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“You signed it with your full name. LukeAugust. Like I wouldn’t know which Luke had left the note.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I’m used to signing my full name for autographs. But hey, I’m glad you’re not mad about all of this.”
I rounded on him. “Oh, I’m absolutely furious with you—I’ve just been waiting to let it out!”
“Caz…”
“You tricked me. You pretended to be drunk all night so you could sleep alone and sneak out after I fell asleep. You met with your blackmailers!”
“It was the only way to take control of the situation,” he said. “And it worked.”
“You nearly died!” I shouted.
“But I didn’t. Because of you. And because of the gun you suddenly have. I thought you said you didn’t need one?”
“I knew you would tease me about it, which is why I didn’t tell you. I saved it for when Ireallyneeded it.”
“Your timing was perfect,” he said. “He was pulling the trigger when you shot him. I heard his bullet whiz past my ear. It’s a good thing you’ve been jogging with me all season, or you wouldn’t have gotten there in time.”
He reached for me, and I backed away and crossed my arms. I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet. “Were you really going to throw the Super Bowl?”
“To keep my family safe? Yeah. Easy choice.”
“Just your family?”
“Who else would I care about enough to sacrifice my career?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I said casually. “An extremely skilled female bodyguard who was also threatened by the blackmailers.”
“Oh, Caz.” He took me in his arms, and this time I didn’t try to fight him. “At this point, youarepart of my family. I definitely care about you as much as my sisters and moms. Well, maybe not as much. But pretty close. So, yeah. I would drop every pass in the biggest game of my life if it meant ensuring your safety.”
The words came automatically to my lips: “I love you.”
He smiled. “I love you.”
It was the response I wanted. The response Ineeded. I tilted my head up and he kissed me, a kiss of comfort and forgiveness and love.
“I’m still angry at you,” I said. “For sayingI love youon a piece of paper before you did it in person.”
“That’s fair.”
“And I’m still mad you snuck out without telling me.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“And you’d better believe I’m sleeping with you tonight.”
He grinned. “You’d better. Although technically, it’s thismorning.”
We undressed and crawled into bed. I took one final look at the clock and winced.Hopefully my body doesn’t try to wake up at the normal time in an hour. I cuddled up against Luke’s body, resting in the crook of his arm. All the exhaustion of the night seemed to press down on me at once, and I closed my eyes.
“You know how you can make it up to me?” I murmured.
“Hmm?”
“You can throw the Super Bowl to give my Vikings a chance.”
He stroked my hair. “Not a chance. Your team is going to have to earn it.”
