AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The Red Cocks won. They clinched their spot in the playoffs and every scenario had them going to the championships. I lingered on the field as the game ended, while Tatum was pulled left and right for chats with sports reporters and journalists.
He pressed against the wall that separated the seats from the field and signed autographs for fans young and old. He was so good with the kids—answering all their questions, posing for pictures, and scribbling his name on every object and scrap of paper that was shoved in his face.
A high-pitched whistle pierced my ears. “’Ay, baby,” Tatum shouted, waving me over.
I probably shouldn’t have pushed my luck since I was still in my uniform, but hey—my season was over.
Tatum opened his arm, beckoning me into his side as he chatted with a hoard of fans. “Someone wanted to meet you,” he said.
A little girl—probably seven or eight years old—with thin, black braids adorned with beads in Red Cocks colors pushed her way to the front. She took one look at me and her eyes turned to saucers. “You’re my favorite,” she whispered in utter reverence.
I laughed. “I’m what?”
She held up my team cameo photo. It was the cliché studio pose in my uniform and full hair and makeup. “Will you sign my poster?”
Tatum plucked a permanent marker from behind his ear and passed it to me. I couldn’t stop smiling as I signed my name at the bottom of her poster. No more finishing my name with a heart. I punctuated it with a simple, scribbled drawing of a bird in flight.
“Do you teach dance classes?” she asked at a volume that could have cracked a window.
I shook my head. “I don’t, but some of my friends do. Do you have a grown-up here with you?”
A woman with frizzing gray curls waved me down and smiled. “I’m Tayshia, Izzie’s foster mom.”
I quickly passed on information for the dance studio that Jewel and Priyanka taught at during the off-season and told her where to find the Reds’ foundation tent on her way out of the stadium. Heidi would jump at the chance to get connected with a foster family and get the kids involved in some after-school activities. Tatum had committed to coaching a week-long camp with Gideon, Theo, and Seth when the season ended.
It made me think that maybe the dance studio at the stadium could be put to good use in the off-season, too.
“I can see your wheels spinning already,” Tatum said as he waved goodbye to the cluster of fans. He draped his arm across my shoulder. “You’re thinking about what’s next.”
I tossed my head back and laughed. “A shower is happening next.”
He chuckled. “No arguments there.”
“What’s next for you?” I asked. “Practice, practice, playoffs—” I looked up at him as we entered the tunnel. “What happens when the season ends?”
Tatum licked his lips. He looked absolutely edible. “Hasn’t been announced yet, but Sam got the contract through.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Two more years?”
Tatum nodded. “Two more years in Rhode Island, Little Bird. If they want me gone, they have to pay out my contract. Retirement before thirty-five wouldn’t be half bad.”
I couldn’t help myself. I squealed and jumped into his arms. “You’re serious? Two more years?”
Tatum nodded, catching me under my ass. With his pads on, I couldn’t wrap my legs around his middle, so I squeezed with every bit of muscle in my thighs. I had been worried sick about what would happen to us if he got traded to a different team. Even with my departure from the Ladies in Red, I was still New England based as long as I worked for Colette James.
“What about you?” Tatum murmured against my lips. “What’s next for you?”
My heart clenched. I still had a month to decide whether I was going to move to New York or not. I needed that month to take a hard look at my career when the Red Cocks franchise wasn’t in the picture.
I dragged my nails along the sides of his short fade. “I think I need some time to find out who I am when I’m cheering for myself.”
“I know exactly who you are,” Tatum said as he lowered me to the ground and slid his hands onto my bare waist. “You’re a bird in flight. You spread your wings and there’s no stopping you.” He tipped my chin up and planted a slow, heart-stopping kiss on my lips. “And I can’t wait to watch you soar.”
“Tay…” I closed my eyes. “What you did for my dad… I don’t even know how you convinced him to come back out to the stadium.” Unruly emotion bubbled up in my throat. “The tickets… The seats… The flowers…” I sandwiched his cheeks between my palms. “Thank you.”
“I would do anything for you. He would do anything for you,” Tatum said, rubbing my arms to ward off the cold. “And next season, you can sit with him. I’ll get you box seats, so he doesn’t have to sit out in the cold.”
I laughed as we held hands, walking deeper into the belly of the stadium. “Don’t bother. He’d say box seats are for pussies and that he’s not a fair-weather fan.”
“Good,” he replied. “Because Heidi will actually kill you if you bail on her next season.”
