CHAPTER NINETEEN
Pain of sacrifice or pain of regret.
Jack sat and waited for Ana because she’d kicked him out of the bedroom an hour ago. Why she needed to surprise him wasn’t immediately evident, but he was smart enough not to argue the point and to plant his butt on the couch like she asked.
Flipping through the channels, he searched for something to watch and decided Sports Center was as good an option as any. When his phone buzzed, he glanced over and saw that it was his attorney and hoped he had good news.
Which it absolutely wasn’t, he discovered after the first two minutes. “Fucking A,” he muttered as he heard Ana’s heels click against the wood floors. “We’ll talk about this later,” he said quietly as he ended the call.
Clearing his face of the residual anger, he plastered on a smile and swore he wasn’t going to let anything ruin their evening out. When she came into view, he took a step back and whistled. “Damn, lady, you’re not giving me any mercy.”
“Is it okay?” she asked as she ran her hand over the fabric. “Ronnie helped me pick it out, and she swore it was perfect.”
“Maybe a little too much,” he mumbled as he walked around her in a circle and admired every one of her curves shown off beautifully. “I’m going to have to stick to you like glue, so none of the other men have a chance to say more than a word.”
“I thought the color worked because it’s the same shade of green as your uniform.”
“It’s absolutely one hundred percent perfect.” He stepped closer and took her hand. “Can I kiss you or is that against the rules?”
Running her hand down her dress again, she smiled and squeezed his hand. “You can give me a small, sweet kiss, and that’s it. I don’t want to go to this event and look like I just rolled around in bed with you.”
Bending down, he gently pressed his mouth to hers and smiled against her mouth. “Thanks for going to the party with me. I hope I don’t have to beat anyone up for acting inappropriately with you.”
“Nobody is going to notice me, Jack, and I’m fine with that. Ella told me she was going to be there tonight, so I’ll have someone to talk to, and you won’t have to worry about me.”
Shaking his head, he moved closer. “I’m not letting you out of my sight the whole evening, so you can talk to me.” He led her toward the front door and made sure the timer was set for the Christmas decorations and thought about how freaking happy it made him every time he came home.
Ana had chosen to honor his profession and had arranged the reindeer at the line of scrimmage with Santa as the ref. She had added presents at each end of her pretend field, and it all looked great lit up at night against the palm trees that lined the front drive of the house.
Inhaling a long breath, he prayed the latest bullshit out there was not going to touch them in any way because now that they were making a home together, he didn’t want anything to change.
As they walked out to the truck, he thought about what his lawyer had said and hoped like hell it wasn’t true. Because, if it was, there was no way Ana was going to forgive him and talking his way out of it was going to be damn near impossible. Even if he was innocent.
Pushing the thought to the back of his mind, he helped her in the truck and allowed himself to be distracted by her long, sexy legs and the future he was determined to build together.
***
Jack walked toward Ana with drinks in his hand and studied the man who was standing too close and figured he must be someone she knew from work since she was chatting away. Though why a colleague thought he could get so close was bullshit.
And he’d probably be pointing it out at some point during the evening because no man was allowed to be looking at his woman like she was a damn hot hors d’oeuvres. Slapping a big smile on his face, he approached and inserted himself next to Ana. “Hi, honey.”
She returned his smile, and he decided a visual was the best way to let the man know the lay of the land, so he planted a big kiss on her lips and was gratified when she returned it. “Miss me?”
“Always,” she replied with a sassy smile.
He handed her the drink and then wrapped his arm around her waist. Assessing the man, he smiled and waited for Ana to introduce them.
“Jack, this is Dr. Norbert. He’s one of the professors in Forensic Neuropsychology, and I took one of his seminars last month.”
Putting out his hand, he smiled. “I’m Jack Ellis.” The man gave him a cool, superior smile as they shook hands and knew instantly he was dealing with a pompous ass. Which meant there was no way Ana would tolerate him for more than a minute.
“So, you play football?”
“Every Sunday of the season,” Jack replied as he rolled his shoulders.
“Jack, I just saw Ella walk in. Come and find me when you’re done talking with Chad.”
“Okay, honey.” Seeing her scurry away toward her best friend, he knew she’d just sacrificed him so she could make her escape.
Seemed it was his turn to take one for their team, so he gave the good doctor a smile, tipped back on his heels, and let him pontificate about the emerging importance of his specialty. If he was to be believed, his research was single-handedly responsible for putting away half of the sickos in Miami. “Interesting,” he replied before slapping him hard on his back. “I’m going to head over, check on Ana, and see if she needs anything.” Turning, he was about to walk away but decided he needed to leave the man with a piece of advice. “Before I go, I should tell you that if I ever catch you looking at my girlfriend that way again, I’ll treat you just like an offensive lineman standing between me and sacking the quarterback. If you need to see what that looks like, catch the game this Sunday, and you’ll get the full demonstration.”
Whistling, he made his way over to Ana and slipped his arm around her waist. “Thanks, honey.”
Turning, she smiled. “It didn’t take long to make your escape. It always takes me forever to get away.”
Jack squeezed her waist and studied the crowd. “I appreciate you leaving me with the good doctor. That’s fifteen minutes of my life that I’m never going to get back.”
“You’re an excellent boyfriend for letting me break free. I owe you one.”
“I know and expect to be paid back handsomely later on.”
“You will, but you have to leave now because Ella was just going to give me the gritty details of Clark’s visit with her family.”
Jack smiled at Ella and wondered why she frowned. “Clark already told me all about it. Apparently, your brothers are going to the game in Dallas, and then we’re all getting together afterward. They’ve all seem to have become good friends.”
“Thanks for reminding me, Jack.” Her shoulders dropped, and she looked at the ground. “Clark has wormed his way into the heart of my family, and they like him a lot more than they like me. My tactic of taking him home for Thanksgiving completely backfired and I now know my mama would happily trade me in for Clark without batting an eye.” Huffing out a breath, she crossed her arms. “The woman has no loyalty, and it’s embarrassing.”
Ana patted her arm and kissed her cheek. “Remember that my mom wants you and would probably trade one of my brothers for you. So let your family have Clark, and you can be my true sister.”
Clark sauntered up with a satisfied smile. “Did Ella tell you about Thanksgiving? We had a good time, and I think her family likes me.”
Jack gave his friend the stop signal and watched his confused expression.
“What did I say?” Clark asked as he looked around the group.
Ella elbowed him and frowned. “Don’t be such a show-off. Everyone doesn’t need to know my family likes you better than me.”
Clark took her hand and then tipped her chin up. “Your family is very proud of you, and they love you to pieces. They just don’t know how to show it in a way that makes sense to you. Both of your brothers threatened my life if I didn’t treat you properly and they also gave me the third degree about my intentions, along with your parents.”
Folding her arms, Ella frowned. “They didn’t have to like you so much.”
He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’m a hard man to resist, and you know that better than anyone since you’ve tried really hard and haven’t been successful.”
Jack closed his eyes and knew his friend was digging a hole he wasn’t likely to get out of anytime soon. “Let’s go find a good table because dinner is about to be served.”
“Nice save, honey,” Ana remarked as she took his hand. “Clark wasn’t doing himself any favors.”
“I heard that, Ana.”
“You were meant to, Clark, since I’m trying to help you.”
“He’s too stubborn to take it,” Ella said as she took a seat next to Ana.
Clark snorted and took his seat and then kissed Ella’s cheek. “Not as stubborn as you, sweetums.”
Jack looked at his friend and groaned because, at the rate he was going, he didn’t know if they were going to make it through the first course.
As dessert was being served, Jack leaned over to speak into Ana’s ear. “Do you want to give the speech, or should I?”
She leaned into him and put her hand on his leg. “I think you should since you’re the one who donated the money and created the foundation.”
“All right, honey.” He leaned back as the waiter put his dessert plate in front of him and felt Ana’s hand squeeze his leg. His body reacted instantly, and he shoved his napkin over his lap. “Quit being naughty, Ana. I can’t go up there if you keep doing that. So unless you want to make the speech, you better move your hand.” He felt her laughter as she slid her hand back to her lap. “I promise you can get at me as soon as we get home.”
“As long as you promise.” She took a big bite of cake and moaned. “Why are you looking at me that way?”
“You just behave until we get in the car, then all bets are off.”
“Fine,” she replied as she put another bite of dessert in her mouth.
“I like that you’re showing your feelings but have mercy on me.”
“I’ll try.”
“It’s all I can ask.” Taking her hand, he prayed his attorney had been wrong because he didn’t want a life that Ana wasn’t in.
The head of the hospital walked up to the podium and started making his annual speech, and if they were lucky, it wouldn’t last as long as it did last year.
When his name was finally called, he stood and made his way to the podium. Once he was standing behind it, he caught Ana’s gaze and encouraging smile. Taking a deep breath, he tried to remember the speech he’d practiced and let out a long breath. “I’m up here today because I met a woman in San Diego two months ago who turned my world upside down and I haven’t been the same since. I wish I could tell you I started the foundation because of my love of science or my need to do good, but that would be a lie. I did it because I’ve met the love of my life, and the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with, and she happens to be a doctor.
“She just started her fellowship at the university and has some pretty good ideas about some research she’d like to pursue. So, like any man trying to win a woman’s heart, I stripped down to my skivvies and gave her a million dollars for research. I believe in Dr. Ana James and the work she’s doing, and have named our foundation the Ana James Ellis Foundation. After we get married, the name will make sense because her last name is my first name and if that doesn’t tell you we’re meant to be together, then I don’t know what does.
“I know the research she’s about to pursue is going to change people’s lives and, hopefully, it will happen in the first round since she told me I couldn’t strip down anymore.
“But as I look out over the room, I see a lot of men who might be great candidates for the next ad, and perhaps we can start a movement for change. So, if you feel like taking your clothes off and donating your fee, come find me later, and I’ll tell you how I did it.”
Looking across the room, he gave his woman a broad smile. “Thank you, Ana, for making me a better man and giving me the opportunity to make a difference.” Catching the kiss she blew him, he stepped away from the podium to the sound of thunderous applause and hoped it would be enough to keep Ana at his side.