I let them by and smile when Vanessa is in front of me with her arms out for a hug.
“Hi again,” I say.
We met for dinner during the week to celebrate Stephen and I officially being a couple; they’re over the moon and keep saying how proud they are of him for how he’s handling everything. They struggled too though, the press were hounding them for details and they hated all the attention it brought them, but Mindy helped them navigate everything.
She’s been a lifesaver throughout this whole thing, and it’s inspired me to follow in her footsteps. This week I’ll start working as her assistant, or more officially, Junior Media Liaison for the Tynerston Warriors. I have my journalism qualification, but after everything that’s happened, I don’t want to be on that side of things. It’s always there as an option, but this is an amazing opportunity, and having the Warriors on my resume will open doors in the future.
“How are you feeling?” Vanessa asks.
“Okay, being here has gone better than I thought,” I say, nodding to the crowd. “Generally positive, and I’ve got the club here if anyone gives me any grief.”
“Good,” Nathan says, “and you have us too.”
“Thanks. Um… I guess… now is a good time to introduce you to my mom and stepdad?”
“We’d love to meet them,” Vanessa says.
I lead them over to where they’re talking to my brother, realizing that I’m going to have to use his real name, there’s no way I’m introducing him as Diablo to my boyfriend’s mom.
“Uh… these are Stephen’s parents,” I say, “Vanessa and Nathan. This is my mom, Sofía, my stepdad, Miguel, my brother, Ángel, and this is Beth.”
Everyone greets each other, a mixture of handshakes and hugs, but we’re interrupted by some loud music and firework explosions.
“The teams are coming out,” Nathan says. “Why don’t we go for dinner and drinks after this and get to know each other properly?”
“That sounds wonderful,” my mom says.
The crowd erupts in cheers as the players run onto the field, so we move to the front of our section. Tank and Pretty Boy both have a ‘Choi 88’ banner, and Jake is wearing the signed jersey Stephen gave him. He’s also carrying a banner with ‘Warriors #1 Fan’ in bold letters.
The players finish their lap, and Stephen runs over to us, hugging his parents, Jamie, and Max, before arriving at me. I’m expecting a hug too, so I’m shocked when he grabs my face and pulls me into a kiss, in front of everyone. There must be a camera on us because the sound is deafening, but it’s all background noise. I’m kissing my boyfriend, live on national television, and everyone knows I’m his, and he’s mine.
If I thought watching a football game on TV was exhausting, it’s nothing compared to the real deal. The crowd and the noise were one thing, but the hits the players take, you can practically feel them when you’re so close to the action. Seeing Stephen get tackled is never fun, I found myself gathered with my mom and Vanessa, wincing every time it happened. But he always jumped back up and shrugged it off, flashing me a smile to let me know he’s okay.
They won their second game by a huge margin, and Stephen made the most incredible touchdown, no-onethought he was going to catch this pass, but he did, one-handed too.
We’re waiting for them in the friends and family area; Beth and the club have gone home so it’s just me and our parents, who luckily have been getting on like a house on fire and are all excited to go out for dinner. There are a few screens above us showing the various interviews taking place in the locker rooms, there’s no sound, but Stephen’s smiling so I’m taking that to mean they’re going well.
The interviews come to a close, players start filing out, greeting their own families, and it’s not long before Stephen arrives. He’s changed out of his Bellegarde suit and is in jeans and a T-shirt, always looking delicious when he’s freshly showered.
He hugs his parents first, having a private conversation with them, no doubt they’re telling him how proud they are and that they love him. My mom hugs him too when they’re finished and he shakes Miguel’s hand as he congratulates him on winning. I’m in his arms then, nestling against his chest, loving that we can be so open together.
“We’re going to go for dinner and drinks,” Nathan says, “get to know Sofía and Miguel a bit. Do you want to join, or are you tired after the game?”
“We can join for drinks,” Stephen says, “but I actually have a date night planned for us.”
“A date night? Tonight?” I ask. “You’ve just played a whole football game.”
“I know,” he chuckles, “and I want to celebrate our win by taking my boyfriend on a date.”
A date… the thought gives me butterflies; it will be our first one out in public since the press conference. We’ve spent all of our time at the clubhouse or Marcus’s place, whenever wehave gone out it’s been in a group, safety in numbers and all that.
“Okay then,” I say.
We all head into town for drinks; our moms wanted somewhere nice, so I suggested Platinum. I’ve never been myself, but before Beth was with my brother, she’d come here to meet guys and always said it was too overpriced and upmarket for her, but I figured this is the type of place they might want.
Stephen orders me a Piña Colada, my favorite as it reminds me of the night we first kissed. He’s still not drinking because of training, so orders a soda, while our moms share a bottle of wine, talking like they’ve been friends for years. It’s nice to see my mom getting on so well with someone; my father isolated her and it’s only since she’s been with Miguel that she’s started to put herself out there more. I love the thought of her becoming close to Vanessa. I can already hear them talking about visiting each other for a weekend, going shopping while Miguel and Nathan play golf.
“It’s nice to see them getting on so well,” Stephen murmurs in my ear.
