Clipped by Love (Bellevue Bullies #2) (67 page)
“That’s my baby! Get it, Bay!” he yells from the room, and I grin as I reach Elli Adler.
“Someone is excited,” she mentions as she hands me my jersey.
“As they should be, this is a huge moment in history,” Bryan adds. “One I wasn’t ready for, but one Elli was very adamant about.”
As I look at Elli, she grins. “I believe in you and know you’ll add to my team. Now it’s time for the world to get with the program. This league isn’t about gender, it’s about talent, and Baylor, you have that.”
Unable to comprehend what is going on, I look at the jersey almost in tears at the sight of my name and number on the back. “Is this really happening?” I ask, looking up at her, and she grins.
“It is. Congratulations.”
Sharing a grin with her, I then hurry to put the jersey over my dress and my hat on my head before we pose for pictures. I can’t wait to see them because I know my face says it all.
I couldn’t be happier.
When we are done, I walk down from the platform, and I don’t miss the looks from the other GMs and owners, even coaches. They are all in shock about what just happened, as am I, but then, I know I deserve this. I worked hard, and so I stand a bit taller as I head to the waiting room. The first thing I see is Jayden waiting for me, hopping on the balls of his feet.
“Get over here!” he hollers before wrapping his arms around me and lifting me off the ground. “I told you!”
“You did,” I agree, our lips pressing together. Holding me tightly, he moves his mouth with mine, and I still can’t believe it. I made it. But then it dawns on me. Pulling away, I look down at him, his jersey matching mine, and I yell, “Oh my God, we are on the same team!”
Laughing, he brings my lips back to his as he mutters against them, “Dork.”
When we part, I look deep into his eyes and it all seems like a dream. “This isn’t real, is it?”
“No,” he answers, stone-faced. “We are actually in a different realm and have to find the door that will lead us back to our real lives, just like Sam and Dean had to do.”
Grinning, I thread my fingers in his hair and shake my head. “Shut up, you big dweeb.”
Laughing, he squeezes me tightly and I press my nose into his, thinking that I’m the luckiest girl in the whole damn world.
“I’m so proud of you.”
“I’m so proud of you too,” I answer back. “I can’t believe this,” I squeal, wiggling in his arms.
“I can. I knew from the beginning we’d be standing together, right here, like this.”
“Really? I mean, really? Come on.”
“Really.”
There is no way in hell anyone could ever wipe the grin off my face as I hold his gaze. “I mean, really though, how could this get any better?”
Looking away, he nods his head as he grins. “Actually, since you brought it up…”
Confused as he lets me go, I ask, “Huh? Brought what up?”
He doesn’t answer me. Instead, he takes my hand and I watch as he slides a very large diamond ring down my left ring finger. When I look up, his eyes are blazing into mine as he falls down to one knee. “Marry me,” he demands. “Because that’s how this can get better.”
“Now?” I ask, flabbergasted, and he grins.
“Yeah, now. Let’s go,” he says, standing up and shaking his head, and I beam back at him.
I know he’s joking, but I’m not. “Okay, let’s go.”
“Wait, what?” he asks, confused, looking at me. “I was joking! A yes is all I want.”
“Well, I’m not joking, and you’re getting more than a yes. You’re getting me as your wife, today,” I tell him.
“What? We can’t have a wedding today! We don’t have anything planned!”
“I don’t need to plan anything. I don’t need the dress, the flowers, or any of that crap. I need you,” I stress, framing his gorgeous face with my hands. “I love you, and I want to marry you right this second, in our jerseys, because you’re right, that’s how this moment can be better.”
Eyeing me, he wraps his arms around me and he grins. “Really?”
“Really, let’s go.”
“Now?”
“Now,” I answer, and his grin grows even more, his eyes shining with love for me.
Squeezing me tightly, he whispers, “You never cease to blow me away, Baylor Irene Moore.”
“Good, because I plan to do that a lot,” I inform him.
“I can’t wait,” he says, his lips moving against mine. “I love you, Baylor.”
“I love you, too.”
And as he kisses me, I realize I just reached a lot of my goals.
Make it into the NHL. Check.
Make my dad proud. Check.
Find the love of my life. Check.
Tell him I love him every day. Check
I don’t have the Stanley Cup, but I will, and I’ll have Jayden with me to do it, which is probably the coolest thing in the history of ever. But when I open my eyes, meeting his heated green gaze, I feel like I already won the Cup.
Jayden is my Cup.
My greatest win.
And I know no one can take him away from me.
He’s all mine.
As I am his.
Forever.
I love this book. So very much. Baylor and Jayden have quickly become one of my favorite couples behind Shea and Elli. I don’t know why, but their story just gets me and makes me happy. Not saying that my other characters don’t do the same, but I love this book. Like, a lot, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed it too. That it maybe made your day brighter. That maybe it even inspired you to chase after your own dreams.
With me, it’s what you see is what you get. I don’t sugarcoat myself, I don’t hide who I am, and I live to the fullest. If I want something, I work for it and I don’t quit until I get it. It took losing my mother to become that way, because it made me realize you only get one life. This is it. I know that I’m obnoxious at times, that I could be classified as a bit bitchy and a touch insecure. But I’m also insanely loyal. I love with all my heart, and I will never lie. I believe in me, and I know I can overcome anything that stands in my way.
I’ve been attacked over and over again in this business, but I won’t allow it to get me down. Does it hurt? Yeah, I cry a lot, and I stress to the point of sickness. But in the end, when I hold my baby (the book) in my hands, it’s worth all the hours of writing and not being with my family. It’s worth dealing with the promotion part of writing, which something I hate, but Damaris does make it easier. It’s worth the editing process that I loathe, but thankfully, Lisa makes me better and does it without brutally ruining me. And it’s worth the beta process, where I send my baby to the very first set of eyes other than mine and hope they love it. I have the best and most amazing beta team: Laurie, Kara, Natasha, Althea, Heather, Lisa, Jo, Vanessa, Lisa, Janett, Susie, Lisa, & Mary. Thankfully, I do have a wonderful readership. You make this all so worthwhile, and I couldn’t be more blessed with people who love my characters as much as I do. It’s amazing and perfect and yeah, it isn’t easy, but I don’t want to not write.
I have to.
These people need their stories, and I will continue to write them.
No matter what.
So thank you. Thank you for reading
Clipped by Love
and thank you for reading this.
Now put this story down and go live your dreams.
They’re waiting on you.
I’d also like to thank my loving family for always supporting my dreams and believing in me. I couldn’t do it without y’all. I love you, Michael, Nick, Mikey, Alyssa, and Noey.
To my mom, I miss you and love you more than words can describe. I’m living my dreams because you always pushed me to do so. Thank you.
Overtime
– Assassins Series - Summer 2015
You Got Me
– Spring Grove novel – Summer 2015
Hooked by Love
– Bellevue Bullies – Fall 2015
Rushing the Goal
– Assassins Series – Winter 2015
Make sure to check out these titles and more on Toni’s
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Copyright © 2015 by Toni Aleo
This book, Clipped by Love, is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author.
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