“I went to talk to your dad before we left, and he gave me this.” Corby pulled a jewelry box from his pocket, and I almost hyperventilated. “He said if I was going to propose, I needed to do it with your grandmother's engagement ring.”
“Oh, my gosh.” I pressed my fingers against my lips as tears spilled down my cheeks.
“I’m really glad he did because it means I can do this.” He went down on one knee and flipped the lid of the jewelry box open. I hadn’t seen the antique diamond ring my grandmother had worn in years, and knowing my father had given it to Corby made this moment even more special. “Emmeline Cushing, I know we’ve only known each other for ten months, but you’ve become the center of my world. Where we’ll be and what we’ll be doing might be up in the air right now, but I’m beyond certain of one thing—I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me.”
“Yes,” I cried, holding out my left hand so he could slide the ring onto my trembling finger.
A smattering of applause sounded from the players and families sitting closest to us who realized what was happening. When the noise grew louder, and I heard his name echo around the room, what we’d missed while we’d been busy getting engaged finally dawned on me. “Corby, you’ve been drafted.”
He turned to look at the giant screen, and his eyes went wide. “Fuck me, I have.”
‘Go,” I urged, pushing him toward the stage.
“Not without you,” he insisted, lacing his fingers through mine and leading me up there with him.
Everything happened in a whirlwind from there. We posed for pictures with team jerseys, Corby talked to representatives from the Chicago Cavaliers—the team who’d drafted him—and then sat for a bunch of media interviews. My favorite moment was when one of the journalists asked him if he was happy how the day went, and he answered, “I got drafted and engaged within about a minute of each other. It’s the best damn day of my life.”
His response garnered a lot of attention, and everyone wanted to know more about the eighteen-year-old hockey phenom who’d proposed to his girlfriend. When they found out he’d been in foster care, their interest increased. I had a feeling our photo would be splashed all over the place the following morning. Corby’s success in hockey and love made an excellent special interest story.
By the time we made it back to our hotel room, all I wanted to do was cuddle with Corby in bed and stare at the gorgeous platinum filigree ring with a sparkling diamond in the center that my grandmother had worn for forty years. “I can’t believe we’re really engaged. Pinch me to prove I’m not dreaming.”
“I can pinch you”—Corby’s palm slid up my thigh—“but you might still feel as though you’re dreaming because of how good I’ll make it feel.”
“I like the sound of that.” We’d been together long enough that I knew exactly where this was headed, but I had something important I wanted to discuss with him first. I reluctantly wrapped my fingers around his wrist to stop the progress of his hand. “But first, we need to talk.”
“Shit,” he groaned, rolling on his back and pulling me against his chest. “Those four words are dangerous coming from a woman’s mouth. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, they’re awesome.” I tilted my head back to meet his gaze. “And I think what I need to tell you will make this day even better.”
He combed his fingers through my hair. “I’m not sure it’s possible to top me getting drafted into the NHL and you accepting my proposal, but if anyone can do it, it’s you.”
“I applied to the same college as you and got in. I want to tell them I’ll be enrolling as a student there in the fall,” I blurted out.
His body stiffened as his arms tightened around me. The thundering of his heart in his chest grew louder, and I was starting to worry about how he was going to react when he whispered, “You really want to go to the same school as me?”
“I do.” Even though we were in the middle of an important conversation, I mentally squeed a little because those two words held new meaning for me now that we were engaged.
“If it’s the long-distance thing, you don’t need to worry,” he reassured me. “Our relationship is rock solid. We can handle it.”
“I know we can, but I’ve been thinking about this ever since our first trip together last year. I’m not sure how to explain it, but I felt comfortable there. As though I’d fit in perfectly with or without you there.” I rubbed my cheek against his chest. “And now that I know you’ll be playing in college before going pro, the decision feels even more right.”
He stroked his hand up my spine and sighed. “What about Yale?”
I loved how he didn’t react the way most guys would by pushing me to make the decision easiest for them. He loved me so much that he was totally okay with spending the next four years on different campuses if that was what I thought was best for me. “I let them know in advance that my attendance depended on what happened when my very serious boyfriend was drafted into the NHL. Normally, they’d want to trash talk me to every college in the country for backing out after accepting their early action admission, but the millions upon millions of dollars that my grandparents and father donated to his Alma Mater was enough to make them see reason.” I flashed him a sheepish grin. “Well, that and my offer to cover four years tuition for someone on the waitlist if I backed out of attending. My only request was that the student needs to have been part of the foster system at some point in their life.”
“You’re going to fund a scholarship to a foster kid to go to Yale, baby?” he whispered.
My cheeks heated as I nodded. “Yeah, that’s the plan.”
“You’re so fucking incredible, Emme.” He crashed his mouth against mine for a deep kiss. “But if you do this, you have to be one-hundred-percent sure it’s what you want. This is a huge decision, and I don’t want you to make it just because I proposed. Attending Yale is a big deal. Getting your degree there means you can get practically any job you want.”
“Here’s the thing; super successful parents expect the same from their children.” I lifted my hand to stare at my engagement ring again. “But that’s never what I wanted for myself. I don’t need to earn gobs of money because I already have more than I’ll ever be able to spend in this lifetime. I don’t even know what I want to study yet, let alone what I’ll do with my degree once I graduate. It doesn’t make sense for me to take a spot at Yale just because I can when I’d be happier somewhere else.”
He squeezed me tight and grinned, finally understanding where I was coming from with this. “If this is what you really want, then I’m one thousand percent on board with the plan.”
I hugged him back and returned his smile, relieved to have my decision behind me. “Then I guess we’ll be going to college together in a couple of months.”
“This calls for a celebration.” He rolled me onto my back and proceeded to honor the occasion by giving me three orgasms—one each with his mouth, fingers, and dick. One of my best ideas ever had been the rule about celebrating everything, and I was looking forward to a lifetime filled with nights like this one.
Epilogue
Corby
The past six years had been full of ups and downs, but only one topped this moment. The only time I’d been happier was the day I’d made Emme my wife. We came back to Black Mountain often, but this was a special trip because we’d brought the Stanley Cup with us. Rubbing my hand over her rounded belly, I took in the family and friends who’d joined in our celebration. We were an interesting group, and everyone in the room was important to our little family in one way or another.
“Your mom would’ve been so fucking proud of you, son.” A hand clamped on my shoulder, and I twisted around to meet my dad’s gaze. The past six years had brought many changes for him, starting with his early parole when Jonathan, Emme’s dad, got involved in his case. It had shocked the fuck out of me when he’d taken me aside when we’d come back during our first summer break to tell me he’d been up to the pr
ison to visit my dad a bunch of times. Then he’d blown my mind when he’d added that the team of lawyers his company used had filed an appeal and were pushing hard for a retrial due to judicial bias.
They hadn’t been able to pull it off, but their early parole petition had been granted. When we’d come back home again for winter break, he was out and living with the Cushings—which drove Emme’s mom up the fucking wall. Her dad refused to back down, though, and she’d eventually shut up about it because she didn't want him to divorce her.
Emme’s mom was the opposite of how mine had been. My happiness was the only thing that mattered to her, not money or success. “She wouldn’t have cared about the Cup.”
“She would’ve been happy you’d achieved your dream.” My dad jerked his chin in Emme’s direction. “But she would have done cartwheels over your wife and baby.”
It fucking sucked that my mom would never meet Emme or the baby girl we planned to name after her. But with all the good luck I’d had in the past six years, I couldn’t help but feel as though she’d been looking after me all this time and knew how great my life had turned out. “The greatest accomplishments in my life.”
“Damn straight,” he agreed before glancing over at the Stanley Cup. “But winning a championship isn’t too far behind.”
Emme shifted in her seat, and there was a gentle kick against the palm of my hand. “You did so good, hubby.”
“I’m at my best when my good luck charm is in the stands.” Even with her belly round with my baby, Emme had cheered me on from one of the private boxes at every play-off game. It had taken a lot of naps to stay up late some nights, but she’d been with me every step of the way—just as she always was.
She beamed a smile my way. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.” I leaned over and pressed a quick but firm kiss against her lips. Then I stood and gave her belly a gentle pat. “I’ll be back in a second, baby.”
I headed over to the table Jonathan had set up for the Stanley Cup, jerking my chin in acknowledgment of one member of the team who traveled with the piece of hockey history as my teammates and I got our days with it over the summer. William was standing less than a foot away from the thirty-five-pound trophy. He hadn’t been able to keep his eyes off the Cup since he’d gotten here. I squeezed his shoulder and said, “It feels damn good to be able to repay your generosity.”
I’d kept in touch with William sporadically throughout the years, and he’d come to see me play several times in college—where I’d stayed long enough to earn my bachelor’s in communications—and more often during my two years in the NHL. When we’d won the championship, he’d been in the stands. After the game, I’d reminded him of the request he’d made of me back when I was a senior in high school. His smile then was only slightly smaller than the one on his face now.
“I knew you had talent when I first saw you play in the state championships as a junior in high school, but you’ve surpassed my prediction of the player you could become one day. I’m happy to have had a small hand in helping you get here, Corby.”
“What you did for me wasn’t small, William.” I turned to stare at my pregnant wife. William’s marriage hadn’t been a happy one, and he’d finally wrapped up his bitter divorce from Eleanor a few months ago. From his perspective, the help he’d provided had led to my successful hockey career. But my gratitude was for an entirely different reason. “I never would have met Emme if I hadn’t come to Black Mountain. My life in the years before you fostered me were difficult, but I would gladly go through them again if that’s what it took to bring me to her.”
If you’re curious about how Faith and Dillon got together, their story is available in the Fortuity Duet.
Want to know more about the Chicago Cavaliers, the team who drafted Corby? Several of the players find love in my Bachelorette Party series, which starts with Sucked Into Love.
Or you can grab Push the Envelope, one of my college romances, for FREE!
PS: I borrowed the serial killer storyline from Ashley Jade. If you’d like to know who the murderer is, keep an eye out for the release of Hate Me.
Drama, angst, love, lust, and everything in-between. Light or dark, twisted or sweet, the BMA series has something for every reader!
Check out the Black Mountain Academy webpage to see all the books available.
Also by Rochelle Paige
BLYTHE COLLEGE SERIES
Push the Envelope
Hit the Wall
Push It Forward
Hold Your Horses
Outside the Box
Winter Wedding
FORTUITY DUET
Fortuity
Serenity
BACHELORETTE PARTY SERIES
Sucked Into Love
Mixed Into Love
Checked Into Love
Married Into Love
Slapped Into Love
Chased Into Love
Bounced Into Love
CRISIS SERIES
Identity Crisis
Protection Crisis
FATED MATES
Crying Wolf
Shoot for the Moon
Thrown to the Wolves
Bear the Consequences
Bear It All
Bear the Burden
Give Her the Moon
Bear Your Fate
Cards of Love:The Empress
BODY & SOUL SERIES
Bare Your Soul
Save Your Soul
Sell Your Soul
Feed Your Soul
Body Language
Body Heat
STANDALONES
Star Pupil
About the Author
I absolutely adore reading—always have and always will. When I was growing up, my friends used to tease me when I would trail after them, trying to read and walk at the same time. If I have downtime, odds are you will find me reading or writing.
I am the mother of two wonderful sons who have inspired me to chase my dream of being an author. I want them to learn from me that you can live your dream as long as you are willing to work for it.
Connect with me online:
Charity: Black Mountain Academy/Fortuity Page 14