Afterward, I ignored the press and rushed into the locker room, showered as fast as possible, threw on fresh clothes, and texted her.
Me
On my way, baby.
Then I booked it across the city.
Rylin was walking into the living room from the kitchen when I opened the door, and she looked up at me with a bright, proud smile.
Without a word, I wrapped her in my arms, lifted her clean off the floor, and carried her to the bedroom. Her laughter was warm against my neck as her legs wrapped around my waist, and the second I laid her down, everything else disappeared. The roar of the crowd, sweat, hits, and bruises—they were nothing compared to the sight of her waiting for me.
And as I kissed my way down her body, every inch of her bare skin filling my senses, I thought,This. Every damn day. For the rest of my life.
The next week passed in a blur of sweet routines and heated glances.
Whenever I wasn’t on the field or buried in tape, I was usually at The Tight Line, finding excuses to help out or just keep her company. Whenever I could, I picked her up from work and took her home with me. I didn’t give her any other option, but she never argued and had even packed a bigger bag the day after the game so she had more stuff at my place. I had plans to slowly bring her shit to my apartment so she was moved in before she even realized it.
Our nights together were my favorite part of the day. Sometimes, it was just cuddling on the couch, talking, or watching a movie. Other nights, we barely made it through the front door before I had her pressed against a wall, gasping my name.
She hadn’t called this a relationship or asked what we were, but she didn’t have to. I could feel it in the way she looked at me when she thought I wasn’t watching. How she relaxed when I held her. In the way she fell asleep in my bed like she belonged there.
Meanwhile, I was making plans behind the scenes. Quiet ones. Plans that could help her sister—but I didn’t want to bring it up until I had something solid. If I gave her hope, and it blew up in my face, she’d be crushed. So I kept working it in the background, keeping my cards close until the time was right.
Then the weekend rolled around, and it was time for another away game. I hated leaving her, but I’d convinced her to stay at what I’d already begun to think of asourhome while I was gone. Knowing she was keeping our bed warm gave me some comfort.
On the flight out, I had my headphones in, running over plays on my tablet, when Gage dropped onto the seat beside me.
He nudged my arm. “What’s this I’m hearing about you being off the market?”
Across the aisle, Huck let out a snort loud enough to draw a few looks. “I think you mean pussy-whipped.”
Raiden walked by at that exact moment and smacked Huck on the back of the head without slowing down. “Watch it, jackass.”
Huck shrugged, unbothered. “What? It’s true.”
Raiden didn’t argue. Just dropped into the seat across from me with that same lazy grin he always wore right before a fourth-down conversion.
“Jealous?” he asked Huck, one brow cocked.
The center rolled his eyes. “Not a chance.”
Gage looked between Huck and Raiden, then dismissed them and turned to me again. “So?”
I grinned, the answer easy.
“Definitely found my Mrs. Right.”
10
RYLIN
The deeper the Nighthawks got into their season, the busier The Tight Line got. The first quiet moment of my shift came during my break in the employee break room, where it was private enough for me to make a quick call.
I sank into one of the metal chairs and dialed Reese, lowering my voice automatically.
“Hey, everything okay?”
Her sniffle told me the answer before she spoke. “Mom showed up at work again.”
