Pulse: Sport Romance (The Boys of Winter Book 6) by Violet Vaughn Page B
Authors: Violet Vaughn
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crushed velour is soft under my hand as I stroke it while I wait. Nick returns with a small box wrapped in red paper. He hands it to me, and I purposely brush his hand as he does. “Thank you. I know I don’t deserve this from you.”
He shakes his head. “We agreed there will be no apologies or crying tonight. We’ve had a great thing, and I want our last memories to be happy ones.”
I nod quickly and slide my finger under the seam of the wrapping paper. It rips open, and I flip it over to read the logo. It’s from a fancy jewelry store in town.
I lift the lid and pull out a small velvet box. I open it to reveal a small diamond ring. I gasp when I remove it. It appears to be an estate ring done in the art deco style with a small stone in the center and tiny stones around it to make it appear bigger. “This is so beautiful. But...”
“But nothing. I bought this a while ago with the intention of it being an engagement ring.”
“Oh, Nick. I can’t.”
He chides me. “Yes, you can. I don’t expect you to wear it, but I want you to see it in your jewelry box and think of me.” He takes the box from me and says, “Call me selfish, but I don’t want you to ever forget what we had.”
I shake my head. “This should go to—” I can’t finish the words, because I know I don’t want it to go to anyone but me. I slip it on my finger. “I could never forget you. I don’t need a ring for that, because you’ll always be in my heart.”
Nick lifts my chin, and his eyes are full of moisture. I whisper because mine are too. “No tears.”
Nick smiles. “No tears.” He leans down to kiss me. It’s gentle and sweet, and salty moisture makes its way into both our mouths as tears stream down our cheeks.
When he pulls away, he clears his throat and says, “Go get your check, and I’ll work on dinner.”
----
N ick stands to clear the dessert plates, and I grab his arm. “I need to tell you something.” We shared a bottle of wine with dinner, and I’ve gotten my courage up.
“Don’t apologize for us. I’m going to be fine. My heart is broken right now, but I’m going to survive this.” He takes the few steps to the kitchen, and the dishes he carries clatter when he sets them on the counter. He says, “Hey, maybe we’ll look each other up on Facebook someday.”
I’m in the doorway and grab his arm. “Nick. Stop. I need to say this.”
He wipes his hands on his jeans. “Okay.”
My dinner rolls in my stomach, and I take a deep breath. “Do you remember the day we first met?”
Nick and I started off at Breckenridge as rookies together. He smiles. “Yes.”
“I fell in love with you that day.” I touch his arm. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.” I reach up and trace the plump lower lip that I’ll miss kissing. “I told myself it was okay because it would never last. But with each day, my love for you has gotten stronger.”
Nick takes my hand and lowers it to his chest to place it over his heart. He holds it there. “I feel the same way.”
“I’m about to ask you something that is so incredibly self-centered. But not asking you is too. You have the right to make this decision, and I shouldn’t have made it for you.” The cotton of his shirt is thin, and I grab onto it as if I’m falling as I blurt out, “Come with me. Please.”
“Yes.”
“What?” He answered so quickly I’m not sure I heard it right.
He grins at me. “Yes. I already planned to follow you. Next week I was going to pack up my car and drive to Long Island. I was going to camp out on your doorstep until someone let me in.”
“No.”
“Okay, I would have called to tell you I was there.” He tugs me into an embrace. “If you turned me away, I was going to find a job and a place to stay so I could stalk you every day until you took me back.”
I hit him. “Are you serious? You are so not the stalker type.”
“You’re right, but I bet your sister would have helped me.” Fresh tears are in
He shakes his head. “We agreed there will be no apologies or crying tonight. We’ve had a great thing, and I want our last memories to be happy ones.”
I nod quickly and slide my finger under the seam of the wrapping paper. It rips open, and I flip it over to read the logo. It’s from a fancy jewelry store in town.
I lift the lid and pull out a small velvet box. I open it to reveal a small diamond ring. I gasp when I remove it. It appears to be an estate ring done in the art deco style with a small stone in the center and tiny stones around it to make it appear bigger. “This is so beautiful. But...”
“But nothing. I bought this a while ago with the intention of it being an engagement ring.”
“Oh, Nick. I can’t.”
He chides me. “Yes, you can. I don’t expect you to wear it, but I want you to see it in your jewelry box and think of me.” He takes the box from me and says, “Call me selfish, but I don’t want you to ever forget what we had.”
I shake my head. “This should go to—” I can’t finish the words, because I know I don’t want it to go to anyone but me. I slip it on my finger. “I could never forget you. I don’t need a ring for that, because you’ll always be in my heart.”
Nick lifts my chin, and his eyes are full of moisture. I whisper because mine are too. “No tears.”
Nick smiles. “No tears.” He leans down to kiss me. It’s gentle and sweet, and salty moisture makes its way into both our mouths as tears stream down our cheeks.
When he pulls away, he clears his throat and says, “Go get your check, and I’ll work on dinner.”
----
N ick stands to clear the dessert plates, and I grab his arm. “I need to tell you something.” We shared a bottle of wine with dinner, and I’ve gotten my courage up.
“Don’t apologize for us. I’m going to be fine. My heart is broken right now, but I’m going to survive this.” He takes the few steps to the kitchen, and the dishes he carries clatter when he sets them on the counter. He says, “Hey, maybe we’ll look each other up on Facebook someday.”
I’m in the doorway and grab his arm. “Nick. Stop. I need to say this.”
He wipes his hands on his jeans. “Okay.”
My dinner rolls in my stomach, and I take a deep breath. “Do you remember the day we first met?”
Nick and I started off at Breckenridge as rookies together. He smiles. “Yes.”
“I fell in love with you that day.” I touch his arm. “It wasn’t supposed to happen.” I reach up and trace the plump lower lip that I’ll miss kissing. “I told myself it was okay because it would never last. But with each day, my love for you has gotten stronger.”
Nick takes my hand and lowers it to his chest to place it over his heart. He holds it there. “I feel the same way.”
“I’m about to ask you something that is so incredibly self-centered. But not asking you is too. You have the right to make this decision, and I shouldn’t have made it for you.” The cotton of his shirt is thin, and I grab onto it as if I’m falling as I blurt out, “Come with me. Please.”
“Yes.”
“What?” He answered so quickly I’m not sure I heard it right.
He grins at me. “Yes. I already planned to follow you. Next week I was going to pack up my car and drive to Long Island. I was going to camp out on your doorstep until someone let me in.”
“No.”
“Okay, I would have called to tell you I was there.” He tugs me into an embrace. “If you turned me away, I was going to find a job and a place to stay so I could stalk you every day until you took me back.”
I hit him. “Are you serious? You are so not the stalker type.”
“You’re right, but I bet your sister would have helped me.” Fresh tears are in
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