Page 65 of Offsides

Theo.

The realization hit him fast, like a Mack truck in the dark. He didn’t have the words—or at least he wasn’t ready to use the ones that he did have—but that was how he felt about Theo. How much time had he spent over the past few weeks thinking about her? Planning some wild idea because he wanted to make her smile and laugh? Being with her, whether eating ice cream in Blue Ridge, zip-lining, or just hanging out talking, was what he craved.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Theo move, trying to get the right angle as Felicity and Gunnar repeated the vows the officiant was saying. She was incredible at her job—and watching her as she worked her magic, on and off screen, was hypnotizing. He’d held her profession in such disdain for so long. Part of that would never change—he could never forgive that group of reporters for tearing apart his family the way they did, but thanks to Theo he was starting to see that maybe they weren’t all bad. That some of them, like her, really were in this for good reasons. Which only made him love her that much more.

Love.

He could lie to himself all day long, but in the end, the fact remained. He loved her. All of her. Every last bit of the uptight, rule-following Theo she was on the outside, straight to the core of the kind and gentle soul on the inside.

“Rings?” the officiant asked, knocking Cowboy from his thoughts.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the matching white gold bands Gunnar had handed him right before the ceremony, passing them back to him now. Gunnar nodded, turning back to his almost wife, slipping the ring on her finger. Cowboy watched, his heart squeezing as he thought about slipping a ring onto Theo’s hand, followed by her sliding one onto his. A shiver ran up his spine, liking that idea way more than he probably should given how long they’d been together.

We are together, right? This isn’t just sex?

There was no way this was just a fling. She had bet on him at the roulette table. He’d told her she was his, and she’d reciprocated said claim. Still, that wasn’t enough. Cowboy needed her to know how he was feeling. The L word was probably too much right now. No, it definitely was. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around thinking it, much less saying it. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t tell her his feelings.

“I now pronounce you man and wife. Woman and husband. You may kiss each other.”

Felicity lunged at Gunnar, leaping into his arms, causing him to stumble backwards. Cowboy leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding being trampled by the happy couple.

“Get a room!” he shouted, laughing at the scene. They both flipped him off, never breaking their kiss.

The urge to grab Theo and kiss her the same way rose inside him, but he tried to tamp it down. She was still filming, and he didn’t want to interrupt their moment. He’d never hear the end of it if their wedding video was cut short because he couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Although, they needed to hurry up, or that was exactly what was going to happen.

Awhile later, when the bride and groom had finally stopped making out and had made a few too many “wedding night” comments for the liking of her brother and his—their—daughter, the group dispersed, letting another couple have their turn at the chapel. Everything that Cowboy had been feeling during the ceremony was still gnawing at him, his emotions all kinds of out of control. He needed to fess up. Needed to know Theo was feeling it too.

Lord, please don’t let me have read her wrong these last few days…

* * *

“You have been very quiet for most of this walk,” Theo said.

She was right. It was a short walk back to the MGM, but Cowboy was pretty sure he hadn’t said a single word the entire way. He’d been too busy trying to find the right way to say all the things he wanted to.

“Just thinking.”

“It’s not like you to just get lost in thought. You’re a talker.” Fuck, did she know him. “What’s on your mind?”

Cowboy sucked in a deep breath, taking a long moment to exhale. It was truth time.

“You.”

Theo blanched, her eyes flaring wide, and she came to a halt.

“Me?”

“Yes, darlin’. You.”

“What about me?”

He understood her panic. Weddings did weird things to people, and he was sure her mind was racing with a thousand and one possibilities about where his thoughts were. He stepped in closer to her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She felt so fucking good in his arms, easing his nerves regarding what he was about to say.

“You’re special to me, Theodosia. I meant what I said the other night, when I had you up against the glass.” She shivered in his arms, pushing herself against him. He hoped that shiver was from her enjoying the memory of what they’d done. “You’re mine. That wasn’t just dirty talk in the moment. I have real feelings for you, darlin’, and I might not be able to say the words just yet, but please know that I am falling for you. Hard.”

“Despite my career?”

The look on her face was hopeful. Like she was ready to return the sentiment, only needing this one last confirmation.