“Shut up,” Dakota said. “My favorite.”
The waiter gave me a fist bump. “You’re killing it, bro.”
“Thanks, man.” Once he left, I looked at Dakota. “I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to ensure you would say yes.”
I pulled the ring box out of my pocket and went down on one knee. “I got ahead of myself and proposed on the sidewalk, so this is a bonus proposal. Will you marry me and junk up my bedroom with hand lotion and magazines and shoes?”
Dakota laughed. “Yes, Hater, I will. Now put that ring on me.”
I obeyed.
She sighed. “It’s beautiful.”
“Care to skate with me?” I stood up, gingerly stepping on the concrete, blade guards still on.
“Of course.”
Under the twinkling Christmas lights, we skated together, holding hands. The air was cold and crisp and Felicia had been right. Taking a leap of faith was actually pretty damn easy. Because look what it got me.
“What do you think of getting married on Valentine’s Day?” she asked. “It would be our one-year sex-iversary. What could be more romantic than that?”
“Nothing,” I said. “We can serve dirty martinis, champagne, and Chinese food.”
Dakota stopped in front of me and grabbed the lapels of my jacket. “Brandon?”
“Yes?”
“I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.”
Of course she did. I laughed. “You know I hate that song. I told you that the night we met.”
She got serious. Unexpectedly serious for Dakota. Her eyes were luminous, her full lips parted. “I think life is going to be a daring adventure with you.”
There it was. The unintentional guru as Felicia had called it. I held her tighter against me. “It most definitely is.”
* * *
Thanks so much for reading Halftime Husband!
For more sexy rom com fun, DATING THE PLAYER is coming soon, featuring star quarterback Dak North and innocent Eloise. This is book one in a new spin-off series, The Legends!
Dak
I’ve got a big pro football contract, a big appetite for women, and a big mouth. It gets me into trouble more often than not… but this time it lands me with a nerdy little PR gatekeeper who is supposed to control me. But good luck with that.
Eloise and her kitten sweaters and adorable glasses have me thinking about her in a whole different way…
Eloise
I’m not your typical nerd girl. Instead of video games, I love football. I’ve landed my dream job managing social media for my favorite team, but with Dakota North as quarterback it’s a 24/7 job. When I’m told I have to spend a week making sure Dak doesn’t tweet, he seems determined to use that time to flirt with me.
I have to ask myself, what is more important- losing my virginity to a bad boy quarterback or keeping my perfect job?