I shake my head, my eyes stinging. “But he’s your son.”
“And you’re his heart now,” she says gently. “Go on, love.”
I throw my arms around her, overwhelmed by the weight of everything she’s just given me. When I pull back, she smiles and gives me the tiniest push toward the stairs.
As I reach the pitch, I glance at Oliver, his eyes locked on his mother’s. He doesn’t say a word, just lifts his hand and taps it over his heart. She touches her fingers to her lips and then her heart. Maybe there’s a crowd putting distance between them, but I’ve never seen two people say “I love you” so clearly.
And then he turns back to me, and I’m in his arms. He wraps me up and lifts me clean off the ground, spinning me into his chest.
I laugh through my tears, giddy and soaked in his sweat and joy. He puts me down slightly, his hands framing my face like he still can’t believe what’s happened.
He kisses me right there—on the pitch, in front of thousands. He kisses me like we’re the only two people here, like we fought for this moment all season.
“I couldn’t have done this without you, Addie.”
Before I can reply, he grabs one of the Rockford flags and wraps it around my shoulders. The crowd is screaming and chanting, but all I hear is the beat of my heart crashing with his.
I blink at him. “What are you doing?”
“Sharing everything with you,” he says, like it’s the easiest answer in the world. “The club, the city, the future. It’s all yours.”
Before I can say a word, the team is on us. Brennan, Carlos, Sebastian, Harry, all of them—wild and shouting, drenched in champagne and triumph as they break out into a chant.
She’s one of our own,
She’s one of our own,
Addison Scott. She’s one of our own!
My heart breaks wide open. I laugh, stunned and moved at the same time.
Oliver kisses me again before Brennan tugs on his arm, calling him toward the podium. It’s time to receive their medals and take their place in club history.
He squeezes my hand one more time before turning to lead his brothers up the steps. I stay back, still wrapped in the flag, trembling as I watch the pride exuding from his body in every step he takes.
And in that moment, I realize the truth.
It’s not just the win.
It’s this. This club. These people. This corner of London.
This messy, beautiful place, full of loyal people who show up for each other, screaming their hearts out as they give every last ounce of hope in their bodies.
I stand here in the middle of chaos, finally still.
Because this is home.
Rockford.
North London.
Oliver.
Epilogue
clean sheet
LIFE IS WAITING BY HARRISON BOE
