Bodychecking (22 page)
“Good. What are you going to do with the rest of your life, Bellani Maxwell?” It was a loaded question, and they both knew it.
“I’m going to love you, Cedric Pedersen, because I am in love with you, and only you.”
“I knew it,” he said cockily.
She rolled her eyes. “Conceited much?”
“Actually, quite a lot.”
Bella laughed. His cockiness was one of the things she loved about him. And love him, she did. Even better, he loved her. All these years trying to prove she didn’t care if people loved her or not because she had honestly believed she wasn’t loveable. Now she saw the truth.
Bella was loved and she was loveable. She deserved Cedric’s love as much as he deserved hers.
* * * *
Bella tried not to be nervous as she waited for Ethan’s assistant to give her permission to enter his office. Instead, Ethan himself came to the door and waved her in. Inside sat Cooper and Izzy, Isaac and Avery, Cedric, Lauren, and an elegant older woman introduced as Ethan’s mother. Bella hoped she looked as stunning as Mrs. Parker when she was her age.
Bella took the seat offered to her. She had no idea why Ethan had asked for this meeting, and especially why she, of all people, had been included. Cedric smiled at her from across the table and gave her foot a little nudge. She raised her brows and watched him through lowered lashes.
Ethan cleared his throat, and Bella jumped to attention with a guilty start at being caught playing footsie with Ethan’s star right winger.
“I’m squeezing everyone in between appointments, so let’s get right to the point. My family and I have long been supporters of the homeless, women’s shelters, and fighting domestic violence.”
Mrs. Parker nodded. “We’re starting a foundation to give Seattle citizens better tools to fight victimization, be it sex trafficking, domestic violence, crimes, or other circumstances. We’re partnering with the Sockeyes, and we think Bella would be the perfect spokeswoman.” The older woman’s eyes lit with enthusiasm as she spoke in a calm, precise manner.
Bella gasped and put her hands over her mouth.
Mrs. Parker smiled kindly. “We want to do more than raise money, but we don’t want to take on too much at a time. We would like for you to develop and teach a program targeted to assist those most vulnerable and helping them gain back some of their power. You’ll have multiple resources at your disposal, but initially we would like to offer a set of self-defense classes for the homeless and crime victims. We want you to teach those courses. Eventually, you’ll be managing other instructors, possibly helping spread this program elsewhere.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, that’s a first,” Cedric, Izzy, and Cooper all said at the same time, causing everyone to laugh.
“I don’t think I’m qualified.”
“How does one qualify for something like this?” Mrs. Parker asked, then continued, obviously not expecting an answer. “You’re perfect because you’ve been a victim who refused to allow her attack to victimize her. You’ve lived with the overwhelming fear and survived. You’ve come out stronger, and you confronted your attacker and won. That’s the woman we want leading this organization.”
“I would be honored,” Bella said, still pretty sure she’d wake up tomorrow and find out this was all a dream.
After more discussion they filed out of Ethan’s office, and Cedric followed her to the parking lot.
“You’re perfect for this,” he assured her. “And you’re perfect for me.”
“I’m hardly perfect.”
“I love everything about you, especially those imperfections.”
“Really?”
“I know, it’s tough, being so perfect and all, but I like variety.”
She socked him in the arm, and, laughing, he pulled her into a tight hug. “I’ll help you manage your perfection. It has to be a tough battle.”
“You have no idea, baby. No idea. It’s a cross I was born to bear.”
“There’s more, Ced.” Bella glanced nervously at him.
“Do tell.”
“Izzy wants me to be an equal partner in the Party Crashers. I told her yes.”
“Good.”
“Keeps me off the streets when you’re on all those road trips.”
“As long as it doesn’t keep you out of the sheets when I get home.”
“That, my dear man, could never happen. I love you, and you’re stuck with me and my imperfections.”
“I love you more, and you’re stuck with my illusions of perfection.”
“I’ll take you any way I can have you.”
He sealed their future with a kiss and together they took a step toward the rest of their lives.
~ THE END ~
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Madrona Island Series
Evergreen Dynasty Series
Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?
Skating on Thin Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Crashing the Boards (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Crashing the Net (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Love at First Snow (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Melting Ice (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Blindsided (Seattle Steelheads Football)
Bodychecking (Seattle Sockeyes Hockey)
Daring to Win (Carly Phillips Kindle World) Summer 2016
Bottom of the Ninth
(Seattle Skookums Baseball)—Summer 2016
Game Changer
(Seattle Steelheads Football)—Fall 2016
Seattle Lumberjacks Football Series
Fourth and Goal
Forward Passes
Down by Contact
Backfield in Motion
Time of Possession
Roughing the Passer
Standalone Books
Christmas Break
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USA Today Bestselling Author Jami Davenport writes sexy contemporary and sports romances, including her two new indie endeavors: the Game On in Seattle Series and the Madrona Island Series. Jami's new releases consistently rank in the top fifty on the sports romance and sports genre lists on Amazon, and she has hit the Amazon top hundred authors list in both contemporary romance and genre fiction multiple times. Jami ranked Number Seven on Kobo's Top Ten Most Completed Authors, an honor bestowed on the year's "most engaging" authors based on an average page completion rate by their readers.
Jami lives on a small farm near Puget Sound with her Green Beret-turned-plumber husband, a Newfoundland cross with a tennis ball fetish, a prince disguised as an orange tabby cat, and an opinionated Hanoverian mare.
Jami works in IT for her day job and is a former high school business teacher. She's a lifetime Seahawks and Mariners fan and is waiting for the day professional hockey comes to Seattle. An avid boater, Jami has spent countless hours in the San Juan Islands, a common setting in her books. In her opinion, it's the most beautiful place on earth.
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