Epilogue
“You have out done yourself this time, Elahn” Mendez stuffed more steak tartare into his mouth.
Three months later, she was happy to see guests at the Miami Sharks event enjoying her foods. Preseason games started next week for them and all the guys were hyped. “Well, I have you to thank for passing my name on to your team’s organizer, so eat your fill.”
“Hey, don’t encourage him. He’ll leave none for the rest of us.” A tall black guy named Reese, who was the pitcher for the team came over to razz Mendez.
“That’s right, all he’s been talking about for months was how well the food tasted at the Dare party.” This time it was the head coach Marty Halibert who joined the growing circle around her.
All the big men around her made her a little nervous, especially since Jared hadn’t shown up yet. When he did, she didn’t expect much more than him treating her cordially. Over the last few months they had dated, she allowed him his space. He had a lot of past pain to get over and she was patient and would let him deal with it in his own time and way.
They had gone on a trip to Canada for a week, just the two of them holding hands as they walked down the streets of Vancouver. When they were home they only went to a handful of places together and that was either of their homes, the club or Alexis’. True to her word, Alexis had shown her a lot about Colombian foods.
“So, are you the one we thank for this spread?” Marty asked tipping his beer up for a swallow.
“Yes, I’m Elahn, the caterer—”
“And my girlfriend,” The deep voice boomed with bass through the room.
Not just the words, but the tremors in her body let her know who had spoken.
The room went silent and Elahn became nervous as all eyes were on her. At first, she couldn’t see Jared because of the dense wall of males. Then he was there, breaking through the crowd.
“What’s that you say, Dean?” Mendez had stopped eating long enough to eye Jared for clarity.
Jared didn’t even look anywhere else, but kept his gave fixed on her. “She’s my woman.” He closed the distanced between them as he took her hand. Pulling her too him, he leaned down and whispered in her ear, “Isn’t that right, angel-mine?”
Heat bloomed in her core and spread through her body. “Yes.” She stared into those sexy eyes of his and swallowed to loosen up her tight throat.
“This has got to be a joke, because Jared Dean don’t date.” It was the pitcher who tossed those words out.
Confirmation was seen around the room as everyone, spouses included nodded.
Their reaction didn’t dampen her mood. Jared had confessed, was confessing that they were together to his team.
“Not only do I date, this woman.” Jared lowered himself to the ground on one knee as he used his free hand to reach into his pocket.
The tremors she had felt moments ago when he arrived were now quakes of nerves as she looked down at him.
“Jared, what are you doing?” Even to herself it seemed like a stupid question. A man in such a position was only there for one reason. For this man, she was happy just to have him confess that they were together to his peers and her staff that had come out and joined the throng.
But this, this was so much more.
“Proving how much I love you. Because I do.”
The room was dead silent, it was as if everyone was holding their breath.
“I love you.” She caressed his strong jawline. She knew those words to be true for them both. Last month on their trip they’d confessed their feelings to each other.
Jared flicked open the lid to the small blue velvet box. “Will you marry me, Elahn Brazelton? Be my wife and let me love you, watch you and grow with you?”
She knew what he meant by watching her, but that was private between the two of them, not everything about their lives needed to be made public.
Tears began to flood her eyes and made it hard for her to see the man she loved. She blinked away the blurry vision and gazed down at him. “Say it?”
His greenish-gray eyes held hers, dark and intense. “I dare you to marry me.” His voice was rough, thick as if emotions were clogging up his throat.
“Then I will. I do for life.”
He paused to slip the large, pear-shaped, blue diamond on her finger before he scooped her up and kissed her.
The room erupted in cheers and catcalls as Jared carried her out of the room to celebrate in private.