Page 107 of Fearlessly Us

The words are barely even out of her mouth before Tyler hurls himself up the wall right in front of Sophie, wrapping a hand around the back of her neck and pulling her lips to his, swallowing her bright bubble of laughter.

I laugh too, turning back to Caitlin and keeping my face close to hers. “I think I kind of have to go now. I really don’t want to get benched now that I’ve got a girl here to impress.”

“Gonna score a touchdown for me?” she asks with a smirk.

I drop a kiss on her nose. “I don’t know, Princess. What’s in it for me?”

The smile she gives me is all mystery. “It’s a secret, but I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

“Sold,” I murmur, my lips grazing hers. “Meet me in the family room after the game?”

Caitlin leans in and kisses me. “Couldn’t keep me away. I’ve got plans for you, Pretty Boy.” She pulls back and props a hand on her hip, and it’s so fucking sexy I could die. “Now go play a game and make it a good one. I didn’t fly all the way to Florida to watch crappy football.”

I flash her a grin and a wink and watch her flush again, happiness and the biggest, most joyous love bubbling up inside of me. “Count on it.”

Caitlin watches me for a beat before she grabs my jersey and tugs me back in for one more kiss. “Love you,” she murmurs. “So much.”

I press a kiss to her forehead, feeling like everything is right in the world because I get to be hers and she gets to be mine. It’s the honor and privilege of a lifetime to get to love and be loved by Caitlin Parker. “Baby, you have no fucking idea.”

With one last kiss and a wave to Avery, I hop down from the wall and jog out onto the field to meet Tyler and Cam, feeling Caitlin’s eyes on me the whole time, and nothing in the world has ever been so right.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

DREW

“Drew, you had the best game of your career today, with three touchdowns and three hundred six receiving yards, which is the fourth highest single game receiving performance in NFL history. What do you think contributed to this historic showing?”

I lean forward in my chair, elbows resting on the table and leg bouncing underneath as I listen to the reporter’s question, eager to get this media circus over with. The whole fourth most receiving yards in a single game in NFL history thing kind of made it inevitable, but Caitlin is somewhere in this building, and I need to get my arms around my girl. “Just had a lucky game,” I answer. “Sometimes all the pieces come together in exactly the way you need them to, and that’s what happened today.”

“So, it didn’t have anything to do with you jumping up into the stands before warm-ups or the woman you were spotted kissing? The crowd of people you were talking to before the game?”

Looking over at the reporter who asked the question, I can’t help but grin. “I definitely had some people in the stands to impress.” The words are the absolute truth. Playing with Caitlin and her family in the stands and my sister there watching too was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. Knowing they all came for me made me feel like I could fucking fly. The feeling of being loved and supported, accepted, seen like that is going to stick with me for a long time—maybe even forever. But those feelings are for Caitlin and me alone.

This part of my life isn’t going to belong to the media. Not this time and not ever again.

“Can you tell us anything about her? I’m sure the public would love to know about the woman who finally stole the heart of Pittsburgh’s most eligible bachelor.”

I shrug, leaning back in my chair with a lazy smile. “I’m not sure how she could steal my heart when it’s only ever belonged to her. All the public needs to know is I’ve never been happier in my life.”

“So it’s safe to say Drew Ellicott is off the market?”

I grin out at the room, seeing the cameras flash from every angle. “Drew Ellicott is definitely off the market. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time for me to go find my girl. We’ve got some celebrating to do.”

With a final smile at the assembled reporters, I stand from the table and head out into the corridor. The hallway outside the media room is empty, and I’m guessing the rest of my teammates have long since either headed up to the family room Tampa provides for the visiting team or to eat dinner before we’re scheduled to head to the airport.

Knowing Caitlin and everyone else is in the family room, I head in that direction through the vacant lower level of the stadium, my brain concocting an argument to lay out to my coach to hopefully convince him I need to fly home with Caitlin whenever she’s planning to leave Florida instead of taking the team plane because over my dead fucking body will he make me leave her when she flew all the way down here to be with me.

But that’s probably the wrong argument to use, I think with a wry smile, happiness still bubbling cheerfully in my chest, making my whole body feel like it’s filled with glitter. Fuck, have I ever been this happy, this light after a game?

One hundred percent no.

I could get used to feeling like this, although I don’t have much time to get used to it because I only have two months left of my football career—three if we make the playoffs—and for the first time in all the years I’ve been playing, the thought of the end fills me with hope and excitement for everything that lies ahead.

“Nice game, son.”

Son.

The word stops me in my tracks.