The doorbell chimed as a customer entered the bookstore. Morgan flipped through the stack of mail, anticipating the customer bringing a book to the register eventually.
A trendy-looking woman walked up to the counter. “Hello, are you Morgan Blake?”
Morgan hesitated for a moment, holding back the response that her last name was Reed. Didn’t the sign outside say Reed Books? But she wasn’t a Reed anymore, was she? The thought of hyphenating her name didn’t sit well with her either.
Morgan smiled, putting on her best customer service face. “That’s me. How can I help you?”
“My name is Chandra Passatore, a reporter for Philadelphia Style news magazine. I would love to do an article on the woman who finally snagged Seth Blake.”
Morgan’s smiled faded too fast to recover. “Surely you have better stories to investigate, Ms. Passatore. I married Seth Blake, I didn’t capture Bigfoot.”
“Surely you know being married to the Titan’s gorgeous, eternal bachelor and MVP is newsworthy?”
“I think it’s more like intrusive gossip. He’s entitled to his privacy.”
The reporter’s nasally, condescending laugh made Morgan tense. “Seth Blake is the property of the Philadelphia Titans and by default property of this city that adores him. So, technically, we own you too. I can do an interview on your new lives together and put a good spin on it.”
“You sound like we’re trying to get over some scandal.”
“Seth did steal you from your fiancée.” The reporter raised an eyebrow.
“In case you haven’t been told, Pennsylvania is a free state and no one owns me. Seth didn’t steal me from anyone. And if this sad attempt to nicely coerce me into doing an interview to cover up some nonexistent scandal is all you’ve got, I hope you have a backup career choice on the ready.”
The reporter’s face twitched. “I won’t be the last reporter to try and get a scoop from you. I thought you’d be amiable because your bookstore places ads with us, so you’d be comfortable with someone you already have a business relationship with, but I guess the bigger mags have gotten to you already.”
“I suggest you buy a book. That’s the only way you’re going to leave this store with any information.”
“Let me know if you change your mind.” The reporter put her card on the counter and walked out.
“What happened?” Michelle hurried to the front of the store.
“Some reporter bitch just tried to hit me up for an interview.”
“Maybe you should hire a publicist?”
“For what?”
“To navigate these situations from time to time.”
Morgan crossed her arms. “I don’t need a publicist.”
“I bet Seth has a publicist.”
“Yes, he does. He spends a lot of time arguing with her on the phone.”
* * *
It had been three weeks since Morgan had moved all her things out of her apartment and became fully invested in living with Seth. She had to admit it was fun waking up to him every morning, fending off enticing advances so she could make it into the bookstore. It was all too easy to get lost in those sleepy, lust-filled eyes and decide to take a vacation day or two, or twenty. Seth’s time was not as structured during off season even though he had other commitments. She didn’t realize how involved he was with his other business ventures. He especially liked talking to his father and brother JJ on a daily basis about their latest land project. She’d listen as they joked and insulted each other for a good half hour before they got down to business.
She knew he was smart, but she hadn’t realized the scope of his business ventures. She had assumed when he didn’t play football that he and some bikini clad plaything just frolicked around the world until it was time to play football again. Little did she know when he wasn’t trying to get her to play Marco Polo under the covers, he was stapled to his desk.
Things were going well at the bookstore, the repairs had been made and there was no problem in the foreseeable future. She was free to continue her quest to get funding for the reading hour at the library. Her goal was to have a daily reading hour as well as other interactive programs that would help people of all ages. She’d finally synced up with Dana Schmidt from RRI and had a meeting with her next week.
A note from the cook said the lasagna was in the oven and still had an hour to go. Morgan had managed to ease up on her discomfort about the staff and just let it be. It occurred to her that having the older women around, cleaning and cooking, reminded her of her brief time with her mother. Kara, the cook, hummed while she worked and it reminded Morgan of mornings with her mom.
Coming home to a tidy house always filled with something fragrant coming from the kitchen was beginning to feel normal to her. Morgan was on her way to the bedroom to change for dinner when she heard the doorbell ring. Seth hadn’t mentioned he was expecting anyone so she went to the living room to find him escorting a man with a briefcase into the penthouse.
“Sam, good to see you.” Seth led the man into the living room.
“Anything for you, Seth, you know that.” Sam turned and held out his hand. “You must be Morgan. I’m Sam Tulliver, Seth’s business manager.”
Morgan shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Seth nodded at him. “Sam looks out for my financial interests, and he’s very good at it. I wouldn’t trust anyone else with my portfolio.”
Sam shifted his briefcase from one hand to another. “I promise not to take up too much of your time.”
“It’s not a problem,” Seth said. “We were just sitting down to dinner. Care to join us?”
“Thanks for the offer but I’m having a late dinner with Erica tonight. I have to be at the restaurant in a half hour. All the figures are up to date.” Sam took a thick file out of his briefcase. “I included the information on that resort property your brother and dad looked at in Arizona. From what I’ve researched so far, this will be a good investment.”
“Good to know.”
“I’ll get back to you with my final analysis by the end of the week. When you have the time, my friend Shane Bracht would be delighted to help you look at commercial properties. He can meet with you whenever you like.”
Seth thanked him for coming by and walked him out. When Seth returned he handed Morgan the file. She scanned the document and a huge lump formed in her throat as she read. Morgan knew he had an expansive portfolio but to see it on paper, neatly itemized, was mind blowing. In addition to his business investments, football salary, and endorsement deals, he owned three more houses in California, Colorado, and Montreal.
“I want to you to have full disclosure about everything in my life.”
“Except ex-girlfriends,” she mumbled.
“Morgan, I didn’t tell you about Penny or my donation right away because of exactly what happened. You’d try to find a way to diminish what I felt for you.”
Morgan gave him an expectant look.
“But I do apologize for not telling you sooner. What you are looking at is just what I am worth on paper.”
“Don’t get me wrong, it’s impressive, but I can assure you that you are worth so much more than numbers on a page.”
“We need to start taking steps to consolidate our lives. If something were to happen to me, you—”
“Why are you talking like that?”
Seth caressed her arms. “I’m just being realistic. I could easily be taken out by a runaway golf cart or some freak accident. If something were to happen to me you need to know what we have, so no one can take advantage of you. I’d like to start by paying off any debt you may have.”
Morgan shot him a look of indignation.
“What?” Seth asked.
“You are incredible.”
“That’s not the first time you’ve told me that.” He tried to kiss her but she pulled back.
“This time incredible means impossible.”
“What did I say?”
Morgan t
ook a seat on the couch. “I know you mean well but I won’t let you pay down my debt. I was doing OK with the bookstore. Well, before all that business with the repairs, but it was comfortable. I have you, it’s more than enough.”
“Does this mean you won’t let me help you with the bookstore expansion?”
“When the time is right, we’ll negotiate. I’ll draw up a business plan on my own and we can have Sam take a look at it. Then I will ask for a loan with a low interest rate.”
“Do I get to dictate the default terms?” Seth smiled wickedly.
She raised an eyebrow. “That depends. If it involves that jar of chocolate sauce and those strawberry preserves in the night stand next to your condoms, I want no part of it.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Tough. I had to shower for an hour to get that sticky mess off my body.”
“It was worth every glorious minute it took to scrub your body clean.” He smiled as he looked her up and down with a devilish glint in his eye.
Morgan shook her head at him. “I’d like to make some progress getting the reading programs off the ground at the library first. Then I can focus on expanding the bookstore. In the meantime, I could use all the emotional support I can get.”
Seth sat down next to her and put an arm around her shoulders. “You got it.”
* * *
Morgan’s confession that she’d never been to the Titan’s stadium nearly killed him. All her years of living in Philadelphia and living with her football fanatic family, she’d never set foot in the stadium. Seth informed her it was time for phase two of the football lesson he’d been giving her and that included a personal tour from him.
She marveled at that sharp memory of his, knowing the name of each person they encountered, from the executive office to the maintenance staff. They made their way to the stands and Morgan stopped, in awe, as she surveyed the bleachers and the massive land that composed the football field.
“This is amazing,” she whispered.
Seth squeezed her hand. “Wait until you see the view from the field.”
“We can go down there?”
He smiled.
“Silly question, I know.”
Seth squeezed her hand again and they made their way onto the field.
“It all seems so much smaller on television. How do you run around on this field with all that padding on?”
“Lots of practice. You wanna throw the ball around?” He waggled his eyebrows.
She laughed. “Are you kidding me? Pass on a football fan’s fantasy of throwing the ball around with the star quarterback? My father is somewhere with the hairs on the back of his neck standing straight up, and he doesn’t know why. I’ll take a shot.”
Seth called out to one of the workers at the other end of the field to get him a football. He caught the ball and instructed Morgan to move back about ten yards and tossed the ball softly to her. He whooped when she caught the ball the proper way.
“Good catch.”
“Three brothers, all played football in high school. They practiced in the back yard. The front yard. In the house. In the kitchen. During dinner.”
He laughed. “You ever think that maybe some cosmic force was grooming you for something like…being married to me?”
“No, I thought they were repeated attempts on my life and one day I’d get taken out with a football and it would be ruled an accident.” Morgan threw the ball back to Seth with a little power behind it.
“Clearly you learned something while ducking for cover. You have a nice little technique.”
“Then stop throwing like a girl and show me a real pass.” Morgan stuck her tongue out.
“We’ve had enough football related injuries haven’t we?”
“You did save me from a getting a nose job.”
“I’m glad. You have such an adorable nose. I would have missed it.” Seth walked toward her.
She looked around the stadium. “How does it feel when you’re out here? When all those seats are filled with screaming fans? We’re here alone, and the magnitude of all this is overwhelming. I can barely breathe.” Morgan sighed.
He shrugged. “Focus.”
“And the cameras are always on you. Don’t you ever want to pick your nose or something?”
“You get used to that too. And my momma would kill me if I picked my nose on national television.”
“I could see that being played on every sports show in America.”
“That would be something.”
“So.” Morgan crossed her arms over her chest. “You gonna throw me a real pass?”
“OK. I want you to go down to the twenty yard line. I’ll throw it to you and we’ll see if you can get to the end zone before I catch you.”
Morgan rolled her eyes as walked past him. “That shouldn’t be a problem. We’re already on the thirty yard line.”
Seth caught her hand. “The other twenty yard line.”
She squinted down the field. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I would never kid a beautiful woman, especially if she’s my wife.”
“I’m going to call a cab because it’s going to take me some time to get down there.”
“I have all day. Besides I get to watch you walk all the way down there.”
She turned and reluctantly started walking. “You know—”
“It’s good exercise. One of these days I will get you to jog with me.”
“Yeah, if I grow another five inches.”
Morgan didn’t have to call a cab, but she felt like she needed one. She called a time out every ten yards to catch her breath while Seth stood there laughing at her. She looked back at the end zone. Didn’t look too far away. She could do this.
“OK, big boy, give it your best shot,” she shouted down the field. “And remember I know how to catch so don’t chicken out and go limp noodle on me.”
“OK.” He nodded his head. “Why don’t we make it interesting?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“I win, you have to get a tattoo just like mine.” He pushed up his sleeve to display his number twelve tattoo.
“Did you have any head injuries last season?”
Seth tapped on his head. “All marbles are in there and accounted for.”
“So, if I lose I get branded like one of the animals on your ranch?”
“I prefer to think of it as beautiful soulful expression of our love in permanent ink on your body.”
“And what do I get if I win?”
“What do you want?”
“If I win, I can give you a full body wax. Everywhere. Maybe we can give you a Brazilian down there.” Morgan smirked.
“Not on your life.”
“What’s the matter, pretty boy? Scared to take that last step into metrosexuality?”
“Just for that, I get to pick where you get the tattoo.” He grinned like a shark.
“Quit stalling and get ready for the hot wax I see in your future.”
Seth sent the ball soaring through the air like a little brown heat-seeking missile. Morgan kept her eye on the ball and anchored herself so she could firmly catch it and still have enough energy to run. She let out a celebratory yelp when she made contact with the ball, tucked it in to her arm and ran. She remembered what her brothers said about running with the ball. Don’t look back unless you feel the heat on your ass. She was mere inches from the ten yard line when she felt Seth closing in on her. She managed to make it to the five yard line before Seth scooped her up and carried her into the end zone.
Applauding erupted from the stadium, the employees cheering in the distance.
“Show off,” she managed to get out between pants.
“I know exactly where I want that tattoo on you.” He threw the football down and kissed her.
“Can we negotiate?”
“OK.” Seth reached into his pocket and pulled out a ring box. “How about you wear this instead?”
A lump formed in
Morgan’s throat as she gazed at the black velvet box. “What did you do?”
“It took the jeweler a while to get the detailing right but I wanted them to be perfect. Two vines entwined for eternity.” Seth opened the box to reveal platinum wedding bands.
Morgan’s heart skipped a beat when she saw the etching on the rings.
“They’re beautiful.”
“I had yours inscribed.”
She smiled when she read the inscription. It read Morgan, best tackle of my life.
“I love it. I almost forgot how you almost mortally injured me.”
“Bruised rib.”
“Held me captive in your bungalow.”
“Romanced you until you saw things my way.” Seth slipped the band on her finger.
“You sure know how to put a good spin on things.” Morgan pulled him down for a kiss. He met her half way and picked her up, wrapping his arms around her.
* * *
Seth arrived early for the commercial shoot, anxious to get it over with. This would be his fourth endorsement deal and they were paying him a pretty penny. He liked that he believed in the product and had been drinking it for a while before they approached him with the deal. Things went much easier when he had practical knowledge of the product he was going to attach his name to, and he was a fan of FitPro sports drinks.
He had wanted Morgan to come with him but she’d been fortunate enough to get that meeting with the woman at the Rainbow Reading Initiative. He admired her tenacity and her commitment to literacy. He had gotten a kick out of seeing her strut around on the island wearing those catchy literacy slogans. She was, by far, the hottest nerd he’d ever seen in his life.
The setup crew was pretty laid back. No one accosted him for an autograph and everyone was very polite. The change in the air came when his publicist Vivian arrived. Vivian marched in and was sprouting orders like she owned the place, all without removing her sunglasses.
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