Prologue
Maverick
This apartment complex is a dump. It looks just like the run-down student housing Mia and I left behind, except I’m the reason she is even here in the first place.
I broke her heart.
A month before our lavish and meticulously planned wedding, I kicked her out of the luxurious condo we shared after Casey Ridge, the biggest asshole in the NFL and my rival, bragged about sleeping with her. There was even photographic proof.
So, when faced with seemingly irrefutable evidence, what other choice did I have?
I should have listened, but my stubborn pride refused to allow me to believe Casey was lying.
Standing in front of the chipped, brown front door, I exhale and lift my hand to knock. Moments later, there’s the unmistakable scratching sound of the chain lock sliding and then the loud click of a deadbolt turning. The door sticks and when it finally opens, I’m face-to-face with the love of my life.
“Hi,” I say, noting the hint of caution in my voice.
Mia stares up at me with big brown eyes, blinks, but says nothing in reply.
“Can we talk?”
Her eyes narrow and her lips purse. The silence is uncomfortable and I’m sweating, waiting for her response.
“Now you want to talk?” Her tone is even, which is never a good thing. “I wanted to talk weeks ago, and you refused to listen to me.”
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.” I shift my weight from foot to foot and my nerves increase, anxious over whether she will forgive me.
I don’t think I’d forgive myself, but I have to try.
“Well, whatever you need to say, you can say it out here.”
I glance around, making sure there aren’t any stupid tabloid reporters lurking in the bushes. I can imagine the headlines: “Star Quarterback Grovels after Epic Fuck-up.”
“After the news broke about our break-up, one of Casey’s teammates called me.” The story makes me look like the biggest idiot in the world, but I can handle the embarrassment if Mia takes me back. “He sent me a recording of Casey bragging about getting into my head and using you as bait.”
She blinks and doesn’t look any less angry or any more forgiving. “So, you believed some asshole you’ve hated since college over me? You’re going to have to try harder. Have the day you deserve.”
She starts closing the door, but I stick my hand out to stop her. “Wait. I don’t have a good reason for why I believed Casey over you. The pictures I saw… I guess, I never thought I was the kind of man you deserved. Tell me what I have to do to earn your forgiveness and I’ll do it.”
Mia opens the door wider and stares at me, her mouth still a hard line. I’d give anything right now to take her in my arms and kiss her.
“Marry me,” she says firmly.
“Marry you?”
She nods. “Yeah. I already have a dress and you have a tuxedo. Let’s elope.”
I’m shocked. This is not what I expected, but I’m not going to argue. This is the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with, the woman I want to carry my babies, the woman who owns my heart and soul.
“Okay. When do you want to do it?”
“You have a bye week coming up. Let’s do it then.”
I grin. I can’t help myself. Mia could have tortured me, and I suspect she will for the rest of my life, but she let me off the hook. “Sounds like the perfect weekend to get married.”
I take one step toward her, but she holds up her hand. “Oh no. You’re not getting anything from me, including a kiss, until we’re married.”
Not kissing her is disappointing but I’m not an idiot. Mia is calling the shots now and I’m not going to risk losing her. I nod. “I can wait but I love you, Mia. I just wanted you to know that.”
