“Really? What is it?”
“Well, I’ve been talking to Mills about this for a couple months now and we’re finally ready to take this plan to action. We’ve had a few people interested and some have already pre-applied.” He takes a deep breath and I wait for what he has to say with bated breath. “I’m opening up my own private track and field league with Mills in Charlotte.”
“Oh, my gosh! Really?” I gasp. “Wow, Torres! That’s amazing! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Well, that’s the thing. I wanted to tell you, but I also wanted to surprise you.”
“Surprise me? With what?”
“The league will need coaches—people who know track and field like the back of their hand. I wanted to present the job opportunity to you as a graduation gift, and of course you don’t have to do it if you find something you want to do more, but I figured in order to make sure you don’t struggle with the job-hunting process afterward, this could fill that void.”
He smiles down at me, and my goodness, I want to kiss him to death.
“Yes!” I exclaim. “Are you kidding? I would love to coach with your league!”
“You sure?” he asks, quirking a brow, teasing.
“I’m positive!” I throw my arms around the back of his neck and hug him. “Thank you for this—for thinking of me.”
“Of course. You’re talented as hell. I only see success with you as a coach.” He plants a kiss on my lips and then takes one of my hands to start walking again.
“When does this start?”
“This summer,” he tells me. “July, as a matter of fact. Think you can swing that?”
I shrug and smile. “I’m sure I won’t have anything better to do. This is incredible, Torres. I mean, you are living your dreams! This is so great! I’m so happy for you.”
“Yeah, I am living my dreams and I want to continue living them with the girl of my dreams at my side.”
I bite back a smile, lowering my gaze.
“Now…about that trip to Florida that I promised you,” he says, swinging my arm playfully, my hand clasped in his, and I can’t fight this bliss anymore. I break out in a harmonious laugh and we continue walking beneath the sunset, discussing the trip to Florida and all the possibilities, and this is it.
This is the moment I have been waiting for.
To be in public with him. To be free with him.
There is nothing like the feeling of being in love—nothing like the feeling of walking hand-in-hand with the person of your dreams, and yet here we are.
Hand-in-hand once again.
I must admit this isn’t the future I’d imagined, but it is so much more than I ever could have asked for, and I’m ready to share the rest of it with him.
Joaquin Torres.
The man of my dreams.
My knight in shining white armor.
He is all I’ll ever need.
He is all I’ll ever know.
And I am perfectly happy with that.
EPILOGUE
One Year Later
Happiness has always been a fickle thing for me. I never really knew the true meaning of the word until Amber walked into my life.
Of course, I’d been happy with my parents as I grew up. I was happy when I was in high school and college and ran on the tracks until my whole body was fatigued. I was happy until the day my father was taken from me.
But this sort of happiness? It’s new for me.
I look at Amber and my heart does this crazy thing where it stutters as it beats, and I feel my pulse in my ears.
Like now, she’s wearing one of my T-shirts, a solid black one, and she’s in the kitchen. I know there are no panties beneath that T-shirt and the urge to push off the couch and go to her, shove the shirt up, and take her from behind is unbearable, but I resist, only because she’s making bacon and eggs and fooling around with bacon grease isn’t a good thing.
She smiles at me over her shoulder as she scrambles the eggs. “I see you staring at me, Coach,” she says with a laugh.
“Just wondering what it would be like to take that shirt off you, is all.”
She places the scrambled bowl of eggs down and then turns the stove off for the bacon. When she turns to face me, dropping her hands to clutch the hem of the T-shirt, I sit up higher on the sofa.
“You wouldn’t,” I murmur.
“Oh, but I would,” she counters, then she lifts the shirt over her head, revealing her naked body. She saunters my way, tossing the shirt on the top of the recliner and then climbing on top of me.
“Shit, Amber. You can’t be doing this to me right now,” I groan. “We have practice in two hours.”
“Don’t worry.” She slides down to her knees on the floor, tugging at the waistband of my shorts. “This can be a quickie.”