Page 58 of Offsides

“Fuckers,” Cowboy muttered, barely audible over the cheers and laughter of the players. “You okay, darlin’?”

“More than. I can now check ‘Gatorade shower’ off my bucket list.”

He burst into laughter, his whole body shaking. His smile was bright enough to light up all of Las Vegas, and Theo felt like nothing in the world could be better than this moment. Joy radiated through her, the thrill of the moment surrounding them in a way that was beyond words. She knew she would have to try and find some later, when she talked about this moment in her feature, but nothing seemed right.

Sliding down Cowboy’s body, she slipped her hands into his, turning to face the players, who were currently threatening Felicity with the same ice bath they’d just gotten. By the looks of Gunnar, who was also drenched, he’d been on the receiving end already.

“Get anywhere near me with that and I will fire all y’all!” Felicity threatened, her southern accent on display as she backed away from Liam and Dash, arms stretched out.

The two of them didn’t seem to care though, determination in their eyes as they edged closer to her.

“Knock it off, lads,” Gunnar called.

“Thank you,” Felicity huffed, turning to walk toward center field, where a stage was being set up for the Cup presentation.

“But Coach…” Liam lamented.

“After the trophy, lads,” Gunnar said, winking at them. “I’ll even hold her still.”

Theo giggled, turning into Cowboy to not give away that she had heard the plan. He wrapped his arm around her, placing a soft kiss at her hairline. Butterflies swarmed her stomach. She was amazed how he still had that effect on her.

“I guess I have an awards presentation to attend,” Cowboy joked.

“Funny, because I have an awards presentation to cover. I don’t know if you are aware, but the most successful expansion team ever just won their first Fremont Cup.”

“Still too early to call us that.”

“You are the first expansion team to win the Fremont Cup during your inaugural season. I don’t think it’s too—”

“It’s too early,” he cut her off, starting to walk toward where the team was congregating. “We still have a lot of season left ahead of us.”

The look on his face had turned serious. Not in a bad way, but in a way that told her there were a lot of emotions tied to this. He was a player through and through, and she could tell he didn’t want to jinx anything by talking about it too soon. It was only weird if it didn’t work—every sports fan knew that, and she couldn’t blame him for his long-held, tried and true superstitions. She still slept in her lucky jersey after all.

“Is that an official quote, Mr. Callahan?” she teased, putting her reporter face on for good measure.

“Yes, it is, Miss Kappas. Would you like one more before the ceremony?”

“Of course.”

Closing the gap between them, Cowboy stopped mere inches from her. Theo’s heart skipped a beat, enjoying this way more than she probably should. She was supposed to be working. Covering the Atlanta Rising as they celebrated their win. Which she was, in a way. Just not the way she should be.

“You are the fucking cutest thing I have ever laid eyes on, and I’m so happy you were here to experience this moment with us.”

Giving her a wink, he spun around, sauntering toward his team. The butterflies in her tummy took flight, dancing across her skin, giving her goosebumps despite the Vegas summer sun.

That was when it hit her. She wasn’t just falling for Britt Callahan anymore. Nope, she was way past that. She had fallen all the way.

* * *

Watching the award ceremony had been more emotional than Theo had anticipated. Maybe it was because of Cowboy’s words and her personal revelation right before it started. Or maybe it had to do with how proud she was of this team, or how excited she was to be included in this moment. Whatever it was, she hadn’t been counting on fighting back the tears, watching each player and staff member being handed their medal. She did manage to keep those tears to herself though, other than the small one that had escaped when the tournament organizers handed the Cup to Parker Michaels.

A longtime league veteran, Michaels had played in this tournament numerous times before. Had even made it to the finals a couple of times but had never won. So to be able to watch him lift that trophy, as team captain, nonetheless, was a really special moment. Thankful she’d brought her handheld, she’d focused on him during the ceremony, catching his wide range of emotions and the tears that he was obviously fighting back as well.

“Parker, how does it feel to finally win the Fremont Cup?” she asked, when she could finally get him away from the team.

“You know, I’ve waited a long time for this. There are a lot of painful memories when it comes to the finals of this tournament, but I think this makes all those other times worth it. To win this tournament, with this team, it’s something special.”

“Big plans for tonight?”