“I think I already have,” she whispered.
“It’s all I’ll ever want,” he said.
Epilogue
Six months later.
THIS COULD BE the shortest official engagement on record.
Holly Reynolds graduated from the University of Washington two hours ago. Her brand-new fiancé, Derrick, got down on one knee in front of Drumheller Fountain moments after she claimed her hard-won diploma and asked her to marry him. He slid a large, cushion-cut diamond ring surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds set in platinum onto the third finger of her left hand.
It was a good thing she’d said yes. Two weeks ago, they’d started planning a top-secret wedding. Derrick was still the more outgoing and gregarious one; he would have loved a huge party full of hundreds of people to celebrate their wedding. Holly longed for just a few family and friends as guests on their big day.
“I want to marry you,” Derrick had said. “The rest is just details.”
“But what about the big party?” she said. “I don’t want you to miss it.”
“We’ll have the people that love us most at our wedding. That’s what I want.”
The family and friends—and a few of Derrick’s teammates—who would be celebrating Holly’s graduation with them at downtown Seattle’s AQUA this afternoon were in for quite a surprise. Three days ago, Derrick and Holly made a quick and quiet visit to Seattle’s City Hall to obtain a marriage license. All other details were being handled by an incredibly competent wedding coordinator, who was currently helping Holly button the back of her wedding dress in a hotel suite a short distance from the restaurant. Holly put on the birdcage veil she’d bought to go with the white, knee-length, three-quarter-sleeved lace sheath while the coordinator used a crochet hook to secure the stubborn satin-covered buttons.
Holly stepped into the cobalt-blue satin high heels she couldn’t resist buying. She wore her grandma’s pearls: something borrowed. Her wedding dress was something new. She pulled a handkerchief her mom had embroidered with her initials when Holly was a little girl out of her bag.
“I think I’m ready,” Holly said. She’d heard before that all brides were nervous. She had told herself that the butterflies in her stomach, her sweaty palms, and her trembling hands were normal. Despite being a bit scared, she couldn’t wait to marry Derrick.
The coordinator reached into a floral box and handed her a bouquet of white rosebuds, stephanotis, crystals, and ivy, tied with a wide white double-faced satin bow. “I’ll go downstairs and call your phones when everyone’s there,” she said. “Everything is ready and waiting for you and Derrick.” She dug into her pocket and produced a sixpence. “One more thing. A lucky penny for your shoe.”
“Thank you so much,” Holly said. She reached out to carefully hug the coordinator. “I could never have done this without your help.”
“Congratulations, and here’s to a lifetime of happiness.”
The coordinator left the room, talking into her headset.
Seconds later, Holly heard a tap on the suite’s front door, and Derrick’s deep voice. “Baby, it’s me.”
“I’ll be right there,” Holly said. She pulled Derrick’s wedding band out of the box and slid it onto her thumb. She grabbed up her bouquet. It was showtime.
She tugged the door open so he could walk inside, and her breath caught. He looked so handsome in his dark suit and cobalt blue silk tie, with his the dreadlocks pulled back from his face. In the meantime, he was staring at her. She was shocked to see tears swimming in his eyes. His face worked with emotion as he reached out for her hand and brought it to his lips.
“You are so beautiful,” he whispered. “I want to remember this moment forever.”
She reached up to stroke his cheek. “You’re gorgeous too.”
He wrapped his arms around her, and she laid her head on his massive shoulder. There was nowhere in the world safer for her than in the circle of Derrick’s embrace.
“Let’s cut out of the reception early,” he said. “We have things to do.”
“I’m guessing my grandma would be shocked and horrified at your plans, wouldn’t she?”
“So would my mama and my grandma.” His voice dropped. “Let me give you a hint or two.” His arms tightened around her. “We’re coming back here, I’m peeling that dress right off of you, and I’m going to spend as long as it takes to show you and tell you how crazy I am about you.” He rested his cheek against the top of her head. “I might not let you put clothes on again.”
“Really?” She tipped her head back, looked into his eyes, and said teasingly, “I’m going to marry the hell out of you first.”
Their sweet, tender moment was temporarily over. He burst out laughing. “Is that so? We’d better go find the preacher, then.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “I love you, boo.”
“I love you too. So much,” she said.
His cell phone chirped with an incoming text. He grabbed it out of his jacket pocket and took a look at the screen. “They’re ready for us.” He offered her his arm, and she slipped her hand through it as he held the door open for her.
Their ride in the elevator was almost silent. The doors swooshed open on the correct floor, and people waiting to go upstairs burst into applause when Derrick and Holly stepped out.
“Congratulations,” someone called out.
“Aren’t you Derrick Collins of the Sharks?” another person said.
“Yes, I am,” he said. Holly waved at the cluster of people with her bouquet.
Derrick led her half a block down the street to the luxurious private room their guests waited in. The normally energetic, assertive Derrick was definitely nervous. His palms were sweaty, and he kept licking his lower lip. It was adorable.
He stopped in front of the double doors to the restaurant, took a deep breath, and said, “Ready?”
“Oh yes.”
Most of their guests lingered at the floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over Elliott Bay and a seemingly endless blue sky. The water sparkled like diamonds in the June sunshine. Mount Rainier was out today too. The door clicked shut behind them, several of the guests turned to see who’d arrived, and Derrick’s voice boomed over the stunned silence.
“Surprise!”
It took thirty seconds or so, but their friends and family clapped and called out questions as they clustered around Holly and Derrick.
“Are you . . . are you wearing a wedding dress?” her grandma said. “How did I not know about this?”
“You’re getting married?” Derrick’s mother called out. “Right now?”
“I’m guessing this isn’t really a graduation party,” Drew McCoy called out. Drew’s wife, Cameron, was applauding.
Holly’s mom burst into tears. “I’m just so happy,” she said.
Holly’s roommates clustered around her. “You look gorgeous!”
Derrick had invited most of his teammates, but he didn’t want to spoil the surprise, so many sent their best wishes instead of coming back from their various offseason pursuits for a “graduation party.” He glanced over at the guys who’d managed to show up. They looked stunned at this development.
One of the defensive line rookies called out, “Wait until the guys find out you got your ass married and they missed it.”
“It was nice of me to invite you, wasn’t it?” Derrick teased. He glanced over at his mama. “Yes, Mama, we’re getting married right now.”
The coordinator sped around the room, getting people settled into their seats. The minister took his place at the top of an improvised aisle. Holly reached out to take her roommates’ hands.
“Would you be my maids of honor?” she said.
The ever-practical Courtney said, “Of course we will. We both can’t sign the license, though.”
“We’ll flip for it,” Courtney’s sister, Whitney, said. “Come on.”
Holly reached out for her dad’s hand.
“How about I walk my favorite girl up
the aisle?” her dad said.
“I would love that, Dad. I’m so glad you and Mom are here.”
“Nothing could keep us away,” he said. He squeezed her hand as he slipped it through her arm. “Best surprise ever, as you kids would say.”
Derrick was glancing around, and Holly could almost read his mind: He needed to choose a best man on the spot from the friends and family present.
“Baby, it’s whoever you’d like,” she whispered to him.
“Yeah. I’ll do that,” he said. He scanned the room with an anxious look on his face, and turned back to her. “I was really hoping he’d be here.”
“I don’t understand. Did you invite someone else?” she said.
Seconds later, they heard the latch on the room’s door behind them click open, and a voice as deep as Derrick’s said, “I didn’t miss it all, did I?”
“Trevon,” Derrick said. He whirled, throwing his arms around a younger man with closely cropped hair who wore a military dress uniform. “You’re here, man.”
“I told you I’d make it,” his brother said. The two men hugged, slapped each other on the back, and wiped away a few tears.
Trevon held out his hand for Holly’s. “You must be my new sister,” he said. He brought the back of her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Welcome to the family.”
Holly gave him a trembling smile in response. Trevon reached out for his mama and his grandma, who’d hurried across the room to throw their arms around him too.
A few minutes later, Derrick and Trevon took their places next to the minister. Holly slid her hand through her dad’s arm again. The DJ cued up John Legend’s “All of Me,” and Holly was thankful she was wearing waterproof mascara. She knew why Derrick had asked for this song. They both had faults, but she loved him more than anyone else because he had the courage to show his weaknesses to her, accepting and loving her for who she was too.
Holly’s parents had moved to Arizona four years ago because her mom’s health couldn’t take Seattle’s damp winters anymore. Retirement definitely agreed with them. Even if they didn’t see each other every day anymore, she’d never doubted her parents’ love for her. Her dad patted her hand and said, “I look forward to getting to know Derrick.”
“I know he wants to spend some time with you, too, Dad. As well as with Mom and Marcus.” Holly’s older brother, Marcus, lived in Utah with his wife, who was expecting their first child.
“We’re so proud of you and we love you very much,” her dad said. He stopped at the top of the aisle only feet from Derrick. “Be happy, honey.”
“I love you too. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” she said.
Her dad kissed her cheek and reached out for Derrick’s hand. He was enveloped in a huge bear hug. “Mr. Reynolds,” Derrick said.
“Call me ‘Dad,’ ” Holly’s father said. Poor Derrick; he needed another handkerchief. Finally, it was the two of them in front of the minister.
“I’d like to welcome everyone to Derrick and Holly’s wedding. Who gives this woman to be married to this man?” the minister asked.
“Her mother and I,” her dad said. He sat down next to Holly’s mother, who was already dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
Derrick took Holly’s hands in both of his. They made promises with trembling voices and slipped a ring onto each other’s finger. Finally, Derrick pulled her into his arms for their first kiss as husband and wife. She heard laughter and applause as he kissed her a second time, and then a third. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her cheek against his as he spoke up.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to kiss my wife.”
DERRICK WATCHED HOLLY circulate among their thirty-five guests. She was glowing with happiness as she accepted congratulations and held out her hand so their friends and family members could see her rings. They’d danced together, had dinner, cut the cake, and kissed, when yet another guest tapped a glass with a piece of silverware. Shelby Anderson had caught Holly’s bouquet. Derrick didn’t miss the look of triumph in Shelby’s boyfriend Chuck’s eyes. Unless he was really wrong, Chuck was about to propose.
Wait until Shelby’s big brother, Zach, found out.
Derrick was ready to start their honeymoon, but a few of his teammates were having a fairly interesting convo in one corner as they watched the women in their lives talking and laughing together.
“And another one bites the dust, Collins,” Zach Anderson teased. “There aren’t many single Sharks around these days. Caleb’s dating my kid sister, and Drew McCoy even tied the knot.”
“Best decision I ever made,” McCoy interrupted. He glanced across the room at his wife, Kendall.
Seth Taylor took a sip of beer in response.
“Taylor,” Zach said, “I think your number’s up, man. Accept it gracefully.”
“Nope. Not getting married,” Seth said.
“Are you sure about that?” Derrick shot back. “Care to make it interesting?” He jammed his hand in his suit pocket and pulled out a money clip.
The normally shy and reserved Caleb pulled bills out of his pocket and slapped them down on the table. “Get out your cash, men. Five hundred says that he’s engaged before the end of next season.”
“Oh, you’re on,” Seth told them. “Who’s holding the cash?”
“I’ll do it,” Zach said as he dropped his five hundred dollars on the pile.
Derrick added his cash. Drew McCoy laughed at them, but dug into his pocket as well.
“Taking your money will be sweet,” Seth said.
“We won’t lose,” Derrick said. “We don’t ever lose. With that, I gotta go.” He didn’t want to wait one more minute to spend the rest of his life holding Holly.
Keep cheering on the Seattle Sharks in Julie Brannagh’s
next exciting book,
CHASING JILLIAN
Jillian Miller likes her job working in the front office for the Seattle Sharks, but lately, being surrounded by a constant parade of perfection only seems to make her own imperfections all the more obvious. She needs a change, which takes her into foreign territory: the Sharks’ workout facility after hours. The last thing she expects is a hot, grumbly god among men to be there as witness.
Star linebacker Seth Taylor has had a bad day—in fact, he’s had a series of them recently. When he hits the Sharks’ gym to work out his frustration, he’s startled to find someone there—and even more surprised that it’s Jillian, the team owner’s administrative assistant. When he learns of Jillian’s mission to revamp her lifestyle, he finds himself volunteering to help. Something about Jillian’s beautiful smile and quick wit makes him want to stick around. She may not be like the swimsuit models he usually has on his arm, but the more time Seth spends with Jillian, the harder he falls.
As Jillian learns that the new her is about so much more than what she sees in the mirror, can she discover that happiness and love are oh-so-much better than perfect?
Coming Spring 2015
An Excerpt from
BLITZING EMILY
Love and Football, Book One
Available Now from Avon Impulse!
Emily Hamilton doesn’t trust men. She’s much more comfortable playing the romantic lead on stage in front of a packed house than in her own life. So, when NFL star and irresistible ladies’ man Brandon McKenna acts as her personal white knight, she has no illusions he’ll stick around. However, a misunderstanding with the press throws them together in a fake engagement that yields unexpected (and breathtaking) benefits.
Every time Brandon calls her “sugar,” Emily almost believes Brandon’s playing for keeps, not just to score. Can she let down her defenses and get her own Happily Ever After?
EMILY HAD BARELY enough time to hang up the cordless and flip on the TV before Brandon wandered down the stairs.
“Hey,” he said, and he threw himself down on the couch next to her.
His blond curls were tangled, his eyes sleepy, and she saw a pillowcase crease
on his cheek. He looked completely innocent until she saw the wicked twinkle in his eyes. Even in dirty workout clothes, he was breathtaking. She wondered if it was possible to ovulate on demand.
“I’m guessing you took a nap,” she said.
“I was supposed to be watching you.” He tried to look penitent. It wasn’t working.
“Glad to know you’re making yourself comfortable,” she teased.
He stretched his arm around the back of the couch.
“Everything in your room smells like flowers, and your bed’s great.” He pulled up the edge of his T-shirt and sniffed it. Emily almost drooled at a glimpse of his rock-hard abdomen. Evidently, it was possible to have more than a six pack. “The guys will love my new perfume. Maybe they’ll want some makeup tips,” he muttered, and grabbed for the remote Emily left on the coffee table.
He clicked through the channels at a rapid pace.
“Excuse me. I had that.” She lunged for it. No such luck. Emily ended up sprawled across his lap.
“The operative word here, sugar, is ‘had.’ ” He held it up in the air out of her reach while he continued to click. He’d wear a hole in his thumb if he kept this up. “No NFL Network.” She tried to sit up again, which wasn’t working well. Of course, he was chuckling at her struggles. “Oh, I get it. You’re heading for second base.”
“Hardly.” Emily reached over and tried to push off on the other arm of the couch. One beefy arm wrapped around her. “I’m not trying to do anything. Oh, whatever.”
“You know, if you want a kiss, all you have to do is ask.”
She couldn’t imagine how he managed to look so innocent while smirking.
“I haven’t had a woman throw herself in my lap for a while now. This could be interesting,” he said.
Emily’s eyebrows shot to her hairline. “I did not throw myself in your lap.”
“Could’ve fooled me. Which one of us is—”
Holding Holly (Love and Football Series) Page 8