Page 129 of Time Out

Maggie waited with my dad and mom, Ruth, my sisters and their husbands, and all of their kids. Tiny little Reese was tucked tight into the wrap my sister was carrying her in and as soon as I hugged my parents and shook my brothers-in-law’s hands, I swooped Maggie into my arms.

I slammed my mouth to hers and swung her around the family room where they’d had to wait for hours. Fortunately, the teams spared no expense, and there was a buffet of food and drinks and a large television with announcers still talking about our nail-biting win.

When we caused a fumble on Philadelphia’s last play, Nashville recovered.

Incredible. It would take days for my heart rate to lower to a normal rate.

“I’m so proud of you,” Maggie said, still grinning. Still laughing.

It’d been hours since the game ended. It’d taken over an hour since Coach Bowles was able to talk to us all in the locker room. Longer until we were finally able to shower and get to our families.

We had to board the team bus to get back to the hotel via police escort, and I imagined it’d taken even longer to get back to our rooms. But once we did, she was going to be all mine.

But our family was here now, and while I’d wanted to keep this moment private for the two of us since we would soon lack any privacy once Martha, Joy, and Leah came to live with us, I’d waited long enough. Spent the last four hours debating. Thinking.

Screw the waiting.

Maggie and I hadn’t done anything yet by a standard timeline.

With that, I set Maggie back on her feet, keeping one hand at the back of her head, while I bent to kiss her, and dug the ring box out of my pocket.

“Davis,” she whispered when I pulled back. “I love you.”

Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

I opened the ring box and dropped to my knee. “I’ll love you even more if you agree to be my wife. What do you say, Maggie? Wanna spend forever with me?”

There were gasps around the family room, but Maggie’s was the largest of all. Her hands flew to her face, covering her mouth in surprise and then dropped to her belly, which was still small but growing more obvious every day. At sixteen weeks, we’d soon find out the gender.

Secretly, I was hoping for a boy. I was about to be overrun with tiny little girls already, but it didn’t matter.

“What?!” she gasped again and tears streamed down her cheeks.

Next to her, Ruth’s smile was enormous. The girl was coming out of her shell and was even decked out in jeans and a Steel sweatshirt.

“I mean it, Maggie. I want to be married before our peanut gets here. I want the kids we’re going to raise, all of them, to see a healthy, loving marriage. But mostly, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me.”

My knee ached from the cement floor. I’d stay down on one knee until she said yes.

Nothing mattered except her.

“Yes,” she finally screamed and threw her arms around me.

“Way to fucking go!” someone shouted. “Let’s party!”

Had to be a teammate, but behind Maggie, everything in the room was a blur as I stood, kissed her again, and finally managed to get the ring on her finger.

“You’ll marry me? Really?”

Her dazzling smile gaped at the ring Mom and Ruth helped me pick out. “I’d marry you tomorrow if I could, Davis Hall.”

Which could be arranged if it was what she really wanted.

I’d been right. The streets were packed. The hotel lobby more, with fans and families and friends. By the time I was finally on the elevator, alone, I was ready to fall into bed in the room where Maggie would be joining me for the first time in a week and pass out.

Except I’d gotten engaged a few hours ago, and I wanted to shower Maggie with all my love and devotion while she wore nothing but the emerald-cut diamond. I’d wanted to go larger. Get her the biggest damn diamond anyone had ever seen, but Ruth convinced me otherwise. It wasn’t Maggie’s personality nor what she would want, so I’d kept it at two carats, which Ruth still thought was insane, but Mom assured me she’d love.

Based on the way she kept grinning down at it like a fool until we’d been separated earlier, I figured Mom was right.

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