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“I’m glad we got to catch up, Maven. I know you don’t have soccer in your life anymore, but it seems like you’re slowly starting to figure out who you are. I’m proud of you,” he says, and my smile stretches into a beam.
“I’m proud of me, too. Have a good practice.”
“Ready to take her?” Dallas asks as I work my way back to him, and I nod.
“Yeah. Let me know when you’re heading back to the hotel after practice. I’ll make sure we’re here.”
“Thanks.” He hands June to me, and she rests her head on my shoulder. “I’m glad y’all are here.”
“So are we.”
We stare at each other for a handful of seconds before one of his teammates comes over and asks if he’ll run routes with him after he’s done kicking. June’s eyes close, and she starts to drift off to sleep, and I know it’s time for us to go.
“I’ll see you later,” Dallas says, and I nod.
“Sounds good. You know where we’ll be.”
“Oh. Here.” He pulls out a keycard from the waistband of his pants. “I already checked you in, so you can go on up. I opened the door between our rooms, but I’ll close it tonight when we go to sleep. Do you have dinner plans?”
“No. I figured I’d order room service or something. You have a team dinner, right?”
“Not tonight, just tomorrow. Some of the guys are going out, but I’m not in the mood to do all of that. I was going to orderpizza from this hole in the wall spot a couple blocks away and eat in the room. Want to join me after June heads to bed?”
“Like I’ll pass up free pizza. That sounds great.”
“Cool.” He hooks his thumb over his shoulder and smiles. “I’m out of here. You two behave.”
“Pretty sure we’re going to take a very long nap. You’re not allowed to draw any dicks on my face if you come back and we’re still sleeping.”
“What about a mustache?”
“Any face art will result in me kneeing you in the balls, so think about the consequences, Lansfield.”
“Noted.” He bends down and kisses JB on the cheek. “Thanks for making this possible, Mae.”
“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
When his gaze meets mine, I know he’s thinking the same thing.
TWENTY-THREE
DALLAS
“How doesthe suite I arranged for Maven and June look?” I ask Darcy, our team assistant. I step to the side in the tunnel of Bearcats Stadium and lean my elbow against the wall. “I know today has been hectic. Can I help with anything?”
She caps her highlighter and smiles. “I went and checked it earlier this morning. There are noise canceling headphones in there for June, and the stadium chef got their food preferences. Everything’s handled.”
“Thank you for doing that. It’s June’s first game, and I want it all to be perfect,” I explain.
“It’s all part of the job, and I’m happy to help.” Darcy waves and heads toward the visitors’ locker room. “Have a good game, Dallas.”
I make my way to the field. I want to get in some practice kicks before fans are allowed to enter the stadium. My leg is bothering me, and my quad muscles are a little tight after an awkward kick at practice on Thursday before we left for our trip.
I’ve stretched it, massaged and taped it, but there’s still a lingering ache that’s pissing me off. The more time I spend away from trainers’ eyes, the better.
I’m sure as hell not going to tell Coach, either. If I give him any sign I’m in pain or struggling, he’ll pull me without a second thought. With June in the stands and a tough game against a divisional rival, I refuse to spend the day on the bench.
“Hey, Dal,” Justin Rodgers, our holder, says, and he squints up at me. “How are we feeling today?”
