Rundown (Curveball Book 2) (49 page)

“
Your
hair.  It smells good,” he replies nonchalantly.  “And,
you’re blushing,” he whispers, causing goose bumps to rise all
over my body.  

“
That’s
because I can’t wait to get you out of that tux and spend a few
hours together, uninterrupted.”

Pressing
up onto my tiptoes, I place a kiss on Drew’s lips and then glance
over my shoulder to get a better view of the kids.  It’s been
one hell of a ride getting to where we are today.  Drew and I
are married and have built a wonderful life together in New York.
 Just two weeks ago construction began on the land where our
winery will be, and Drew has been doing sports commentating for a mix
of local and national media outlets.  The people responsible for
the horrible events that brought us together are either dead or in
prison.  Mark is back in all of our lives and it’s been a
surprisingly easy transition.  My father finally found love
again, with Sarah of all people, and we’ve been blessed to have
them as one of our neighbors. We still have Everett and Corinne
protecting us and we’ve become great friends.  Best of all,
our family has grown with the addition of our baby boy, Keaton Scott,
who has just turned three months old.

“
Mr.
Scott,” a woman calls from behind us.  “Are you ready?”

Drew
straightens up and takes a step back, politely gesturing to me with
his hand that it’s almost time for us to make our entrance.  Our
wedding party, which is a hodgepodge of friends and family, assemble
for their entrance in front of us.  As instructed, we stand to
the side as the groomsmen and bridesmaids pair up and disappear
through the door when called, likely dancing their way to the dance
floor.

“
When
we met on the plane did you ever think it would lead to this?” Drew
inquires.  

“
Never,”
I admit.

“
I
knew I had you the moment our hands touched for the first time,” he
whispers, caressing circles on my hand.  

Rolling
my eyes, I squeeze him.  As presumptuous as he is, it’s true,
and I still get that same sensation each time we touch.  I never
would have admitted it at the time, but deep down I knew our
connection was more than attraction from the beginning.  

Colin
yanks on Drew’s sleeve, and whispers something in his ear once
they’re on the same level.  Drew grins and nods before Colin
and Maddie disappear into the crowd.  

“
Honey,
are you sure you don’t want Grandpa to take Keaton?”

Aubrey
looks over her shoulder at us, completely confident in her ability to
carefully pull her sleeping baby brother in his wagon. “I’ve got
this, Mom.”

Knowing
how cautious she is with him, I smile back and nod, watching as they
disappear through the threshold and the doors close behind them.
 
She’s nearly seven years old.  It’ll be fine.

Drew
pulls me closer to the door and then leans forward to kiss my cheek,
immediately erasing my worries.  Pulling me flush against his
body, he deepens the kiss.  

What
I wouldn’t give to lose this dress right now.

“
You
better step back Mr. Scott, or our guests are going to get a show
when those doors open.”

“
What’d
I do?” he feigns innocence.  Ignoring me, he trails kisses
down my neck.

“
You’re
invading my space.”

“
Now
that you’re my wife, isn’t your space mine?” he asks leaning
back with a raised brow.

“
It’s
always been yours.”

“
And
it always will be.”

I’m
not sure if I gasp or moan but I can feel the heat rising in my
cheeks as Drew seals his lips over mine.  Our tongues dance and
I desperately want to get our appearance at the reception over so we
can continue this more privately.  I knot my fingers in Drew’s
hair, deepening the kiss when clapping and cheering erupt, signaling
that the doors to the ballroom have been opened, giving the few
hundred people at our reception a preview.  

Drew
pulls back laughing, completely unashamed.  “Shall we?” he
asks, smiling.

We
link elbows and stride towards the dance floor, shaking hands and
acknowledging our guests along the way.  The closer we get, the
faster my pulse races.  As wonderful as this day has been, I
absolutely hate being the center of attention and this crowd is much
larger than I’m used to.  We step closer to the edge of the
wooded floor and all the lights dim.  When we’re only a few
feet away from where we’re to begin our first dance as husband and
wife, Drew kisses me chastely and then pushes down on my shoulders,
forcing me to sit in a chair that someone’s just set behind me.

“
W-what
are you doing?” I ask.

“
I’m
about to one-up your high school fantasy,” he says and then
delivers that killer wink I fell for long ago.  “Enjoy the
show.”

The
show?
 What on Earth is he talking about?

Just
as Drew steps onto the dance floor, Colin hands him a pair of
sunglasses, white gloves and a white scarf.   All the men in our
wedding party, including my father, Brett and several Red Sox
players, join Drew, filing into a single line behind him that extends
the full width of the faux wood flooring.  All of them take on
the same stance—legs spread shoulder width apart, hands clasped in
front and their heads bowed to the ground.  All of them are
wearing the same ensemble.  

The
piano interlude begins and I gasp when I recognize the beginning of a
song that is
not
the one we selected for our first dance.  

Oh.
 My.  God.

No
he didn’t
.  

My
jaw drops open as Drew repeatedly mouths the word ‘baby’ into a
microphone.  At the same time, the men who’ve been standing
directly behind him slide out two at a time with each reprise of the
word, until they from an upside down V with Drew in the center.
 Clasping my hands over my mouth to contain my nervous laughter,
I’m certain that my face must be ten shades of red.  An entire
swarm of butterflies lets lose in my stomach.  I can feel every
set of eyes in this room flickering between the spectacle on the
dance floor and me.   He freaking choreographed a dance to one
of my favorite songs.  Just when I thought I couldn’t love him
anymore than I already do…

Good
God.  He’s not lip sinking.  That’s his voice and man
is he good.  Is there anything he can’t do?

Mesmerized,
I bite my lip and watch my husband croon K-Ci and Jojo’s “All My
Life.”  In my periphery, I’m aware of his back-up dancers
snapping their fingers and stepping from side to side in beat to the
music.  I should probably enjoy the entire show, yet I can’t
take my eyes off Drew.  He slowly makes his way to a spot in
front of me that’s just out of reach, serenading me and dancing in
a way that shouldn’t be allowed in public places.  It’s not
indecent by any means, but I have no other way to describe the way he
moves than sensual.  And he’s all mine.  

Returning
my heated gaze, Drew continues toward me, never breaking eye contact.
 Drew drops to his knees right in front of me, clenching the
microphone with one hand and taking mine in the other, then belts out
that he really does love me, exaggerating the word ‘love’ even
more than they do in the actual song.

Our
guests scream, clearly enjoying this, and I can’t say that I blame
them.  He stands, bringing me with him onto the dance floor.  By
the time we’ve made it to the center, the song is nearly over.
 Drew looks at me with the most sincere expression to what is
now most definitely my favorite ballad of all times.  

“
Do
you love me too?” he whispers at the end of the song.

Nodding
eagerly like a lovesick teenager, a few tears slide down my cheek. I
wrap my arms around his neck as he simultaneously encircles my waist
and spins me around.  Someone taps Drew on the shoulder and he
hands over the microphone.

“
Mr.
and Mrs. Drew Scott, everyone,” the DJ announces.  

People
whistle and clap, patting Drew on the back and kissing me on cheek
while we remain focused on each other.  

“
I
cannot believe you did that.” I laugh as Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking
Out Loud’ starts playing.  “You do realize that your
performance will be all over YouTube before the nights over, right?”

“
Good.
 I want the entire world to know that I love you so much I’m
willing to sing a ridiculous song to prove it.  Besides, it’s
not the first video we’ve made.”  He leans down and nips at
my ear.  “And it doesn’t have to be our last.”

I
smack his chest.  “Don’t get any ideas.”  Drew
chuckles a minute before turning serious.  

“
I
plan on making all your dreams come true, baby.”  

“
You
already have.”

I
rest my head against his chest, truly grateful for all that I have in
my life.  

“
Do
you think anyone would miss us if we ducked out?”  I lift my
head slightly to gauge Drew’s reaction.  

He
tilts his head and chews on his lip.  “These people traveled a
long way to be here for us…”

“
I
didn’t say we wouldn’t come back.”  I bat my eyelashes.

“
What
about your hair…and I’m going to need help getting that dress
off.  Scratch that, I’ll cut it off you.  No one’s
going to see what’s under there but me.”

I
can’t help but laugh.  “What happened to you?  We’ve
been married less than two hours and already you’ve lost your
drive.”  I say this purposely, knowing it will rile him up.
 Then I pull his head down so that I can whisper in his ear.
 “You know, I heard somewhere that women’s sex drive doesn’t
peak until their 40’s.  If you can’t handle me now…”

Without
a word, Drew yanks me toward the doors we walked through only moments
ago.  He stops at the head table, pulls off his gloves and
tosses them and the sunglasses so that they land in the centerpiece.
 He goes to remove the white scarf and I stop him.  

“
Maybe
keep that for later,” I suggest.

His
eyes darken with need before he hoists me up, tosses me over his
shoulder and storms out of the room.

“
Put
me down,” I squeal.

“
Never,
baby.”

Drew
sets me down once inside the room and we waste no time crashing into
each other, just like we crashed into each other’s lives.  He
really has made all my dreams come true.  I got a second chance
at love when I least expected it.  We’ve been through hell,
yet I’d do it all again if it meant I got to be wrapped up in his
arms for the rest of my days.  He brought me back to life and
showed me what happiness was.  He’s made me a better person
and I’ll never stop trying to give him all those things in return.
 Our past is no longer haunting us and our future is just
beginning.  Our story is far from over…the best is yet to
come.

THE
END

Thank
you to my wonderful children who always make me smile. I love you
more than you’ll ever know!

To
my husband, the love of my life – your support has made all of this
possible. Thank you for believing in me, listening to my ideas,
putting up with me when I’m cranky, and for encouraging me.  You
really are the best!

Thank
you to my loving parents. You are amazing people and have done so
much for me; I can’t thank you enough.

To
my beta readers: Nicole, Nikki, and Lisa – I couldn’t have
finished this book without your feedback. Thank you for all the text
messages you sent while reading, making suggestions, and giving me
your honest opinions. I love you guys!