“They’re amazing. I can see why you love hanging out with them so much.” She watches as Savvy and Dec compare theirstuffed marine mammals with a genuine smile stretched across her pretty face. “Do the other guys ever come with you?”
“No. I’m sure they would, but they don’t know I come. I’ve been selfish. Keeping this just for me.”
Her features soften when she looks up at me. “But you shared them with me?”
“I want to share everything with you,” I tell her seriously.
Indie’s eyes go wide. She blinks up at me, her mouth opening to say something, when Savvy’s excited voice breaks through the moment.
“Let’s play! What character do you want to be, Indie?”
My girl blinks at me again, her tongue flicking out and running over her parted lips before she shakes her head, smiles, and turns to Savvy. “I don’t even know what the options are. How about you help me decide?”
Who would have thought these two worlds of mine colliding would make me forget all about the stress I’ve been laboring under since the postseason started? The weight bowing my shoulders lifts, and I take a full, unencumbered breath for the first time in days.
Griffin was right. Some things are more important than winning.
forty-nine
INDIGO
I’m sonervous I could throw up, and I’m not even playing.
“I can’t believe we’re going to game seven in the finals.” Lola bounces on the balls of her feet, clearly not affected by the same nerves I am. Makes sense, I suppose. Megan isn’t playing tonight; she’s holding Lola’s hand, grinning at her overly excited girlfriend. “I’m so excited I could pee myself.”
“Please don’t,” Megan teases. “I have a spare pair of sweats in my trunk, but you’re so short, you’d be swimming in them.”
“Don’t worry, babe, I prefer diving into your pants rather than swimming in them.” Lola gives Megan a salacious wink that has her cracking up. Me too.
“I swear I’m going to puke,” I tell them. I felt this way before game five and again before game six, but it’s so much worse tonight.
Because this is it.
While a loss in either of the last two games would have meant they lost the series and the Cup, awintonight means Sebastian and the Rogues are champions. If they lose, they will have comewithin inches of hoisting that massive metal cup over their heads, only to have it ripped away from them.
The pressure is intense.
“They’re going to win,” Megan says confidently as we make our way to the arena entrance with the throngs of excited fans. “They’re locked in, and their play has been top-tier the last two games. I fully believe we’re about to witness Rogues history tonight.”
“I hope so.” As the week progressed, Sebastian and the rest of the guys have withdrawn from normal life to give the entirety of their focus to strategizing, watching game tapes, and getting themselves in the correct headspace for a win.
I’m so glad we had that afternoon with the kids in his D&D club and that evening to make love, cuddle, and watch a movie. It was also the last time I fell asleep in his arms. As much as we both hate being apart, I’ve spent my nights at the rental with Lola so I don’t inadvertently disrupt his sleep.
I miss him.
As we walk into the arena, more and more heads turn our way. Excited fans stop Megan, asking for autographs and selfies, while Lola watches on with a proud, besotted expression. People eye me too. I try to ignore it, but Bash and I have become quite the topic of conversation ever since Ryland gave that bullshit interview, and between my pink hair and the bright yellow WAGS jacket we’re all supposed to wear for this final game, I’m pretty recognizable.
If I ever see Ryland again—and I hope I don’t—I’m going to kick him in the balls.
“You okay?” Lola asks when she notices me wrapping my arms around my middle. The arena is filling up quickly, and we don’t usually linger in the main public areas for this long. We tend to beeline for the family box because I don’t love crowds. But Megan has a line of adoring fans hoping to sayhior take aselfie, and most of them are starstruck little girls, so there’s no way I’m going to hurry her up to the box.
“Yeah. I’m good.” I scan the crowd, forcing myself to take slow, measured breaths. While I’m getting some curious looks, no one has come up to me or made any rude comments. It’s fine.
“We can head up to the box. Megan can meet us up there.”
“No, I don’t want to leave her here by herself.” I grin when a little girl with a missing front tooth squeals when Megan fist-bumps her. “And this is adorable.”
“Okay. We can text some of the ladies to meet you down here.”
