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WREN
“Icannot believe you’re dating T.J. Bryant Jr.,” Priyanka gushed as she sat on the floor of our locker room and rolled on thick, calf-high socks. They were covered in sparkling silver snowflakes.
Priyanka’s comment about Tatum and I was pretty much how every conversation had gone since my suspension had been lifted at the beginning of the week and I’d returned to rehearsals. Catherine hadn’t said a word about the secret that I’d managed to keep for nearly the entirety of the eighteen-week season. Every time one of the girls berated me good-naturedly for not saying Tatum and I were dating each other, she looked surprised. Maybe she assumed the whole team knew.
I grabbed my balled-up socks and yanked them on. Mine had little hammers and screwdrivers on them—a Christmas gift from my dad. They were thick enough that my feet wouldn’t get blisters and tall enough to keep my calves from chafing against my boots.
This was the end.
I had set my hair in pregame curlers for the last time. Tied my uniform top into a knot around my bra for the last time. I applied false lashes and hair-sprayed everything within an inch of my life for the last time.
I nudged Priyanka with my shoulder as we tugged our boots on. Next season, she would be a second-year veteran. If she stuck it out for a third year, she’d be dancing on the fifty-yard line. I had no doubt. “Believe it, babe.”
“I’m just saying,” she prattled on. “If I had a hunk of man candy like him, I’d be telling everyone!”
Jewel looked rather smug as she swiped on a coat of lipstick. She was happily rubbing it in everyone’s faces that she had been the only one on the squad to know.
“Alright, ladies,” Catherine said as she strutted into the room. She was a drill sergeant and a stickler, but it was because she believed in the organization. In the team. In us. She expected excellence and nothing less. “Circle up.”
Thirty-six women stood in a circle, holding hands, and reveling in the energy of the last game of the season. The Reds were a shoo-in for the win today and had already snagged their spot in the playoffs.
Tatum had been putting in grueling hours with the team, but every night we fell asleep together. Every morning we woke up together. That was a win in itself.
He kissed me in public and brought me coffee from Dunkies when I was doing the quick change from interior designer to professional dancer.
“It’s been quite a season, ladies,” Catherine began. “Nothing about what you all do for this team and this franchise is frivolous. I hope you know that the sweat, the pain, and the tears are not in vain. I hope when you look into the stands, you see the joy you bring to people and the memories you help them create. I hope that you know how much you mean to them. They may not know your names the way they do the boys, but they’ll remember the way you made them feel. After today, some of you will pack up to go on a USO tour to entertain the troops stationed overseas. Some of you will run camps and teach prep classes for the newbies hoping to audition this summer. And some of you are hanging up your boots for good.”
Jewel released the hands on either side of her and stepped into the circle. “I have loved every single game I’ve had with this team.” She looked around, eyes welling up with tears. “All the memories we’ve made over the five years I’ve been here. And I’ll walk away knowing that each one of you is a sister to me. I’ve decided that this is my last season, and I’ll be retiring.”
Nerves danced along my fingers as I dropped Priyanka and Melina’s hands and stepped into the circle. I wrung my hands anxiously and took a breath. “A year ago, something horrific rocked my world. I lost my mom between Week17 and Week18. My fiancé dumped me, but let’s be honest. That was a blessing in disguise.”
Giggles erupted at the thought of my stuffy ex-fiancé, Preston.
“And I blew out my knee.” I looked down at my boots. “When I was waiting to go into surgery, I knew I wasn’t ready to let go of this team and this sisterhood.” I smiled at Catherine. “This year, I got so much more than one more season, dancing on the turf to honor my mom’s memory.” Blushing, I said, “I fell down and fell in love.”
The girls let out whoops and wolf-whistles, cheering on a romance that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Love doesn’t happen when it’s supposed to. It happens when it does, and there’s no stopping it. Rules, expectations, priorities—love trumps every single one.
“I had one last season, and it brought me more happiness than anything ever has. I can walk away knowing I gave it my all, and this sport and team that we love gave me so much more. Whatever the next chapter brings, I’m ready for it.”
“Bring it in, Ladies,” Catherine said. “Red Cocks on three.”
* * *
The sun washigh in the sky for the early January game, though it did nothing to warm up the freezing temperatures. The stadium was packed to the brim as fans bundled up and huddled together to watch our boys kick Indiana’s ass.
We were exiting the field from our pregame show to take our place on the sidelines.
It was poetic—the beginning and endings of it all. I was standing in the same spot where Tatum had tackled me months ago. We were ending the season much like it began, but everything was different.
It was better.
After sitting out a game and missing ten days of practice, Tatum was cleared to play. Since I was suspended and relieved of my local appearance duties, I drove down to Westerly and watched the boys’ last away game with my dad. We ate clam chowder and screamed at the refs from the safety of his living room.
Today, though—today I got to see my man in action.
Tatum oozed confidence and strength on the field. He was unstoppable. Unflappable.
