Page 73 of Go Deep (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)
“You kinda got me worried here Cass,” he whispered, waiting for me to say something.
I smiled into his neck, then I sat up and told him everything. He seemed just as impressed, maybe a bit more.
“I think it’s great,” he started, then took a few seconds to continue, as though he needed to gather up more than a few things to say and wasn’t sure how to tell me.
“I don't know how this happened or if I've felt this way all along, Cassidy. All I’m sure about is you mean so much to me, and I want you with me. Now and tomorrow and beyond… I understand that being with me creates a lot of unknowns for you and your career. The drafts are in a week…who knows what team will pick me. I can't say I have an answer to that, except for my promise that I will support you and your career decisions, even if it means not being in the same city together one hundred percent of the time.”
He placed a hand on the back of my neck and held me to his chest, kissing my forehead. “You're going places too, Cassidy. I can just see you building yourself a successful career all on your own, with me behind you, supporting you all the way if you’ll let me. The point I’m trying to make is I want to be the one standing atyourside and cheeringyouon from the sidelines, whether I make it to the NFL or not.”
I looked into his face, wrapping my arms around his neck. I never expected to hear him share something so selfless. “God, Slade. That means more to me than you can ever know.”
“I meant every word. I love you, Cassidy. I can't picture a future without you in it.”
“And I love you, baby.”
I nestled into his neck, my heart bursting as he held me for a while longer.
* * *
Sladeand I relaxed in the hotel room for a few hours, and later on we headed out for a walk before dinner. We made it to Times Square and looked around for a while, then he stopped short at the kitty corner of the New York Times Building, checking the time. This wasn't the first time he'd looked at his watch in the last few minutes.
“Everything all right?”
“It's better than all right. There's something I want to show you…right over there.”
He pointed to the billboard at the top of the One Times Square tower, just as it flickered from a Chanel commercial and went black for a few seconds.
“Is there something specific I should be looking—” my jaw dropped when I saw it. The billboard flickered back on with a floating message that ran across the screen and read, ‘Cassidy Greyson, I love you so much. Will you marry me? Love, Slade Clark’.
Barely able to breathe, I turned to Slade, who was reaching into the pocket of his slacks. He knelt down before me, retrieving a big, bright, sparkling diamond ring. I was hyperventilating when he presented it up to me from his spot on the concrete sidewalk and said, “We're here at the center of the universe, the crossroads of the world, and no matter where life takes us, we belong together. As God and all these people as my witness, Cassidy Amelia Greyson, I love you. Will you marry me?”
I was nodding excitedly before the word ‘marry’ escaped his lips, and shaking like a leaf as I cleared my throat and told him, “Yes! I will…I love you so much… God, yes of course I'll marry you, baby!”
