Page 2 of The Comeback

“Jett!” I gasp. “Jett,” I repeat in a whisper as he pulls a small diamond solitaire ring from his pocket, the diamond tiny but still so perfect. Emotion piles up in my throat. I can’t say anything else as he holds it up in front of me.

“Marry me. Please, Ava. It’s always been the plan. Why wait?”

I stare up at him, nodding, even as I choke out, “Now?”

He grins at me. “I’m not asking you to elope. In December?” he suggests, then laughs when my eyes widen. “In the spring? We don’t have to decide now, but you can come to Reno and let me help you because we’re going to get married. I won’t hear your protests.”

I give a soft, amused huff. “Like you would have anyway,” I say. He raises his eyebrows at me, still holding out the ring. I haven’t actually answered. “Yes, Jett. I’ll marry you.” I throw my arms around his neck and he lifts me up. “Of course I’ll marry you.”

He sets me down, arms still tight around me, and kisses me, the touch of his lips transmitting all his hope and joy into me. My insides buzz with happiness. I want to wrap us up in this moment and forget the real world exists. Pretend like marrying him really does mean that everything is going to be happily ever after.

When he pulls away, I smile at him. “We should get married in the spring, and that will give me time to work everything out to move to Reno with you next?—”

“No.” He presses another kiss to my mouth, making me giggle against his lips. “No,” he repeats. “I do not want to live another day with you thousands of miles away from me. We can get married in the spring, but I want you to come this fall.” I shake my head, prepared to tell him all the things that will make this near impossible, but he goes on. “Ava, did you really think I wouldn’t have it all worked out?” He smirks. I’m not even a little surprised that he’s got backup arguments for his backup arguments. Not that proposing was the backup plan.

“Coach says he could get you the same job as me,” Jett goes on. “Trust me on this. It’ll work.” He’s back to squeezing my hands, pleading with those gorgeous blue eyes, his familiar lips set in a determined line. It isn’t like Jett to insist on getting his way, but when he has a goal he knows he can reach, there’s no stopping him. He has so much already worked out, I have a hard time not believing in him—in us—too. Maybe, between the two of us, we can pay my rent and tuition and still manage to feed ourselves. Couples do it all the time, right?

“Ava.” Jett takes a step closer. “Please, come with me.”

I have no idea how I’ll convince my parents this is a good idea. They’ll repeat all the things going on in my brain right now. The expenses. The impracticality. How young we are. They’ve been cautioning me since Jett went to college to take the time we’re apart to figure out myself, to make sure my goals of doing something in public relations don’t get swallowed in Jett’s dreams.

But.

I’m an adult now. This is my life. A life I’ve been planning to have with Jett for a long time. It will take sacrifices, but so will everything else we want together. I don’t want to spend another year apart, either, even if all my good sense says that’s what we should do.

I tilt my head back and stand up on my tiptoes, coming within a millimeter of his lips. I can distract him from this or …

“Yes,” I breathe. “I’ll come with you.”

CHAPTER 2

JETT

Present day

Since my truck sits motionless in traffic, when my phone dings with a text, I tap at my screen rather than letting the truck’s hands-free program read it to me.

It’s from my sister-in-law.

Jenna: Last night’s guest at the beach house messaged that there might be a leak in the master bathroom. Can you go check it out?

This is followed by no less than ten prayer-hand emojis.

It’s already seven, and I can count on another thirty minutes in this traffic mess, at least. By the time I get home, shower, and then go over to Jenna and Devin’s GetAwayHome vacation rental, it will be almost nine. I love my sister-in-law, and we’re as close as true siblings, but I hesitate before giving in right away. If there’s any chance she’ll let me off the hook tonight, I’m going for it.

Jett: I’m exhausted, Jenna. I’ll go over in the morning.

Wednesdays are long days. It took a lot of hard work to become a starting quarterback with a professional football team after only three years. Even more hard work to stay the best so the franchise won’t regret taking a chance on an underrated kid from a smaller school. I put everything into football. I glance up at the road to make sure we’re still at a standstill before reading the message she’s already sent back.

Jenna: I have a guest checking in tomorrow.

Jett: I promise I’ll go over really early.

I feel a twinge of guilt. She’s not a five-star, top-level GetAwayHome host for nothing. She always gets reviews about how homey the house is, how well treated the guests feel. But it won’t make that much of a difference if I check it tonight or tomorrow morning.

Jenna: Jeeeeeetttt.

I can picture exactly the fake whiny voice she would’ve used if we were talking in person. This is how she gets her way. I’m not going to be able to tell her no and stick to it. Jenna rarely lets me do favors for her. In fact, she acts like if I do, she’s taking advantage of me. So when she does ask on the rare occasion, it’s hard to turn her down. She wants her real estate investments to succeed, and I want to help her with that however I can. When I got my first big football contract, I paid off Devin and Jenna’s mortgage as well as my parents’. Devin and Jenna took the money they were putting into their mortgage payment and bought a second house, spent a year fixing it up in every free moment, and then set it up as their GetAwayHome. Jenna’s grin was off the charts the day she told me they’d already paid off the second house. Their third investment is a smaller guesthouse on their property, but for now Jenna’s grandma occupies that.

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