He patted his six-abs with a grin. “What can I say? I have to watch my girlish figure.”
Spring training started in a couple of weeks, and Hale had gotten stricter about what he ate so he’d be in good shape when he got back out on the field. I felt a little guilty eating my decadent breakfast in front of him while he had egg whites, turkey bacon, fresh fruit, and oatmeal. But it was my cheat day, so I couldn’t resist ordering my favorite dish.
“Maybe we should hit up one of those bakeries that do the high-protein treats. I think there’s one nearby.” He pulled his cell phone out of his back pocket and tapped at the screen. “Yup, it’s just on the other side of Washington Square Park.”
I bumped my elbow into his side. “You want to walk so you can get a little exercise in?”
“I’ll show you just how in shape I am when we get home,” he growled as we headed in the direction of the park.
A shiver raced down my spine at the sensual promise in his deep voice. “Walk fast because I’m looking forward to it.”
Our transition to living together when we came back to New York after the show ended a little more than a month ago had been much easier than I had expected. When I had mentioned to Hale that the lease on my apartment only had another month on it, he’d jumped on the chance to get me to move into his place. His duplex was a huge step up from my studio, with plenty of room for the stuff I had wanted to keep. Even better, he converted one of the guest bedrooms into a little dance studio for me. With its vaulted ceilings and hardwood floors, it was perfect.
“Let’s cut through the park. It’ll be quicker.” He tugged me onto one of the paths that led to the circular gathering spot smack-dab in the middle of the park. As we neared the fountain, it seemed more crowded than usual with lots of people milling about, enjoying the beautiful summer morning.
We stayed on the outer edge of the crowd as we circled around to another path that would take us to the other side of the park. When Hale came to a sudden stop, I glanced up at his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Hold on a second.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I see some of the guys from the team. I want to say hi really quick.”
I watched as he walked over to four of his teammates, my brows drawing together when I noticed they were all dressed the same. Their black sweatpants and gray shirts were the opposite of Hale’s gray sweats and black shirt. The five men looked great standing together, so I pulled my cell phone out to snap a pic. Before I could get the camera app open, someone started to blare “Marry You” by Bruno Mars.
My head jerked up, and my lips parted on a gasp. In the short time I’d been looking at my phone, so much had changed. The guys were in a V formation with Hale in the center as they started to dance. I pressed trembling fingers to my lips when they made a beckoning gesture perfectly in unison.
As the dance continued, more people joined in until almost everyone in the park participated. There had to be at least a hundred dancers when they got to the part about saying yeah. And as the final note was played, Hale pulled a jewelry box out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. “What do you say, baby? Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I cried with tears streaming down my cheeks.
I could barely see the ring that he slid onto my finger before he jumped up and pulled me into his arms. “Thank fuck.”
Prentice was the first of his friends to congratulate us, which wasn’t a surprise. As the quarterback for the Nighthawks, the guys were used to following his lead.
“You sure you want to marry this guy?” He jerked his chin toward Hale. “Just say the word, and I’ll—”
Hale stepped between us and jabbed his elbow into Prentice’s stomach so he couldn’t finish whatever he was going to say. While the other guys teased Hale about being a jealous prick, Nancy and Juliette rushed over to hug me. Kevin and Declan followed them, pushing the kids in strollers.
“Let me see the ring,” Nancy demanded. Her smile was blinding when I wiggled my fingers to show off the diamond solitaire Hale had given me. “See, I told you Hale was the perfect man for you.”
Juliette shook her head with a grin. “You do realize she’s going to take the credit for fixing the two of you up for the rest of your lives, right?”