To Love a Player (28 page)

I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket and when I saw that it was Mollie, I quietly excused myself from the meeting and stepped out into the hallway.

"Hey beautiful," I said, a smile spreading on my face. I heard her sigh sweetly as she said, "You are the best."

I grinned widely as I shook my head and said, "No, you are the best. I can't wait to see you."

"I can't wait to see you either," she said and I felt the love radiating through the phone line. I smiled and asked, "Are you on your way to the spa?"

"Yes," she replied and I smiled, "Good and I hate to do this, but I have to get back to the meeting."

"Okay, love you." Mollie said sweetly. I smiled into the phone and said, "I love you too, beautiful. See you soon."

I hung up and quietly snuck back into the meeting, biting my lip to contain the bright smile that came across my face whenever I talked to Mollie. My dad raised an eyebrow at me as he gave me an amused look. Clearing my throat, I sat back down in my seat and caught Sarah's eyes. She smiled knowingly as she shook her head slightly while I sat back and relaxed.

The spa was amazing. I took a nice little nap while I was being massaged and woke up completely refreshed. All of my stress that had accumulated over the week was gone and I felt so at peace that I could hug Sophie if she were to walk in the door right now.

I was now sitting and enjoying a pedicure while sipping on a glass of the best champagne I've ever tasted, courtesy of my amazing boyfriend, while flipping through a magazine. I was surprised by the champagne, more flowers, and a small box of chocolates when I came into the spa. The chocolates were long gone, despite me trying to savor them for as long as I could. They just melted in my mouth.

"Miss Black," said Amanda, the woman who had been assigned as my personal attendant. I smiled at her and cringed, "Please call me Mollie."

"I'm sorry, Mollie, your lunch is here," Amanda said, handing me a small basket with a card. I took it, assuming that it was from the spa, but I recognized the handwriting on the card, it was Callen's.

I carefully took off the card and opened it, reading:

Hey beautiful! I hope you have enjoyed your morning so far. I know that you would be getting pampered through lunch, so I thought that I would provide that for you. I can't wait to see you!! Enjoy the rest of the afternoon. See you soon!

Always yours,

Callen

I opened the basket and saw the caviar things that Callen made on our first date. He also had a bottle of water, a sandwich, and more of those to-die-for chocolates. I smiled sweetly as I reread the note and thanked Amanda. I started off with the caviar; it tasted better than the last time. I heard my phone ring and I smiled as I answered it, "Hey you. Thanks for lunch."

"Oh good, you got it," Callen said and I heard a dinging noise. I asked, "Where are you?"

"Just got in the elevator with Sarah and my dad. Both of them say Hi," Callen said and I could almost picture him rolling his eyes. I stifled a laugh as I said, "Tell them that I said hello."

"I will. How was your morning?"

"Amazing, relaxing, refreshing. I'm not sure there are enough words to describe how I feel right now," I gushed and heard his voice soften as he remarked, "Good, you deserve it."

I blushed. He was too sweet for words. I heard muffled voices on his end and then he let out a frustrated sigh as he mumbled, "I've got to go. We have a business lunch. See you in a few hours, beautiful."

"Okay," I said and we hung up. I finished my lunch and was whisked away to get a manicure while my toes dried. About an hour later, I was carefully climbing back into the limo and on my way to Lacey's New York studio to meet her assistant to try on some dresses.

I was pacing the floor while waiting for Mollie to come down the staircase. It was hard being in the same house as her, but not being allowed to see her. I sat down in one of the plush chairs in the entryway and pulled out a small box from my coat pocket to look one last time at the promise ring that I bought. It was beautiful and perfectly Mollie. I knew that she was going to love it.

I put it back in my pocket when I heard someone at the top of the stairs. Lisa, my sister's assistant came down the stairs with the hair and make-up crew. She touched my arm as she stopped next to me and said, "Be prepared to be blown away. She looks absolutely stunning."

I nodded, swallowing nervously. My gaze went back to the top of the stairs when I heard Mollie's voice ask, "Callen?"

"I'm here," I managed to croak out before clearing my throat. My palms were sweaty, so I wiped them off on my pants and quickly straightened my jacket. I saw her legs first as she slowly descended the stairs. Lisa was right, I was completely blown away. The pale purple dress my sister designed for her clung to her body like a second skin, showing off her amazing body. Her hair cascaded down the open back of her dress in soft waves. She looked beyond stunning and she took my breath away so much so that I thought I was going to pass out.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, I let out the breath that I had been holding in and breathed, "You look so incredibly beautiful."

She smiled widely as I took her in my arms. I gave her a long kiss, hugging her tight. I didn't want to let her go. I pulled back slightly as I whispered, "Hi."

"Hi," Mollie whispered back and I pulled her close to me again, inhaling her flowery scent. Her body molded against mine, fitting like a missing puzzle piece. I pulled away from her and took her hand to twirl her around while I let out a low whistle. She blushed, putting her hand over her face and I cupped her face in my hands as I said, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," she said and looked me over. Her eyebrows rose approvingly and she said, "You look amazing, too."

"Thank you," I said, giving her another kiss. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and I pulled slowly away as I said, "We have to go. Our ride is here."

I held out my elbow to her, letting her link her arm through. I opened the front door and heard her gasp when she saw the horse and carriage standing out front. Her eyes watered and I grinned at her as I said, "Come on Cinderella, your chariot awaits."

I stood at the top of the stairs. The nervous butterflies were fluttering through me as I could see a glimpse of Callen at the bottom talking with Lisa. I stifled a laugh as I watched him wipe his hands on his pants and then straighten out his suit. He looked so handsome from my vantage point. I had never seen him in a formal suit before.

"Callen?" I asked softly, hoping that he was ready for me to come down. I bit back a soft laugh as I heard him croak out, "I'm here."

I slowly descended down the stairs, being careful that I didn't trip over the amazing dress that Lacey had designed for me. It was the second one that I tried on today and as soon as it slipped over me, I knew that it was the one. Callen's eyes flew wide as he saw me and I heard his audible gasp as I stepped on the bottom step.

He let out a deep breath as he said, "You look so incredibly beautiful."

I felt the grin widen on my face as he pulled me close and gave me a long kiss. His arms held me tight against his chest before pulling back slightly and whispering, "Hi."

"Hi," I whispered back as I looked into his eyes. He pulled me close again and I loved the feel of how perfect our embrace was. He pulled away and took my hand, twirling me around and let out a low whistle. I felt my cheeks blush, so I put my hand over my face to cover my cheeks. He placed his hands on my face, cupping it and said, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," I said softly as I looked him over. I raised my eyebrows as I looked at him approvingly and said, "You look amazing too."

"Thank you," he said, leaning in to give me another kiss. I felt a vibration through his jacket pocket and he pulled slowly away, saying "We have to go. Our ride is here."

Holding out his elbow, I slid my arm through and leaned in against him. He opened the front door and my mouth dropped open, letting out a gasp as I saw the horse and carriage standing there. I felt my eyes sting with happy tears as I looked at his wide grin and heard him say, "Come on Cinderella, your chariot awaits."

I felt like I had fallen into a fairy tale as he gently helped me in. I looked over at him as he studied my reaction. I gave him a heartwarming smile as I said, "You didn't really have to go through all of this for me. I would have been just as happy to come here and be with you."

"I know," Callen shrugged, putting his arm around me. "I just wanted to give you a night that we can tell our kids about."

"You think I'm staying with you for that long?" I teased and he nodded confidently. He pulled me close as he caressed my face and said, "I love you."

"I love you, too," I said, kissing him softly. He pulled back and gazed into my eyes for a long time before saying, "I was going to do this later, but I can't wait anymore."

I felt my mouth drop open as I watched him reach into his jacket pocket. My mind was reeling. Is he going to do what I think he is going to do? I felt my eyes widen at the tiny box he was holding in his hand and was trying my best not to freak out. He took my left hand gently in his and a flash of nervousness washed in his eyes. He inhaled deeply as he said, "First of all, I'm not proposing to you. I want to some day, just not now, which is what this is for."

He opened the box and the most beautiful ring glittered in the streetlights. He took it out, sliding it onto my ring finger and said, "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life. I promise to always be yours for the rest of my life. I'm giving you this ring as my vow that my heart will always belong to you."

My cheeks were wet with tears and felt like they were stretched from the biggest smile my face has ever had. He gave me an expectant look and I squeaked out, "It's beautiful, Cal, and thank you. I promise you that I will always be yours."

He smiled warmly at me as he caressed my face, gently wiping away the tears that had fallen. He kissed me softly and when he pulled back, he asked, "Did you think that I was about to propose?"

"Ah, honestly," I replied, nodding my head, "yes, I did. I had a mini panic attack."

"I'd love to do that some day, however..." he said and I finished his sentence by saying, "we're not ready for that yet."

He shook his head, placing his arm around my shoulder allowing me to lean up against him. He kissed the side of my head while I inspected my ring. The stone was an amethyst set on an antique looking band. He took my hand in his as he asked, "Do you like it?"

"I love it," I murmured as I watched it sparkle. The carriage pulled to a stop at a restaurant and Callen helped me out to the street. We had several curious onlookers as we made our way into the restaurant. We were led back to a private room where there was a table set up surrounded by candlelight. I took a deep breath as I soaked it all in.

An hour later, we were finishing our last bites of the most amazing food I had ever eaten. After the waiter came and took our plates away, Callen reached across the table to take my hand, asking, "Dance with me?"

Chuckling softly, I thought of the first time he asked me to dance and teased, "But there's no canoe."

Callen let out a soft laugh, sending warm tremors through my body, and pulled me gently to a stand as he said, "True, but I'm sure you'll manage."

Wrapping an arm around my waist, I leaned in against him as music played softly through the speakers above us. I rested my head on his shoulder, breathing in his sandalwood musky scent, as he pulled me in tight to his chest. He gently kissed my hair as we swayed slowly to the music. I loved the way his arms felt wrapped around my body, they made me feel so warm and safe. I could dance with him like this forever; it was so romantic.

Holding her in my arms as we danced slowly to the music was incredible. I loved the way her body felt against mine, so soft and feminine. I felt the ring on her finger as I held tight to her hand and smiled softly at what that meant. I know that it was just a promise ring, but the thought of replacing it one day with the real thing spread warmth through my heart. I couldn't picture anyone else for me and for the first time, I saw my whole life spread out before me with Mollie by my side.