Dirty Score, A Rough Riders Hockey Novel (21 page)

“Yeah,” he said with a slight nod and a thoughtful tone. “That’s what I want too.”

The knife in her gut twisted a little, but Mia huffed a laugh. “Then you’re in the wrong place, buddy. Get your ass on the next plane east.”

“Eventually.” He heaved a little sigh. “But this is where I want to get on with my life. With you.”

He reached out with one hand and pulled a windblown strand of hair off her forehead, then cupped her cheek. His hand was warm, his fingers and palm rough, and his touch brought memories and feelings flooding back. Mia couldn’t keep her gut from clenching with want or her eyes from fluttering closed, but she clung to the image of every man in her life walking away to find her strength.

“I’m sorry, Rafe. That isn’t—” The words
“what I want”
hung up on her tongue, because they weren’t true. It was exactly what she wanted. But it was also what she knew he couldn’t give her, and she had to amend her words to make them accurate. “That doesn’t work for me.” She turned her head and lowered her knees to ease from his reach. “I meant what I said last night. I’ve been settling all my life, and I’m not willing to do that anymore. I know hard limits are going to create situations that require sacrifices and that I’m facing loss.” That all too familiar pang hit her in the throat again, and she pulled a stuttering breath. “But, it’s time.”

He nodded. “I know.” Dropping his hand to the sand, he leaned into it. “It took me too long to figure it out. And I’m sorry it caused such a mess with Tate and Joe. I’m sorry I hurt you. Caused you so much stress.”

Somehow, this wasn’t helping. “Look, I’m sure from your perspective, this was the right thing to do. And I appreciate the apology and the gesture, but I don’t want to see you right now.” She had to look away from the flash of pain in his eyes and rolled to her knees, then her feet. “But by all means, tell Joe and Tate you extended the olive branch.”

Before she could stand, Rafe grabbed her hand. The quick move cost him. His eyes slammed shut, and pain creased his features, but he kept a death grip on her hand while he breathed through the pain.

And when he opened his eyes, he might have looked angry, but his voice was soft and patient, with just a hint of steel when he said, “I’m not here for Tate or Joe.”

A flare of temper threatened. “They’re the only people who knew I didn’t go back to DC.” She pulled her hand from his and lifted both in surrender. “And, look, it’s
fine
. It is what it is. I understand—”

“No, you don’t.” He rolled to his knees with a grimace and took hold of her biceps. Deliberately looking into her eyes, he said, “I’m here for
you
, Mia. I talked to Joe when I went to the ER last night, and he gave me his blessing. When I went to your room this morning, Tate told me where you were. You know he wouldn’t have done that if he didn’t want me to find you. He would have let me get on that plane, waited until we were somewhere over Iowa, then looked at me and said, ‘Oh, by the way, Mia stayed in California and never wants to hear from you again.’”

She knelt there on the sand, her mouth hanging open. He was right. That was exactly what Tate would have done.

An uneasy flutter tried to break out, but Mia repositioned her grip. “What did Joe say?”

“He said the only thing that I could do to disappoint him would be to not go after what makes me happy. And he already knows you make me happy.”

That made Mia want to sag into a puddle in Rafe’s arms.

Reality check.
Joe and Tate weren’t their only problems.

She shrugged out of his hold and got to her feet. Rafe struggled to his own.

“That’s…” She released a breath and tucked her hair behind her ears. “That’s great. I’m glad you all worked it out and patched things up. But that doesn’t change anything for you and me. I’m done with these dysfunctional relationships, and we both know you never stay with one woman.” She shrugged. “It’s fine. It’s just who you are.”

Rafe exhaled and nodded. Shoved his hands into the back pockets of his jeans. “It was who I used to be. Until you. Before you, I never wanted to stay with one woman.”

Oh God.
Those were dream words. From a dream man.

If only he meant them.

She crossed her arms and heaved a sigh. God, she was so tired. “Rafe—”

“Tate gave me some good advice, believe it or not.” He laughed, the sound filled with irony. “He told me I’ve been letting too much talk take the place of action. And he was right. So, I went back to doing me.” He brought his hands around in front of him, and one held a small box. He met Mia’s eyes again, serious and soft. “I’m going after what I want.”

She still wasn’t following what he was saying. Until he dropped to one knee in the sand again, opened the box and lifted it toward her.

“Mia, I love you. I want you. I need you. Marry me.”

Her mind hit a wall. Her gaze jumped between the ring and his face at least half a dozen times while her mind spun and spun but went nowhere. While her lips formed words but nothing came out. Her heart lodged in her throat, cutting off her speech and blocking her air.

“Rafe— What— That’s—” She took a step back, hands stacked over her pounding heart. “
What?
You can’t be serious.”

But,
da-yum
, that ring, sparkling in the sunlight, looked
very
serious.

“You know me. You know I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t serious.”

And he just stayed right there on his knees, offering the ring.

Hysteria trickling in. It bubbled in her gut and fizzed along her nerves. “Then you need to go back to the hospital for another head scan.
Rafe
. Married? You’re insane.”

“No,” he said, level, calm. “I’m in love. With you. I’ve been in love with you for what seems like forever. What’s insane is the idea I could ever love someone even half as much as I love you. What’s insane is us pushing each other away because of what other people think or want or say. What’s insane is wasting another minute miserable when we can be happy. Together.”

She tented her hands over her mouth. Tears blurred her vision.

He was serious.

This was real.

“Holy…
”

He grinned. Barely. And lopsided, with his cuts limiting the movement. “I’d rather hear ‘yes.’”

“Rafe,” she breathed. “What about…”

She looked up and around, almost forgetting where she was. The whole bicoastal issue smacked her in the face. Then Tate’s words echoed in her head:
“I told you not to give up your own place,”
and something that felt the way she imagined PTSD would feel vibrated in her chest.

Was this just another mistake waiting to happen? If she gave up this job, this apartment, this life for a man, and he changed his mind…

“I know what you’re thinking.” His words brought her gaze back. “But I’m still here.” And he was. He hadn’t moved an inch. “And I’m not leaving, Mia. We can catch a flight to Vegas and elope tonight if you want. No prenup, no negotiations. You get all of me. One hundred and fifty percent. You keep this job, this apartment with Cynthia. I’ll fly in as often as I can. Do my charity work and interviews from here instead of DC. I’ll spend the off-season here. We can get a little place of our own to stay at when I’m in town. When you get time off, you can fly back to DC to see everyone. A lot of couples manage on far tougher schedules. In two years, when my contract comes up, and I’m a free agent, then we can…” He grinned again, lifting one brow. “Negotiate.”

Mia burst out laughing.

But as soon as the energy was spent, the seriousness of the situation flooded back in. And she
could not believe
she was standing here considering saying yes to a marriage proposal from Rafe Savage.

“And,” he said, “I think you might also like to know that I got a call from John Silver about an hour ago. Sounds like he and Dad hit it off and they’ve been talking. John made some inquiries with NHL and they’ve agreed to discuss contract options that will allow you to start your own line of jerseys. Of course, that includes a cut of the profit to NHL and the individual teams, but Dad’s a negotiating shark. He’ll get you a good deal.

Mia was going to hyperventilate.

Rafe winced and pulled his extended arm back. “Sorry, it’s still right here.” He held the ring closer to his body. “I just can’t keep my arm out for that long. I also heard,” he said, “that Ted was—”

“Upset that I offered the jersey idea to Silver first,” she finished for him. “I just heard.”

Rafe nodded. Shrugged. “Right now, the world is looking like your oyster, baby. Stay here and work in Hollywood, live with all your family back east, and run your own company.” He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter what you choose, I’ll be with you all the way.”

She piled her hands over her heart. “Oh my God.”

Holy shit. This was terrifying. A fist of fear tightened around her heart.

“I know, baby,” he said. “It scares me too.” He lifted the ring again. “But I’m still here. This is still here. Neither of us are going anywhere.”

She sipped a breath and held it. Then finally pushed more words out. “This is forever for me, Rafe. Ever since I was a little girl, I knew when I got married, it would be forever.”

A slow grin spread across his face. A big, deep joyous grin that mirrored itself inside Mia.

She laughed, her heart filled, and she stepped into him, ignoring the ring for the moment. “What are you thinking right now?”

She cupping his face and stroked her thumb over the multicolored bruises marring his skin.

Rafe turned his head, kissed her hand as best as he could with the cuts on his lips, and met her gaze with those silvery eyes. “I’m thinking that forever sounds
perfect
.”

M
ia pressed
her hands to her face, smushing her cheeks. “Aye, aye, aye, this is like herding cats.”

Rafe chuckled and ran a hand down her back. “You just couldn’t settle for models.”

She was standing in a photo studio, surrounded by everyone she loved—Rafe, Tate, Beckett and Eden, Grant and Faith, Tina and Jake Croft, and Beckett’s sister, Sarah. The cats requiring herding in this situation were the three little angels modeling the beginning of Mia’s children’s line of jerseys—Lily, Amy, and Rachel.

Sarah and Tina were doing their best to get the girls to stop playing and pose for the camera, but, man, when those three got together…

“Did someone give them giggle juice this morning?” Faith asked.

“I think their heads have grown a little too big for their bodies,” Sarah said, finally getting the girls to hold in a pose long enough for the photographer to snap three split-second images before Amy poked her finger in Rachel’s armpit and all three girls melted into giggles again. She sighed. “I’m sorry. All this attention has them thinking they’re
all that
.”

“They’re so adorable, you can’t even get mad,” Mia said, then asked the photographer, “Tom, can you get some shots of them playing? I think those will look just as cute in the catalogue.”

The older man chuckled. “I think that’s a smart idea.”

He spent the next fifteen minutes snapping more photos while the girls acted like they’d been infused with honest-to-goodness fairy dust.

When Tom stopped shooting, looked back through the photos, and smiled, Mia slumped with relief.

“Yay!” she told everyone. “Almost done. We just need a few group shots.”

Tina and Sarah handed corralling duties over to the men before joining Faith, Eden, and Mia in front of the camera for several poses.

“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about,” Beckett said, grinning at the women.

“Ogle on your own time, please,” Mia told the men at large.

“Oh, I do,” Beckett assured her. “And I will. Just keep making those lip-smackin’-sweet jerseys, Leighton.”

Laughter rippled through the group.

Mia had definitely gone a little racy with her rollouts. Deep necklines, bosom-flattering designs and accents, and curve-hugging fabric were only some of the sexy elements she’d added to her designs. She also had mesh, lace, and even a touch of leather incorporated into this smokin’ hot line.

By the time Tom finished with the group shots, Mia was exhausted. She’s been working eighteen hours a day nonstop to get the first dozen jersey designs created and ready for production.

“I’m starving.” Mia stood from the box where she’d been kneeling and stretched her back. “Is anyone else starving? Lunch for my
fantabulous
models is on me.”

Agreement made the rounds, and the others discussed lunch options while Rafe slid his arms around Mia and kissed her forehead. “Congratulations, baby. You worked your ass off for this.”

She grinned up at him, still fizzing inside. The photo shoot was the last step in the preproduction phase. Now, the jerseys would go into mass production and be on sale in stores wherever Rough Riders’ apparel was sold throughout the US.

“It’s pretty exciting.” And she couldn’t stop smiling. “The only thing that would have made it better was having the Cup at the center of our photos.”

“Oh, man, I didn’t even think of that. Damn, that would have been amazing.” He shrugged. “Next year.”

She nodded. “Next year for sure.”

His gaze dropped to the open neckline of her halter-style jersey, and he hummed. “Speaking of starving, I’ve been running on famished since you started these crazy hours. Maybe we should skip lunch and hit the sheets instead.”

She laughed and slid her arms around him, loving the warm, hard feel of him. “You do know how I like it.”

Rafe lowered his head and kissed her. A sweet I-love-you, I’ve-never-been-so-content-in-my-life, lingering kiss.

“Rafe and Mia,” Tom said. “Can I get one shot of you two together?” When they both looked at him, he shrugged. “Good to have on hand for biography pieces.”

Rafe took her hand and wandered toward the set. “Hope you’re going to be Photoshopping this, Tom.”

“Just you, honey,” Mia told him. “I’m perfect.”

Rafe slapped her butt, making her laugh.

At Tom’s direction, Rafe sat on one of the blocks and took Mia in his lap.

“Okay, perfect. Now, just act natural. Pretend the rest of us aren’t here.”

Rafe barked a laugh that made his eyes sparkle. “We’ll scar the kids for life.”

But this was easy for Mia. The way he looked at her made her feel like the only person in the room.

He lifted a hand to her cheek. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”

“Mmm, maybe. Once or twice or fifty times.” She tilted her head and kissed him. “Have I told you how much I love you?”

His grin was quick and full. “Maybe once or twice, but I look forward to hearing it thousands and thousands and thousands of times over the next fifty years.”

They kissed again.

“Okay,” Tom said. “Got it.”

But Rafe didn’t stop kissing her.

“We’re good,” Tom said. “It’s a wrap.”

Still, Rafe kept kissing her.

“That means break it up.” Tate’s snarky tone cut into the magical moment. “If you need some help…I’m right here.”

Tate’s sarcasm drew laughter from their friends and family and even Mia. But Rafe sighed and rolled his eyes. “Have we talked about moving to the Bahamas yet? ’Cause I’m ready. Like today. Like now. We don’t even have to pack. We can just buy what we need when we get there.”

Mia was laughing.

“That’s called a
honeymoon
,” Tate said. “Honeymoons require
marriage
.”

Rafe dropped his forehead to Mia’s shoulder and whispered, “Let’s sneak away in the middle of the night.”

Making Mia burst into giggles.

“Let’s get something to eat.” Tina came over and rousted them both. Hooking an arm through each of theirs, she started toward the door. “The natives are getting restless.” On the way out the door, she turned a conniving little grin on Mia. “Now, what would I have to do to get one of those sexy little sequined numbers?”