Red Zone (36 page)

Carefully, she made her way down the stairs. She took that final step onto the ground, and he wrapped his arms around her. “Welcome home, beautiful.”

She sank into him, exhaling. Her right arm circled his waist, pulling him closer. “Hi.”

He turned his head and found her lips with his own. The kiss was tempered by their environment and her injury, but it was sweet all the same. 

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too,” she said, gazing up at him. She looked tired.

“Let’s get you home.” He reluctantly stepped away from her. Handing her the flowers, he went to get the luggage. 

When they arrived home, Gage told Megan to make herself at home, and then helped Rebecca up to bed. 

“I can do it myself, you know,” she said when he began helping her undress. “I’m not helpless.”

He smiled. “Yes, but this way is a lot more fun.”

She laughed. “You never change, do you?”

“Nope.” 

He stopped undressing her and met her gaze, all levity gone. 

“I hope you can handle that. Not just now. I mean . . .”

He swallowed. Why was this so difficult?

“Rebecca, this week has been . . .” He stopped and started over. “Nearly losing you—for a second time—made me realize some things. I don’t like being apart from you, for one. I’m not sure how we’ll fix that completely given both of our jobs, but I do know that I want us to spend as much time together as possible.”

“Gage, I—”

“Let me finish, please.” 

He paused, taking her good hand and lacing their fingers together. 

“I love you, and I want us to spend the rest of our lives together. I don’t care if that means following each other around the country. I’m willing, if you are.”

Rebecca was silent, her eyes brimming with tears. 

“Say something,” he pleaded.

“I love you, too.”

He smiled. “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Gage cupped her face gently with his right hand, caressing it softly as he brought their mouths together again. “Marry me,” he whispered against her lips.

She froze, and he pulled back. His hands never left her, but he couldn’t hide the hurt on his face.

“What’s wrong?”

She glanced down, then back up at him. The look in her eyes told him she was afraid. He couldn’t understand why, though. 

“I need to tell you something.”

“Okay,” he said, still not able to stop touching her. 

“Sunday night we . . .” She took a deep breath, and he saw her wince. “We didn’t use a condom.”

“I know,” he said. “They asked me at the hospital if you could be pregnant. That’s when I realized. I’m sorry.”

She shook her head. “It’s not all your fault. I was there, too. I should have said something. Gage . . . I had the doctor do a blood test while I was there yesterday. I know it’s early, but I wanted to check anyway. I needed to know.”

He nodded.

“It was positive.”

A shot of fear pulsed through him, followed by an image of a little girl with Rebecca’s hair and eyes. He was going to be a dad. Gage smiled, but his expression faltered when he realized she was still nervous.

He took her face in between both his hands. “I know it probably isn’t ideal, but I want you forever, Rebecca. I want a home with you, kids, and everything else that comes with it.”

“You still want to marry me?” Her voice was full of uncertainty.

“Is that what has you worried? Did you think I’d be upset?”

“I didn’t know.”

“I’m not upset.” He smiled, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “So what do you say? Do you think you can put up with me for the rest of your life?”

Rebecca laughed. “Yeah. I think I can.”

Epilogue

Rebecca stood in front of a floor-length mirror nervously biting the inside of her cheek. The white dress she was wearing was simple, but elegant. It could have easily passed for a semi-formal evening gown. She’d seen a similar one in red worn by one of the player’s wives at the team Christmas dinner Gage had taken her to in December. The dress she wore tonight, however, wasn’t an evening gown meant for a night out on the town.  It was her wedding dress. 

She pressed her palms against her still flat stomach, thinking of the baby growing inside. Gage wanted to get married as soon as possible before the baby was born. Maybe it was vain of her, but she hadn’t wanted to walk down the aisle once she started showing. That, along with Gage’s game and practice schedule, and Chris and Elizabeth’s upcoming wedding in March, left very little time for them to work with. 

It took some organizing, and a bit of miracle working, but they’d managed to get everyone to Las Vegas on Valentine’s weekend. Rebecca glanced down at the new ring on her left hand. It was a simple platinum band to match the engagement ring Gage had given her on Christmas Eve. 

Reaching behind her, she slid the zipper down, and removed her wedding dress before hanging it behind her on a hanger. Her hair had been pinned back from her face for the wedding, but she knew she wanted it loose tonight. Gage loved to run his fingers through her hair when they made love. 

She felt her body warm at the thought of tonight. It had been Wednesday, three days, since they’d been together. They’d left early Thursday morning for his parent’s house, and given her bouts of morning sickness, sex in the morning was usually off the menu. That night, they’d been peppered with questions from his family and Megan. They’d only told them the previous weekend at Sunday dinner they were not only getting married, but going to have a baby as well. Since then, they’d been flooded with questions and ideas from what they wanted as wedding gifts to starting work on the baby’s room.

Once they’d arrived in Vegas late Thursday night, Rebecca was exhausted. Since she’d gotten pregnant, she seemed to get tired easier. She didn’t completely understand it, but her doctor said it was normal. 

Friday was just as busy. They’d met with the hotel’s event coordinator in the morning, and then the women had taken her out for a day of shopping and food while the guys whisked Gage away to do who knows what. She didn’t ask, and to be honest, she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. 

After running a brush through her hair, Rebecca washed her face and took another look at herself in the mirror. She wasn’t one to wear lingerie, but she figured tonight would be a good night for it. When she’d gone shopping on Black Friday, her sister had convinced her to go into a lingerie shop with her. Somehow, Rebecca had ended up buying a pink lace and satin corset with matching panties. It was tight, and not all that comfortable, but she had to admit it looked good. She only hoped Gage liked it.

Hearing the door to their suite close, Rebecca knew Gage was back. She’d had a bad bout of morning sickness earlier in the day, probably a combination of the baby and her nerves over the wedding, and had eaten through all of the ginger cookies she’d brought with her. When Gage found out upon them entering their hotel suite after the reception, he’d insisted on running to the store and getting them for her. She had no doubt he could have easily picked up the phone and had room service deliver them, but since finding out she was pregnant, Gage had become extremely hands on when it came to her and the baby. It was nice, although, a little overwhelming at times.

“Rebecca? You okay in there?” he asked through the closed bathroom door.

“Yeah. I’ll be out in just a minute.”

Taking one last look at herself, Rebecca grabbed the pink satin robe she’d picked up two weeks ago. Maybe it was strange, but she felt more awkward and nervous in the lingerie than she ever did naked.  Tying the ends around her waist, she reached for the door.

When she walked into the bedroom, Gage was standing next to the bed, lining up five boxes of cookies. His back was to her, and she took a moment to admire his broad shoulders. It was hard to believe he was now her husband.

“Did you get enough boxes?”

Gage turned around quickly, and she heard him suck in a sharp breath upon seeing her. Definitely a good sign.  

“I wanted to make sure you had enough.”

She nodded. “That should last me for a few days at least.”

He didn’t move, and neither did she. “I can always go out and get more if you need them.”

He gave her appearance a slow appraisal. She saw the rise and fall of his chest increase in speed as he continued to take her in. 

Rebecca had no idea how long they stood there staring at each other before he finally spoke. “Is that new?”

“The robe is.”

Gage looked up, meeting her gaze. He swallowed. “And underneath?”

“I’ve had it for a while, but I’ve never worn it before, so I guess you could say it’s new, too.”

She watched as he closed his eyes for a brief moment, and then he was across the room in less than a second, pressing her against the wall. He threaded his fingers through her hair, as he brought their mouths together for a searing kiss. “I need to see you.”

She reached up toward his neck, and began unbuttoning his shirt, as he lowered his lips to her neck, and began working to untie the belt at her waist. “I hope you like my surprise.”

“What—” The words died in his throat, and she knew he’d felt the lace beneath the robe. 

He raised his head, and pushed the robe from her shoulders. The silky material fell from her body leaving her torso covered in pink lace and satin. It was dainty—feminine—in complete contrast to what she usually wore, both in and out of bed. 

Her chest rose and fell under his gaze as she waited for his reaction. He looked up at her. She waited, unsure, hoping he liked it.

Before she had time to react, Gage bent down and swept her up into his arms without warning. She gasped and wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on tight. 

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer, just walked her over to the bed, and placed her gently onto the mattress. She propped herself up onto her elbows, as she watched him remove the rest of his clothing, before he joined her on the bed. 

As he towered over her, she saw his eyes dilate, and heard his breathe quicken. He leaned down and brushed his lips over the top of her breast causing a shiver of anticipation to run through her entire body. “You certainly surprised me, Mrs. Daniels. Now, let’s see if I can return the favor.”