Clay’s expression darkens.“Nah.But we figured it out.”
Curiosity rises up.I want to press him for more, but there’s no time.
I press a kiss to his knee.“You be good.I’m watching you.”
He snorts.“What makes you think you can will part of my anatomy to do your bidding, Pink?”
I cock my head, nodding toward his crotch.“Only the fact that I do it every single day.”
Clay’s slow grin is worth each moment of hardship we’ve been through.
“Okay, you have to run,” I say quickly, passing him the shirt.“I’m going to use your bathroom.I’ll let myself out.”
“Sure.I’ll see you at the game.”He kisses me again, then pulls away.
“You’re amazing,” I call after him.
It’s a relief he’s approaching this in a healthy way.
I head down the hall to use the bathroom.On the way back, I glance into the sports memorabilia room and pull up short.
The glass case with his championship ring is empty.
“How’s Jay feeling?”I grab Brooke’s hand, willing reality to set in.
“He’s a wreck.”She grins.“How’s Clay?”
“He tried to play it cool, but he’s so not cool about this.”
The stadium goes dark, and the music starts.
Spotlights with the Kodiaks logo slice through the darkness.
The announcer interrupts, “Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a special presentation thanking the Kodiaks’ longtime former coach.”
When the house lights go up, there’s a video that was made for Coach’s retirement.I bounce lightly on my toes, clasping my hands together as I watch.It’s touching, seeing his incredible career history, watching players say how much he’s meant to them.I’m in tears, and I’m not the only one.
The LA team takes the court, then Denver is announced one by one.
“What the…” Brooke starts.“What are they wearing?”she asks as she sees Atlas, then Miles bound onto the floor.
“Oh shit, Nova.Those are fierce.”
Their normal playoff jerseys have been replaced with new ones: purple and gold with a gray bear in honor of Coach.The design is mine, and Harlan personally called the league to get approval for the team to wear them.Chloe worked around the clock to get the jerseys prepared.
I grin, cheering for every player.Clay is announced last, and I jump up and down, screaming until I’m hoarse.
“If the crowd could win it for them, we would,” Brooke says.
The entire arena is standing from the moment Atlas takes the jump ball.
It starts out tight, back and forth.
Two points here.Two there.
Then the Kodiaks move the ball, setting Miles up for a perfect three…
And he misses.
