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“I’d love to,” I said, “but I have plans this Sunday at the exact same time. Oh, that’s right—I’mplaying in the game against the Jaguars.”
Christian rolled his eyes. “I meant Beth, Logan, andClaire.”
Logan sat up a little straighter. “Emily brought Claire to a hockey game the other night. She loved it. I bet she’d like attending a football game, too.” He snorted. “Even if it’s less exciting than hockey.”
I jabbed a finger in his direction. “Don’t start this again.”
“Football is boring,” Logan said, turning to face me in a challenge. “For every play that lasts a few seconds, you have a minute or two of standing around. Yawn.”
“I’d love to go!” Beth interjected. “Regardless of Logan’s opinion on football.”
“And if the cameras recognize me, and take photos of us together?” Logan asked.
Beth wrapped an arm around Logan and kissed him on the cheek. “Then they’ll see us together. It won’t be the end of the world. And if youreallywant to play it cool, I can promise not to make any public displays of affection.”
Logan made a grumbling noise deep in his throat, but finally nodded. “As long as I don’t see my face on the fucking jumbotron.”
*
I tried to play it cool, but the game against the Jaguars was kind of a big deal. Theydestroyedus at the beginning of the season in a 33 - 7 blowout, and were currently leading the division:
Jaguars: 8 - 2
Texans: 7 - 3
Titans: 6 - 4
Colts: 6 - 4
Riding a six-game winning streak, and coming off a huge win against the Texans, we had momentum on our side. We no longer felt like that lousy team that started the season with four straight losses after moving to a new city. We had some swagger in our step, and knew we had a chance to really cement ourselves as a threat to win the division. Especially with six games remaining in the season after this one.
First, we win today,I thought while warming up on the field.One game at a time.
Logan, Claire, and Beth were sitting in the front row in the back of the end zone, with the kid between the two adults. I gave them a friendly wave, which Claire returned enthusiastically. She grabbed Logan’s arm and shook him, then pointed at me. When Beth was looking in my direction, I gave her a wink that she probably couldn’t see.
A football hit me between the shoulder blades, causing me to stumble. I whirled and saw Christian grinning like a little kid who had pulled a prank on his best friend. I flicked him off, which made Claire erupt in laughter. But when I looked back at them, Beth was glaring at me.
Right. I need to be a better influence around the kid. I wondered how Logan was able to censor himself around his daughter.
The stadium was sold out, and it sounded like it during the opening kick-off. The crowd roared in a way we hadn’t heard since moving to the city. There was an energy in the way the fans cheered today, hungry for victory.
That energy invigorated us on the first drive of the game. Christian was a master tactician behind the line of scrimmage, deftly passing the ball and handing it off to the running back. And when we were on the Jaguar’s 30-yard line, he sent a deep pass my way. My legs pumped furiously; I was as fast as the wind, and just as unstoppable. I leaped into the air to catch the ball over the Jaguars defender, stumbling but keeping my footing long enough to fall into the end zone for a touchdown.
Cheers rained down on me as I got up and sprinted over to the sideline wall. It was seven feet high, but I got a running start before leaping up and pulling myself onto the edge next to the three fans I cared about the most. Other fans reached out and patted me on the arm, and back, and helmet. I ignored them and handed the football to Claire. Her eyes twinkled with excitement at the prize in her hands.
Then I tilted my helmet up far enough to reveal my mouth, gave Beth a quick kiss on the lips, then hopped down and returned to celebrate with my teammates. When I glanced over my shoulder, Logan was shaking his head in annoyance—but he was grinning at the same time.
I guess his heart isn’t all black.
Christian patted me on the helmet as we jogged back to the sideline. “What happened to not drawing any extra attention to our relationship?”
I shrugged and feigned confusion. “What do you mean? All I did was give a cute little girl in the crowd a football.”
As we sat down on the bench, the jumbotron showed a replay of my celebration—especially the part where I lifted up my helmet to kiss Beth. The crowd roared extra loud at that part.
“I don’t remember doing any of that,” I insisted. “It must be some computer-generated video. You know how good AI is these days.”
Christian chuckled, but stared off with determination in his eyes.
