Page 89 of Tempting the Player
Whirling around, she didn’t wait for Madison or Chase to say anything else. She cut across the main room, hastily delving out smiles and kept going so she couldn’t be stopped.
She was ten feet from the entrance when she came to a complete stop and the air rushed out of her lungs.
Standing under the twinkling white lights was Chad Gamble.
He was dressed in a tux, dressed like he’d planned on attending, and God, he looked wonderful. His sky blue eyes scanned the room and landed on her.
She couldn’t move. The world around her ceased to exist.
With a look of determination, he strode toward her. He didn’t walk. Oh no, he stalked up to her.
“Going somewhere?” he asked.
“Yes.” She shook her head. “I was leaving to find you.”
“You were?” He cocked his head to the side. “Why?”
“I need to talk to you.” She glanced around as she took ahold of his arm, hoping to move the conversation to a much more private area. “You made the donation.”
Bridget couldn’t glean anything from his expression, and he wasn’t moving. “I did,” he replied.
“Why?” She kept her voice low. “Chad, that was so much money and—”
“I love you,” he said, and loud enough that several people around them stopped and turned. A bit of blush filled the hollows of his cheeks. “That’s why I did it. May not have fully realized it at the time, but I do. I love you. And I can’t have my girl not having her job.”
Bridget stared at him, unsure she heard him correctly, but by then, they had gained such an audience and, by the expressions on their faces, they had to have imagined the same thing.
“You love me?” she squeaked out.
A half smile appeared. “Yeah, I do.”
Everything felt surreal, like she was dreaming. “Maybe we should go talk somewhere—”
“No. I want to do this here,” he said, dropping his hands on her shoulders. “I’ve been an ass the majority of my life. I didn’t want to get off the playground, you know.”
“What?”
He shook his head. “Forget the playground statement but listen. From the night I first met you, I knew I was never going to meet another woman like you. I should’ve found you after then, but somehow you came back into my life. I don’t know how. I really don’t deserve that kind of luck, and I sure as hell don’t deserve a woman like you.”
Tears were building in her eyes. “Chad…”
“I’m not finished, babe.” His blue eyes were dancing. “I’ve done a lot of things I’m not proud of. I didn’t sleep with those women, by the way. Still didn’t do that, but that’s not the point. I did do a lot of things that impacted other people. I never took responsibility for any of it, but what I regret most was leaving your place on Christmas Day.”
Oh God, she was going to start bawling. “Chad, it’s okay. We can—”
“It wasn’t okay. I should’ve heard you out.” He let go, taking a deep breath. “And I never wanted to fix anything until now, and it has nothing to do with the contract. Fuck the contract.”
Bridget sucked in a breath, but it got caught.
“I want to fix things because of you. I want to be worthy of you.”
Tears sneaked out of her eyes then. “But you are, Chad. You are.”
A bit of the smugness eked into his expression. “Well, I know I’m great, but I could be better for you.”
Bridget laughed shakily. “Wow.”
“What I’m trying to say is that you’re the best fake girlfriend I’ve ever had.” Chad went down on one knee in front of her and the entire world. “I’m in awe of you.”
