I startedlaughing.
I picked up her petite body and spun heraround.
“Are youinsane?!” she yelled in my ear. But I couldn’t care less. Because she was here. Whatever I had to do was worth it.
“Put me down!” She struggled against me and started pounding my back with her tiny fists, which felt like a little nothing. I’d have to remember to teach her how to punch with some real power.
I set her back on her feet but couldn’t stop grinning like a fool.
She started to yell again, but I put a finger in front of her lips to shush her, like she’d done to me at the lake.
“Shhhh. Babe, I only said those things to motivate you! Coach mode! I know it didn’t work before, but I couldn’t squish you. I had to try to help yousomehow!”
That lower jaw of hers was still out.
“And look around! You made it, babe! You made it past the bridge. You made it past all those crowds of people! You did it!”
She kept looking up at me with daggers in hereyes.
“Yeesh. I thought you wouldn’t be mad when I told you what I did. I didn’t mean any of that, honey,” Itried.
She still wasn’t budging. I looked around at my team still staring at us.
“You look so pretty!” I said, but really her hair was kind of crazy. I tried to smooth it down for her a bit, but she slapped my hand away.
“You better score a freaking goal out there for me!” she yelled.
And then she turned and marched away with her hair swinging and her cute butt moving fast.
There was an awkward silence that stretched amongst the group as I looked around atthem.
The sound of clapping finally broke the silence.
“You heard her!” Coach yelled from the locker room doorway. “You better score a freaking goal, Vinny!”
The rest of the team started clapping and chirping, and I awkwardly stood there and ran my hand through my hair.
I guess if that’s what it took to put her in a good mood, that’s what I’d have to do.
34. Ellie
He pissed me off onpurpose…
I felt tricked.
But also, it was kind of sweet in a twisted way. My body was finally starting to come down from its heightened state. I sagged against the elevator door and let out a relieved laugh.
However irritating his “coach mode” was, I had to admit that it did work. Standing up to him and wanting to check his ass ended up being the motivation I needed to fully face my fears.
And I did.
I was here. In a packed arena. In Detroit.
I just needed to hang on to my bravery until we could be together. For some reason, TJ’s presence gave my brain the peaceful oasis it craved. When I was with him, I never felt like I had to look over my shoulder, because I felt protected.
I tried to coach myself: Watch the game, watch my back, and then I could be withhim.
When the elevator dinged, indicating I’d made it to the level that housed the box suites, I quickly exited and walked around to where the arrows on the walls directed 110 would be.
