Page 127 of Wildcat
“Yo, college,” Ash says narrowing his gaze. “You’re going down.”
“No way.” I sit forward. “We’re unbeatable.”
Jade drops off fresh drinks as Mike and another bartender get set for another round of trivia.
I’ve never seen Mike smile so much. He’s loving having so many of the Wildcats in his bar. They’re good sports and sign everything he pushes in front of them. Leo even brought him a signed jersey, just like he promised. My boyfriend is a pretty great guy. His friends too.
I snuggle into his side, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders. Jade takes over the trivia for Mike. She perches on a stool at the bar and swivels to face all the tables.
She laughs as she reads the first question, which so happens to be Wildcat history. Jack shouts out the answer before she’s even finished.
“Correct.”
I look to Leo. “Where were you?”
“Where were you?” he taunts back. “You’ve lived in Minnesota way longer than me.”
Yeah, fair point. “Okay, this one we’ve got.”
“Since when did you get so competitive?”
“I think your teammates are rubbing off on me.”
“Not too much, I hope.” He brushes his lips over mine.
Jade raises her voice to call out the next question. “What is the most popular diamond shape for engagement rings?”
“Round cut,” I yell quickly. Jade wrote an article on this a few weeks ago, so I’m confident in my answer.
“Nice job,” she says. “Point to Leo and Scarlett.”
Leo moves his arm from around me and holds it up for a high-five. I slap my hand against his and toss out some trash talk to Ash and Tyler.
They give it back two-fold. The quieter of the two, Tyler, grins but mumbles about the questions being rigged.
It must be our night because the next one Jade reads from her trivia note cards is a complete these lyrics question, and while the other guys are still thinking, Leo finishes it off singing the end of the Backstreet Boys tune.
After another handful of questions, Leo and I are tied with Ash and Tyler. Jack and Declan are so far behind that Jack has given up completely and goes to the bar to order a round of drinks.
“Final question,” Jade says, and we all go quiet. “What is the most difficult question for a man to ask?”
My brain freezes. What the hell kind of question is that? Adrenaline shoots through me as I wrack my brain for an answer before someone else gets it.
Ash throws his hands up. “Oh, oh. I know. Asking for directions.”
Jade shakes her head. “Sorry, wrong answer.”
“Oh, we still have a chance.” I look over to Leo, except he’s no longer sitting next to me. Everyone goes quiet, and it takes me an embarrassingly long time to figure out why he’s down on one knee.
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen my boyfriend look so nervous. His confidence in himself and me has always been something I loved about him, but seeing him like this and knowing what it means makes tears sting my eyes.
“Scarlett Miller, will you marry me?” His voice quivers, and he opens the black box in his hands.
I nod and get to my feet. My vision is too blurry from crying to even see the ring, but I already know it’s perfect. I blink away the tears, and he raises up and places the round-cut diamond on my left ring finger.
And then he kisses me. The guys cheer and Jack brings the round of drinks he ordered to the table. Champagne, of course.
“Cheers,” the team captain says as he lifts a glass. “To Lohan and his dream girl.”
