“Don’t you have to be back in the dorm in an hour?”
“We’ve got plenty of time,” he assured her.
They stepped out onto the dock, and he let out an “I’m going to kill those guys” seconds before she noticed a picnic basket sitting beside a bench that hadn’t been on the dock two days ago. It looked just like one of the benches the Sharks’ VIPs sat on in the covered area during practices.
“Is something wrong?”
He still held her hand, but she noticed his hand had grown a little sweaty in the past thirty seconds or so. She also noticed that the bulge she felt in his shorts pocket earlier when she plastered herself against him wasn’t necessarily just him, and her heart rate sped up a little, too. Her mouth went dry. She felt herself trembling. She hoped the thing she wished for most was about to happen.
She knew she loved him, and she knew he loved her, too. Did he love her enough to try it again, to propose one more time and to go through the work involved in making their crazy schedules mesh? Maybe he thought she should do the asking. She couldn’t imagine that, though. Zach was still pretty traditional. He’d want to be the one doing the proposing.
His voice broke into her frantic, excited thoughts. “Of course not. Want to sit down? Let’s see what they left for us,” he said.
“Should we be worried about this?”
“Oh, hell, no. This is from my meddling teammates. They must have moved ass to get it out here . . .” He sat down next to her, sliding one arm around her shoulders as he swung the basket onto his lap. “Take a peek.”
She flipped open the top and peered inside. “There’s a bottle of champagne and a couple of plastic cups.” She reached inside the basket to move the champagne bottle aside. “Oh, wow. There’s some huge strawberries, too.” She saw a sealed container of brownies from the local grocery store’s bakery below the strawberries. “It’s really nice of them.” She tried to pretend like she was calm. It wasn’t working well, especially when he lowered the basket to the deck again, turned to look into her eyes, and took her hands in both of his. “I thought we were having a toast.”
She could hear her voice shaking. She was surprised he didn’t comment on it. He raised both hands to his lips, and kissed her knuckles.
“We need something to drink to first.”
“I got a new job,” she burst out.
A huge smile spread over his face. “That’s right. You did, and you handled it yourself. That’s incredible, darlin’. I am so proud of you.”
She beamed. Her already thumping heart went into overdrive when he got to his feet and sank to one knee next to her. She let out a gasp.
“This is really happening. Really? I should have—I should have brushed my hair and I—I—oh. I should have dressed up a little, too. I—” She pulled one of her hands out of his and slapped it over her mouth. It was the only way she was going to stop talking. He waited until she stopped jabbering.
Her nerves seemed to steady his.
“I could have rented a marching band or written it on the sky or made a big banner to hang on the 405 overpass, but maybe something simple is best right now. The words would still be the same,” he said. “I love you with all my heart, Cameron. I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He reached into his shorts pocket and pulled out a small black velvet box. “Will you marry me?”
Her hand was still over her mouth. She was nodding, but it might have been nice if she could speak. She didn’t want to let go of his hand, but her arm wasn’t obeying the “down, down!” signal from her brain. Finally she managed to get her hand to move. It didn’t help matters that she was insta-crying, too.
“Yes. Yes. I love you so much. Yes.” She threw her arms around him and managed to choke out, “I hoped you would ask me. I was afraid you wouldn’t, and I wondered if I needed to ask you, and then I wondered if you needed a ring, too—”
His voice was quiet. “You were going to propose to me?”
“You asked me last time. It was only fair.”
His mouth touched hers, sweet and soft. Adrenaline and adoration surged through her. There was so much to say to him, but the worries about their families, their careers, and everything else could wait. Right now, it was just them, and it was perfect. She’d remember the rain-washed air, the waves lapping the dock, the twinkling stars overhead, and the tender look in his eyes for the rest of her life.
“I’d ask you every day for the rest of my life if you wanted me to,” he said.
She wished she could respond, but the happy tears came even faster. He took her left hand in both of his and slid the ring on. He got up off his knee, drew her to her feet, and wrapped his arms around her. “Don’t cry,” he soothed. “Everything’s fine.”
“I—I’m so happy,” was all she could get out.
He brushed her tears away with his fingertips. She hiccupped a few times, but she finally managed to get control of herself. He kissed her again. Her knees knocked, her heart pounded, her head was spinning, but she had him to hang onto.
They heard whistles and applause in the distance.
“I think we have an audience,” he said into her ear.
“I don’t care.” She leaned her head against his shoulder and felt the unfamiliar weight on the third finger of her left hand. “I haven’t even looked at my new ring yet.” She brought her hand in front of her face, and her mouth dropped open. His lips curved into a smile.
The large, round, radiant-cut diamond was surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds, set into a thin platinum band. The diamonds sparkled in stray light as if they were afire. She looked, and then she stared.
“Oh, God, it’s gorgeous. It’s gorgeous! It fits perfectly, too. Thank you so much!”
This brought on another round of excited kisses and a few more tears, and they heard more applause, wolf whistles, and someone shouted, “Get a room!”
“Here’s our choice. Should we sit out here and enjoy the champagne and treats by ourselves as God intended, or should we take them inside and invite the knuckleheads to celebrate with us?” He rolled his eyes, but he was still smiling. “It’s like having fifty-two brothers,” he confessed.
“They’re not going to leave us alone.”
“No, they probably won’t.” He slid one arm around her waist, leaned down to pick up the basket, and they moved around the bench to head up the path toward the dorm. Their forever started right now.
Epilogue
* * *
Fifteen months later
CAMERON ONDINE ANDERSON tied an apron on over her clothing and stared at the turkey she’d put into the kitchen sink. She’d managed to buy it without incident. She’d left it to thaw in the refrigerator like the butcher had told her to. She’d pulled off the netting and the plastic surrounding it. Now what?
She’d read the directions. It really didn’t matter if she had a master’s degree. They might as well have been written in Sanskrit—she couldn’t figure them out. What the hell was a “giblet”? She could see ice crystals still in the turkey’s breast area and in the drumsticks. She was doing it wrong. Everyone would be so disappointed. She should have bought the ready-made kind, but Zach had said it would be easy.
Zach was enjoying a little more sleep before he had to go to practice for a couple of hours, and before the entire family descended on them later this morning. Butter had crawled in next to him shortly after Cameron got out of bed, too. She couldn’t stand to wake them up. Watching their ninety-pound dog cuddle with her husband was adorable.
Zach didn’t have to play again until Sunday, and the team was in town this week. She asked the FOX Sports brass if she could have their first Thanksgiving as a married couple at home, and they agreed on one condition: A pretaped few minutes of the Andersons would be shown on the network this afternoon. Ever since Cameron and Zach’s romance was featured on PSN’s Third and Long, football fans couldn’t seem to get enough of their love story. Logan had also made the jump to FOX Sports; he’d be one of their di
nner guests today as well.
Cameron pulled out the well-worn Betty Crocker cookbook Zach’s grandma had pressed into her hands last night, flipped to the “poultry” tab, and started reading. A few minutes later, she pulled on the plastic gloves with frilly fabric on one end her sister had sent her as a joke, and rinsed off the turkey. According to the cookbook, she was going to have to stick her hand inside it and pull out the neck—eww—and the giblets, which should be in a bag of some sort.
She heaved a long sigh. “I must be out of my mind.”
She heard heavy footsteps behind her and a big dog’s nails on the hardwood floor.
“No, you’re not. You’re doing just fine,” her husband reassured her. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You and Butter looked so peaceful—”
“I didn’t want to miss this,” he said. “I don’t want to miss a minute with you.”
The dog put two massive paws on the kitchen counter and eyed the turkey. Cameron and Zach both said, “No. Down,” and Butter lay down on the kitchen floor.
Zach kissed the side of her neck. She wished they could go back to bed for a couple of hours, but he had to leave soon for the team facilities. Maybe it wasn’t too late to call the grocery store and get one of those premade turkey dinners.
“You just want to make sure I’m not going to screw up the dinner,” she teased.
“We’ll be fine,” he reassured. “Let’s see here.”
Ten minutes later, Zach had washed his hands, preheated the oven, pulled out the turkey neck and giblets bag, rinsed the rest of the ice crystals from the turkey, and directed Cameron to grab the roasting pan and the “oven bags” he’d bought from the pantry. A few minutes later, the unstuffed turkey was smeared with butter and in the roasting bag, placed into the pan, and Zach lowered it into the oven. He set the oven timer.
She knew Zach was handy in the kitchen—in more ways than one—but she was a bit surprised to note his calm mastery of a situation that kept the Butterball Turkey Hotline in business each year.
“Voila,” he said. “It’ll cook on its own.” He washed his hands again. “Grandma and the girls are making most of the side dishes when they get here. We can set the table later.”
“So, I can learn how to do this myself for Christmas?”
“Why would you want to do it yourself when I’m here?” He kissed and nuzzled the back of her neck. “We’ll work together.”
“But you have a game! We won’t both be here. I—”
He wrapped his arms around her waist again. She leaned back against him and closed her eyes.
“Everything will be fine,” he soothed. “I promise it will.”
Butter dozed on the kitchen floor. Their house was silent around them. Cameron felt the warm puffs of Zach’s breath on the side of her neck, the security of his arms, and the gentleness of his touch. He laced his fingers through hers.
“Zach,” she whispered.
“Yes, darlin’?”
“I’m thankful for you.”
A SHORT TIME later, Zach was on his way to practice, and Cameron stepped out of the shower. She heard voices and laughter. Zach’s sisters must have let themselves in. His grandma lived in a little cottage in their backyard. She said she would be over as soon as “her shows” were done.
Zach and Cameron had offered Grandma their ground-floor master bedroom suite shortly before their wedding. The empty carriage house over their three-car garage would be a perfect love nest for the newly married. By taking the master suite, she wouldn’t have to climb stairs.
“No, no, no,” she’d said. “You kids are so sweet to offer, but that’s your room. Newlyweds need their privacy.” It seemed that Grandma longed for a little place to call her own. Zach hired an architect and had plans drawn the next week.
Grandma’s place looked like a dollhouse nestled in a grove of trees. She was about fifty feet from the back door of Zach’s house. She loved listening to the rain on the roof, hearing the wind whistling through the trees, and puttering in the little garden they’d helped her put in around her front door. Zach made sure she had a driver/companion in case she wanted to go somewhere when he and Cameron were traveling or at work. Cameron had a standing coffee date with Grandma most mornings, too.
Nobody in Zach’s family cared if Cameron’s hair was a mess or if she was wearing last season’s clothes. They laughed a lot, and she laughed with them.
She heard a knock at the bedroom door. “Come in,” she called out.
All four of Zach’s sisters piled inside. Whitney hurried over to throw her arms around Cameron. “I’ve missed you,” she said.
“I missed you, too. How’s school?”
“Great.” Her sister-in-law’s face glowed with joy. “I brought someone home for dinner with me.”
“You did? I know some of the girls at the sorority probably didn’t go home. It’s nice of you to invite a friend.”
Cameron hugged Ashley. Courtney threw her arms around both of them. Cameron reached to kiss Shelby’s cheek. Having four younger sisters was a whole new world for her, but she loved it. They were all out of the house and on their own now. They visited frequently, though. There were daily phone conversations, shopping trips, and all the fun of family members who couldn’t wait to spend time together.
“She didn’t bring home a sorority sister,” Ashley said.
“It’s a guy,” Courtney said. “He’s in the family room. Plus, your parents are here.”
Seconds later, Cameron heard another tap on the bedroom door, and her mother’s voice. “Honey, are you in there?”
“Come on in, Mom.”
Olivia Ondine, dressed in head-to-toe vintage Chanel complete with seven ropes of Chanel-logo pearls in varying lengths, glanced around at five women in casual clothing. “I’m overdressed again, aren’t I?”
“Mom, don’t worry about it,” Cameron assured her. “You look gorgeous. If you want me to, I’ll dress up. We didn’t want to wreck our clothes working in the kitchen.”
Cameron noted the sadness in her mother’s eyes. She wanted to fit in, too, it seemed. She just wasn’t sure how. Zach’s sisters must have noticed Olivia’s crestfallen expression as well.
Shelby smiled at Olivia. “That suit is beautiful. Want to hang out in the kitchen with us? We’d better find you an apron first.” She patted Olivia on the back. “We’re planning on making a huge mess. Want to help?”
“Don’t fuss,” Olivia said. “I’ll be fine.”
Ashley reached out for the doorknob leading to Cameron’s closet and glanced at Cameron with one raised eyebrow. Cameron gave her a quick nod.
“C’mon, Olivia. Let’s see what she’s got.”
Several minutes later they’d coaxed Olivia into a pair of Cameron’s jeans and a plum cotton v-necked sweater. They replaced the high heels she wore with a pair of slipper socks.
“I can’t remember the last time I didn’t wear high heels on a holiday,” Olivia said, but Cameron was touched to see her mom smiling. The sisters clustered around her. “These are definitely more comfortable.”
Ashley nodded at the Chanel pearls. “Those are perfect with that sweater.”
To Cameron’s surprise, Olivia took a strand of them off and draped them around Ashley’s neck. “They’re yours, if you’d like them,” she said. Ashley responded with a hug. Olivia glanced over at Courtney. “You need something pretty to wear with your lab coat,” she said, and pulled off the diamond-studded bangle she wore. She slid it onto Courtney’s wrist.
“But this belongs to you,” Courtney said.
“I want you to have it,” Olivia insisted.
Shelby and Whitney both got a strand of pearls, too.
“Olivia, these are so expensive, and your daughters might be upset—” Ashley protested.
“They already have some.”
Cameron hurried across her and Zach’s room to grab her own strand of Chanel pearls out of the jewelry box an
d looped them over her head.
“Now we all look stunning,” Olivia said, looking satisfied.
“We don’t cook in anything but Chanel,” Cameron told her sisters-in-law and her mother. Talking and laughing, the six women descended on the kitchen.
ZACH ARRIVED HOME from practice to find a houseful of guests. He could hear the women in the kitchen from the front door. Butter ran up to him, tail wagging, and tried to knock him over.
“Down, boy. Where is everybody?”
His wife hurried toward him and threw her arms around his neck. She had a little flour on one of her cheeks, too. They must have opened a bottle of wine, because he tasted it when he kissed her.
“My dad’s in the family room. He’s behaving himself so far.”
“Good. It’ll be fine, darlin’,” he reassured.
“Wait until you see who else arrived a few minutes ago,” she said into his ear. She tugged him past the formal living room that nobody used and into the family room.
His father-in-law got to his feet and stuck out one hand. “Happy Thanksgiving, Anderson.”
“Happy Thanksgiving to you, too, Mr. Ondine. Would you like something to drink or a snack while you’re waiting for dinner? Let’s flip the game on. I like the Lions this year.”
“Call me Preston,” he said.
Cameron’s dad didn’t quite meet his eyes. They’d mended fences enough that Cameron’s family had attended their small and private wedding, but Zach and his father-in-law’s relationship was still a bit dicey. Surprisingly enough, his mother-in-law was at Zach and Cameron’s every chance she could get. He was shocked to learn that she and Grandma shared the same addiction to daytime TV, for instance. She’d coaxed his grandma into shopping and mani-pedis and lunches out, too. He had to admit he loved it. It was time for Grandma to enjoy herself.
Catching Cameron: A Love and Football Novel Page 28