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I smiled. Finally, something I could get into.
Twenty-Two
Dylan
Some of the guys knew the story. They were there for the auction. They were also the ones who had signed the NDA and couldn’t say shit about it. Then there were the ones who stared at me in disbelief, like I had sold them out somehow.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. We were still practicing outside. The Warriors were the only team who still didn’t have any indoor facility for this fucking heat.
“So, you’re fucking her?” Rocks spat as we took the line for the next snap. He was still angry I had won the auction. He wasn’t going to let it go. Maybe I should recommend a trade.
Luke Canton lined up behind the center.
“I’ll let you know where we’re registered.” I grinned at the defensive lineman.
“Maybe Lexi can sing at the wedding,” Halifax joked.
“Maybe.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Luke shouted. “You girls can plan your flowers after practice. We have a game to get ready for.”
Half the line chuckled, the other growled. Practice was different than usual. There was an unspoken tension running through the team like a current.
My hands tingled. My feet danced. I had to get ready to run fifty yards to catch the ball. I didn’t want fake wedding plans in my head. It didn’t matter if the guys were dicks now. In the end they would thank me for what I was doing. This cover story was going to change things for the team. By the end of the season, they would see what the engagement did for them. What it did for every one of their families. It was going to bring stability and reassurance to this team. It would bring us better draft picks. Better trades.
And fuck it, better contracts for the guys who were already here. Isaac and I had Vanessa’s undivided attention. We could make the changes everyone wanted.
Right now we were divided. No one gave a shit what happened this season. The old man’s death had made everyone restless. I hoped like hell, this Hail Mary we planned could bring us back together. Because it didn’t matter how much money we made, or how many tickets we sold. If the Warriors didn’t win games, this was all a fucking waste of time.
I had to put it all on the field. I always had.
Isaac ran down the other side of the field as I took off sprinting. He was fast. I didn’t like to admit sometime he could outrun me.
We had always pushed the other to be a better competitor. And it worked. Like now, I wasn’t only trying to get open and dodge the defender, I was trying to be Luke’s main target. I wanted that ball.
I switched and dodged. The sweat ran in my eye as I looked right into the sun. But the ball was coming toward me and I knew if I wanted passes during games, I had to put it o the line at practice.
I hurled myself forward, yanking the ball to my chest. I cradled it next to my ribs as I landed hard. My helmet bounced as I rolled on my back. Shit that was a hard landing. I held the ball in the air.
“Got it.”
I laughed. I could hear them talking all around me. It was a hell of an athletic catch. The best play we’d run all week.
“Good one,” Luke called. “Let’s do it again.”
I hopped up from the field, brushing the grass from my practice jersey.
“Nice.” Isaac threw me a thumbs-up from across the field. I’d do it again. I’d run it over and over if it meant that play turned into points on the scoreboard.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Luke screamed.
I walked to the line of scrimmage. This was what I was meant to do. My hands twitched. And out of nowhere it him me. Maybe I was meant for something else. Maybe I was meant for Vanessa McCade.
Twenty-Three
Vanessa
I’d never been to the Sports Now studios before. Their main station was in New York, but they kept satellite offices in cities that had more than one professional team. The Austin building wasn’t much bigger than the local news station, but it had a completely different feel. It was plastered in sports memorabilia.
