In the locker room, everyone is wired tight. That’s the difference when it comes to the season’s finale. You don’t want to lose the biggest game of the year.
I gather my teammates around me, remembering when I was just getting started. How far we’ve come as a team.
The reminder of Levi’s words pushes me to say, “I want you to play tonight for yourselves. For the game we all love. It has been a year filled with ups and downs. But look at us now. We’ve come this far. So, I’m asking you, will we let them take what’s rightfully ours?”
“No,” they erupt in unison.
“Exactly. We deserve to win this.”
“We will.” Another round explodes.
When Coach comes inside with the team staff, we are ready to play.
After he delivers his speech, we stride out, our feet thumping on the floor, echoing like a march in the long hallway. The energy is a vivid thread wiring us.
The stadium erupts when we run out toward the field, chanting our names. It’s both humbling and reviving. You don’t want to disappoint your fans.
I see my family there for me in one row in the suite, waving and cheering for me. My eyes move to Lilly wearing my jersey, my number written on her cheeks. I pat my heart in the form of an “L” and she answers by doing the same, only with an “I.”
“Damn, you’re whipped. Someone surely took a pic of that,” Roman says.
“Let them. After tonight, everyone will know my heart is taken and that she’s my woman.”
Sliding our mouthguards in, we bump our helmets. I wriggle my body to shake off everything else until resolution is the only thing remaining.
The whistle blows, snatching my attention back to the field.
I take my position, eyeing the other team as if they are nothing more than what keeps me from my fourth ring.
Nothing else is on my mind but playing my best game, going home with the big prize—her—my Hail Mary pass caught in the end zone.
THIRTY-FOUR
LILLY
The atmospherein the stadium brims with nervous energy. Plastered against the window, my eyes follow Ian on the field. I am too stoked to sit still.
I am wearing his jersey, and I can’t wait for the game to end and run straight into his arms. This is it, the moment I’ve waited for so long has arrived. I just have to reach out my hand and grasp it.
I will hold on to him and never let go.
The game starts, and I can’t look at anyone but him. My eyes fixate on his number. Every time he passes, my lungs seize, and I can only breathe when it’s a winning pass.
When halftime ensues, I enjoy the concert, swaying my hips to the music but my thoughts circle back to just him.
The San Diego Sharks are leading, but that can change in an instant. Ian should be the one sweating, but I am too—strung taut with suspense.
Moving to the bar, I drink from a bottle of sparkling water when his mother slides next to me.
A genuine smile blooms on her face. “So happy he has found you.”
They have welcomed me into their family with open arms, and deep gratitude fills my chest.
I hug her, and her eyes glisten. “Thank you for loving my son, Lilly.”
“Thank you for raising such a good man,” I say, my voice thick with emotion.
The second half starts, and we hurry back to our seats.
