Page 231 of Tangled with the Tight End

“You seem so sweet,” the second woman says.

By this time, half the line is listening in, but mostly trying to appear like they aren’t full-on eavesdropping.

“Declan’s sweet too,” I say, hoping the words help balance the narrative.

I’d hate for people to walk away thinking I’m sweet which means he has to be the bad guy. There’s only one bad guy in this scenario, and it’s the people who smeared my name without giving me a chance to prove myself.

“Nice meeting you,” stranger number one says to me as she ducks into the next open stall.

“You too,” I say.

The other woman just smiles at me. I get into a stall, then I wash my hands. By the time I’m back to my seat, the punt return has been completed and the Thunder is in a favorable field position.

I settle in on my Thunder seat pad and tug the blanket back over my lap, ready to cheer the Thunder on for the second half of the game.

Chapter 39

Winona

The more difficult the victory,

the greater the happiness in winning.

~ Pelé

The third quarter is relatively uneventful. The coaches are obviously playing it safe. It’s probably a good call. No one needs theatrics in a game this critical. We’ll save the big plays for desperate times or the final minutes of the game, if needed.

Declan catches another pass over the middle, and I cheer right along with everyone around me.

The Thunder’s inside the red zone with less than twenty yards to make a touchdown. The noise of the crowd amplifies to a roar.

Delaney pulls back and fires a bullet straight into Declan’s hands. Declan takes off running, pivoting away from a Packer defensive player. Another Packer is catching up, but Declan digs in and bursts over the goal line.

“Touchdown!” I shout, jumping out of my chair and cheering until my throat feels raspy.

The stadium erupts around me. Cheers and chants of “Go, Thunder!” and “O-Con-nell!” rise up from the crowd.

Declan does a touchdown dance and I smile. A sob catches in my throat—not from sadness, or at least, not only the pain of losing him.

He’s playing. Doing what he loves. And he’s beautiful.

I can’t take my eyes off him.

No matter what happens, I will always love him.

And watching him today is a gift.

As he's jogging back toward the sideline, Declan glances toward our section and points. A smile breaks out on his face, so wide I can see it through his face mask.

I freeze.

Did he see me? Or was he just pointing into the stands, sharing his joy with the fans?

There are thousands of people here. He couldn't possibly have noticed me.

I glance at my sister. She’s smiling. Maybe because of the touchdown. Maybe she saw Declan point in our direction too.

Our defense takes the field. The Packers can’t get past the forty-yard line. They end up making the field goal. The third quarter ends and we’re still ahead by four points—Declan’s touchdown gave us the edge.