Mere minutes passed and we had scored our first touchdown. The opposition had struggled after and our defensive line managed to push them back several yards until they had no choice but to try and kick it through the goal posts for a measly three points.
I was determined to win, however, and I made them pay for that small success by launching a new game plan with my teammates. It was risky, sure, but with my speed and ability to trick our opponents I made a mad dash across forty yards to score yet another touchdown.
The crowd went wild. I could hear my name being chanted on and on. When I looked at the big screen I could see my face. This was a dream come true. I knew the boys at Mercury Wild knew what this felt like. They’ve all gone through their own ups and downs and a taste of massive success.
Now it was my time and boy, I did love it.
The whistle sounded off and once again my mind shifted to the game. Despite how busy we were on the field, however, in the very back recesses of my mind, I thought of Emilia. I could picture her soft, tight little body that turned me on. I thought of her sharp mind and the funny things she’d say. I thought of Jeremy and how sweet of a little boy he was and how smart he was for a kid his age.
In the snap of a second, all of that evaporated as one of the opposing players slammed into me. The distraction was enough to knock me off balance before I could toss the football off to my runner, and before I knew it I was overwhelmed by another tackle and then a third. I was down on the ground, eating dirt. That was our first down. I had to keep my head in the game.
When I got up, I dusted myself clean and cracked my knuckles. There was no time to think about Emilia and Jeremy. I had a game to win.
10
Emilia
Every day since Damon and I last spoke I spent the time pacing around aimlessly, pondering about what to do. Whenever Jeremy was at school I’d drive over to Mercury Wild where I could get a drink and just gossip with Lyla or Jasmine and get my mind off of Damon. Other days I spent with Amy and helped her plan her wedding with my brother. It was due in three more weeks.
When I tried to call Damon I discovered he had already left town. His agent called me bac
k and told me Damon was out with the football team – they were practicing for the upcoming exhibition game in London. Their coach even told me he was the main star of the event – a young quarterback who could prove his prowess if he leads the team to victory.
That didn’t sit well with me, however. I needed to fix this issue with Damon, especially now that he knew the truth.
My mind was this muddled two days before the big game. I was back in Mercury Wild – Jeremy was out with Amy at the zoo – and I was out with Carrie, Dylan’s ex-girlfriend. Rumors were spreading that she was also filing a lawsuit against him but nobody could tell for sure. Dylan was one of the more powerful billionaires in Mercury Wild and I didn’t want to get involved with their personal issues.
“So, what do you plan to do?” she asked me as we sipped on our Margaritas. It was three in the afternoon and I was set on getting smashed until late at night. At this time of day there were already some patrons here at Mercury Wild.
I shrugged, sipped and then answered, “I don’t know. Oh, and please don’t tell anyone else what I told you, okay? The last thing I need is gossip flying about. Can you imagine all the chaos that would happen if Trevor and the others bugged Damon about Jeremy?”
She nodded and finished her drink, “I wouldn’t worry about it. Gossip flies quickly but it dies as fast too. Seriously, though, you need to consider your options. He might leave you again and this time for good.”
“That doesn’t really scare me anymore,” I revealed. I sighed in sorrow and took a moment to listen to the old 80s music playing in the background. I then turned to her and explained, “I just think that by the end of the day things will just go back to the way they were – just me and Jeremy living our lives. We got by several years without Damon – we can do it again.”
“He needs a father,” Carrie tried to point out. “Back then he had no experience with a father figure but now he has. If you keep pushing Damon out this way then you’re not doing anything good; you’re just going to make Jeremy feel lonely.”
She was definitely right about that. While Jeremy still only thought of Damon as “mommy’s new friend” who we hung out with, he was already feeling the burn of not being around him. There were days where he’d ask where Damon was and if we were going to go out again. He obviously missed Damon.
“What else can I do?” I asked Carrie.
“Do the crazy thing,” she answered with a wicked glint in her eyes. “I know I would do the craziest thing if I was in love the way you are.”
I rolled my eyes, “Define crazy.”
She laughed and bit down on her lip, “Sweetie, men love it when we go out of our way to show them we love them.”
“So what happened between you and Dylan?” I dared to ask.
Carrie shrugged it off and said, “He got too rich to care anymore. It’s okay though. I can survive. Now come on, do the dumbest, craziest thing you know you could do for the name of love. If you think you’ve come up with the wildest idea then you know it’s the right one.”
My mind raced as I thought of all the crazy things I could do to let Damon know I love him and that I can forgive him for being so brash the day I told him Jeremy was his son. I had to ask for his forgiveness too for being a stuck-up bitch that day and being so demanding when I should have been more lenient and patient about the situation.
How could I let him know all of that? A simple phone call wouldn’t do the trick. A text message or Facebook message would seem lame and nowhere near as sincere as I’d like it to be.
That was when something popped into my head.
“Carrie, I have to go,” I suddenly told her as I got up from my seat. I handed her some cash to pay for our drinks. “Here, tell Jasmine I said hi. I have to go – thank you so much, you really gave me a good idea.”