“You do it well. Just look at how you fixed me. So go on. Tell me more.” He needed to hear everything she had to tell him. He wanted to understand what motivated her, her hopes and dreams, her fears and mistakes. He needed to know so they could go forward.
“Well, you know I don’t want to be as out there as my mother. It’s a deep-rooted fear of mine. You’d have the same one if you’d rescued Lady Godiva from jail.”
He nodded. “I suppose I would.”
“But I also don’t want to be so repressed anymore.”
“You’re over it?” The wary tone in his voice told her he didn’t want to live the roller coaster anymore.
Neither did she. “I’m over it. I realized that even if we’d been caught at the lodge, what’s the worst thing that could have happened?”
“I don’t know.”
“Some sleazy photographer could have posted naked pictures of us in the papers or on the Internet. The worst has already happened and I survived,” Amy said. “My family loves me no matter what.”
“I’m sure it helps that it wasn’t really you in those photos.”
“No, but the public thinks it is. I swear to you, I’ve come to terms with who you are and who I am. I know it seems like a fast turnaround, but it makes sense to me now. Almost as if I’ve come full circle today.” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him hard on the lips. “You need to trust me. Want to know why?”
He inclined his head. “Why?” Roper asked, going along with her.
“Because I love you, John Roper, center fielder for the New York Renegades. I can live with being plastered on the pages of the Post and the News if that’s what it takes to be with you.”
He shook his head, stunned. And yet, at the same time, not really all that surprised. He always knew she had the strength and spunk he’d seen in her other female family members. “Life with you isn’t ever going to be boring.”
She pursed her lips. “I can try for boring. I really can. I’ve done it fairly well at times.”
He stepped close and pulled her into his arms. “I prefer you free-spirited,” he said, kissing her hard on the lips. “Like at the lodge.”
A low purr escaped from the back of her throat. “You know what? I can live with free-spirited,” she said. “As long as I’m only that way with you.” She let her hand slip between them until she cupped his hard erection in her hands.
He groaned, his body needing to escape his jeans. “I missed being able to touch you, how I want and when I want,” he said, running his hands through her hair.
She moved her hand and let their bodies align. “I love you,” she said, meeting his gaze.
“I love you, too. Always.” If this was the best life had to offer, Roper didn’t need another damn thing.
EPILOGUE
New York Post-Page Six
New York Renegades center fielder, John Roper, needs extra innings to keep up with the happenings in his life. His career is back on track, as is his personal life with an impending marriage to Amy Stone, a publicist at the infamous Hot Zone PR Agency. And there’s more. Somehow Roper managed to pull off a private wedding for his sister at Brandon Vaughn’s mountain lodge in Greenlawn, New York, this past weekend without intrusion by the press. What makes this so surprising is that pop star Hannah Gregory and drummer Mike Morris also married this weekend at the same lodge. Roper and his fiancée joined the rest of Hannah’s band as bridesmaids and groomsmen. The guests signed a confidentiality agreement, which left yours truly out in the cold. But to quote two older female guests as they exited Roper’s sister’s affair, it was small and too sedate for their liking. The ladies were overheard heading to the indoor pool to convince the activities director for the weekend to add naked Marco Polo to the events.
Harrison Smith’s television series starring movie star Cassandra Lee as the matriarch of a family in need of guidance as they vie for a trust fund was picked up by NBC for the fall lineup.
In a related story, Dave Martin, a sports trainer, was brought in for questioning by the police in conjunction with the nude photos of Amy Stone and John Roper. Charges to be announced…
In other news, eSports columnist and reporter Frank Buckley checked himself into rehab after his wife left him for the Renegades’ newest acquisition, twenty-year-old shortstop, Don Andersen. He was replaced at work by Veronica Butler, a long-time reporter at eSports. The Buck won’t be stopping anywhere anytime soon, folks.
And they all lived happily ever after…
CARLY PHILLIPS
