Page 50 of The Marriage Playbook

It was Cara, too, who finally broke the silence. “Did you mean all those things you just said?” Her voice trembled. “Was all of that true?”

Liam managed to speak. “Every single word,” he said, holding her gaze. “You know better than anyone how to tell when I’m lying, Cara. You’ve always read me well. This is the truth. I don’t know if you’ll have me back or not. That’s up to you. But I’m going to try to make things right between us. I’m not going to Colorado.”

“You’re the one who was mad at me.” She had eased her way out of the row of seats she’d been in, and now she was walking up the center aisle. Liam was viscerally reminded of their wedding day. “You were the one who left. You said I had handled things wrong.”

“I know I did,” he agreed. “That was stupid. I didn’t think any of that through. I should have realized that you were only ever trying to help me.”

She nodded. The first of her tears spilled over, and he ached to brush it away. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“And all I ever wanted was you.” He breathed in, not yet daring to feel relief. “I just took too long to realize it…and far too long to say it. When I said I needed a second chance, I wasn’t talking about football, Cara. I’m staying in Miami. Will you stay with me?”

She had reached his side.

The whole room seemed to hold its breath, waiting for her response.

And then a smile broke across her face.

“Of course I will,” she whispered. “I was yours the whole time.”

And she stood on her toes to kiss him.

EPILOGUE

SIX MONTHS LATER: CARA

“Ican’t believe you have that picture hanging in our bathroom,” Cara laughed, tapping a finger against the frame of the photo from the day of Liam’s press conference. “Can you hand me my earring?”

He passed it to her with a grin. “I like that picture.”

“Most couples have photos of their wedding day,” she pointed out. “And those pictures do exist.”

“Yes, but those pictures don’t mean much to me,” Liam said. “You know I’m right. I kissed you that day, but it didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t real. This, though…”

“No, you’re right,” she agreed, affixing the back of her earring. “That one was real.” She smiled again, remembering it. It had been one of the most magical moments of her life, sitting in the back of that room and listening as he proclaimed his love for her. The way it had filled her heart, the way every single word had hit her with increasing wonder… She would never forget those moments as long as she lived.

He looked her up and down. She was wearing a red dress, new for the occasion. “You know,” he said. “We don’t really have to go to the Stingers’ end-of-season banquet. We could stay here and come up with other ways to enjoy ourselves.”

Cara laughed and swatted his arm. “We have to go to the banquet, and you know it,” she told him. “You’re going to be on the team next year. And besides, my firm needs to do publicity on this event.”

“Are you worried you’re going to run into Alastair?” he asked her.

She shrugged. “Not really.”

It was the truth. For a few months after leaving Alastair’s firm and opening her own, she’d felt twinges of guilt or shame every time she’d thought about him. The idea of facing him at a press event had haunted her, and she hadn’t been able to imagine what she would say when it inevitably happened.

But it didn’t seem to matter now. Bailey PR was thriving. The fact that her career had gotten off to such an unorthodox beginning was proving to be something more people found charming than off-putting, and if Alastair had anything to say about it, Cara figured she would probably just laugh. She’d long since stopped caring what he thought of her.

“He’s probably representing some other members of the team,” she said. “It’s not a big deal. But if there are any new players looking for representation, they might be open to a pitch from me.”

“They will if they have any sense,” Liam said. “No one could possibly do better than you.”

Cara laughed. “You’re biased,” she reminded him.

“I certainly am.” He wrapped an arm around her waist, drew her close, and pressed his forehead to hers. “And glad to be,” he murmured before kissing her briefly.

Even a stolen kiss was enough to disturb Cara’s equilibrium. He was devastatingly attractive. Strong hands, strong arms, rough cheek, deep voice… She didn’t think she would ever get used to him, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to. If her life was disrupted in this delicious way forever, she thought it would probably be a gift.

All too soon, they separated. “We need to get down to the car,” Cara said. “We don’t want to be late for the speech.”