Page 63 of The Cupcake Cottage

“You said to buy you a ring. And to surprise you.”

“After New Year’s!”

“That wouldn’t have been a surprise. And what’s waiting another two hours, so it’s after midnight?”

She laughed. His thinking was so linear sometimes. She rested her head against his chest. “Mav?”

“Hm?”

“Are we really getting married? Or is this just part of the deal?”

“I’d never fake something that important.”

CHAPTER 11

“Where are you?” Maverick held his phone to his ear, taking in Daisy-Mae’s office on Monday morning. He could barely see her desk’s surface, so many bouquets of flowers were crowding it. The wall to his right was partially hidden by a stack of delivery boxes and wrapped gifts.

There’d been nothing at his house. The only traffic down his gravel road was himself, his hired hand, and the occasional brave courier driver who delivered something that far out of town when he saw Maverick’s name on the package. He’d stopped doing that, though, and instead ordered everything under a pseudonym or to his mother’s.

Which meant Daisy-Mae was likely getting all of their gifts. Then again, he hadn’t been in the locker room yet today. He made a note to get there before the rest of the team so they wouldn’t tease him too hard if it was even a quarter as overwhelming as Daisy-Mae’s office.

“I’m working from home.”

“Why?” He nudged aside some lilies and set down the coffees he’d bought for them to share.

“I couldn’t get in.”

“Something wrong with your car?”

“No, it’s insane there. I got swarmed.”

Maverick moved to the window of her fourth-floor office, peering down at the crowd of reporters blocking the front doors.

“Didn’t you use your pass to go in the private entrance?” The building had a fenced and gated private lot in the back, which was monitored by a security guard.

“That’s for players and management.”

“That’s you.” Before she could protest, he added, “You have an ID card, don’t you?” Not like security wouldn’t know who she was. Men noticed Daisy-Mae, and any employee worth their salt would definitely know her now, thanks to her very public engagement to the team’s captain.

“I didn’t realize I could park back there.”

Maverick smiled. Even if you tried, you couldn’t take the down-home gal out of a woman like Daisy-Mae. It was one of the reasons he adored his fiancée so much.

Fiancée. He was still getting used to calling her that. It had only been four days, but the word hadn’t lost its powerful kick.

“Are you in my office?” she asked.

“I am. The place looks like a florist’s. You have a lot of gifts, too.”

“Wedo.”

He moved over to the wall and began reading the tags, telling her who some of the gifts were from. Maverick chuckled with fondness at a familiar name.

“Who’s that?”

“The first referee to eject me from a game. He says on here that you’ll need this.” He nudged the box, curious what was inside.

“Do you want to bring some gifts home with you?”

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