Page 82 of Caught Up In You (Indigo Royal Resort)
“No, I am, I just…” she trailed off, pulling away from him and walking over to the railing that looked out over the beach. As much as she wanted to drink him in, she couldn’t look at him right now. It was hard enough processing her feelings with him standing there, much less actually looking at him while they talked.
“Just what?”
“What about the job?”
“I didn’t take it. I told them my heart wasn’t in it and I gave them the name of someone else to call.”
“What do you mean your heart’s not in it?” she asked, confused. She knew he had been debating on whether to take the job, but she didn’t realize there was more to the decision than just giving up on being a player.
“Just that. I could do the job, but I’m not going to be passionate about it and I didn’t feel it was fair to them, or me, to be just lukewarm over it. They don’t need that as a new team.”
“Then where is your heart?” she asked, turning to face him.
There was a concerned expression on his face, but it faded as she looked him in the eyes. There were so many emotions racing through her, it was all she could do to concentrate on those golden-brown irises. He walked toward her, stopping when he was just barely outside arms’ reach from her.
“I’m looking at it.”
Cullen had run through what to say over and over again on his way down here from Atlanta. He’d been all over the map with his words and his emotions. Going from sounding too business like, to so overly cheesy that he was afraid she’d never believe him. Nothing sounded right. In the end, he figured he’d know in the moment. But now, here he was, afraid that what he’d said hadn’t made any
sense or that he sounded flat-out stupid.
Her sudden intake of breath was enough for him to know that he’d caught her off guard with his feelings. He hoped it was because he’d said what she wanted to hear and not because she was preparing to write him off again.
“Cullen,” she whispered.
“I mean it, Menina. You are my heart. And I couldn’t start the next chapter of my life without it,” he told her. He took a step forward, still leaving room between them, but close enough to take her left hand and hold it in his.
“But we’re—” she started.
“No, stop,” he cut her off, squeezing her hand lightly. “You did all the talking the last time. This time, I’m going to do the talking. I know you think we’re too different and that I have some big fancy life I need to get back to, but I don’t. For one, I’ve never had that big and fancy of a life. I’ve told you how I grew up. So even once I did have millions, it still didn’t make sense to live over the top. I won’t lie, I have some nice shit, but not a lot of it.” He shook his head and laughed lightly as that impish smile returned. “But even if I had to give up all that nice shit that I have, fine. I’d rather have the girl. Sorry, woman. Because she…you…are what is going to make the rest of my life worthwhile. Not some job, or stuff. Not football. You. And a simple, island life with you sounds like a dream come true.”
“Cullen…” she choked out, tears starting to roll down her cheeks.
He pulled her in close and kissed her forehead. He let her cry for a moment, holding her against his chest as she did. He had so much more he wanted to tell her, but he didn’t want her so overwhelmed with emotion that she missed it. When he finally let go, stepping back to look at her, she gave him a smile that told him to keep going.
“So, I took some liberties here. I bought us some land.” He made a sweeping motion with his arms, showing off what was around them. “We won’t need all of it, so I have offered to let Grayson buy a portion of it for his adventure stuff. He seemed pretty excited about all that becoming a reality. Then I figure we could take that space up front that is currently just fields and dirt and turn it into football pitches. That’ll probably require a fieldhouse of some kind too.”
“A fieldhouse? What for?”
“Equipment, locker rooms, a room to watch tape in, that kind of thing. Maybe even a space for kids to just hang out if they need a place to go.” Leona stared back at him with a confused look on her face. He was going too fast, forgetting portions of the plan. “Oh, sorry, I left that part out. The plan is to run camps and do some training here. Simone said she would put me in contact with the USVI National Team so we can partner together.”
“Camps? Like the ones you just did?” she asked, a spark of excitement in her voice.
“Exactly, but also next level stuff too. I can run ones for local kids, either free or at a reduced rate to support the community and help build up the sport on the island. But I can also leverage my name and host other camps that charge a premium. Not to get too into the nitty-gritty, but those would be what would really fund the whole place, letting me offer more stuff for free for those who can’t afford it otherwise. If it all gets large enough, I might need to bring on some staff, but at least to begin with, it’ll be all me. Hands-on, working with kids like Josef who need someone who knows what they are doing to help them get to the next level. And has the connections to get them there.”
“What are you going to do with this house?”
“Well, that depends on you,” he said, stepping closer to her again.
“Me?”
“Yes, you,” he answered. He took both her hands in his and held on tight. “If you like the house, we can renovate it, update, change, fix, whatever you want. If you hate it, we can knock it down and start over. Your call, Menina.”
“Cullen, I don’t know what to say,” she said, starting to tear up again.
“Then just keep listening, because I have plenty more to say. I have been taken by you since I first saw you. I have spent ten years caught up in your spell. You were stunning then and have only become more so every year. But it’s not just about how incredibly sexy you are. You are a smart and passionate woman who puts everyone else first. It’s time that someone spent their days putting you first, and I want that someone to be me. I love you, Amorzinho.”
With those last few words, her tears started up again and she let out a small, silent sob. The smile that accompanied the tears let him know that they were happy ones, and that he’d managed to find the right words.
