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“Hey, man.” He tilted his chin up. “Great game.”
“Thanks.” Hyde clapped him on the shoulder. “We couldn’t have done it without you. You’re a beast out there.”
“Thanks.” It was so like Hyde to shift the praise and not get caught up on himself. They were approaching the locker room door and Mack knew it was now or never. He put his hand on Hyde’s forearm and stopped walking. Hyde turned to him with a questioning glance. Mack shoved a hand through his hair. “Hey, um, your sister-in-law … Sariah?”
“Yeah?” Hyde’s glance wasn’t as friendly now. Suspicious, wary, concerned.
“You couldn’t, um, give me her number?” Why was everything coming out as a question? He was a Quinn. His brothers, sister, and mama would all disown him if they found out about his wimpy thoughts and actions tonight.
Hyde looked him over. “I can’t just give out Sariah’s number.”
“Oh.” Disappointment stabbed him. “Could you see if she wants my number?”
“How do you know Sariah?”
“I … I don’t. But she touched my hand tonight.” It was official. He was the most pathetic man in the world and he was revealing it all to Hyde Metcalf. He was going to get laughed off the field at their next practice.
Hyde’s eyebrows arched. “I’m sorry, Mack. You seem like a nice guy, but I don’t know you that well, and Sariah is … special to all of us. An angel really, with a funny sense of humor.” Hyde smiled briefly.
Mack knew that was true simply from looking at her. Pure goodness, light, and humor radiated from her.
“She lives in Denver,” Hyde continued. “So, it really wouldn’t work. Sorry, man.” With that he pushed through the locker room door and was gone.
Mack sat there staring at the door until some other players came up behind him and he walked woodenly through to avoid explaining why he hadn’t moved—he’d just had all his hopes doused in fire retardant and they would never burn bright again.
CHAPTERTWO
Sariah Udy’s job of being Hyde’s mom’s companion was absolutely perfect for her. She was able to drive into Denver every weekday for her schooling as a massage therapist and nights and weekends she spent time with Teresa. Quite often Hyde and Lily or other members of her family would be with them. She also loved Teresa’s neighbor and spicy friend, Allie. It was a great arrangement, made even better by the fact that they flew to most Patriot games and she got the opportunity to watch Mack Quinn play football.
Mack Quinn. She loved to simply watch the man move. He was massive and not one spare inch of him was fat. Most people hardly noticed what the offensive line did at a football game. Sariah couldn’t pull her eyes off the offensive line. In her mind, Mack was poetry in motion and he never missed a block or other assignment.
Then there were the times before and after games when he met her gaze, his blue eyes warm and completely focused on her. She lived for those moments. On Christmas Day he’d come over to the sidelines and he’d not only wrapped his hand around hers he’d said, “Hi, pretty girl”. It was the most beautiful moment of her life.
Sariah knew nothing could come of her obsession. Someone with her deformity could never be with someone perfect, rich, and famous like Mack Quinn. She’d learned that lesson all too well from her high school boyfriend. The fact that she’d never do more than stare at Mack hurt, but she didn’t let herself dwell on it. She’d made a happy life for herself by simply putting a smile on her face each day and making it a great day. Falling in that campfire at five-years-old may have deformed her right ear and left her with horrific-looking scar tissue on her neck, shoulder, and upper arm, but it couldn’t take her down.
Today was the last playoff game before the Super Bowl. The entire family was in Los Angeles, California, cheering for Hyde. He and Lily’s dream wedding was going to happen in March, after the season ended, and Sariah couldn’t be happier for them. If only she could have a dream one day, a dream like Mack Quinn. He seemed so kind, despite his strength. He looked just like Thor to her, a bigger and more approachable Thor. Sadly, he wasn’t attainable for her. His family were all superstars—a country singer, two professional football players, a fitness guru, a highly-decorated ex-Navy SEAL, and a media darling. The media would destroy Mack if he dated someone with Sariah’s deformity. She knew that from personal experience. It had been hard enough on Lily and Hyde to overcome the media’s scrutiny of the discrepancy in their financial stations. It would be even worse for her. As if a man like Mack could look past her mottled skin.
She touched her neck self-consciously, making sure the hair covered her scars, even as she rolled her eyes at herself. It was silly to even speculate. Since Christmas Day, almost a month ago, when Mack had actually approached her, stolen her breath away when he wrapped his strong hand around hers, and called her “pretty girl”, he hadn’t made any other move. He still caught her gaze before or after games but he kept his distance. She tucked her hair tighter against the right side of her face and around her neck. Had he seen her puckered skin when he got close? He hadn’t recoiled in disgust so she didn’t think so. Something was keeping him away from her. Maybe it was because she’d only been capable of saying hi when confronted with his perfect smile up close and personal.
Focusing on the game, she waited for even a simple glance. The smells of pizza, popcorn, and cotton candy floated around her. She loved football and the atmosphere. Mack played brilliantly and every time the offense ran off the field, she studied him and she could’ve sworn he glanced her direction a few times, but she could just be imagining it. The game ended with Georgia beating Washington 21 to 14. She cheered along with everybody and she waited and watched for Mack to look her way. Hyde ran over to them but he didn’t launch himself over the barrier like he had on Christmas. Lily bent over and he squeezed her hands and they talked excitedly.
Teresa watched them with a satisfied smile on her face. The future in-law relationship had a rocky start last spring, but almost a year later and everybody adored each other. Sariah loved Hyde and Teresa and really appreciated how good they were to her. Five more months and she’d be a licensed massage therapist. Teresa and Hyde had both expressed that they hoped she’d stay in the apartment above the garage at Teresa’s Golden, Colorado house as long as she wanted. The apartment was bigger than her family home in Georgetown, Colorado and nicer than any place she’d been in. She couldn’t see any reason not to continue the arrangement.
Her eyes strayed from her happy sister to find Mack Quinn. He was in a cluster of players about thirty feet away from her. He was chatting with all of them but his gaze was pinned on Sariah. She tucked her hair tighter to her face and neck. It was a nervous gesture she really needed to quit, but she wanted this man to get to know her before he was repulsed by her scars and ran away. She was so lame. He couldn’t run away when he’d never run to her.
Mack excused himself from the group and walked her direction. Her heart thudded quicker and quicker. Was he finally going to approach her again? It was what she’d been dreaming of. This time she had to be braver than to just offer her hand and say hi. How old-fashioned was that? Guaranteed, Mack Quinn had gorgeous women pushing themselves at him every day and here she offered her hand to him? No matter how dumb it may have been, she’d re-lived the feel of his hand surrounding hers and loved each replay.
He kept coming, his gaze trained on her. Her legs were weak and she edged closer to the barrier in front of her and leaned against it. With every footstep that brought him closer, her heart seemed to be shouting, Mack, Mack, Mack. His blue eyes were bluer than the Colorado sky in the summertime, and even though his blond curls were matted to his head from his helmet, he looked unreal handsome. She could’ve sworn that he looked nervous. That couldn’t be. He was an enigma and she was a dirt-poor girl from nowhere.
His steps slowed as he approached her and his gaze darted to Hyde and Lily. Sariah focused on them also but they were so full of each other they wouldn’t have noticed if a bomb dropped in the stadium. The rest of her family was also focused on Hyde and Lily. Teresa was staring at Mack though, and she lifted a perfectly-formed eyebrow at Sariah. Sariah smiled at her before refocusing on Mack. He was right below her now, just like he’d been on Christmas Day.
She leaned over the barrier but didn’t put her hand out. This time she was going to try to at least talk to him. “You pummeled them,” she said.
“We do our best.” He pushed a hand through his hair. His voice was low and appealing but on the quiet side. She wanted to know so much about him. She wanted to listen to him talk for hours.
“It’s an impressive best.”
He smiled. “Gotta protect your brother-in-law.”
