Daisy-Mae had to be crazy. And so did Maverick.
“There’s nothing better than old friends,” Maverick was saying into the microphone as Daisy-Mae carefully walked across the ice toward him in her cowboy boots. “And here is one of mine right now. You might know her as our mascot Dezzie’s friend. Or even as someone who arranged for those free cowboy hats that five hundred of you are wearing tonight.”
Cheers went up, and Daisy-Mae smiled at Maverick. What a sweetheart.
“Or as my girlfriend.”
He got a few catcalls and more cheers. Fans were normally clearing out of the stands by now, racing to their cars, hoping to beat the crush of people leaving the parking lot. But many sat down again to see what was about to unfold.
Daisy-Mae was wondering the same. It was New Year’s Eve. Too early for a public engagement.
Although she had suggested he surprise her. And Maverick wasn’t one to disappoint. Kind of like the blanket at Christmas.
But again, a day too early.
With the microphone still held in front of him, Maverick held out his hand, waiting for her. He told the crowd he’d fallen in love, and Daisy-Mae felt an instant flash of jealousy before realizing he was talking about her.
It was then that she realized maybe he didn’t think it was too soon to add his own little “something” to the team’s New Year’s Eve “bash” game, as arranged by the PR twins.
She almost turned back on the ice, feeling nervous. Then she caught his gaze with her own. His blue eyes were filled with fondness and love, and all of her worries and fears melted away. Before she realized it, her hand was in his. He was down on one knee there at center ice, proposing to her in front of thousands of fans.
She lost the words he was saying, her mind and heart overwhelmed. It still felt so unreal to be the recipient of his love, and she still hadn’t acclimatized. And this was so big. Overwhelming, and what she’d dreamed of for so long.
He was real, and so was the giant diamond ring he was sliding onto her finger as she nodded furiously, unable to speak. The diamond had been flattened along the top, placed into white gold, and surrounded by tiny red rubies. It made her feel as if she was worthy of luxury and pampering. Her eyes dampened again. This was so much more than she deserved.
She still couldn’t stop nodding.
Yes. Yes, yes, yes.
Tears wet her eyes as she slowly focused on the world around her, the cheers coming back at a deafening roar. The Dragons lined up behind Maverick, thumping their sticks on the ice. Someone with a camera edged closer, and flashes lit up the surrounding arena.
She tried to blink back the wetness so she could focus on Maverick.
She was officially off the market. Maybe for the rest of her life.
* * *
Maverick was shaking. Shaking like he’d just won the Stanley Cup.
He hadn’t won a cup. His team wasn’t at the top of their game.
But Daisy-Mae was wearing his ring.
And for some crazy reason that felt the same as winning something huge.
Maybe even one hundred percent better.
She was tearing up in a way that made his heart feel simultaneously like it might get crushed by the tightening of his ribs and lungs or simply burst out of his chest from sheer happiness.
She stepped against him again, wrapping her arms over his padded shoulders, hugging him, face buried against his jersey, shorter now because of the height of his skates. He swept her into his embrace like he had a hundred times before.
He had to remind himself this was real.
As real as the weighty diamond on her left ring finger.
She slipped her hand higher on his back and over his shoulder, peeking at the ring as they continued to hug. He had chosen something beautiful, classic, classy, sophisticated, and incredible. Her.
“I don’t know if I can pull off wearing this gorgeous ring,” she whispered as they pulled apart. They were on the ice, under the Jumbotron, which was likely broadcasting every nuance of their expressions.
Maverick lifted her hand, admiring the gems which fit perfectly around her slender finger.
“I think this symbolizes who you really are,” he said, lifting her hand to his lips and giving her a gentle kiss. He wanted her to feel cherished, and when his eyes met hers, the tears started again. “My queen,” he whispered.
She tried to hide her smile. She was happy. He quirked his head toward the crowds and she gave a shy laugh. There was no hiding how much they were crushing on each other right now. They were the stars in a show in front of thousands of people.
But it wasn’t a show. It was real.
So very, very real.
They were really going to do this. All in. Full speed ahead.
Daisy-Mae, cradled in his arms, proudly held out her ring to the buzzing cameramen.
Once they’d snapped their photos, Maverick, ignoring the thousands of fans cheering them on, kissed her.
When he finally released his bride-to-be, she rocked forward in her cowboy boots, satisfyingly unseated. She had a dreamy look in her blue eyes and a drowsy half smile on her lips.
If she thought that was a kiss…just wait until they were home.
“We should get off the ice,” he murmured, unable to resist planting another kiss on her lips.
She took his hand, the two of them smiling and waving, leaving the ice together. They continued down the alley to the locker rooms. As they went, he received slaps on the back, handshakes, and high fives. His teammates looked so happy for him that he felt a flicker of guilt for deceiving them about why he and Daisy-Mae had gotten together in the first place. But that was in their past now, behind them. Just a cute story about how they’d started dating. Because for him, this had always been the goal—love, then marriage.
He reached the locker room door and realized this was where his plan ended. Now he had to turn back into a teammate, ditch his fiancée, try to focus on the post-game meeting, and then shower.
That was a crappy way to propose.
“I have to help Violet out of her costume.” Daisy-Mae cozied closer, her body pressed to his, as reluctant to part as he was. He resented the padding that kept him safe out on the ice for the way it currently prevented him from truly feeling her curves pressed up against him.
She rose on her tiptoes, planting a chaste, quick kiss on his lips before spinning and racing off down the corridor. Dezzie the Dragon appeared around a corner at a dead run, arms out as a loud squeal pierced the hallway and Violet tackled Daisy-Mae.
Maverick laughed. Violet’s enthusiasm told him everything he needed to know about Daisy-Mae’s feelings and how her friends felt about their quick proposal.
This was going to work.
* * *
“Where will you be getting married?” a reporter called out, jostling forward through the crowd. “Will it be a big wedding?”
Daisy-Mae pressed herself to Maverick’s side, not because she was afraid of being trampled, but because this was their personal life and she wasn’t sure how much Maverick wanted to reveal.
“It’ll be…” Maverick looked to Daisy-Mae. His gaze was unfocused as though a vision for their wedding was forming in his mind, a small smile playing at his lips.
There was going to be a wedding.
Dresses. Invitations. Venue. Food.
Honeymoon.
She could picture it all. An intimate event. No press. Maybe even held in secret with only immediate family and friends since they no longer had to worry about Leo or Landon needing the positive effect from their actions.
“It’ll be a private affair,” he said, as though they were sharing a mental picture with each other. “As for location, maybe…” His voice trailed off.
“Somewhere special to us.”
His arm tightened around her, his smile softening. “A sanctuary?” he whispered in her ear.
“Probably in Sweetheart Creek,” Daisy-Mae said slowly, still watching Maverick, her voice slow. He was serious? He obviously didn’t realize how intrusive a big event like that could be with tents, caterers, cleaning crews, and the works. Plus, his place wasn’t even halfway renovated. How could they hold a wedding there?
Then again, she didn’t really care if the house was perfect, because their love was. And that’s what their wedding day would be about. The two of them.
Daisy-Mae perked up with an idea and turned to the cameras. “Actually, I have a friend, Cassandra McTavish—she’s dating our goalie Landon Jackson—and she might let us hold the wedding at her lodge.” She glanced at Maverick, who nodded. “Her sister also has a horse rescue ranch.” She shrugged. “Maybe we’ll hold it there and honor our Texas roots.”
That should give them enough decoys that they could have their event in peace. And maybe drive even Henry Wylder nuts with an onslaught of reporters around town.
More questions were hollered their way, and Maverick fielded a few. They weren’t sure on a date yet—they’d only been engaged for thirty-five minutes.
Finally, someone asked the question Daisy-Mae had been dreading. “Isn’t it a bit soon to get engaged? You’ve only been dating for a short while.”
Maverick, staring Daisy-Mae straight in the eyes, said, “When you know…”
She finished his sentence. “You know.”
He grinned at her.
“We’ve been friends most of our lives,” he told the reporter. “There wasn’t a lot left that I needed to learn about this amazing woman.” He kissed her temple, his lips warm on her skin. “She understands me. And hockey.” He grinned at the reporters who laughed and, eating it up, crowded closer again.
“Where will you live?”
“I have an addition planned for my house. There’s an office where Daisy-Mae can work from on the days she doesn’t commute. But that will probably become a nursery soon.”
Daisy-Mae blinked. Babies were well beyond any conversation they’d had. Did he realize he’d just started what would become a frenzy of baby-bump speculation? Something like that would not help his image at this point. Or the team.
They were moving faster than their discussions.
Yes, she wanted to live with him. Yes, she loved he had ideas on how to fit her into his world, but wow.
“Is Daisy-Mae pregnant?” someone called out from the back of the crowd and the people in front of them jostled closer again, pressing in.
“Not yet,” Maverick said. “But I’d like to start a family soon.”
A family. With Maverick.
The room was starting to fade, and Daisy-Mae sagged against Maverick, struggling to stay standing, to stay focused.
Maverick pulled her against him. “Okay, that’s enough for today. Thank you everyone for sharing our excitement.”
Maverick guided her from the group, and she pushed away from him once they were in an empty corridor, sucking in deep breaths.
“You okay?”
“They’re going to think I’m pregnant,” she said, her voice tight with stress. She’d almost fainted. That would have definitely made it look as though they were planning a shotgun wedding and reinforce the idea that he was that bad boy everyone thought he was.
“Don’t you think you should have discussed some of that stuff with me?” She bent over, letting the dizziness wane.
“Sorry, I got swept up in the dream.” He was watching her, smiling, completely oblivious.
“They’re going to swarm me. They’re going to talk about my weight, and if I wear anything baggy, they’ll say you’re marrying me for the baby. And then if I’m skinny the next day, they’ll say I lost the baby due to stress of being engaged to The One-Date Wonder.”
His smile turned to concern.
They were silent for a long moment, and she felt the tension rising between them. She didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want the world stepping in and messing up one of the most beautiful moments she’d ever had.
She straightened, looking at him. “It’s a beautiful dream.” Her eyes filled with tears. It was a dream she’d never allowed herself to believe in because of how deeply it would crush her when it failed to happen.
Maverick opened his arms, and she fell into them with a sob.
“Why are you crying?” he asked, stroking her hair.
“I’m overwhelmed!” She pushed back so she could look at him, but he wouldn’t release her. He looked confused.
“You said to buy you a ring. And to surprise you.”
“After New Year’s!”
“That wouldn’t have been a surprise. And what’s waiting another two hours, so it’s after midnight?”
She laughed. His thinking was so linear sometimes. She rested her head against his chest. “Mav?”
“Hm?”
“Are we really getting married? Or is this just part of the deal?”
“I’d never fake something that important.”