them, and everyone is in costumes.

“I think you’ve seen Grace, Kelsie, and Lucy around campus with me before.” He sweeps an arm out to encompass the three smiling beauties in the living room. “And these are their boyfriends and my former teammates, Emmett, Killian, and Hayes.”

I smile and wave. “Nice to officially meet you all.” There’s a round of “nice to meet you’s” and handshakes.

The tall blonde, who I think is Kelsie, chimes in. “We need to open up a bottle of something to toast the extraordinary woman who finally brought our Hendy here down to his knees.”

“Here, here!” the big guy named Killer says.

“Hey, Lottie. We just opened this bottle of wine my dad sent. He’s in Tuscany with his new girlfriend,” Grace says with a cheerful smile, pouring the dark red liquid into a Red Solo cup. Ahh. Reminds me of my uni days. “Would you like some?”

“Thanks. I love Tuscany.” I sniff the fragrant wine and then take a sip, immediately noting the varietal components. “Mmm…a Brunello di Montalcino.”

Killian looks at Joel. “Whoa, bro. Your professor knows her wines.”

Joel gives him a good punch on the arm. “Dude, she’s NOT my professor anymore.”

I feel the heat wash over my cheeks and take another fortifying drink.

“Sorry.” Killian apologies with a frown.

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