Page 91 of First in Line

“It’s the first time I heard you mention a friend from your old life,” she notes with surprise.

“You actually met her.”

“I did?”

“Yeah, a long time ago.”

“I see. Well, forward her information to me, and I’ll get this sorted.”

“Thank you, Madeline. You’re a peach.” She waves a dismissive hand and resumes her typing.

I feel a little more optimistic as I return to my seat. Now that she’ll have the plane tickets, Evie is more likely to accept my offer. She’s stubborn, but not to the point where she’d look a gift horse in the mouth, is she?

Only time will tell.

CHAPTER

SEVENTEEN

Evangeline

“Let’s get married,” Jackson impulsively decides.

“What?”

“Let’s get married.”

I hurriedly swallow my bite of fried chicken with a piece of waffle. “Jackson, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I just—I might be in Europe next season while you stay in Indiana. I know we said we’d get married in Italy, but I don’t think I want to wait anymore. I want to marry younow, before we go home tomorrow.”

I giggle, shaking my head. “Are you alright?”

“I’ve never felt better. There’s that little chapel by the hotel. We could go there as soon as we’re done eating.”

His enthusiasm, the massive smile splitting his handsome face in half, is contagious. I’m at a loss for words, trying to catch up with his idea.

“You want us to get married?”

“You’ve known that for years, Evie. I don’t even know why we’ve waited this long. When I’m over there in Europe, when my teammates ask who I’m on the phone with all the time, I want to tell them it’s mywife. That’s who you’ve always been,princess. You’ve always been so much more than my girlfriend. With everything you’ve done, everything you’ve given me… I just want reality to catch up, and the honor to finally call you my wife.”

I think about it, but only for a moment. “‘Husband’ has a nice ring to it.”

Somehow, his grin gets even bigger. He leans over the table, grabbing the back of my head to tug me into an elated kiss. When he pulls away, he fully stands up and shouts, “We’re getting married!”

“Jackson!” I scold, tugging at his hoodie to force him to sit back down.

The few people in here with us have turned their attention to our table, and three of them clap. I use my hands to shield myself and glare at him, embarrassed.

“You are something else, Jackson Reyes,” I mutter.

“And you are everything, Evangeline Gillian. Soon to be Reyes.”

Again, he comes over and presses an excited kiss on my lips. “You could have suggested that yesterday, when we were at the Grand Canyon,” I say. “It would have been more scenic than the IHOP.”

“Sorry, I got caught up in the moment. I promise, we’ll have a lush destination ceremony in a couple of years. But I can’t go another day without marrying you, princess.”

I look down at my blue dress and scrunch my nose. “This is all I have to wear, though.”