“I’m beginning to see that now,” she said. “Tyler stayed with you and never said anything but good things about you in the press. Michel adores him. Priscilla has come around too, saying he’s good for you. I want to get to know you both together.”
I went over and hugged her. “I want that so much.”
“Now you all get in here and help set the table,” Ma called out. “I did my part with the cooking. That’s you too, Tyler.”
Tyler came in, placed his arm around my waist, and kissed the top of my head. He’d come help, and he’d also let her see that we were very much together.
“You plan to marry my daughter after she becomes a ballerina?” Ma said, stirring the pot—both literally and figuratively. Ma would always be Ma, and I loved her for it.
“Yeah,” Antony chimed in. “You’re sleeping with my sister, so you’ll have to make her honest.”
I guffawed. “You beat him up and now you want us to get married? I love these double standards. Should I call your latest girlfriend and ask where her ring is?”
“She has a point,” Ma said, and we all laughed.
I thought the subject was dropped, but then Tyler said, “I know I love her, and I’ll marry her the second she says yes to me.”
My mouth dropped open and my heart jumped into my throat. All I could say was, “What?”
His eyes glimmered. “When you’re ready,” he added, and we kissed. There wasn’t anyone else I could imagine myself with. I loved him deeply.
Ma gave Tyler the best cut of meat, and that was as good as a welcome to the family.
Two years later
“WE JUST NEED TO STOP somewhere first,” Tyler said, veering away from our Upper West Side apartment toward Midtown and stopping close to Times Square, one of the busiest places in New York City. Going to Times Square would have been fun had it not been only four hours before we were to perform at what had become an annual event held by New York F.C. and New York ballet to benefit his organization, The Wilson Foundation.
Building on the success of the athlete and dancer joint program, Tyler teamed up with the New York F.C., the New York Ballet, and a host of other sponsors to continue to support children and young adult art programs. Their reach had expanded to include dance training throughout the world, culminating in a charity event that brought together sports and the arts. That year it had sold enough seats to fill Lincoln Center to its capacity and was our biggest event ever. That night, I would perform a scene from Igor Stravinsky’s The Firebird as well reprise our dance from the trailer that brought life to the event. We couldn’t be late, and I reminded him as much.
“All right, little Christophe,” he teased.
I had become as much a stickler for time as Christophe. I had just been promoted to principal dancer for the New York Ballet, a grand achievement of my career, and I was never under the illusion that it was my strength alone that helped me reach the height of success. It took a group of wonderful people and my family’s support to get me there, including the love of my life, Tyler Wilson.
There was a crowd outside of Chevy’s Truck Stop, a western-themed bar that had police and security guards out trying to control the large crowd of people and photographers trying to get a closer look at the performance going on inside through the large glass windows along the front and sides of the restaurant. When we were admitted, I immediately understood why: it was the television and movie star Brooke Pierce singing with a pregnant, Emmy award-winning Gemma Callahan.
“Why here?” I asked Tyler.
“This is where their careers started,” Tyler explained. “They thought to stop here to perform as inspiration for other artists, and also to promote our event.”
They all had already done so much. Gemma and Brooke were both singing, Dylan mentioned the foundation at his press events for movies, and our trailer ran during Brooke’s syndicated show Sanctum. Knox had even started a joint program with the London Ballet and his football club Arsenal.
Brooke and Gemma were standing on the sawdust-covered stage, singing a preview of the duet they were to perform that night, “Nowadays” from the musical Chicago. Their singing was sensational, and they finished off by singing George Benson’s “On Broadway.”
The group exploded into applause. Brooke did a twirl at the end that made a lot of people laugh, and they hugged each other before meeting us over at the table.
“You both cheated,” Tyler teased them. “You were supposed to be in your old cowgirl outfits.”
“Piss off,” Gemma said jokingly as Knox chuckled and hugged her from behind, running his hands lovingly over her pregnant belly.
Tyler placed his arm around my waist. I wanted the same thing for the two of us one day—after some more years performing, though. We had plenty of time.
“Hey, no swearing around William,” Dylan told her.
Knox and Tyler gave him a mockingly shocked look. “You not swearing anymore?”
We all turned to Brooke and Dylan’s two-year-old William, who sat in a booster seat. He was adorable with a mass of brown curls, big blue eyes, and his mouth covered in chocolate shake.
“Not as much,” Brooke said, wiping little cooing William’s face.
“You’d stop doing it too, for him,” Dylan said, giving little William a tickle under the chin. Brooke kissed Dylan and he put his arm around her. They were all good together.
“Team captain,” Knox said to Tyler, giving him a hug. “We all knew you’d get there.”
“You turned your game around. You deserve it,” Dylan said, giving him a hug.
He really had. When Coach Frost was fired, things turned around completely, and the team was back on top. Tyler had received many offers to leave for other clubs, but he loved New York F.C. The new coach, Samuel Grayson, loved the team too and promoted Tyler to team captain. With his games, the foundation, and me, Tyler had little extra time, but I had never once heard him complain—one of the many reasons I loved him.
“Are you ready to put on a pair of tights?” Knox asked, grinning at Tyler.
“Yep, and I’ll look damn good in them,” Tyler shot back.
“He will, and he will be amazing,” I responded with admiration, and Tyler kissed my lips to a cacophony of groans and gags from Knox and Dylan. We didn’t care. We were happy to openly express our love and fondness for each other.
“You both will be,” Brooke complimented. Gemma and Brooke simultaneously gave Tyler kisses on the cheek and hugged me. From the moment I’d met them, they treated me like an old friend. Dylan and Knox were so loving with them. Tyler said it hadn’t always been that way, but they, like he, had grown up and changed for the better when they met the person they wanted to spend the rest of their lives with. I wished the same for the two of us.
They all indulged me in taking a photo of the western bucket of fries and a few of William squeezing them in his little tight fists. Next we went outside where they signed autographs, posed for photos, and did some press out front, then I did as well. My being one of the youngest ever principal dancers for the company had its own celebrity that I used to support my art and company.
We all headed over to Lincoln Center and went backstage to get ready for the show. We paused to hug Zoey, who was doing a scene from Sleeping Beauty with a couple of girls from the Boys & Girls Club, before going into our dressing room to change.
I put on a white outfit matching Tyler’s and my hair went up in a tight bun. He wore a white shirt that fit his muscular torso, white tights, and white shoes, and his dark brown hair was neatly trimmed back. His brown eyes, so warm and loving, made my heart leap. Love was there and moving between us. He kissed me deeply before we were separated and taken to our places to begin our dance and kick off the event. An orchestra played Madonna’s “Crazy For You.”
The large screen on the stage started playing our trailer and marked the start of our dance. We moved together with love and passion. It was like exposing my whole life for the world to see, includin
g the happy ending with me all wrapped up in Tyler’s arms, but then the music stopped and he went down on bended knee.
“Scarlet, we’ve been through a lot together. Through it all, we stood by each other as more than just lovers, as best friends. Your dedication, strength, and hard work lifted me up to believe in myself and do more to reach my dreams, but the dreams I have include being with you forever. Will you marry me?”
I was overcome with emotions at his very public profession of his love for and commitment to me. There was no other man for me, and I answered with all the love and feeling I had. “Yes, I will be happy to marry you, Tyler. I love you very much.”
He placed a platinum ring with a princess cut diamond on my finger and we embraced with a deeply passionate kiss. The crowd exploded in applause, and I knew the cheering from the front had to be my mother and family. Our being together for the past two years had shown her that love can live alongside dreams.
What had started as lessons had transformed into a relationship that taught me so much more than sex. It taught me that, with love, anything is possible in life. I now had Tyler, a loving man I’d cherish always, and we’d face whatever was to come in our lives together.
The End
THANK YOU READERS!
If you enjoyed the MATCH-POINTE. I took some liberties in representing ballet and the soccer to create more drama. I’m a huge fan of Broadway shows. I enjoy a soccer match or two :D The athletes and performers are all wonderful, hardworking people. I hope you had fun reading this story as much as I had writing it. Thank you so much!
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Thank you to my dear husband and best friend Alan. Here we are again. I love you so much.
Thank you to a wonderful group of people that helped me with MATCH POINTE. I greatly appreciate all your hard work.
Thank you to Silvia Curry, Lisa Birch, Deanna, Hermione B, Persephone, Cate, and Cynthia, for their beta critiques. Thank you all for your kindness, support, and patience.
Thank you to Caitlin at Editing by C. Marie for copy editing.
Thank you to Emily A. Lawrence for proofreading.
Thank you to Kim Ginsberg for final proofreading.
Thank you to Sommer Stein of Perfect Pear Creative for cover design.
Thank you to Andrey Bahia of Wander Aguiar Photography.
Thank you to Champagne Formats for the interior format design.
Thank you to Michelle New for the teasers
Thank you to my friends, bloggers and reviewers for all your kindness and support in the promotion.
Thank you, readers, for reading this story. I most sincerely hope you enjoyed it.
Amélie S. Duncan writes contemporary, erotic romances with a dark edge. Her inspiration comes from many sources including her life experiences and travels. She lives on the West Coast of the United States with her husband.
ALSO BY AMÉLIE S. DUNCAN
Match Fit (Love and Play Series) Book One
Match Made (Love and Play Series) Book Two
The Tiger Lily: An Alpha Billionaire Romance Trilogy
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Match Pointe Page 21