Page 76 of No Broken Promises

I’m not waiting for Parker to walk down an aisle to me. I’m not holding her hand as she gives birth to another of our children. Nope. Those moments are guaranteed in this life that we’re building together. I know for certain that she’s going to be my wife. And I know that if fate gives us another child, I’m going to move every fiber of the existing world to get to her in time to hold her hand.

This moment right here?

I have no idea how this is going to turn out, and it’s taken me too long to talk myself into doing this to back out now.

I’m not a stupid man, not by any means. Yeah, I’ve done plenty of stupid shit in my life.

This?

This isn’t remotely stupid.

In fact, I’d say that this is by far the smartest thing I’ve ever done, and I’m absolutely positive that there is nothing more I need to do in my entire existence.

You know… other than the other things I’ve been thinking of. Like marrying Parker and having more children if that’s what she wants.

“Hey, Remy,” Avery greets me at the door. “He’s ready for you.”

I’m still trying to shake the nerves that I know I should be able to get rid of, but they’re not going anywhere.

“Finally,” Nox practically shouts in the hall. “Let’s go already. We have things to do, and you’re already late.” He books it toward the door, leaving me to follow behind him.

“I’m not late,” I tell a smiling Avery as I walk by her. “He’s just… excited.”

“Well, he’s been a pain in his teacher’s behind all day, just so you know.” Avery waves me off as the door closes between us.

Nox is standing there waiting with a smile on his face. “I wish I could have stayed home today. School sucked. But now we get to go do this thing.” He pumps a fist into the air like he belongs in an eighties movie. “Let’s go already. I wanna help you pick it out!”

Shaking my head at his antics and excitement, I pull the key fob from my pocket and unlock the doors. “Let’s go, bud. Before you burst from excitement.”

Some men worry about the response they’re going to get when they ask the woman they love to marry them.

Not me.

I ran away from the intense love that Parker had for me once. I’ll never do it again.

* * *

“Fucking brutal,” I mutter to myself as I send another video to Kennedy.

So… I know that the guys sometimes play football for fun. They were hot as hell in high school, but more than a decade later, there is something orgasmic about watching Remy slam into another man’s body and take off running down the field with the ball in his hand.

When he told me that he wanted to participate in the charity game with former teammates, I thought he was crazy.

Now? I’d go every single weekend to watch him. Because I’m a whore for his sweaty body, apparently.

Thank God Nox had been absolutely thrilled when his Auntie Kenny volunteered to keep him for the weekend.

She has no clue what she’s missing, and sending her the video of Linc getting his ass kicked by players who get paid millions of dollars a year is my way of giving her something special as thanks.

Maybe it will even be enough to get Kennedy to admit that she still wants Linc. Especially since they’ve been going back and forth for months now, refusing to talk about it with anyone or each other, and it has started to drive me absolutely batty. Kennedy even called off her wedding, and it had to be due to Linc.

One second, I am happily lost in my thoughts as two dozen men are racing around the field, laughing and shouting at each other. The next, a cacophony of shouts fills the air and a mess of bodies hit the field. Flailing arms, a leg, and I’m pretty sure I see Remy’s foot hit Dom in the gut.

My phone in my hand, I hit record and laugh almost immediately as Linc starts to moan loudly.

“My balls,” Linc groans again loudly from somewhere at the bottom of the pile. “Why do I feel air on my balls?” He starts to yell and the pile of bodies writhe even more. “Why is there air on my balls?” He sounds frantic, but there are too many people lying on top of him to make a move.

I start laughing so hard tears are coming out the corners of my eyes before I know it, and I clutch my phone tightly to keep from dropping it.