All In (25 page)

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“Baby girl?” Maddox whispered in her ear.

“Mmmm, yeah,” she replied, her tone absentminded as she distracted herself with the way his silken moptop felt falling through her fingers.

“Can I ask you something?” He grinned as he ran his lips down her neck. She shivered as goosebumps followed the feathery kisses.

“Mmhmm.”

He pulled his lips away, and looked her in the eye. His gaze was so intense that it burned through her. She cocked her head and blinked. “What is it? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Hell, I’m more than okay. I’m the luckiest man on earth,” he grinned, serving only to make Cass even more confused. He’d just fired his friend. He’d been sulking in a silent room until she’d distracted him with some sexy times, and now he was, what? Giddy? She didn’t know what to say.

“Cass, you know I love you,” he began.

Oh, God. He was going to end this. Her her heart clenched. Things had been going so well. Or, at least she thought they had. Panic set in, and blood ran from her face. She couldn’t breathe. What went wrong? Was it firing Phil? Was he blaming her? Was she too high maintenance? First her relationship anxiety, then his ex-wife, now the firing of his friend? Was it too much drama?

She had to get away. She pushed away. “Mad-“

“No. No. Cass, stay. Listen-“ he pulled her in close, tightening his grip. “I love you. I think I may have always loved you a little. And I was so stupid. So fucking stupid. I don’t know what I was thinking, or not thinking, really, I mean, you were there. You were always there. You are always there. I don’t know how I’d get through life without you. I was a mess, and you were, are, always there to clean me up. And I took it for granted. So much. I don’t want to do that anymore. I want to show you every day that I love you.”

A lump formed in her throat and she steeled herself against the tears that threatened. He loved her. He really, really loved her.

“I was stupid, too. I walked away from you. I never let you really see. I pushed you away, too, because I was afraid,” she admitted, stroking his cheek. “And I want to love you back. Every. Single. Day.” She punctuated her words with small kisses along his stubbled jaw.

“Cass, marry me?”

Her kisses stalled, and she pulled back to look him in the eyes. Her gaze was met with his own earnestness. His hands brushed her arms, as if the strokes could ease the anxiety that raced through her.

Could she do this? Marrying him would be it for her. Yes, moving in was a big deal, and she’d fretted over it for weeks. She knew it was a commitment on his part, and it should have eased her anxiety, but it had sent her into a spiral of how destructive it would be if he decided to end things after she’d made the giant leap forward. Now, it wouldn’t just devastate her. It would be nuclear annihilation if he walked away after they got married.

“Cass…stop. Stop thinking the worst of me. Please,” he pleaded. Damn, he knew her too well. She didn’t do well with hiding her emotions when she was surprised, and this was such a huge surprise.

“You’re just reacting to a bad day, I mean, I understand, but-“

“No, babe. No. I’m not. I’m making this real. I making this forever. Tell me, are you all in? Is this forever for you?”

Marriage.

To Maddox.

She ran her hand along his cheek, his eyes baring his soul to her. He wanted her forever. He’d told her once he was all in. That this was it for him. She took it then with a grain of salt, but maybe it was time to toss that grain away and let that anxiety go. He’d done nothing but try to prove himself to her. He wasn’t perfect. He never would be. Neither was she. But maybe, just maybe their imperfections made them perfect for one another. She didn’t want to think about another man. She couldn’t. Maddox was it for her. She wanted forever. She wanted him by her side, in her bed, holding her like this for eternity. It didn’t matter what the anxiety said, she wanted this. She wanted Maddox, and she knew, for the first time in ages, that the risk was worth it. He was worth it all.

“Yes, yes, Maddox. It’s forever. I’m all in. I’ll always be all in.”

T
hank you
, thank you for reading
All In
. I hope you enjoyed reading about how Cass and Mad fell in love. Their journey was something special to me, and I’m glad I get to share it with you. I hope I get to share many of the other love stories bouncing around my head with you, and that somewhere in it we all find some inspiration for our own HEAs.

I do want to thank some important people in my life, though. First is the inspiration for Maddox. To every great boss I ever had, I thank them. They really are out there. I know so many people complain about their jobs, and there are so many bosses who have no idea how to inspire their employees, but I’ve had a few that helped me build up Mad as an amazing manager.

To all my co-workers over time that created Lo, I also thank you. I’ve been incredibly lucky to work with some amazing people who are not only my co-workers, but my friends. You inspired me to create a character that was supportive and honest, just like all of you. I cannot imagine having gotten through some rough times in my personal life and work without you all!

I also want to thank my close friends who encouraged me every step of the way. To Kbubz and BadKitty, who are probably my most ardent supporters, I love you both. Every time I got a little weird about my writing, you pushed me to move forward. I would never have had the courage to publish
All In
without you.

My family should also receive their own thanks. To my mom who gave me her first typewriter and practically framed my first, three sentence story, thank you for not laughing at me. Thank you for knowing how important it was for me to write. Thank you to my sister for always thinking I’m the genius I’m not. You may push every button, but you also know the good ones to press when I need it. And to my dad, thank you for being silent when you hear me clicking away at the keyboard. You always encourage me.

And most importantly, thank you to God. Imagination is something He’s given to all of us, and it manifests in each of us differently. I’m grateful to Him every day for the ability to create these little worlds in my head.

A
fter years
of reading other people’s version of romance, Fallon O’Donahue decided to tell her own love stories. She lives near the beach with a family made up of furbabies, dreaming of all the different ways people fall in love. If you can’t find her, she’s probably holed up in her house alternating between reading and writing.