16
MY BIGGEST FAN
Drew
That weekend we hit the road again, but actually it’s the highway across town to play the Devil Sharks.
Before the game, I wonder if playing on my old turf will throw me off. Turns out, the answer is no. They’re a shell of a team, and we win by a delightfully embarrassing amount.
The Mercenaries are now three for three. This doesn’t feel like luck. It feels like talent and hard work paying off.
Brooke and I text every day and talk too, so much that I can’t stop thinking about February.
So much that on Wednesday morning, after I lace up my sneakers and I hit the beach as the sun rises, I call Carter. He’s the one person I need to talk to.
My buddy answers on FaceTime with a big yawn and a close-up of his pie hole. “Dude, you woke me up,” he grumbles, sounding like he just got out of bed.
“Dude, I know you’re at the gym.”
With a scowl, he pulls back the angle, and I see he’s climbing the StairMaster. “Fine, fine. You know I’m an early bird. Anyway, I won’t give you tips on the Las Vegas Pioneers. We kicked their ass last weekend because we are the best team in the league. But hey, good luck when you face them.”
“Thanks,” I say drily as I run along the water. But I dodge the trash talk, cutting to the chase. “Listen, you said something about the off-season and dating the woman I met then. Were you serious? Do you think it’s a good idea?”
His expression turns deadly serious, his eyes like lasers. “Yeah, I was. But you didn’t think it’d work. Did you change your tune?”
“Yes,” I say, but that feels like a huge commitment and instantly I hedge my bets. “I mean, I think so.”
He laughs, shaking his head. “Which one is it, buddy?”
I swallow, trying to sort out the feelings that are getting more tangled the longer I spend time with Brooke. “I’m thinking about it. If it’ll work with her. What I need to do tomake itwork.”
“If I learned anything from what Jason and Beck went through,” he says, referring to his team’squarterback, who fell for the rival quarterback in San Francisco, “it’s that you need to figure out what you’re willing to gamble to get what you want.”
That’s the big question. What do I stand to gain? What do I stand to lose? And what do I want? But I think I already know the answer to the last one. “And what if the answer is her? I want her.”
“Damn, you really like her,” he says with a whistle.
“I do. It hasn’t even been that long.”
“When you know, you know,” he says then we end the call.
But will others accept the possibility of anusso easily? Will Patrick, given what he knows about my past relationships? Will Stephen? Will my new team? I’ve only been with the Mercenaries a few weeks. I don’t want to rock the boat when I have this big chance to show what I’m made of.
I’m also not sure if she’d want to giveusa shot, whateverusmight be. Last week, she was noncommittal. She said being together in the off-season wassomething to think about. But maybe she needs to know I’m serious, that even though we started with a one-night stand, I’m so ready for more than that.
But for the rest of the week I need to focus on the Mercenaries, from the charity appearance Stephen planned for me at a local library to an interview with a sports blog.
And, of course, what happens on the field.
My team deserves my full attention. And that’s what I give it, even as Carter’s advice repeats in my mind.
When I run onto the field that Sunday, I savor the smell of the grass, the thunder of the crowd, and the rush of adrenaline pumping through my blood. In the huddle, I’m all business, and the Mercenaries are crisp.
We strike fast when I throw a twenty-yarder to Clements. He gives it a good home in his welcoming arms, then rushes for twenty more yards before he scrambles out of bounds.
Like that, we set a relentless pace, driving downfield until our running back puts us in the end zone.
Look at that. Two minutes into the game, and we’ve got seven points on the board. I rip off my helmet when I reach the sidelines, high-fiving Clements, then Rand, our running back.