Loved by the Linebacker (17 page)

Epilogue

Camila

The
Trans-Siberian Orchestra plays overhead while I put the finishing touches on the
codfish that’s baking in the oven. Humming with the music, I smile as I set the
table for four. Evan’s apartment is decked out with red ribbon, silver tinsel,
twinkling lights, and everything else that defines Christmas. The only thing
missing is a Christmas tree which should be delivered any minute.

The
timer on the stove beeps, letting me know that the panettone is ready. When I
open the oven, the sweet chocolate scent hits the air and I inhale deeply,
savoring the smell and excited for the traditional Brazilian Christmas Eve
feast I’ve prepared. I set the cake on the counter and grin. Finally, I can
have my cake and eat it too. No more hiding from relationships for fear of what
the public eye will think. I love Evan Purser and I’m going to let everyone
know.

There’s
a dainty knock on the front door and I go to see who it is, already knowing it
has to be Molly. I don’t think Evan or Blake could knock that lightly if they
tried. Swinging open the door, Blake’s girlfriend greets me, handing me a
bottle of wine with a kiss on the cheek.

“Mmm,
what is that? It smells delicious!” Molly asks, shrugging out of her grey wool
peacoat.

I
take it from her and hang it up, listing off the menu. The second we hit the
kitchen, she’s dipping her finger in the bowl and sampling the passionfruit
mousse. Licking her finger, she looks at me with big eyes.

“Sorry,”
she mumbles around her hand.

I
laugh and toss her a towel. “Guess you’re hungry?”

She
stares at the terry cloth in her hand. “Well, I
am
eating for two.”

The
bowl in my hand slips and the chocolate dessert flies in every direction. “
What?!
”

Molly
nods, still a little apprehensive. “Blake doesn’t know, please don’t say
anything.”

Leaning
over, I pull her into a hug. “That’s great, Moll! And don’t worry, I won’t say
a word.”

She
returns the embrace, squeezing me tightly and hanging on just a second longer.
Her actions make me wonder what else is going on, but I don’t have the chance
to ask when the front door flings open. Blake maneuvers the evergreen carefully
while Evan brings up the rear. He’s still recovering from his knee surgery so
it’s nice that Evan gave him the light end. While this season is out, we’re all
crossing our fingers he’ll be back for the next. Both the Pursers have started
attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings which will hopefully help them both
extend their careers even longer without booze in the picture.

“Wow!
The tree is beautiful,” I comment, following them into the living room where
they place the tree in its designated spot.

The
tree in place, Evan turns and kisses my cheek. “Nothing’s as beautiful as you,
Cami.”

My
stomach flips at his compliment. With a wink, I excuse myself to finish dinner
while the guys straighten out the tree so we can decorate it after our meal. I
pull the turkey out of the oven and yell for one of the guys to come cut it.
Blake appears, his cheeks rosy from the cold air.

Handing
him the electric knife, I comment, “Can you believe this is our first Christmas
with other people around?”

Blake
laughs. “Yeah, crazy we found two people who could love us, huh?”

I
hug him from behind as he works on the turkey. “Nah, I’m more surprised that
both of us let our guard down long enough to let them love us.”

Blake
pats my hand. “Good point.”

I
begin to set the food on the table while I watch Blake, trying to picture him
as a father. “Things going well with Molly?”

Carrying
the turkey to the table, Blake shrugs. “Pretty good. I love having more free
time to spend with her, but nothing’s changed. We still have to hide our relationship
because of her father. Is it bad I almost wish this injury would’ve taken me
out of the game for good so I could just be with her?”

“Is
it bad that you’re willing to sacrifice for love? Absolutely not.” My sacrifice
walks into the room. Evan slips his arms around my waist and his lips skim over
my neck. In the past month, we finally went public with our relationship.
Technically, he’s not my client anymore, but that hasn’t stopped the other
agents in the field from giving me plenty of grief. If I had to do it again, no
questions asked, I’d give up everything for Evan.

Evan
lifts his head and sniffs the air, making an unpleasant face. “What are you
cooking?”

I
laugh and step away from him. “It’s a mix of my Brazilian heritage and your
traditional American Christmas meal. I’m serving turkey with dressing and
gravy, codfish, potato salad, steamed veggies, and plenty of desserts.”

Evan’s
nose crinkles and it’s obvious he’s not thrilled with the menu, but he kisses
my cheek. “Sounds, uh… great.”

Shaking
my head, I point to the stove. “And your mother’s macaroni and cheese.”

Blake
and Evan fist bump with a small cheer and I roll my eyes. Boys will be boys and
nothing will be better than mom’s home cooking. The four of us sit down to
enjoy our meal then move to the living room to trim the tree. One side of the
tree decorated, we begin to discuss Christmas traditions.

“When
we have kids, we’ll let them help decorate while we bake cookies and sing
Christmas carols,” Molly says in a dreamy voice as she admires the homemade
ornament one of the Purser brothers made in elementary school.

Blake
shakes his head, reaching to place an ornament high on the tree. “No way! Santa
brings the tree on Christmas Eve so when the kids wake up, they’ll be
surprised.”

Molly
looks up at Blake, her hands on her hips. “That’s ridiculous! Why would you
only put a tree up for one day?”

“It’s
the magic of Santa, Moll. Chill, trust me, it’s awesome. That’s what our mom
always did.”

“No
disrespect to your mother, but we’re not doing that. I want to be able to enjoy
the tree for the entire month.”

“Fine
then we just won’t have kids,” Blake states, picking up another ornament.

I
turn to Molly who has tears in her eyes. When I reach out to put my arm around
her, she shrugs me off.

“Fine
then let’s not even be together,” Molly says stubbornly, grabbing her purse and
coat and walking toward the door.

Both
Blake and Evan stand in shock while I chase after her, but she refuses to speak
to me and slams the door as she walks out. When I turn around, Blake is
standing behind me.

“GO!”
I open the door pointing and he grabs his coat, following her.

I
close the door, leaning against it and closing my eyes. Blake better get his
shit together before this baby comes. Likewise, Molly better drop the dramatics
or it’s going to be a long nine months.

A
pair of thick hands are on my waist and when I open my eyes, Evan is shaking
his head. “What the hell just happened?” he asks with a laugh.

“Don’t
ask,” I mumble, leaning up and kissing him softly. “Just promise me that we
won’t do that.”

Evan
returns the kiss, but pulls away to ask, “Do what? Have kids or you run out on
me like a crazy woman because we don’t agree on something?”

I
laugh and wrap my arms around Evan’s neck. He easily lifts me up, my legs latching
behind his back. “We are
not
having that conversation right now,” I
inform him, ending the debate that hasn’t even started.

“Fair
enough.” His lips are all over me as he walks us back to the living room. He
dims the lights and the room is only lit up by the twinkle of the white
Christmas lights. Gently, he lays me down on the rug in the center of the room.

“Can
I get my Christmas present now?” he asks, his lips turned downward slightly as
he pouts.

He
tugs at my blouse, pulling it over my head. I sit up and unbuckle his belt,
sliding the zipper down on his jeans. Glancing up at this linebacker above me,
I grin. “Baby, you can take your present any time you want.”

Evan’s
face lights up and he cups my cheek with one hand, the other pulling on my hair
firmly. His lips are powerful as he presses them against mine. My mouth parts,
letting him in and our tongues begin to dance while my stomach burns deep with
desire. The bulge in his pants is noticeable, but I take my time, rubbing my
hand over his boxers. He moans into my mouth and I know he’s ready for his
gift.

“Merry
Christmas, Evan,” I mumble against his lips, pulling my head away. I push his
pants down and lower my head.

Evan
takes my face in his hands and forces me to look up. “I love you, Camila Lemos.
You wanted to make me a better man and I want to be that for you, not the teams
or the press, but for you. Promise me you’ll help me be the man you deserve.”

His
words only confirm that I want him more than ever in more ways than one.
Blinking back the tears, I nod. “You’re more than that, Evan.” He was the man I
never thought I wanted and now he’s the man I can’t live without.

Acknowledgements

This
was my first attempt at writing an alpha male and while I do love Evan, it was
a struggle to write his story. Luckily, Camila guided me through the process
and they got their happy ever after. Still, I needed reassurance that I’d hit
the mark and while I didn’t sway all of them to fall in love with Evan, he
still gained book boyfriend status from a few. So thank you Rachelle Ayala,
Michele Shriver, K.S. Thomas, Rebecca Austin, and Dawn Brock for being the
first to meet Evan.

As
always, this book wouldn’t have made it to publication without the wonderful
Melissa
Keir
for her amazing formatting skills, Tami Adams of
Magic of Books Promotions
for
your awesome proofreading, and the cover from Carey at
Safari Heat
and
E.J. Kellan
. To my
lovers of Lyssa Layne, I would call you the best fans but you’ve all really
turned into friends along the way so thank you for your continued love and
support.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lyssa
Layne is first, and foremost, the proud momma to her precious daughter, AR. In
addition to working full-time and being a mommy to AR, she is also an avid St.
Louis Cardinals fan, a runner, blogger, and an infertility survivor.

Having
watched one too many medical dramas and being inspired by author
Rachelle Ayala
, who introduced her to
the world of indie writing, Lyssa decided to try her hand at writing a romance
story. Her attempt turned into the
Burning Lovesick
series. You can find
Lyssa’s own interests throughout her stories although all stories are fictional.

Contact
Her

Blog:        
 
http://www.authorlyssalayne.blogspot.com

Facebook:
 
https://www.facebook.com/lyssalayne

Twitter:     
 
https://twitter.com/layne_lyssa

Pinterest:
http://www.pinterest.com/authorlyssalayn/

Amazon:   
 
http://www.amazon.com/Lyssa-Layne/e/B00KP1Y5BY

Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8280977.Lyssa_Layne

Barnes
& Noble:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/c/lyssa-layne