Page 85 of Play the Last Track
She laughs, and for the first time since I opened my eyes, it’s a true laugh. “No way. You’d be too much of a distraction.”
I pout, which only makes her laugh more. I nod my head at her. “Come here.” She obliges, leaning forward and pressing her lips to mine. When she does, the pain drains from my limbs. I don’t need football. I just need her.
“I love you,” I murmur against her lips. I watch as her eyes shoot open, and I instantly find the panic in them. I smile. “You don’t have to say it back. I meant it when I said you should take your time to learn to trust me, and that I will wait. But I wanted you to know that I lo—”
“I love you too,” she says quickly, pressing her lips back on mine. I almost don’t catch her words as they’re muffled against my mouth, but I feel her smile. My chest cracks. I wish I could touch her properly. I wish I could pull her into my arms and bury my hands in her curls. I wish I could spend the next week showing her just how much I love her, and just how much I needed to hear those words. Especially today.
I can survive without football, as long as I have her.
She presses her forehead to mine, her breathing uneven and her smile so wide, I feel like tracing the shape with my fingers. “Iwant the wedding. The house. I want all the kids, and the life you picture,” she whispers. Tears shine in her eyes again. “I want it with you.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She wipes her face again.
“You’ve been crying a lot lately.” I reach out, trying to cup her face, but groan in pain as my shoulder sears with the movement. Fuck, that hurts. Katie leans over, bringing her face to my hand. I curl my fingers over her cheek and swipe my thumb across her bottom lip.
“It’s been a rough couple of weeks. Falling in love is really fucking emotional,” she says, rolling her eyes and trying to smile through the tears.
I chuckle. “It’s not as fun as they make it seem in the movies, huh?”
“Worth it, though.” She leans into my hand and closes her eyes.
Yeah, it’s fucking worth it.
“So, we’re the real thing?” I say, brushing my thumb over her cheek.
“You were a great fake boyfriend.” She nods gently. “And I know you’ll be a better real boyfriend. But you have to promise me—”
“I promise,” I say immediately.
Katie laughs and swats my chest. “I’m serious. Let’s just … be us for a while, okay?”
“Who else would we be?” I say, a smirk creeping over my lips. I know exactly what she’s going to say.
“I don’t want a ring, not straight away.” She bites down on her bottom lip.
“But you do want one, eventually?”
She shrugs. “If that’s what you want, too.” I watch her chew on her lip as she looks at me. “I just took over the bar, and you’re injured. Let’s just be us, okay?”
“So not tomorrow?” I say, holding back my laugh.
“Not tomorrow.”
“Next week?”
She groans, shuffling closer to me on the bed and dropping her lips on mine, and I smile widely at her. Of course, I’m kidding, but it’s fun to make her squirm. “You’re infuriating.”
“You love me."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Flynn
“Pleasejoinmeinwelcoming the new Mr. and Mrs. Scott Harvey.”
I bring my fingers to my mouth and whistle loudly as Scott practically carries Ivy into the ballroom. His arm is wrapped so tightly around her waist, holding her so close to his body, that she’s barely touching the floor. They make their way through the crowd of people, everyone smiling and cheering.
