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“A German shepherd named Loodles and a beagle named Doug.”
“Doug?” I smile. “That’s a funny name for a dog.”
“Yeah.”
We pepper each other with random questions until we finish dinner and head to the jewelry store. Since we drove separately, we meet up there, and I see a bead of sweat rolling down Colby’s face as we walk in.
It’s not the least bit hot outside. He has to be nervous.
“You okay?” I ask him.
“Yeah, I just…never imagined doing this.”
“I get it. Same here.”
We make quick work of it. I choose an oval solitaire that reminds me of my deda’s Fabergé egg collection, smaller diamonds glittering around the band, and Colby chooses a simple platinum band.
When the jeweler tells us our total is $341,070, Colby’s eyes widen.
“Pretty sure that’s over my Amex limit,” he mutters.
I take a check from my bag and fill it out, saying, “I’ve got it.”
If I’m going to wear a wedding ring, I’m wearing a beautiful one. We’re in the parking lot outside the store when Colby gives me a puzzled look.
“How did I propose to you?” he asks.
“Something simple, since we don’t have any photos or anything.”
“In the bathtub.”
My cheeks warm at the thought of telling that story. It’s a good one, though. It explains the lack of photos and it’s spontaneous, just like our non-relationship.
“In the bathtub,” I agree.
“Should we be…texting each other?”
My eyes widen. I hadn’t even thought of that. If Mills has people doing any serious digging, there won’t be any signs of Colby and I communicating.
I take out my phone. “What’s your number?”
He gives it to me and I input it, typing out a text.
Mila: So glad we don’t have to keep this a secret anymore and not even text. I love you and can’t wait to be your wife.
He reads it and nods, writing back.
Colby: Love you too babe. Sleep well and I’ll see you tomorrow.
He looks up and our eyes lock.
“We good?” he says.
“We’re good.”
We walk in separate directions to our cars and I drive home, thinking about how perfunctory and unromantic this whole thing is.
Which, for me, makes it absolutely perfect.
CHAPTER SIX
Colby
“What the actual fuck is happening right now?” Dominic demands.
“Look, I know it’s a shock”
“A shock?” He looks around at our teammates, all dressed in suits for the wedding that’s about to take place.
My wedding. Dominic hasn’t had a chance to confront me about it until now, ten minutes before I’m supposed to take my place at the altar, right next the officiant marrying me and Mila.
“Harrison, a shock is when the football game you think is being broadcast this week isn’t the one that’s on, or when you think a fart’s coming out and it’s shit instead. This is more than a shock,” he says.
“Why? She’s beautiful and smart. Generous. Mila’s a total package.”
“Exactly,” Dom says, his eyes wide with disbelief. “She’s out of reach. She’s never, not once, looked at a single guy on our team with a gleam in her eye.”
He’s right about that, but I have to sell everyone on the idea that Mila and I have been hot and heavy in secret for the past two months.
“I tried to flirt with her once and she looked at me like I was a maggot on rotting flesh,” he says, shaking his head.
“I mean, don’t most women look at you like that?” Seth quips.
“Your mom doesn’t.”
“Who made the first move?” Beau asks me.
“It was pretty mutual.” Mila and I talked about this and decided to say we ran into each other out shopping, got dinner together, and immediately knew we had a connection. “We ran into each other, went to a ramen place for dinner, and the rest is history.”
“But you’re younger than her,” Dom says with disbelief. “And you’re such a beta.”
I shake my head at that. “You think I’m a beta just because I don’t walk around the locker room talking about women I’ve been with.”
“Yeah. We alphas like to pound our chests and hump the whole fucking world.”
For all his bravado, Dom’s insecure. He’s constantly talking about his sexual conquests like he thinks it makes him more of a man. I love the guy, but I don’t think real men need to run their mouths.
“I don’t know what to tell you, man,” I say, shrugging. “She’s crazy about me, and I’ve never been happier.”
The second part of that statement is true. When Heath called me in tears over getting picked up by Triple-A Anaheim, I shed a few tears myself. Even though I knew it was coming, his excitement choked me up.
My brother deserves this. After everything he’s been through, this opportunity could be life-changing. That’s my why. And Mila’s why is staying in the United States. We’re both going into this marriage with eyes wide open.
“Wait a minute.” Our goalie Sal gives me a puzzled look. “Are you our team owner now? Like, as her husband, won’t you guys both own the team?”
