Maid to Fit (24 page)
Once everyone was situated they began exchanging gifts. Kayla was proud of the way
Addie graciously accepted gifts from these strangers who, over the past few days,
had become like family to them both. Addie got Ronnie a giant megaphone with the school’s
mascot on it, which earned her a high five from Seth. Ronnie got Addie a gift card
to a trendy shop at the mall, which was a bigger hit than Kayla’s gift of clothes.
Ronnie opened his gift from her, which was a seat cover for his truck and a gift certificate
to an outdoor sports specialty store. Then Ronnie pulled out a large box, placed it
on the floor near Kayla’s feet and sat down next to her on the couch.
“Do you remember when I took the team up to practice at the nursing home and I told
you that Mary had asked me to bring Addie for a visit?” he asked.
“Yes,” she replied curiously.
“Well, that’s not all she asked of me that day. She said that when you finally decided
to give me a chance that I should jump on it—’storm the beach and don’t quit until
she’s yours’ were her words. I hope she gave me good advice,” he said, picking up
the box from the floor, handing it to her and kneeling down in front of her.
The whole room quieted while she unwrapped the large box. Nestled on top of some white
felt fabric that had been sprinkled with glitter to look like snow sat a smaller box
with the name of a well-known local jewelry store etched on it. He lifted out the
smaller box, set the larger one aside and then opened the little one to show a diamond
ring.
“I should have asked Mary for permission when I had the chance, but I asked Addie
instead, and she granted it, so…will you marry me?” he asked.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “Yes, Ronnie. Oh, yes! I love
you.”
The room erupted in noise once again with cheering and commotion until Jack handed
both her and Ronnie a glass of wine. Ronnie kissed her and then touched his glass
to hers before taking a drink.
She truly did love this man and would do anything for him—her soldier, her lover,
her friend.
Epilogue
Addie was every bit as nervous as Kaitlyn, and even holding hands didn’t seem to be
helping. Looking out at the crowd, she could see her mom and Ronnie along with most
of Ronnie’s family and his army friends sitting center aisle just a few rows from
the bottom. Her mother looked both excited and nervous, but Ronnie, as usual, looked
calm and in control.
He could be a nervous wreck for all she knew, but one could never tell based on his
ever-present serious expression. A person also would never know by looking at him
that he was responsible for getting them to this state competition.
The announcer informed the spectators and the few media groups present that only those
teams placing either first, second or third would be announced. She could feel Chase’s
hands on her shoulders and appreciated his support. He must have been just as nervous,
since he was a part of this team, too.
The crowd quieted just as her teammates huddled together, waiting. Ronnie had coached
them to perfection, so they stood as good a chance as any other team…even those who
made it this far
every
year.
She heard the announcement, but knew it was real as she watched her mother and Ronnie’s
family all shoot to their feet cheering. They had placed! It might only be third prize
but their team was in the top-three schools statewide! Addie could feel and hear her
friends and teammates jumping and cheering around her, but her eyes were drawn to
Ronnie. He sat smiling with that all-knowing look of his that normally drove her nuts.
Poor Sergeant Buck sat between Ronnie’s feet staring at them with that ridiculous
muzzle on. It was the only way Ronnie had been able to convince the organizers of
this event to let the dog come. Many letters from parents and school faculty and the
muzzle had made that happen for the old dog. Sergeant Buck
was
a coach just as much as Ronnie was. He’d been there from the start and he deserved
to be there now.
Making every effort to contain their excitement, the team listened for the two other
winning teams to be announced. Afterward, they waited as a group for pictures and
were surprised when a man approached and identified himself as a newscaster for a
television station in their hometown. The man asked if he could do an interview with
the team for the evening news. The rest of the team shoved her and Kaitlyn forward
to be the spokespeople for the group.
The man said, “I understand you have an unusual coach. Can you tell me about him?”
Her answer should have been that every school district needed a Ronnie and that he
was perfect for her mom and that she couldn’t wait for their wedding this coming spring.
Ronnie would make her jog for miles, though, if she said a word about him or mentioned
his name, so squaring her shoulders she instead said, “Sergeant Buck brought his experience
in the army and used it to train us in how to be a team. For that we salute you, Sergeant
Buck!”
They all lined up facing the dog, and the cameraman moved back to get both the team
and the muzzled dog in the shot. The team saluted the dog, who stood looking at them
as he had for every practice over the past few months. Then, as she knew he would,
the dog sat down and she and her teammates relaxed.
Sergeant Buck was officially an honorary coach. Addie had always wanted a dog, and
she couldn’t have asked for a better one than Buck. He’d helped her reach her cheerleading
goals and, more important, brought Ronnie into their lives. Seeing Ronnie and her
mom so happy together made her realize just how perfectly things had worked out.
Now they were a family made to fit.
Rebecca M. Avery is a software support professional by day and a romance author by
night. She is a pint-size mother of two and wife to the greatest man on earth. Born
in the South, she now lives in a three-stoplight town in the Midwest surrounded by
cornfields and a vindictive bullfrog. A lifelong member of multiple procrastinator
clubs and organizations, she has somehow published several ebook romance novels and
successfully turned a hobby she’s passionate about into a dream come true. Having
experienced the best that life has to offer in industries spanning from cosmetology
to retail management to computer networking, she brings a unique and refreshing spin
on daily life. Visit her on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/pages/Rebecca-M-Avery/216646888472106
for further proof.
Upcoming books in the Man Maid series:
Maid to Crave
Maid to Love
Maid to Order
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eISBN: 9781460330746
MAID TO FIT
Copyright © 2014 by Paula Eby
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