Months ago, I flew five thousand miles away from everything I knew, and landed in the safest hands I could have ever imagined.
Tieran pulls back, his hand cupping my jaw as his thumb presses into the underside of my chin, tilting my head up to look at him. “So, where do you want to go, Hellfire?”
“I want to gohome.”
New Zealand has putup one hell of a fight from the second we stepped onto the pitch to the deafening roar of the crowd's welcome. The second we score a try, they score the next, and on and on. It’s both frustrating and exhilarating, because I know we’re giving the world a good show. A record breaking, memory making match that will be talked about for years to come.
The fact that I’m even here after everything is a testament to perseverance. In the weeks following me bringing Jade back to London, the scouts had called up a few different players but not me. Ballard ended up reaching out to his inside informant. They weren’t going to call me up…not yet. It was a punch to the gut but not wholly a surprise. Half the season, I played like shite, and while I had been playing well during the second half, it had only just begun. Admittedly, the team's admin was right to be worried about my performance streak. Their job was to build a team that would win them medals and glory, and the first half of my season gave them no indication I would be a safe bet.
Even that news couldn’t bring me down in the wake of having Jade back home, back in my arms, back in my bed. The pity blow job helped too.
On the flight back to the UK, I told herwhat happened with Lawrence. We knew him being out of the picture wouldn’t solve all our problems, and we weren't sure if the case against him would hold up in court since finding out Maxine was involved, but it at least took care of the question of if her career with The Legends was in immediate danger. Though, the impending doom of a human resources meeting was certainly on the horizon. We spent the rest of the plane ride holding hands, making a plan, and maybe joining the mile high club.
When we showed up to the stadium the following Monday, we were ready to fight and defend our relationship. Imagine the surprise we felt when HR informed us that because of the unprecedented nature of Jade being the only female to ever own a rugby club, there was no rule in place saying she couldn’t date a player. In everyone’s interest, and to make sure the club was protected, we filled out waivers stating that our relationship was consensual and that nothing was untoward. Jade, being the boss she is, also put clauses in place that any decisions made on my behalf would be split equally between all the shareholders. She would not hold any final authority over my career and therefore couldn’t interfere if things were to go south between us.
I kept telling her it wasn’t necessary, that I trusted her implicitly with all that I am and ever would be, but she wouldn’t budge. Leave it to my girl to be stubborn about protecting the people she loves. I wouldn’t let her have the last word, though, and I punished her thoroughly later that night for even entertaining a reality in which we weren’t endgame. She was moaning and writhing as I edged her for hours, whispering one word over and over into her skin:forever, forever, forever.
Our love was everlasting. It’s the one thing I knew would survive eons and travel across time and space, more permanent than any star in every galaxy.
She grounded me in every way; I wouldn’t be here, minutes from wrapping up the most important match ofmy career, if not for her, because a year later, Ididget called up.
But the clock is running down. New Zealand holds possession of the ball, and I need to figure out a way to get it back.
Back and forth, the ball switches hands between New Zealand’s players while we fight tooth and nail to get to each man who makes a run for the try line. Everyone from both sides is playing as if their lives depend on it. The second one player has a ball, we’re taking them to the grass, but then the ball changes hands and is off again. My legs push hard against the ground as I fight to keep up, the clock ticking closer and closer to that final whistle.
The stands are going wild, yelling out at every catch and release in time with the thudding of my heart. My breath saws in and out in ragged pants, sweat soaking my clothes as dirt and grime coat every inch of my body.
I just need one opening.
I’m a few feet behind New Zealand’s left winger, almost parallel, as my outside centre comes up behind him. Before my guy can take him down, the left winger drops the ball with the intention to kick, and I push my legs even harder to bridge those final few feet. The ball connects with his foot, soaring through the air, and before it can make it to its intended target, I leap up, stealing it to my chest.
The crowd explodes in a riot of excitement when I land on my feet, doubling back and running in the opposite direction. Seconds remain on the clock, and I swear, I can hear Jade over the cacophony of voices screaming at me to go.
Her voice in my head is the motivation I need to go harder. After all the support she’s given me over the past two years, this win is as much for her as it is for me.
I’m twenty feet away from the line, two opposing players closing in but not nearly close enough to stop me as I push the final few metres and dive for the posts. I flip overthe line and touch the ball to the grass seconds before the final whistle rings out over the crowd.
The stadium explodes, and my teammates scatter, running around the pitch in excitement while jumping on each other's shoulders. They reach out for me, but I dodge them, weaving in between celebrators like I'm still running an active play on the pitch in search of the only person I want to celebrate with. I spot her with ease, dark hair whipping in the wind, cheering with the fans around her dressed in my jersey, looking more radiant than the sun that beats down on my neck.
My legs pick up their pace, running toward my home—my future.
Shock slows my pace when Jade starts scaling the barricades in an attempt to get on the field. More than one security guard attempts to stop her, but the way she evades their grasp rivals the playing done on the pitch today.
She’s close enough that I can see her beaming smile, pride seeping through every pore, and then her lips are moving, calling out to me. “You did it! You’re an Olympian!”
She launches herself into my arms, forcing me to rock back on my heels. I lose my balance until I fall on my ass, Jade landing on top of me and huffing out a giggle.
Her hair falls all around me in a halo of dark silk. I instinctively reach out and brush a strand from her face.
“How does it feel?”
She’s so beautiful, I’m having a hard time concentrating. “Hmm?”
“Do you feel any different now?” She starts poking at my temple with her index finger. “Your head’s still the same size. That's a good sign.”
I toss my head back into the grass and laugh. “I just became an Olympian, and you’re already busting my balls.”
“Someone has to keep you humble.”
