“Man, I just left practice,” he laughed.
“And?”
He kissed the side of my forehead before heading toward the kitchen, and I followed behind him.
“How was practice?” I asked.
“Shit… it’s better now that I can actually do something besides conditioning.”
“What did your coach say?”
“He said if Mercer clears me tomorrow morning, then I’m good.”
“Okay, Mr. Franchise.” I smiled.
Titan rolled his eyes.
“Don’t start.”
“You see your boy.” He smirked.
“I got some good news today,” I blurted.
“What kind of news?” He frowned.
Instead of responding, I slid him my phone. I watched intently as he read over the email. His face held very little expression, but when he looked up, he was showcasing that damn dimple.
Titan slid my phone back to me and smiled.
“I’m proud of you, Tink. You were determined to do this shit even if you gave me a hard time about it, but you did it, baby,” he praised.
“Thank you.”
“I told you to stop thanking me… this was all you,” he demanded. “Now, come on and take a shower with me since you’re complaining about me being funky, so we can celebrate.” He smirked as he pulled me up from the stool.
Most days I couldn’t believe this was what my life was, and the others, I knew I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Thirty
Titan
The noise inside Cannon Field grew louder as I made my way through the tunnel. Gold towels spun through the crowd. The stadium lights reflected off the smoke machines near midfield. For the first time in months, I was dressed to play instead of standing on the sideline in team gear wishing I was. That alone was enough to put me in a better mood.
“One of the biggest storylines tonight is the return of Titan Samuels.”
The voice came from one of the television monitors hanging near the tunnel entrance.
“There’s no denying what he means to this offense,” the analyst continued. “The bigger question is whether he’ll be the same player after the shoulder injury. This isn’t Week One. This is the Conference Championship.”
“He’s been medically cleared but being cleared and being game ready aren’t always the same thing.”
I shook my head and kept walking. The moment I stepped onto the field, the crowd erupted. Fans along the rail reached out for handshakes and pictures while I made my way to the field.
A reporter intercepted me near the thirty-yard line before I could make it to the receivers group.
“Titan, you’ve heard the questions all week. Do you feel like you’re ready for a game of this magnitude after missing so much time?”
“If I wasn’t ready, I wouldn’t be out here,” I answered cockily.
