by Jamie Wesley
After the press conference, Elise excused herself and went back to her office. She stopped inside the door. Something was off. She couldn’t tell what, but she sensed it. Then she saw it. A DVD case lay on her desk. Drawn by the handwritten note taped to the case, she headed for her desk. Christian’s handwriting. She froze. Had he been there? So close? On unsteady legs, she took the last two steps to reach her desk and picked up the case.
The note said, “Watch me. Please.”
She rounded her desk and dropped into her chair. With shaking fingers, she inserted the disc into her computer’s DVD drive. There she was on the screen. Christian had been hard at work. His talent became immediately evident. Even though this was her life, he still took her on a tension-filled ride. Would her first free agency period as a GM end in triumph or embarrassment? Her doubts, her dreams, they were all there.
The screen went dark. She started to eject the disc, but a second later the screen lightened. A message appeared on the screen.
That’s the Elise the public knows. The badass general manager of the Dallas Stampede. This is the Elise I know.
Outtakes. A shot of her dancing in the office before going to meet Drew at the airport for his visit. Another of her eating Chinese food straight from the container while intently watching footage of a player she was considering signing. One of her happily kicking her shoes off after a meeting and burying her feet in the carpet.
The screen went blank again. She held her breath, waiting for another message to appear. Instead, Christian’s voice came from the computer.
“This is the Elise I know. She loves what she does. She knows how to laugh and have a good time. She works harder for something she believes in than anyone I’ve ever known. She never gives up in the face of adversity. She deserves every good thing that’s ever happened to her and every good thing that will happen to her in the future.”
Elise could barely pay attention to what he was saying. Not when she was bawling like a baby. How could he do this to her? How could he make her remember all the good times they’d shared when there was no guarantee they would have more?
A creaking noise caught her attention. Her head jerked up. Christian stood at the door. “Hi.”
Thank God she was already sitting down. No doubt she would have collapsed to the floor in a completely undignified heap otherwise. It took her a few seconds to respond. “Hi.”
“You watched the video.”
She wiped the tears away. “What gave it away? The mascara streaming down my face?”
His lips, as gorgeous as ever, split into a small smile. “Pretty much.”
“It’s your fault. You did a great job.”
Christian came closer, stopping a few feet away from her desk. “You make a fascinating subject. Watching that will make everyone root for you. Showcasing your greatness was the easy part.”
She studied every inch of his handsome face, wanting to commit it to memory. “What was the hard part?”
“Trying to convey how much you mean to me.” His sincerity was plain to see on his face and in his tone.
Hope, ever cautious, began to bloom in her heart. She waited for him to say more. Instead, he turned away, gripping the back of his neck. “Christian?”
He faced her again, anguish now dominating his expression. “I was the biggest jackass to you, and I don’t deserve you or your forgiveness, but I’m asking for it anyway.” He came to her then. Grasped her hand, pulled her out of her chair, and wrapped his arms around her waist. “I love you with all of my heart.”
Her knees buckled at the admission. “You…l-love me?”
Christian drew her closer. “I know that probably scares you. Commitment isn’t easy for you. I’m not going to push you, but I’m hoping you’ll be willing to try again. We can go as slowly as you want.” He stepped back and gazed directly into her eyes. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I said all those terrible things. I was so focused on what I thought was right that I forgot we’re different people. Just because your path is different from mine doesn’t mean it’s wrong. I hope you can forgive me.
“Editing that footage was the best thing I could’ve possibly done,” he continued. “It made me see how stupid I was. I was telling you to make sure your career doesn’t take over your life, but I failed to realize that your career gives you a joy that my old job never did. You genuinely love your work, and you thrive in it in a way that I never did, and I failed to give you credit for knowing your own mind. You love the challenge of running a team, and if a relationship has to take a backseat to that now, it’s okay.”
Elise laid a hand against his chest and looked up at him, her lips curving into a smile. “Thank you for understanding. But you’re not the only one who learned something over the past few days. You taught me that I need to live a life that I want to live, not the one I think I should live.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
She took a deep breath. “I let down my walls with you, something I haven’t done with anyone since my mom died. I didn’t want to deal with the pain that could come from caring about someone, but you refused to let me hide.”
He grinned. “I can be a pain.”
Elise smiled. “Well, yeah, but I needed the reminder that work isn’t everything. I do love my job, but it’s not the only important thing in my life. My relationships are even more important. My father and I are a team. Communicating with him about my frustrations and fears is the way to succeed. He and I both learned that lesson.”
Christian shook his head. “You really are the smartest person I know. You’ve been trying to drum something into my head, but I was so stubborn. I get it now, though.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Get what?”
“Perfection is impossible. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be happy or deserve happiness. We don’t have to live life a certain way to be happy. You say I gave you the courage to talk to your father about your relationship with him, but you gave me the courage to admit that I wanted to move forward with Mack and leave the anger behind.”
Elise flinched. “I’m sorry I got so caught in my own drama that I wasn’t there for you after you interviewed him.”
“I know.” Christian pressed a kiss to her forehead. “We make mistakes. I certainly do. I’m sorry I didn’t fully appreciate that there wouldn’t have been an interview and possible reconciliation without you. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me.”
She patted him on the chest. “You’re okay.”
“Just okay?”
She shrugged, struggling to hold back a grin. “Maybe a little better than that.”
“How much more?”
Elise spoke straight from her heart. “My life wouldn’t be the same without you in it.” She clasped her hands together. “Please never give up on us again. As in don’t go slow. As in I couldn’t stand it if I didn’t have all of you right now.”
Christian’s lips stretched into a huge smile. “You got it. Easiest promise ever.”
He lowered his head. She was waiting for him.
The kiss was exquisite. Full of love and forgiveness and rightness. It felt like it had been forever since he’d held her in his arms instead of only a few days. This was the man she’d never thought she needed. How wrong she’d been. He understood her. He encouraged her. And she never wanted to be without him ever again.
Elise poured all the love sweeping through her body into the kiss. She rejoiced as his love enveloped her in return. She pressed her forehead against his and said the words she thought she’d never say to a man, but now couldn’t imagine not saying to him. “I love you.”
His arms tightened around her. “Promise?” he murmured.
“With all my heart.”
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Acknowledgments
Thank you, as always, to the readers. Y’all are the best and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
To all my family and friends, I love y’all! Thank you so much for all the support.
Thank you to my editor, Tracy Montoya. I love working with you. My books are so much better because of it. I know I can be a pain, but I really do appreciate you.
Shout out to all my writing friends Roni Loren, Dawn Alexander, Genevieve Wilson, Piper Huguley, the Firebirds, and so many more. We all need friends who get us, and you are mine.
About the Author
Jamie Wesley has been reading romance novels since she was about twelve when her mother left a romance novel, which a friend had given her, on the nightstand. Jamie read it instead, and the rest is history. Her debut novel, TELL ME SOMETHING GOOD, was released by Entangled Publishing in 2014. She’s thrilled (and a little relieved) that this wasn’t her last book published.
She adores rooting for her hometown Dallas’s pro sports teams and her college alma maters, visiting Walt Disney World, and keeping up with pop culture. Want to know if your favorite TV show is going to be canceled or what the newest Disney attraction is? Ask Jamie. She’ll probably know the answer.
To be the first to hear about Jamie’s future releases, sign up for her mailing list here.
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