Match Me Up

by Parker, Weston

  “I like that idea. We can get a hide-a-bed just in case there is an emergency and Tamlyn needs to crash. It won’t be too comfortable.”

  He chuckled and reached over to grab my hand. “I like it. I think I’m going to update my home office a bit too. I’m going to want to spend a lot more time at home now that I have a reason to be there.”

  I smiled at him. “You always say such sweet things.”

  “I’m not trying,” he said. “I’m just telling you the truth.”

  “I like the truth,” I told him. “Always tell me the truth. Even when I might get mad, tell me the truth.”

  “Deal. That goes for you as well. I want to know when I’m coming on too strong. If I’m bugging you and you need some time, tell me. If my mom demands you put out a litter of kids, let me know and I’ll tell her to back off.”

  “A litter would be easier,” I mused aloud. “Then we could get it all done in one shot.”

  “Are we talking about having kids?” he asked with shock.

  “No, definitely not. We are not going down that road just yet.”

  “But it’s on the table?” he asked.

  “It’s not off the table.”

  He laughed and let the subject drop. I leaned back in the seat and stared out the window. This time, heading to Austin was much different than before. I had a lot of hope for the future. I could almost see my future laid out in front of me. Before, it had not been clear. I kept setting short-term goals. Now, I was looking at the long term. I could see us together ten years down the road. We would be together and happy. I would have my career and his company would be a massive success.

  “I think we can officially call the app a success,” I announced.

  “Can we?”

  “Absolutely. I didn’t know I loved you until that stupid app paired us together. I don’t know who was in charge of the little inkblot questions, but they need to keep it up. They nailed it.”

  “To be fair, I knew I loved you before that questionnaire,” he said. “I didn’t know it was possible for you to love a geek like me, but I guess the algorithm did.”

  “You are my geek,” I told him and ruffled his hair.

  When we got home, we poured ourselves some of the eggnog his mother sent us home with and turned on the TV to the station with the crackling fire. The Christmas lights were on and it felt like I had arrived. My life had been in turmoil the last few years, but it was all behind me. He was my future. He was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.

  “You know, we have two weeks of this, then shit hits the fan,” I told him.

  “What? Why?”

  “I start my next semester and it’s going to be grueling. I’m going to be cranky. I’m not going to have a lot of downtime. I’m warning you now. Don’t leave me.”

  “I’m in it for the long haul,” he said. “You can be cranky. In fact, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, but you don’t need to keep working at the bookstore. I make more than enough to support us.”

  “No,” I said firmly. “No way.”

  “I’m not trying to take away your independence, but I don’t want you to burn the candle at both ends. Think of it as a down payment on my future.”

  “On your future?” I questioned.

  “Yep. I plan on taking full advantage of your marketing expertise.”

  “Oh, I see.” I laughed. “Is this a tit for tat situation.”

  “Could we make it a tit for dick situation?” he teased.

  “I might consider that offer,” I told him. “Not the dick offer. That’s a given. The marketing thing. I could freelance for you and get the experience I need.”

  “You would have to let me pay you.”

  “Not if you’re paying the bills,” I said.

  “Woman, quit being so damn stubborn,” he growled. “We’re a couple. This is what couples do. We help each other out. You help me and I help you. We’re a team.”

  It would be nice if I had more free time. “I’ll think about it. I don’t want to leave Gloria hanging.”

  “That’s all I ask,” he said and kissed the top of my head.

  Epilogue

  Lily

  Two years later

  I flipped through the pages of the binder and studied every little detail. This was it. This was the final project before I walked across that stage and got my master’s degree. I wasn’t going to do the whole graduation thing, but Tamlyn and Thomas had convinced me to make it a big deal. After all, I did work hard to get to this day.

  “Done?” Thomas asked when I walked out of my home office.

  I smiled with relief. “Done. Thank you for letting me use your company as my guinea pig. You took a chance on me and I appreciate it.”

  “I am thanking you for letting me be your guinea pig. You’re good at what you do and you have made the company into a booming success.”

  “I’m going to turn this in,” I said. “Tacos tonight?”

  “Damn straight,” he said.

  Tuesday pizza and Thai had run its course. We were on tacos now. It was still our standing date night and I was so glad we had it. After the craziness of the last year, we needed some calm in the storm. But it was all over. I made it. I completed all my requirements and internships. I was done. It felt like I was finally stepping off the boat after a six-year journey. I was finally on dry land and ready to start building my life.

  Two weeks later, I had my degree in hand and had never been happier in my life. Everything was falling into place. I was right where I was supposed to be. I found Thomas waiting for me right where he said he would be.

  “Ready to get out of here?” he asked.

  “I am, but are you going to tell me where we are going?”

  “It’s a surprise. How many times do I have to explain the meaning of a surprise?”

  “Very funny.” I laughed. “Are you whisking me away on a Caribbean cruise?”

  “Sorry, baby, we are staying in Texas.”

  “Are we going out for dinner?” I asked.

  “Kind of,” he hedged.

  We headed out of the city and into the suburbs. It was an affluent part of town. We’d cruised through the area a few times and daydreamed about owning one of the big homes with the perfect yards. Owning a home was definitely on our to-do list, but first, we were going to get the ground under us.

  He pulled into the driveway of a home with a four-car garage. The pretty arched front doorway was adorned with balloons and a congratulations sign. “Aha!” I exclaimed. “It’s a graduation party!”

  “Busted,” he said as we climbed out of the car.

  “Is this where Chris lives?” I asked.

  “Hell no,” he scoffed. “If he lives here, I’m paying him too much.”

  “Very funny,” I scolded. “He deserves to own a house like this. He needs a house like this with his constantly growing family.”

  Thomas led the way to the front door. I could hear music and laughter and was excited to see who came to my party. He pushed opened the front door and I was greeted by another banner. I was just a little confused. “Welcome home?” I asked.

  Thomas held up a set of keys and dangled them in front of my face. “Welcome home, babe.”

  “Welcome home?” I repeated.

  I could see people in the backyard. The house was empty. Like empty. No one lived here. “No!” I gasped when the clues practically hit me upside the head.

  “It’s ours,” he said. “Assuming you like it.”

  “No!” I shouted. “You didn’t!”

  “I did. I know you wanted to look, but we just never managed to find the time. This hit the market and it checked all the boxes of what you wanted. Open floor plan. Master on the main floor. A huge backyard with a pool and, most importantly, the kitchen is amazing.”

  Tears were blurring my vision so badly I could hardly see the house. He grabbed my hand and gave me a short tour. “This is gorgeous. And huge. And oh my god, it has to be expensiv
e.”

  “You bumped me up a few notches on the income ladder,” he joked. “We can afford it. Now, we should probably greet your guests. This is actually your graduation party.”

  I threw my arms around him and held him close. “Thank you. Thank you for being so good to me. I love you.”

  “I love you,” he said before lifting my chin and gently wiping away the tears.

  We walked into the backyard. There was an eruption of cheers. Tamlyn was the first to hug me. “Congratulations!”

  “Thank you. Did you see this house?”

  “I sold you this house.” She grinned. “You guys have just put me on the map in Austin. I’ve finally got some real realtor cred in the big city.”

  “You sold him this?” I asked with surprise.

  She nodded. “Yep, my first sale, and boy, was the commission a doozy. I’m hooked.”

  “I’m so glad you found your calling,” I teased.

  My dad and Layla approached me next. They were both still sober and finally out of that shithole they’d been living in. They just bought a house after getting married six months ago. “I’m so proud of you,” he said and then whispered in my ear. “Mama is looking down on you and beaming from heaven.”

  “Thanks, Dad. I’m so glad you guys could come.” I gave Layla a hug. She was a loving woman, and I was learning to love her. She would never be my mama, but she was coming in a close second.

  I made the rounds and hugged my fellow classmates and every member of Thomas’s extremely large family. We danced and feasted and had a great time. At dusk, hundreds of lights came on and cast the backyard under a magical spell.

  I was talking to Tamlyn when I noticed the crowd had gone quiet. I turned to see what was happening. Thomas was dressed in a tuxedo and carrying a bouquet of red roses. The crowd parted and we were encircled by a group of family and friends. I felt insulated from the world. These were my people.

  “What’s going on?” I asked him in a low voice.

  He handed me the flowers. “These are for you.”

  “Thank you. What’s with the tux? You’re very dashing, but I suddenly feel very underdressed.”

  He dropped to one knee in front of me. “Lily, you are my world. I mean that in every sense of the word. My life revolves around you. I guess that makes you my sun or maybe my moon.” The crowd laughed. “Sorry, I digress. I love you. I do not want to do this world without you. Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. I want to marry you. I want us to start working on those dreams we’ve been talking about the last two years. That starts today. Will you marry me?”

  He pulled a ring from his pocket with a diamond so big it would have blinded me if the sun were overhead. Thank god for the twinkle lights. “Yes! Of course, yes!”

  “Quickest answer ever!” I heard Chris shout from the crowd.

  “Have you seen this man?” I asked. “No sane woman would ever turn him down.”

  More laughter from the crowd. I pulled him up and kissed him.

  “I love you,” he whispered against my lips in front of the cheering crowd.

  “I love you.”

  He slipped the ring on my finger. I held up my hand and listened to everyone roar and clap. I threw my arms around him and hugged him. I was never going to let go. “You make me the happiest woman alive.”

  “I will always strive to do so,” he said.

  Once again, it was a repeat of earlier in the day. Everyone was hugging us and wishing us well. My dad was especially emotional as he hugged me. “You deserve all of this,” he said. “You deserve to be happy.” He turned to Thomas and shook his hand. “Thank you.”

  It was all he had to say. Thomas gave him a hug. “My pleasure.”

  Thomas’s mom found me a few minutes later. “So, about those grandbabies,” she said.

  We both burst into laughter. “Your son bought a house big enough to fit a baseball team of grandbabies.”

  “I know.” She winked. “I’m looking forward to meeting each and every one of them.”

  “Mom, get away from my fiancée,” Thomas said as he walked toward us. “Don’t you dare scare her away with talk of babies. She’s skittish. I don’t have the fence up yet. She might just take off.”

  I wrapped my arm around his waist. “I don’t know,” I said. “Babies aren’t so scary anymore.”

  His eyes lit up. “Good to know.”

  We partied with our friends until nearly midnight. After everyone was gone and it was just me and my future husband standing in our backyard, reality started to sink in. “Is this really ours?” I asked him.

  He nodded. “It is. I figured you’d notice the furniture missing if I had it moved over before you knew about the house.”

  I laughed. “Yeah, that would have definitely been suspect. Let’s go inside. I want to take another look. I want to see every closet and cupboard. I want to start imagining our future.”

  We headed inside, and this time, we both took a slow, leisurely tour through our home. An actual home. “I think this is a perfect nursery,” I said as we stood in one of the bedrooms with a beautiful bay window that overlooked the backyard.

  “Damn, my mom really got to you,” he said.

  “She did. I feel like I’ve been in a holding pattern. I’m done waiting. I want it all. I want the family. I want you.”

  We strolled down the hall and checked out the other rooms. In my mind, I was already planning a room done in a baseball theme for our little boy. Our little girl would be our princess. Her room was going to be in pink and purple with lots of bling. We ended up back in our master bedroom that could be an apartment unto itself.

  “You know,” he said. “I have a blanket in the car from the drive-in a few weeks ago. We could sleep here tonight if you don’t mind sleeping on the floor.”

  “I would love that,” I whispered. “And maybe we can get busy on making those grandbabies your mom wants.”

  “Give me two minutes,” he said and rushed out of the room.

  While he was gone, I lowered my head and thanked everyone that helped me get to this point in my life. I had it all. I was never going to take a day for granted. I was never going to lament a bad day. I had this. I had a beautiful man who loved me. I had a huge family that would always support me. I had it all.

  “Back!” he said slightly out of breath.

  I smiled at him and welcomed him into my arms. He lowered me onto the blanket and kissed me. It was the kind of kiss I would never grow tired of. I never knew it was possible to have this kind of love. It was the kind of love a person would walk through fire for.

  ***

  If you loved this book, don’t miss out…

  Check out Our Little Secret!

  Dating university staff is against the rules. Dating being the key word.

  We met at a staff mixer, and it was all I could do to keep my hands off of her.

  She’s everything I want in my life and my bed, but I’m on track to achieve my career goals.

  A beautiful smile and great hips aren’t messing up that plan.

  Until I figure out that she’s carrying a secret around campus.

  Our little secret.

  No way in hell I was looking to be a family man before this, but knowing what I know and falling for this woman are changing me fast.

  Crazily enough, this woman turns out to be the Dean’s daughter.

  You can’t make this stuff up.

  The tighter the situation gets, the more I realize rules were made to be broken.

  I gotta have this!

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  About the Author

  Hey there. I'm Weston.

&n
bsp; Have we met? No? Well, it’s time to end that tragedy.

  I'm a former firefighter/EMS guy who's picked up the proverbial pen and started writing bad boy romance stories. I co-write with my sister, Ali Parker, but live in Texas with my wife, my two little boys, a dog, and a turtle.

  Yep. A turtle. You read that right. Don’t be jealous.

  You're going to find Billionaires, Bad Boys, Military Guys, and loads of sexiness. Something for everyone hopefully. I'd love to connect with you. Check out the links below and come find me.

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  Copyright © 2021 by Weston Parker

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  The novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and plot are all either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons – living or dead – is purely coincidental.

  First Edition.

  Editor: Eric Martinez

  Cover Designer: Ryn Katryn Digital Art