As Alex’s best man, Tyler Kane had given one hell of a speech. Now, he’s speechless, turning into a bumbling idiot before my eyes. He literally cannot formulate a single word that makes any sense.
“Don’t just stand there,” Kennedy says to Tyler.
Tyler spins around and walks away from Kennedy, as if he’s about to go get help, when he realizes that is not the answer. He needs to get her to a hospital, not hope the team doctor can deliver their baby. Stopping dead in his tracks, he runs back to Kennedy, about to grab her hand when he slips on the fluid and falls back on his tailbone.
Carter steps out from the crowd and holds out his hand to Tyler. “It’s okay, man, just fucking breathe already. Kennedy and the baby will be fine.”
Tyler shakes his head and actually allows Carter to help him to his feet. “I’m a fucking mess,” he confesses.
Carter smirks at him. “No kidding.” He slaps his big hand on Tyler’s back, moving him closer to Kennedy. “C’mon, we’ll take you guys to the hospital.”
“We’re going, too,” Charlie interjects.
“No way! It’s your wedding day,” Kennedy says, sucking in deep breaths.
“She’s right,” Sydney says. “You guys have people who came here to see you.”
“We’re a team,” Alex adds, “and we’re coming with you.”
Regan leans into my body to whisper, “I guess that means we’re going, too.”
I nod in agreement.
She clings to my side, and I rub my hand down her back, taking in the scent of her sweet perfume, as I kiss her hair. Our family keeps growing more each day. Tyler and Kennedy are first with their new addition, and next it will be Charlie and Alex. Everything is falling into place. Someday, not too soon, it will be my turn with Regan.
“I want this with you,” I say to Regan, following behind the group, as the guards usher us out of the building. “I want all of it with you.”
She smiles up at me and gives my hand a squeeze, telling me everything I need to know without words.
Epilogue
One year later
Jamie
After spending months getting to know Regan’s parents, her father, in particular, I finally got up the nerve to ask him for permission to marry his daughter. No one does that anymore, or so he’d told me when he stared at me, unblinking, as if I were insane. He liked my old school values, which made his answer so much easier.
Two months after Charlie and Alex had gotten married, Regan finally left her job at the Wells Fargo Center, breaking away from her father and his legacy. I’d never seen her so happy to step out from her father’s shadow. By doing so, it allowed her to take a chance on the next phase in her life—this company and me.
Regan was and still is essential to the success of Foxy Developers. It had taken a while to find the right people, but once she did, our new offices in downtown Philly have been bustling with new programmers, full of ideas for even better games than The Fallen. With my advanced artificial intelligence software, we have transformed the gaming market.
Between Charlie and Mickey helping me out with the legal nonsense and Regan using her powers of persuasion, we managed to strike up a deal with TGS to collaborate with them on a few new games over the next year. I never needed Conway to make a name for myself in this business. It still pains me sometimes to think that I almost let Regan get away because of that job. I was an idiot.
And now I don’t have to beat my head against the wall, hoping I can make the games work. I found a foolproof plan that I execute every time now, making this easy in comparison. My team works well together, all of us so in sync that our ideas are cohesive. We have a new vision, one that Regan helped me discover.
Staring out the window of my office, I glance down at all the people passing by twenty-three floors below. R.E.GA.N. made all of this possible. But the real Regan, the girl who had stolen my heart and gave me the wakeup call I’d needed is the reason we turned one idea into a small empire. I bought Regan a giant rock to show her just how much she means to me.
I’d planned for this day for months. Timing is everything, and today, the timing is right. Our lives have changed so much over the past year along with the growth of the company. We have expanded to offices in Chicago and New York with the help of our investors.
The longer I wait for Regan to get back from the airport, after having her flight from Chicago delayed a few hours, my palms start to sweat. I never thought I’d be so nervous about making this official. Unlike other times when I had mentioned my intention to marry her, I am finally about to do it for real. This ring will solidify our bond and bring us even closer together. It’s been burning a hole in my pocket since this morning.
Clearing her throat, Regan announces her presence, as she steps inside the room. She closes the door behind her and slips off her heels, before running toward me, lunging herself into my arms. Wrapping her legs around my back, she peppers my face with kisses, not even giving me the chance to kiss her back.
“I missed you,” she mutters, her breath warming my lips.
“You were only gone for ten hours,” I say, even though I missed her like crazy in the short amount of time since I had dropped her off at the airport.
“I missed you the second you drove away. I’m not used to spending any time apart from you. I hate it.”
“Well, lucky for you, you will always have me around.”
Unhooking her legs from me, I place her on the ground. She peeks up at me, confused until I drop down on one knee and remove the box from my pocket. I was going to take her out to dinner, make this big production about our engagement, but I can’t wait another second. I need to make her my wife.
Her eyes widen in shock when I flip open the top of the box. Focused on the ring, she stands in front of me, unable to function, as if her body has shutdown. She had known this day was coming for a long time. But I wanted to keep the element of surprise.
Now, I’m delivering on that promise.
Taking the ring from the box, I clutch her hand in the other, holding the ring out for her to see.
Regan covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes so full and bright they just about jump off her beautiful face. A moment passes between us where my heart beats out of my chest, while she fans herself, looking as though she could pass out at any moment. I guess I had better speed this up.
“Regan Turner,” I say, my voice soft but firm, “I have been in love with you probably since the night you ruined Stark Trek, permanently scarring me.”
She chuckles, the tears streaming down her cheeks. “You started it,” she mutters through her laughter. “I wasn’t the one who brought up Stark Trek right before we were about to have sex. I just finished it.”
My shoulders shake, my body trembling from laughing. “This is exactly why I want to marry you. You call me out on my shit. And, yeah, I guess that makes me a super nerd for bringing up mind melding right before sex.”
“That was just one of the reasons I fell harder for you,” she interrupts, a wide grin tugging at the corners of her mouth. “You don’t care what people think of you, and you say things that other guys wouldn’t say, but those little things you do, make you different. And I like different because I have always skipped to my own beat.”
“Like right now.” I squeeze her hand with a smile. “I’m the one who is supposed to be giving the speech here.”
“Oh, right,” she says, blushing. And it’s really fucking adorable. “Continue, my love. I’m sure the speech you had planned for me is amazing, and I want to hear every bit of it.”
“Now, you’re making me even more nervous than I was before you started talking.” I shake my head at her. “As usual, I am at a loss for words with you, woman.”
“What do you have to be nervous about?” Killing the moment, she sinks to the floor and plops down next to me, still holding my hand. “It’s me, Jamie.” Regan cups the side of my face with her hand, the sweet scent of her lotion, filling my nostrils. “Y
ou don’t have to be afraid when it comes to me.”
“I’m not scared,” I confess, leaning into her hand. “I never once thought you would say no to my proposal. What I was nervous about is that you wouldn’t let me finish, kind of like what you’re doing right now.”
“Shit,” she mumbles under breath. “I’m sorry. You should know better than to let me get in a word when you have something important to ask me.”
“Regan, please don’t interrupt me again before I ask you again. Will you marry me?” Clutching her free hand, I wait for her to nod, the tears streaming down her face in buckets, before I slip the ring onto her finger.
It’s a perfect fit, the band just right. Like Regan and me. Wiping under her eyes with my thumb, I brush away the tears as they fall. She climbs onto my lap and hooks her arms around my back, her grip like a vise.
After sobbing on my shoulder for a few minutes, she lifts her head to stare directly into my eyes. “This was an amazing welcome home surprise. I can’t wait to be Mrs. Jameson O’Connor. I want to start our family as soon as possible. We’ve waited long enough.”
“Start our family as in right now?” I ask, hoping the answer is yes because I’m dying to be inside her, ready to begin our life together, joined as one.
“Right now,” she whispers against my lips.
Unable to keep my hands off her body, I strip off her clothes first, followed by mine, creating a mess of fabric on the floor around us. I run my hand across her smooth skin and bend forward to kiss her shoulder, her skin pricking with goose bumps. A soft moan escapes her lips, as I mumble that I love her, all while my lips explore her body. Devouring every inch of her, I take my time, savoring every second. I want this moment to last forever. And, to some extent, now it will. Because Regan will be my wife, the mother of my children.
After years of having so much sadness in my life, brought on by a painful childhood, Regan has shown me that I am capable of true happiness. Her love consumes me, makes me whole. She made me a better man. She gave me a better life. Now, I will make her my wife. Nothing can destroy the bond we have built.
Want more of Jameson and Regan? Download the extended epilogue in ebook format by clicking HERE.
The Face-Off Series will be back in October with a new story arc and my next bad boy, Dean Crawford. Subscribe to my Bad Boy Mafia to get a sneak peek of Dean’s book as soon as it’s available.
Until then, I have a college romance for you to check out. Keep reading for an exclusive sneak peak of my first football novel, Roughing.
Pre-order Roughing from Amazon
Roughing is available on August 9th.
As the star running back for the Strickland Senators, Sebastian Prince knows what it takes to score on and off the field.
Bash has it all—money, looks, women, and the Heisman. But he can’t get the one thing he wants. Two years ago, Bash lost the only girl who ever made him feel something. And he wants her back.
Tori Reynolds hates football. But she hates Bash even more. After a not-so-chance encounter at a game, Bash has another shot with the girl who got away. While Bash might be a different person than before, Tori is hesitant to let him back into her life.
Bash has never turned down a challenge, and when it comes to Tori, he’s willing to go the distance, and this time, he’s not just looking to score.
ROUGHING
Chapter One Excerpt
subject to change before publication
Tori
Tonight is going to suck. I can feel it in my bones as I run down Broad Street, toward the Strickland University stadium. Our school lives and dies by football. Between the Philadelphia Eagles and our college teams, the city comes alive on game nights.
With the start of a new season, the air buzzes with electricity from the fans screaming in the distance. I’m not one of them. Football and the jerks who play the sport are not my thing. Either is our star running back, or at least that’s what I tell myself every time I run away from him.
“C’mon, Tori,” Jessica yells at me, pulling on my shirt, as I slow my pace to drool over a cute guy sitting on a bench in the Quad. He was in one of my classes last year, though I can’t remember which one with how many I packed into my schedule just so I could graduate on time.
Jogging almost in place, I get up the nerve to raise my hand and waive to the boy I think is Josh. Or maybe Justin. Either way he’s hot. We can clear up the name situation later. With my senior year finally beginning, I’m forcing myself to break out of my shell. This is a good start.
“Stop checking him out. We’re gonna be late,” Jessica whines.
I laugh at my best friend who I’ve roomed with since freshman year and turn my head away from the babe on the bench. “Let me ask him to come with us. Just hold on a second.”
She still has a good grip on the Strickland football baby tee that rides up my stomach, exposing some of my flesh. The shirt is too small for me. It was free, and since I’m not much of a football fan, I didn’t want to pay for it. So, I stuffed my curvy ass into this size small shirt that has my boobs popping out from the V-neck.
“We don’t have time. Let’s go! Clay will be pissed if I’m not in my usual seat by the start of the game, and I don’t feel like fighting with him tonight, of all nights.”
Shrugging her off, I smile at Josh-Justin as he waves in my direction. I return the gesture and hope we will run into each other again. Preferably before the party tonight.
“Fine,” I say to Jessica in a huff, lightly jogging next to her as we dodge people on the streets.
My senior year will be off to a better start if I can fiund someone to bring along with us to the biggest party of the year. I need a buffer when I step into the house that holds so many bad memories. Not only is this game important, but so is the massive party the football team throws every year at their house. It’s the kind of invite you die to get. Because an invitation by a team member means you’re one of the elite, part of the inner circle of sports royalty on this campus. I know from experience.
Until Jessica had started dating Clay Summers last spring, I avoided football and anyone associated with it like the plague. My father is a big fan of the sport, but I loathe it because of one person. The idiot who broke my heart after he’d made starting running back our sophomore year. The jerk who also lives inside the house I dread so much.
Darting through the courtyard, I spot another guy who could be my date. Shirtless, with dirt smeared on his sweaty body, I flip up my sunglasses to get a better look, as I watch him throw a football to his friend. If I don’t find someone good-looking enough to bring to this stupid party, I will look like an ass. I can’t have Bash see me alone when I have no doubt he will be surrounded by a swarm of women.
Jessica knows I have a legitimate concern about tonight, yet she still insists that I come and put on a happy face. I’ve spent the last two years avoiding Bash. I only need to make it through tonight.
Shuffling past returning students who flock from the well-preserved brownstone that lines three sides of the rectangular field, we’re almost at the football stadium. Like most prestigious schools, Strickland University has the pristine shine of an Ivy League campus. From the people to the statues of famous Philadelphians, the place oozes perfection and wealth. I’m one of the few who are here on a scholarship. Unlike these trust fund babies, I didn’t grow up with money.
Once we reach the gates, we stop to hold out our tickets to a man wearing a Strickland University football shirt. He scans the bar code and says, “The game is already in progress. Be careful getting to your seats. You’re on the field.”
“Shit,” Jessica moans, frowning in my direction. “You just had to stop and stare at that guy, didn’t you?”
I snicker, now walking toward her, ignoring her previous comment. “You have a date to the party. I’m still looking for one in case you’ve forgotten.”
“Oh, I didn’t forget. How could I? You’ve only mentioned it to me a thousand times since you h
ad agreed to come.”
I sling my purse over my shoulder and laugh. “Please. I haven’t been that bad.”
She peels strands of sweat-matted blonde hair from her face and shoves them behind her ears. “Yes, you have. Don’t even try to deny it. You’ve been driving me insane all week. After making it this long without speaking to Bash, you can make it through a game and one stupid jock party no problem.”
A ball chaser to the core, she’s wearing a replica of her boyfriend’s jersey and blue eye shadow to match the color in the shirt. The jersey is so tight it could fit a child. She pared it with strappy sandals that show off her perfectly tanned legs and jean shorts that ride up her ass. Our tastes are similar, except I don’t date athletes. Not anymore.
I was like her once. Until Bash ruined our relationship. He destroyed what we had and for what? Now, he’s the hot shit star of our football team and can get any girl he wants. Since our break up, I don’t think he’s kept a girl around for more than a weekend, if that. We were never meant to be together. Coming from different worlds, the two never meshed.
As the daughter of a former model, Jessica looks the part as the girlfriend of Clay Summers. She inherited her mother’s long lashes, perfect complexion, and rocking body. And, then there’s me. The artsy, giving zero fucks best friend who likes to dance in the Quad when it rains and do plenty of odd things that have made me an outcast at events like the one I have to attend tonight.
Jessica tugs on my hand, dragging me through the crowd of screaming fans. The stadium is on fire, brought to life by the energy of the people around us. Making our way through the throng, we start jogging again when Jessica hears Clay’s name over the loud speaker.
Jameson (Face-Off Series Book 4) Page 17