Page 190 of The Penalty

“Wanna make a bet?”

I shook my head with a grin. “No. But I do want dessert. You?”

“Actual dessert or…?” She struck a sexy pose.

“Actual.” I pulled her close for a kiss. “I’ll snack on you later.”

“What did you order?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“I thought you didn’t like surprises.”

“I don’t.” I walked toward the kitchen trying like hell to calm my erratic pulse.

I expected to be nervous but not at this level. No, I wasn’t nervous about dessert or her teasing me about changing my mind. Busying myself with getting plates, spoons, napkins, and more food kept the focus off the knots tangling in my stomach.

I was nervous about what I planned to give her.

Something had changed within me over the last year. The dark, heavy cloud of anger I’d allowed to hover over me for so many years was gone. There were days when it edged its way back but for the most part Victoria’s light kept any darkness away.

At first, it felt weird. Holding onto all that anger was like a shield. Dr. Frances knew it the first time we met. He’d been rather pleased when I finally said it out loud at one of our sessions earlier this year. Letting it go allowed me to lower my defenses.

That shit was terrifying.

But I didn’t need any barriers with Victoria. She saw through all of them anyway.

“Are you making the dessert yourself?” The sound of her voice startled me. “You’ve been in here forever.” She hopped up on the stool and leaned forward onto the counter. “I see plates and utensils but no dessert. What are you up to, Maddox?”

I smirked, opening the refrigerator and pulling out a tin. “We still have to work on your patience, love.”

Victoria’s face lit up when she opened the container. “Eton Mess? I haven’t had this in years.”

“No excuse for that anymore. You live ten minutes away from the best Eton Mess in England.”

Spreading her arms, she squealed a little too enthusiastically over strawberries, meringue, and cream. “Get your sexy ass over here.”

I did, wrapping her in my arms tight.

“If I’d known this was all it took, I would have bought you dessert the first night we met.”

She dipped a finger in the cream and licked it off. “Too predictable. I wouldn’t change a thing about how we got here.”

The knots in my stomach tripled. I felt like the sixteen year old kid who walked onto the pitch at Royal City for the first time. Determined but scared about how the next chapter of my life would reveal itself.

It’s now or never.

Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small velvet pouch. Victoria stilled, her emerald eyes growing wider and wider.

“I wouldn’t change anything either.” Turning the pouch upside down, a sparkling diamond ring landed softly in my palm. An official proposal was inevitable. Asking Victoria if she’d let me spend the rest of my life with her on New Year’s Eve cemented that. But I wanted the proposal to be just for us. No crowds, no cameras, no friends, no outside attention. The rest of the world can wait.

This was one of the most important moments of my life.

I only wanted to share it with her.

“You once told me you didn’t believe in fate. I didn’t either. I didn’t believe in anything that wasn’t football, the adoration of millions, or winning.” What the fuck is my voice doing? The shaking needs to stop. “But then one day I was driving home and saw this stunning redhead pacing frantically on the side of the road. I had to stop. Your smile captivated me immediately. Your sense of humor, intelligence, warmth, and compassion filled a part of my soul I’d neglected for years. All I wanted to do was heal your scars and make life beautiful for you. What I didn’t anticipate was your ability to heal mine. And now, not only do I believe in fate, I also believe in love. I believe in forever.”

A choked sob bled through the hand Victoria clasped over her mouth.

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