She smiles up at me with those beautiful dimples, and I know. I just know. I’m going to marry this girl. And when we do, I’m going to hire her favorite designer to create a wedding dress for her that looks exactly like her blue dress, but with more buttons. Then, on our wedding night, I’ll unbutton every single one of them to reveal my wife. Holy shit. The thought of that makes me hard again.
Incredibly, we make it to the show in time. We skip dinner and miss the opening act, but Stella’s so excited to see one of her favorite singers in person. She knows all of the songs, and I don’t complain when she insists on singing along. Hell, it’s worth hearing her sing just to watch her dance to the music. Her dance moves make me want to have a repeat of earlier. My girl’s got moves.
Chapter Thirty
STELLA
Ican’t believe I’m sitting here with Alex and his parents waiting to hear where he’ll play football in the National Football League next year. We’re hoping the Chicago Bears pick him so he can stay nearby, but honestly, wherever he ends up will be amazing. I’m so proud of him. Even though the season was a bit rough for him, having had a few games where he wasn’t focused, he still ended up with a fantastic season. His grades suffered a little too, but he’ll still be an All-Big 10 Academic All-American this year. He’s also on track to graduate with honors next month.
We’ve seen the first ten teams pick their number one draft pick; the Chicago Bears pick next. I cross my fingers and toes for him and for us. Even though we’ve only been dating for eight months, it feels like we’ve always been together. If he has to play ball in another city, I know we can manage the long-distance thing. I’d be willing to transfer schools if he wanted me to, but I won’t invite myself. He would need to ask. There are plenty of excellent art history programs around the country.
Yes, you heard that correctly; I’m working on my Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. I plan to continue until I earn my doctorate or Ph.D. I’m not sure which area of art history I want to focus on, but I have plenty of time to figure that out. Alex is happy that I switched majors. Plus, I still get to take plenty of studio art classes, like painting and drawing, so it’s the best of both worlds. Oh, hang on… it’s time!
“With the eleventh pick in the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Alex Emerson, tight end from Northwestern University.” The crowd erupts with cheers as Roger Goodell, the commissioner of the NFL, announces Chicago’s pick on national television.
When Alex hears his name, he stands up, shakes his dad’s hand, kisses his mom and sister’s cheeks, then picks me up and wraps his arms around me. He kisses me like we’re the only two people in this room instead of the hundreds in attendance.
“We did it, babe. I’m going to be close to you while you work on your degree.”
“I know!” I squeak. “But, Alex?”
“Yeah, angel?”
“I think they’re waiting for you up on stage so you can get your new Chicago Bears top with the number one on it,” I say, smiling sweetly.
“Jersey, babe. It’s a jersey.”
I wink at him as he turns and strides up to the stage. I’m so happy for him, and I’m not the only one. His family is beaming with pride. On the stage, Alex holds up his Bears jersey. He’s so happy. I know because he’s smiling right at me. Even though there’s a room full of people here, I feel like, in this moment, it’s just the two of us. How did I get so lucky to literally run into the love of my life? It had to have been fate.
After the NFL Draft ceremony,Alex’s parents decided to head back to the hotel. We had all planned on having dinner together, but they decided they were too tired. Strange, considering tonight was so huge for Alex. But that just means I’ll have Alex all to myself.
He chose a fancy new restaurant in downtown Chicago. I think it’s another steak place. He loves steak places. It’s fine with me; I’ll find something that I enjoy. I considered wearing “the dress,” but in the end, I decided it was a little worse for wear since the last time I wore it, so I called my mom to see if she’d go shopping with me for a new dress from that same vintage store. She was really excited to go with me.
Since her heart episode, she’s been working very hard to mend things between us. I’ve been trying too. I want to have a good relationship with my mom. It’s not easy though. I’m so used to her insults that I tend to expect them and become a little defensive with her. But this shopping trip was good for both of us. When we found the store again, I told her how much I liked the blue dress and that I’d like to look for something similar. We found the coolest red dress there. It was even sexier than the blue one but with no buttons. This one has an exposed zipper that runs from the top of the back all the way to the bottom. It completely unzips and comes off in one piece. The skirt is a little more fitted too. It still flares out at the waist but not as drastically. It feels more like a dress from that showMad Men. You know, like a sexy secretary from the 1960s. It’s low cut in the front too. I knew Alex would like that a lot. When he saw me in the dress, he nearly passed out. I giggled when I saw his reaction because his parents were with him and he could do absolutely nothing about his, um, manhood. I could tell he was struggling to remain composed. Poor Alex.
“Pix, later you, me, and that dress have a date,” he whispered in my ear as he hugged me.
Now, as we sit at the table in the restaurant, I notice thatAlex is doing everything he can to not look at me––just like our first date. I refuse to take it personally this time. I know he’s happy to be with me. Maybe he’s nervous about everything that happened today. I reach out to hold his hand on the table, and he flinches a little bit. Uh-oh, what’s going on? Is he going to break up with me? Maybe Idoneed to be concerned. What if he just wants to focus on his career now? I wouldn’t blame him. I’m holding him back. I should have known. Why do I constantly do that? The second I feel secure and happy about my future, shit slams to a halt. Deciding to make my escape before I’m humiliated in such a public place, I turn to get up and almost trip over Alex. He’s on the floor—well, notonthe floor. He’s on his knee on the floor in front of me.
“Alex? What are you doing on the floor?” Is he doing what I think he’s doing? Maybe he’s not going to break my heart after all.
“Stella, you are the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen. The minute you touched me that day in September was the moment I knew you were meant for me. I know that sounds strange, but it’s true. It only took me a week to figure out that it was love. Getting a job with the NFL today was great, but it wouldn’t compare to you saying ‘yes’ to my question.”
Oh my goodness, is this really happening? Is Alex actually on his knee in front of me holding out a little blue box? I blink at him as he speaks. I hear him, but my focus is on his handsome face. When I peer into his eyes, I can see he’s nervous. I recognize the signs, having been with him almost daily since we got back together. Watching him go through all of the steps to earn his place in the NFL, I saw his nerves. His smile quivers just a little bit, and his left eye twitches. It’s adorable.He’sadorable.
“Stella Nicole Matthews, will you make me the happiest man in the entire world and be my wife? Marry me, Stella.”
Doing my best to calm down, I nod furiously. I reach out tohug him around the neck, but he stops me first to show me the ring. It’s the most beautiful ring I have ever seen. It’s a square-shaped diamond, and it’s silver in color. If I could pick any ring out in the entire world, it would be this one. He knows me so well. I reach my hand out toward him so he can slide it on my finger. It sparkles so much, I swear it’s blinding me. I try to grab him around his neck so I can kiss him, but he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up from his kneeling position and kisses me first. It’s full of love and passion and happiness. It’s a kiss I will never forget.
I hear the crowd around us clapping and cheering. People must’ve been watching us and were waiting to see what my answer would be.Come on, people, look at the guy. Who would be crazy enough to say “no” to that? Not me.I know what a catch he is and how special. I’m the luckiest woman in the world. We kiss once more, and then he sets me back on the ground, but it feels like I’m still flying. To think I was ready to run out of here fearing he was breaking up with me. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Epilogue
FIVE YEARS LATER
So much has happened in the last five years, I’m not sure where to start. Oh, I guess I should start with our wedding.Sigh. It was beautiful and intimate. Okay, maybe intimate isn’t the right word. Once we invited his family and mine, our best friends, his football teams, both of them, and the staff from the Chicago Bears organization, it became a “rather large affair.” At least that’s what my mom called it. Side note: My dad nearly expired when he found out the players from his beloved Bears were going to attend. Jim Matthews was one happy man.
We sincerely wanted to keep it small, having considered eloping to Vegas or planning a destination wedding somewhere sunny, but when it came down to it, I wanted everyone with us. Alex agreed after he thought about it awhile. When he said, “You’re right, Pix. We’re only getting married once; we might as well have the wedding to beat all weddings.”
