Chapter 31

CHAPTERTHIRTY-ONE

London hurriedthrough the museum’s atrium. The gala crowd was already humming with excitement. Her body was humming with a different emotion, however: anxiety. She didn’t hold out much hope that Trey would even recognize Lucy’s cockamamie plan of a grand gesture.

“I should have just gone over to his house and laid my cards out on the table,” she told her date.

“Too late for that now, kiddo,” Bennie replied as he patted her hand on his arm. “Between Sunday’s game in Seattle and last night’s game in L.A., Trey hasn’t been in town all week. Besides, you wouldn’t want to deny him the opportunity of seeing you all dolled up. You look beautiful.”

She squeezed Bennie’s arm. “Thank you, sir.”

Part of Lucy’s plan involved a spa day and a figure-hugging beaded dress in deep indigo that practically lit up with every step she took beneath the subtle museum lights. Based on the double takes and polite nods, she figured mission accomplished on that front. She was surreptitiously looking around the large hall for Trey when a flurry of activity in the corner had everyone craning their necks to get a better view. A woman’s cries rose above the din followed by a man shouting for the police.

A man who sounded an awful lot like Seth Gunther.

She and Bennie exchanged panicked looks before charging in that direction. It took them more than a minute to navigate through the guests. But when they did, it was to find an irritated Seth Gunther with a woman London never hoped to lay eyes on again hanging on his arm.

“You!” Seth practically spit the word out as he pointed a finger at London.

Bennie stepped in front of her, trying to reason with his friend. “Seth, are you okay?”

“Hell, no, I’m not okay! The product spokesman that she insisted I hire just tried to deck me.”

Was he kidding right now?

Mrs. Ciaciura appeared at London’s side. “It seems there was a bit of a scuffle over this gorgeous photo being auctioned off this evening,” she announced loudly as she indicated the prop in Lucy’s grand gesture scheme. Her laugh sounded forced. “It’s wonderful to see such passion about this great cause. But I must insist you bid with your wallet and not your fists. Hurry though, the silent auction closes shortly.”

A few weak laughs filled the air as the crowd began to disperse.

Seth made a choking sound before Bennie leaned in to whisper something in his ear.

London rocked back on her high heels.

This was not in the plan, Lucy.

Mrs. Ciaciura pressed a hand on her shoulder to steady her. “Trey is in the office. Astrid will take you there.”

“Is he okay?”

The older woman smiled slyly. “Something tells me he will be soon.” She gently shoved London in the direction of her assistant.

As she followed Astrid through a narrow hallway, they passed two EMTs wheeling Trey’s agent on a gurney. His white tuxedo shirt was mired in blood.

London gasped. “Oh my gosh, Collin! What happened?”

“Trey’s fist happened.” He gave a thumbs up. “It’s all good. He should be able to play next week.”

Trey hit his agent? He should be able to play?

Lucy’s grand gesture was turning into a grand nightmare.

“Where’s that ice?” the Growlers’ coach yelled from inside the office when they arrived.

London nearly collided with one of the catering staff who was rushing into the room carrying a pile of dishtowels and a bag of ice. She followed him in.

Trey was seated in a chair looking unusually dazed. The doctor took the ice and began filling a towel with some. Trey grunted when the doctor pressed it to his hand.

“You’re hurt.” She was stating the obvious, but she could sense that more than just his hand was aching.

“London,” he said, the word coming out raspy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alek Bergeron moving toward her. How was he involved in this? She’d told him months ago they could be nothing more than friends. He’d accepted the news gracefully, still calling once in a while to check on Kyle and talk about their favorite shows.

“There you are, babe,” Alek drawled. “I was wondering where you got off to.”

He wrapped his arms around London’s waist and leaned in to kiss her. London stiffened beneath his touch at the same time a loud roar coursed through the small room. Alek had the nerve to laugh.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” He dropped his hands. The grin he gave her held a touch of sadness. “I guess we found the one thing he’ll always put above football.”

Trey continued to struggle against the hold the team’s kicker and doctor had on him.

“Sit down, Van Horn, before you do something else stupid,” the coach ordered.

“She’s all yours. Always has been.”

Alek’s words stunned her. How had everyone seen it but her?

The kicker pressed a hand to Trey’s shoulder and guided him back down to his seat, chuckling as he did so.

“What do you say you and I go grab a glass of whisky, Canadian,” he said.

“As long it’s made with barley and not that rye crap you Scots insist on ruining it with.” Alek winked at her as he followed Trey’s teammate out of the room. “If he doesn’t treat you right, let me know. I’ll set him straight.”

Trey snarled, making the two men laugh before they disappeared. The coach glanced between London and Trey. He tapped the doctor on the shoulder.

“A drink sounds good right about now. How about you, Doc?”

The doctor looked at the coach as if he’d asked him to rob a bank. “He needs to ice that hand. And I want to get him over to the training facility for X-rays.”

“His hand is not going anywhere in the next couple of minutes. And he has more than enough help applying the ice.” He hustled the doctor from the room and closed the door behind them.

London sat in the chair the doctor had just vacated, gently taking Trey’s hand and placing it in her lap. She carefully rewrapped the towel around his hand. He groaned when her fingers brushed his wrist. She froze.

“Does that hurt?”

He shook his head. They were silent for several heartbeats while she readjusted the ice pack.

“I know your agent is a pain sometimes, but what did he do to deserve a broken nose?”

“It wasn’t meant for him. I was aiming at Seth Gunther. Or rather, his date.”

Well, then.

That wasn’t the answer she was expecting.

“Kellianne?” She chuckled. “I think my mother would like first dibs at her. That woman has been spreading rumors about my mom since before I was born. They both worked together at the country club during the summers. Kellianne was jealous that my dad chose to have a fling with my mom. She wanted him for herself.”

It was his turn to laugh. “Wow. That explains a lot.”

She shrugged. “Come to think of it, he probably deserved Kellianne.”

Trey reached over and cradled her chin with the fingertips of his good hand, angling her head so she could look into those beautiful golden eyes she’d missed terribly over the past seven weeks.

“Don’t,” he whispered. “If your mom and dad had not gotten together, there would be no you. And that would be a tremendous loss.”

The sincerity in his words had her blinking several times. “Thank you.”

He brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. It was all she could do not to kiss it. Except there were still some things unanswered.

She tilted her head. “Before, you told me that someone had sabotaged our relationship that summer. Kellianne was the caretaker for your grandfather’s lake house. Did she--?”

Trey nodded. “It’s not something I’m proud of. And it’s my fault for believing her. I didn’t even want to admit this to myself. But now I know I was afraid. Afraid of my overwhelming feelings for you. Scared to death I’d somehow screw it up. That you’d end up hating me.” He swallowed. “She didn’t have to do much of a sales job and I was out the door. That’s on me. And you ended up hating me anyway.”

“So you busted up your throwing hand because she said something about me?” Her pulse began to pound. She could hear Lucy in her head squealing about a grand gesture.

“I told you, London,” he said softly. “I’ll do anything for you. Anything.”

His words and his gaze had her shivering. Maybe, just maybe, “anything” was his way of saying he loved her. Her face began to hurt at the smile taking over her lips. She stood, hiked up her skirt and straddled his legs so she was facing him.

“Anything?”

He groaned when she shimmied up his thighs. “Gunther is going to try to ruin you at your new firm,” he blurted out.

She laughed as she draped her arms over his shoulders. “That’s going to be hard for him to do because I no longer work there.”

The parts of her that she thought had shriveled up and died when they broke up were making themselves known again when his good hand began to cradle the back of her neck, pulling her closer

“Why is that?” he murmured against her neck.

“I discovered I don’t need the big city or bright lights. I don’t need the big glamourous accounts to challenge me. I’m perfectly content to help the friends I’ve made here. I’m starting a new firm with Bennie’s old clients.”

He jerked up to stare at her in amazement. “Here in Milwaukee?”

She nodded. The look of delight on his face had her stomach doing somersaults.

“What brought this on?”

“It turns out the things I wanted when I was eighteen, I really don’t want anymore.” She pressed her forehead to his. “Except for one.”

He stilled beneath her.

“You were always so concerned that I have the fairy tale. But here’s the thing they don’t tell little girls. Fairy tales aren’t real. I want real, Trey. No matter how messy or how scary real is. And I want it with you. I know you don’t believe in love⁠—”

She didn’t get the chance to finish because his mouth was suddenly covering hers. His lips met no resistance as they coaxed her mouth open. She nearly sang out when he deepened the kiss. It was equal parts demanding and reverent. As though he couldn’t believe his good fortune. She responded in kind, trying to make up for lost time.

“I meant it when I said you taught me how to love. You give me a reason to believe in it,” he said against her lips several minutes later. “I’m the best version of myself when I’m with you. Because of your love. I don’t ever want to stop being that guy, London. And I will always put you first because you’re first in my heart. I love you. And that idiot Bergeron is right. I always have.”

She felt like her entire body was glowing.

“I think the universe is finally going to give us our new beginning.”

He chuckled. “Ah. The photo. It’s about our new beginning.”

She pressed her forehead to his. “Mm. It was Lucy’s idea. She read some romance novel where the character manifests a way to meet her hero. Lucy insisted the lake is what will always connect me to you. She said if I donated the photo, it would find a way to bring us back together.” She shook her head with a laugh. “Honestly, I didn’t think it would work.” She adjusted the towel of ice resting between them. “And I hate that you hurt yourself because of me. I know how important football is to you.”

He tilted her head back so he could meet her gaze. “Football is just a game. You, London, are my life.”

And then, to prove his point, he kissed her again.