AllFreeNovel
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“It’s always worth it.”
She glanced up. “We’re on the jumbotron.”
“Perfect.” He waved, then slid his arms around her. As the crowd cheered, he lowered his mouth to hers and finally, beautifully, kissed her.
Now that was a viral post he could like and share.
And for her part, she kissed him back, maybe not as much ardor as in the tasting room or even that one time in the pantry at her house, but she still managed to leave a message.
The rest of the officials had left them to stand in the corner of the field, outside the end zone. He lifted his head and saw Toby watching him, raising a fist in triumph.
Oh brother. But his head no longer hurt, and he’d never felt freer in his life.
“I gotta go,” Iris said.
“I know. I’ll be right here, on the sidelines.”
“Two more minutes,” she said, backing up.
“Two minutes to the rest of our lives.”
She rolled her eyes and ran out onto the field.
He walked up to the team, a few slapping him on the shoulder, the back.
“Well, that’s one way to end your career,” Coach Max said.
“Yep,” Hud said. He looked at Max and grinned. “Best play of my life.”
* * *
“You still have allyour teeth, right?”
Iris made a face at her mom through the zoom screen. “Yes.”
“I didn’t hit her that hard, Mrs. M.” Hud sat on the floor, his back to the sofa of his hotel suite, Iris’s phone up on the ottoman, casting a video of her family—well, her father, mother, Pippa, and Fraser.
She glanced at Hudson. “I can take a tackle, Mom.”
The memory of his takedown, the feel of his body cradling hers even as they fell…somehow it imprinted on her as a metaphor.
The way it should be between them. Her, trusting his arms around her. TrustingGod’sarms around her. And her, letting go.
The night swept into the large windows that overlooked Amsterdam, glittering and bright. The castle shone with lights, and in the center of the square, a Ferris wheel spun, celebrating the upcoming holiday season.
“So where is this Vikka now?” Fraser asked.
“I turned her over to the Dutch police,” said Ned, standing behind the sofa. He held a can of Fanta, the other hand holding a piece of pizza. Shae sat beside Iris on the sofa.
“I can’t believe you recognized her,” Garrett said.
“She’s very hard to mistake,” Shae said. “And we have history. I feel sorry for her, really. She was pretty messed up, despite her tough exterior. Lukka had done a number on her, and now her brother is still somewhere in Siberia, so she’s frantic.”
“What I can’t figure out is why the Petrov Bratva wanted to poison Iris.” This from Pippa.
“It wasn’t just Iris,” said Ned. “They tested the water in all the bottles. Trace elements, although Iris’s had the most. The crew was treated—everyone is fine. Hud stopped them before they ingested enough to kill them.”
Iris took his hand, squeezed.
