lean in and whisper in her ear. “Thank you for saying yes.”
She murmurs back. “Thank you for asking me. Thank you for loving me and never giving up on me.”
I kiss her again, whispering against her lips. “I’ll never give up on us.”
As much as I want to stay in her arms though, there’s some more celebrating to do.
First, I’m pulled toward the stage they’ve set up, and while Thalia, and the assistant coaches, and the medical team, and the player’s wives, all look on, we’re presented with the cup, that Luciano gets to hold.
We pose for photos, fireworks shooting into the sky and confetti canyons going off until the world is painted white and gold.
Hala Madrid!
And while I’m screaming and cheering for our win, for the team, for the club, I’m also doing it for Thalia.
Because now she’s really and truly mine.
Then the whole team runs off the stage and we grab Mateo. All of us gather together and hoist Mateo up so he’s surfing on our outstretched hands and then we start tossing him up in the air. He’s laughing, we’re laughing, and I don’t want the night to ever end.
But I know it will have to end.
And it makes it all that much sweeter knowing it will end with the future Mrs. Alejo Albarado in my arms.
That night, the celebrations go on and on. Dressed to the nines, the team heads out into the streets of Istanbul, drunk with glory, fueled by adrenaline, intoxicated by the foreign city streets and the copious amounts of champagne. We give it our all, knowing that when we get back to Madrid, the same thing will happen again, this time with a parade, and a ceremony inside the stadium.
But I call it quits early, going back to the hotel room to be with my fiancée.
Our bodies have a lot to say to each other.
Giggling and tipsy, we stumble into the room and start tearing off each other’s clothes. I keep glancing at the ring on her finger as she starts undoing my belt buckle, unzipping my pants, helping to take off my shirt.
The ring shines like the sun, like the stars, like the moon, like it symbolizes the whole fucking universe.
She said yes.
We fall backward, naked, onto the bed and in the darkness of the room, we writhe around beneath the sheets, finding each other, slipping together like pieces in a puzzle.
I roll on top of her, pinning her down, my lips exploring her lips, her cheek, her neck.
She shivers beneath me, her hands tangled in my hair. “I love you,” she says softly, so soft that I have to pull back and see if she’s alright.
She staring up at me with glistening eyes, a gentle smile on her face curling up the corner of her mouth. Her hands come out of my hair and trail down over my face, running over my features as if she’s trying to memorize me by touch. “I love you so much, Alejo. I don’t even think you know.”
I swallow, feeling like I’m falling even deeper in love with her, so deep that there is no way out, and I don’t ever want there to be. I’ll be buried in this love for her.
“I know,” I whisper to her, “because I can feel you here.” I put her hand to my heart. Then I put it to her heart. “And I know you made room for me here.”
I lean in and kiss her again, my hand trailing down between her legs where she’s wet and wanting, and slowly I push my cock up into her.
She moans, making those breathless little sounds I love so much, as I start rocking into her, feeling everything wash over me as I push in deep.
And I’m falling deeper and deeper into her, into us, into our love.
We come together, our soft cries filling the room.
Breathing together.
Hearts pounding as one.
Epilogue
Thalia
Three Years Later
“Happy anniversary,” I tell Alejo, raising my glass of sparkling sangría, a new recipe I perfected that I think might be the next best thing.
“Happy anniversary, mi corazón,” Alejo says to me, his eyes cutting me deep, making a few butterflies float through my stomach. I don’t think he’ll ever stop having that power over me.
“Happy anniversary!” Vera and Mateo say in unison as they raise their glasses. Vera quickly adds, “Are you sure Mateo and I should be here for this?”
“Of course,” I tell her as we all toast across the dinner table. “Why not have our friends