Epilogue 2

EPILOGUE 2

One Year Later

Macklin

The guys decided to throw Ruby and me a last-minute surprise graduation party. Finn and Charlie came in for the ceremony along with Hayden, Abuela, and Mario. The guys all pitched in and made delicious food and bought cheap champagne with plastic flutes. They also got a banner that says: Congratulations.

“I’d love to stay longer but I need to run,” Hayden says. He shakes my hand then pulls me in for a hug. “Keep me posted,” he whispers with Ruby standing beside us.

I grin. “Thanks for coming.”

He gives Ruby a hug next. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Right back at you,” she replies to him. His team in Tampa has had a successful year and they are now in the playoffs, which is why he needs to run off so quickly.

We continue to hang out for the next couple hours. It feels like the end of an era. I’m taking Ruby away for a few days for a surprise little getaway. Abuela and Hayden know about it. Hayden lent me money to rent a car since I don’t want to take the bus on this trip. Not that there is anything wrong with it. I just want it to be as memorable as possible.

I’ve had some offers from teams. One of them happens to be the New Jersey Rockets. Ruby was super excited about that offer but I am still not sure. We went out to Jersey over Easter and we met with the owner of the team. Her name is Ellie, she is married to a former NHL player and she seemed really nice. The team was great too, but I didn’t want Ruby giving up on any job opportunities and right now her only job offer was in New York, although she did put in some applications with companies in Jersey.

Cade tries to clink a fork against the plastic champagne flute to get everyone’s attention.

“Damn, that isn’t working,” he curses. “Okay, everyone look at me.”

We give him the attention.

“Congratulations to Mack and Ruby. You’re both going to be missed around here. Go out and conquer the world, and don’t forget about us here at Riverside,” Cade says with a frown.

“Bro, you’re going to be drafting soon,” I remind him.

“Yeah,” he says, all choked up, and then he hugs me tight. We’ve been on defense together a while now. I am heading out into the world, and I know starting with a new team won’t be easy.

Ruby and I thank everyone, and we say our final goodbyes.

“Ah, where are we going in such a rush?” she asks as I guide her to my room.

Everything is mostly packed. I plan on moving my stuff out when we get back from Saugatuck.

“You’ll see,” I reply. “You’ll want to slip into something comfortable. We have a bit of a drive.”

“Don’t I need to pack?” she asks.

“I’ve packed you already. Don’t worry, we won’t need a lot of clothes.” I wink.

I change out of my dress shirt and dress pants and Ruby does the same. Then I carry our suitcases downstairs and we hug Abuela, Mario, and our friends.

Charlie screeches with excitement when she hugs Ruby and I’m worried she is going to tip her off on what’s happening, but Ruby hugs her back and then we head out to the driveway, where an SUV awaits us.

“Uh, who’s car is this?” Ruby asks.

“It’s a rental.” I shrug.

“Can we afford this?” she asks.

“Baby, I don’t want you worrying about that. Please just sit back and enjoy the ride. We have food and snacks in the back seat,” I say as I pull out of the driveway.

“Where did you say we were going?” she asks.

“I didn’t say,” I reply.

She growls, “You’re so frustrating.”

I laugh and we turn on some music and enjoy the ride. It’s a sunny spring evening and everything is going as planned.

We are a couple hours into the drive when Ruby sees the sign for Saugatuck.

“We’re going back?” she asks excitedly.

“Yes, I thought we could use a few days to relax.”

That’s not all I have planned though.

We finally arrive to the marina and I pull into a spot where Shane told me I should park.

“We’re going back to Shane’s boat?” she asks, and her blue eyes are glowing, which means I’ve done good.

“Yes,” I confirm.

She squeals.

“Do we get to have sex on that big bed this time?” she asks.

“We’ll be sleeping on the boat for three nights,” I inform her.

“Wow, that is. . .wow.”

I wheel our suitcases toward the boat. First, I get the suitcases settled and then I help Ruby aboard.

“How about we get our stuff settled in the room and then we take her for a spin?” I ask her.

“It’s getting dark,” she notes.

“We won’t go far, but the marina and town are beautiful at night,” I say.

“Sure, I’d love that,” she agrees. After unpacking our things below deck, we get changed into warmer clothes. I also slip something into my pocket, but she doesn’t notice.

When we head back to the deck, there is a table set and our food has arrived. We also have our own personal server. Shane helped me set everything up with one of the fancier restaurants in town.

Ruby gasps.

“What is going on?” she asks.

“That’s our dinner,” I tell her.

The table is set with fancy dishes and a black table cloth with a white one over it. There are fake candles and a bouquet of flowers on the table. The flowers are periwinkle blue irises. I told her I wanted this moment to be memorable, and I’ve tried to think of every little detail.

The waiter pulls out a fancy cushioned chair for Ruby to sit and I take a seat at the table too.

“I’m just happy the weather has held up or we would be doing this below deck.” I chuckle.

The waiter serves us our appetizer. I got Ruby the goat cheese salad and I took a simple Caesar salad. Ruby and I are talking about the day and how surreal it was to finish college. The waiter sets out our main course, which is steak, grilled vegetables and a squash puree.

“You must have spent a fortune on all this,” Ruby mentions.

“It’ll be okay. Remember, I’ll be playing in the NHL soon,” I remind.

“I can’t believe the moment is finally here. I actually wanted to tell you, but I was so busy. One of the companies I applied to in Jersey got back to me. I interviewed and they want me,” she cheers.

“How did you forget to tell me something so important?” I ask. I’m not mad but I want to know what she was thinking.

“I didn’t want to disappoint you if I didn’t get it,” she confesses.

“Well, congratulations. Does it sound like a place that you would enjoy working at? Because I don’t want you to settle for me. I told you we can figure things out. I’m okay with New York too.”

“You’re sweet but I kind of loved everything about the company,” she says. “They even have a daycare in their building, and they’re family oriented.”

“That sounds perfect, Periwinkle.”

We dig into our meal. “I’ve never had such a fancy meal before,” Ruby says as our waiter stands off to the side. He keeps coming by to fill our glasses with water and wine.

“Well, get used to it because I plan on spoiling you,” I assure.

“It feels weird.” She scrunches her nose and she looks adorable.

We start talking about the beautiful view of the marina. The sun has set and the sky is so clear here you can see so many stars.

When dinner is finished, the waiter asks if we’d like dessert but we are so full, I tell him to put it in the fridge for later.

When the waiter cleans the upper deck and puts all the stuff we used away, he bids us a good night.

“Are you ready to take this baby out on the water?” I ask as anticipation rises inside me. We are reaching the climax of the evening, and it is something I’ve waited a long time to do.

“I’ve never been on a boat before.” She worries her lower lip.

“It’s really nice and relaxing. We’ll take things slow,” I assure.

We move up to the area where all the driving stuff is. Shane taught me how to drive the boat. I don’t plan on going too far out. Just enough so we can see the city from the water. It has so many beautiful lights and an amazing view. I want Ruby to experience it.

We head out onto the water. There’s a light breeze that brushes my cheeks. My stomach is doing summersaults, and I just want to get this part of the evening over with. I think it’s because I’m so anxious to make her mine.

I stop the boat and anchor us. Then we head down to the main deck. Shane has some killer speakers and I play “A Thousand Years” by Christina Perri.

“May I have this dance?” I ask Ruby.

Her eyes fill with tears and her lower lip quivers. By the look in her eyes right now, she has caught on to what is about to happen.

We dance under the stars to the soft melody. I hold her in my arms and fantasize about the life we will build together.

As the words of the song about bravery and waiting for so long resonate, Ruby and I are looking into each other’s eyes. Our love feels like a warm blanket covering us. Shielding us from a world and a life neither of asked for but we’ve both embraced.

When the song ends, I take a step back and take the ring out of my jeans pocket. I open the box and drop to one knee.

Ruby’s inhale is sharp and she begins to tear up.

I got her a beautiful two-carat diamond. Hayden was kind enough to give me a loan for tonight, which I plan to pay back very soon.

“Ruby, I’ve loved you for a thousand years. Ever since we met, I was drawn to your light, to your bravery, to your strength. You go after what you want, and you have the kindest heart I know. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man alive?”

She bursts into laughter through her tears. “Yes, Mack. I love you so much.”

I stand up in order to put the ring on her finger but she lunges, hugging me and kissing me before I have a chance to put it on her finger.

When we break apart, I slip the solitaire diamond on her finger.

“This is gorgeous, Mack.” Her blue eyes sparkle in the night just like the diamond on her finger.

“Now to plan the wedding.”

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Are you ready to see which Riverside U player will fall next? If you are wondering about that hot make out session between Annie and Cade then make sure to preorder Blindsided By The Enforcer, book 3 in the Riverside U series to see what happens after that kiss. . .

Keep reading for an excerpt of Blindsided By The Enforcer, a spicy fake relationship hockey college romance.

The excerpt is unedited and subject to change!