Epilogue

EPILOGUE

CARMEN

I looked out from the high-rise balcony of the fancy hotel Andres and I were staying at and smiled at the huge Hollywood sign. The day was beautiful even if it was a little warm. The summer was ending, but being California, the temperature was still nice.

I glanced down at my phone, and excitement started to prickle through me. With a deep breath, I ran my hands through my hair, glad I’d blow dried it smoothly and kept it down. Andres loved when my hair was down, and I loved his hands in it.

The tracker I had on his phone let me know he was finally back at the hotel and on his way up. Yes, I tracked him still. We both tracked each other. We were in Los Angeles for a couple of days. He’d had to do some stuff for the NFL team he worked for and turn in his things before he was finally officially let out of his contact.

So much had happened in the last couple of months.

I’d met Betty, and Andres had met my family. Not only had we video chatted my parents and his sister, but we had traveled to each of them and had great visits. I set my phone on the small table next to the lounger on the balcony and looked out at the clouds with a grin. A smooth cool breeze cut through the air, and as much as I loved cooler weather, I had a feeling I was going to miss summer. The clouds were white and puffy, and for being LA, the sky was surprisingly clear. The perfect day.

My mind drifted to thinking back to how well Andres had fit in with my family. My brothers had loved him. I mean, they had been kind of jerky when we first walked in, but it turned out it had all been good fun. My brothers had always been overprotective, and I guess no matter what our age, they still were.

Betty, on the other hand, was a total sweetheart. I loved her from the moment I met her. We talked constantly, and she was my go-to person to talk books with. We even texted each other with new books we had to read. I sent her pictures of her mini-libraries every time I passed by them to make sure she knew they were still up and thriving. She was working on two new spots closer to her new place in the city where she and her football player boyfriend, Hemingway Castro, would be living.

The new school year was about to start, and I was looking forward to it.

I couldn’t believe how much had changed throughout the summer. How much our lives had changed. Andres and I were happy. Our schedules meshed, and we spent every moment we could with one another.

The door to the hotel suite opened, and I glanced over my shoulder. Andres took my breath away every time I looked at him. He was wearing the leather jacket I’d scoped out in his closet when I’d snuck into his place that first time. A game we still continued to play. One I had a feeling we would never tire from.

“Jesus,” he muttered when he looked at me.

“Do you like?” I asked, putting my hands up and twirling around slowly.

“Carmen.” His voice dropped down low like it did when I did something he really liked. I sauntered my way back into the hotel room, adding a little more sway to my hips than usual while I prayed I didn’t fall on my face in the heels I was sporting. “I thought we could celebrate a little.”

“Celebrate?” He sounded distracted. His eyes darkened as I neared. I loved when he looked at me like that. Like he was a predator about to pounce on his innocent little prey. But I wasn’t innocent.

“You’re officially only working at the school now.”

“Yeah.” He swallowed. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “Baby…” He didn’t say another word. Not when I started to pet his chest the moment I was close enough.

“Do you like my new outfit, Sir?” I’d found his old jersey, the last one he had worn back in the days of when he used to play, when I was snooping and saved it for a special occasion.

“You know I fucking do. Shit, Carmen, that looks so damn good on you.” I grinned under his praise. My nipples tightened against the heavy, rough material.

“How did it go?” I knew that I was changing the subject. I worked the buttons of his black dress shirt. Slowly, one by one.

“Were they okay about you not giving them that last player?” He grunted, but not before taking a hold of my wrists, stopping me from pulling his tucked-in shirt out.

“They offered me more money.” I stilled.

“What?” I blinked. I hadn’t expected that. By the look on Andres’ face, he hadn’t either. “They told me they wanted me as part of the team. That they would work on moving me as soon as they could toward the coaching staff. Offensive Special Teams.” My heart stilled for a moment.

My poor brain took its time processing what he was saying. Special Teams? Coaching? This was what he had wanted all along. He hadn’t been able to play pros when he was younger, but coaching was the next best thing. There was no way he could turn it down. Then I hated myself for a moment for being selfish. What does that mean for us?

“What did you say?” I broke the silence that had fallen between us. My heart felt like it was beating in sludge. Is this the beginning of the end for us?

“I told them I was a part of a more important team now.”

“What?” My brows bunched. The university’s football team was nothing to shrug your nose at, especially as division one champs, but this was the NFL! His dream!

“I told them that this team is the most important one I ever want to be a part of and that no matter what, my heart is in the desert.”

“I didn’t know U of D was that––“ I didn’t finish my thought. How could I when he dropped down to one knee right after taking something out of his pants pocket? But I wasn’t looking at that. I was looking at the face of the man I loved.

“Honey?”

“I had plans. I’ve always made plans.” He smirked. “And they always go to shit. When I was younger, the way I let that eat me up…” He shook his head. “Dreams and plans change. They change and become better and brighter things, things you could have never imagined.”

“Andres––“

“I was going to take you out. We have reservations on a rooftop restaurant, and your family and Betty and Hemi are meeting us at Disneyland tomorrow.” This was all news to me.

“Disneyland?” I giggled.

“But if you think we are leaving this hotel room when you’re wearing that, you’re crazy. No way am I going to be able to do what I want to you right now and still make our reservations.” I giggled harder. I didn’t know what was happening, but I was there for it.

“Baby––“

“I love you, Carmen Villalobos. I love everything about you.” His hand took mine and brought it to his lips. “I love how kind and sweet you are. How fucking brilliant you are. How damn forgiving you are, because I’m not a stupid man; I know not many would overlook the way this started or my need to…”

“Be watchful?”

“Stalk you,” he blurted honestly because that was just his way. Andres didn’t sugarcoat. “I gotta call a spade a spade. Especially right now. You know who I am. You are the one person who knows me inside and out. Every fucking weird thing about me. The bad, the good, and the ugly. And for some damn reason, you still love me.” The vulnerability in his voice ate at me.

“Baby, you’re the easiest person to love,” I whispered honestly. He blinked quickly, like that hit him emotionally, and cleared his throat.

“There is only one team I am interested in being a part of, and that’s the one with you.” He popped open the small red box. “Will you marry me, baby girl? Will you be mine and let me be a part of your life and take care of you and watch you and––“

“Yes!” I laughed, dropping to my knees in front of him, too. “Yes, I’ll marry you!” His arms wrapped around me, and just like every time he did that, everything inside of me calmed and melted. He was my home. My safe place in the world. It didn’t matter that we had our own weird little quirks. It worked for us. Before I knew it, we were on the ground, my back on the carpeted floor.

“I love you, Carmen,” he murmured softly against my lips. One of his hands dropped to my thigh. He stroked it up and down with an affectionate caress.

“I love you, Andres,” I replied, meaning it completely. I had never loved someone the way I loved him. He was mine, and I was his.

“You’re going to marry me.” It was no longer a question but fact. I nodded, and when his lips touched mine, everything in the world around us faded away.

I’d never planned on falling in love or getting married again. Much less to a man who was ferally obsessed with me and tracked my every move. But the best things in life happen unexpectedly.

And it didn’t hurt that I stalked him back.