“It’s a cold, Sophie. That’s it.”
“But I didn’t know that then, did I?” she replies pertly.
“So you… got on a plane and flew here to check on me?” I’m agog with possibility. “Did Frankie come with you?”
Sophie’s expression clouds over and then her eyes flare as if she’s surprised. “You know… I didn’t even think once about asking her to come. Or one of my parents. You were sick, I was afraid it would get worse and you wouldn’t take care of yourself, so I packed a bag and hit the airport. They had a flight out at five a.m.”
It sinks in, and I feel like I’ve been bowled over with the realization.
Sophie just traveled by herself to New York City to check on me.
“I have a cold,” I repeat dully, trying to comprehend why she would do that. And then a wave of euphoria and pride and wonderment crashes through me. My voice is a little too loud. “Holy fuck, Sophie, you came to New York and I have nothing but a cold!”
She put aside all her fears… for me.
And all I have is a cold.
I start for her, intent on picking her up and swinging her around in glee, but a distressed frown pinches her face.
“Oh my God,” she whispers apologetically. “Am I being overbearing? Too clingy? Was this stupid? Did I embarrass you?”
Fuck, she’s cute.
I lunge at her, wrapping my arms around her tight. I swing her around once, twice, three times before twisting to bring both of us down on the bed. She shrieks and then laughs as I land halfway on top of her. Before she can protest, I’m kissing her with every bit of passion I can muster.
She’s simply amazing.
When I lift my head, Sophie beams up at me. “So it’s okay that I’m here?”
“It’s monumental, Sophie. Just the other day, you couldn’t walk out of a grocery store, and now you’re braving the mean streets of New York to get to me. I’m fucking in awe.”
“Well”—she sniffs, a prim tone to her voice—“you are far more important than shepherd’s pie.”
I laugh before kissing her hard. “I hate you came all this way for nothing. I’m feeling much better.”
Sophie shrugs. “No biggie. I can head back on the next flight.”
I kiss her again, harder yet, because she’s unbelievable. “You’re not flying anywhere. You’re going to stay and come to the game tomorrow.”
Her arms encircle my neck. “Are you sure that’s okay?”
I snort. “Sophie… do you realize what you’ve done?”
Once again, her eyes cloud with confusion. “No… what?”
“You got on a plane. By yourself. Which means you drove to the airport and parked, or you Ubered, both of which cause you distress. You navigated New York City by yourself to get to this hotel. You braved the world to come check on me, and all I have is a stupid cold. You crazy girl, what possessed you to do such a thing?”
Sophie’s eyes soften, her head tipped slightly downward in what might be considered a bit of shyness. “I came because I love you, and that’s more important than anything. No fear could ever hold me back from getting to you.”
The breath is knocked clean out of me. This is something so shattering to my world, I can’t take it lying down. I push up off the bed, hauling Sophie with me.
My hands go to her face. “You love me?”
“I do,” she replies breathlessly. “Although you’re more than I could ever deserve, my heart belongs to you.”
“Why would you say such a thing?” I reprimand before kissing her. “You totally deserve me.”
Sophie giggles, and I kiss her one more time. When I pull back, I keep my face close to hers. “I love you, Sophie. Somehow you’re my destiny, and I’m right where I’m supposed to be. Knowing that you would be my end prize, I’d step in and save you a thousand times out of a thousand. I’d go through pain over and over if it meant I got you in the end.”
Okay… too much.
Sophie starts crying, and while I know they’re tears of happiness, I also know my declaration brings up heavy memories that have caused her guilt and pain in the past.
“You’re mine, Sophie. You always have been, just as I’ve always been yours. We are meant to be.”
She nods as I wipe tears from her cheeks. “I hate what you went through. I hate what you lost. But I can’t help but be glad how it all turned out.”
This time it’s Sophie who leans into me, placing her mouth on mine for a soft kiss full of tenderness, hope, and promise.
When she pulls away, I’m slightly dazed. Maybe it’s still partly the head cold or maybe it’s because knowing that Sophie loves me feels like getting hit by a ton of bricks—in the best possible way—but I’m dizzy with emotion and what this all means.
It means… I’ve found the one.
She’s my forever.
Dropping my hands from her face, I wrap my arms around her and draw her in. I hold her, smelling her hair and committing this all to memory.
The first day of my new life.
“You have to meet my parents,” Sophie says.
“And you have to meet mine,” I say, thinking of all the things we have ahead of us. “Should we get a bigger place, or do you want to stay in your house?” Before she can answer, I exclaim, “I’ll buy us an old Victorian, and you can remodel it.”
Sophie laughs. “So much to decide, but we have all the time in the world.” She glances back at the bed, and then turns her eyes to me with a seductive rasp to her voice. “We could celebrate these new declarations in bed.”
Fuck yeah. Head cold be damned. I start to walk her back to the mattress, but then immediately stop. “Shit,” I growl. “We can’t. I’ve got to go handle some shit. Coen Highsmith got arrested, and it’s on the news.”
“Oh, wow,” she murmurs. “Well, um… are you sure I should stay?”
“You must stay,” I reply, brushing my lips over her knuckles. “One simply doesn’t exchange I love you’s and then fly back to Pittsburgh.”
“Okay… I’ll wait—”
I pivot toward the bathroom and tug her along. “You’ll take a shower with me.”
“You have time?” she asks, following willingly.
“Not really,” I reply, fully intent on texting Gage that I need half an hour. This shit with Coen can wait.
But first, I pull Sophie into me one more time.
Just one more kiss.
A tight hug.
Another declaration. “Right where we’re supposed to be.”
It’s become our mantra.
She sighs and melts into me. “Right where we’re supposed to be.”
Is his big break worth the price? Minor league player Stone Dumelin lost his younger brother when the Titans’ team plane went down. Now the team has offered him the opportunity of a lifetime, but will Stone’s demons prevent his success? Read the Prologue of Stone (Pittsburgh Titans, Book #2) below!
Prologue
Stone
“Stone.” Something slaps my arm. “Stone… wake up.”