I pulled her into my body, my left hand resting on her lower back as hers came up to my shoulder. The music slowed, my mom’s favorite song“Isn’t She Lovely”starting to play. I half-heartedly registered everyone else making their way onto the dance floor beside us.
“It looked like you were having a serious conversation with your brothers,” Emmie said. “Everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. It was a very much needed conversation.” Maybe one that should have happened a few years ago.
Emmie hummed but didn’t press, and I found myself loving her for it. For the quiet trust. For the patience. There were already a thousand things I loved about her. Somehow, I knew there would be a thousand more. With time, I’d fall for her in ways I hadn’t even learned yet.
“I love you.”
Emmie peered up at me from under her lashes, her face filled with love and warmth. She pulled her hand from mine and placed both of hers on my chest.
“I love you, too.”
Around us, my entire family was lost in their own moments. Steven dipped my mom, her laughter filling the air. Mila and Bryton stared at one another, sharing a fragile moment. Tasha and Trevor swayed to the music with her back resting against his chest, his hand on her belly. My brother Landon and Lydia held Kai between them in their own little bubble. And Josie and Wyatt danced away with Wrenley and Jayden.
Everyone was with their person. And for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel left out. I wasn’t an outsider looking in. I was right there, dancing with my person. The one who stripped back my walls and made me believe in love. Made me believe inforever.
And for the first time…forever didn’t scare me anymore.
40
EMMIE
3months later…
Mayhem. Complete and utter mayhem. The seat below me rattled, the concrete below my feet practically vibrated as the screaming around had my ears ringing.
Straight ahead, the clock hit five minutes until the end of The Legacy Championship game, where Titans would hopefully win back-to-back titles.
My eyes were glued to number eleven as he jogged onto the field. He looked amazing out there. Every throw, every dodge of a player, smooth like silk. Mateo owned that field and every single person sitting here in the stadium knew it. Even the people watching on TV had to be aware of it.
On my left sat Evelyn, Mateo’s mom, anxious and restless as she watched her youngest son play the biggest game of his career. On my right, Josie screamed alongside every other fan in the stadium. I really should have sat with Tasha and Mila in the row behind us. Thank god we were at the front with no one seated in front of us.
“Don’t worry, he’s got this,” Oliver, Mateo’s old college roommate, said over his shoulder, a slight British accent tohis tone. I only talked to him through the phone and Mateo’s gaming headset, so this was the first time we were speaking face to face. Same with his other two friends.
I knew nothing about soccer, but Oliver was apparently being called one of the best up-and-coming players in the sport. A title that was hard to gain.
He was also a bit of a charmer, which made sense given how he looked—blond hair, one green and one blue eye, a jawline that even had me staring. He had wide shoulders with a lean body, thanks to hours of running on a soccer field. While he was only six foot, he was insanely attractive. Every woman in the vicinity gaped at him.
“Mateo looks the best he’s ever been,” Jude, another college friend, commented. He was an outfielder for a baseball team in California. From what Mateo told me, he had one of the biggest contracts in the league currently.
Just like Oliver, Jude screamed sex appeal with light brown hair, green eyes, and the light scruff that littered his jaw. The dude was tall at six two and surprisingly muscular for a baseball player. Again, a sport I knew next to nothing about. He had that goofy vibe like Mateo, and it instantly made me understand why the two were friends.
“He does,” said Elliot, the final guy who made up their friend group. Out of all three, Elliot was the one I was most intrigued with. He was tall, arms bigger than my head that were littered with tattoos, with dark black hair and amber eyes that I swear glowed in the sun. A ring ran through his lip, and I caught a small glint in his mouth that indicated his tongue was pierced, too. He was a football player back in college but didn’t go into the draft. Instead, he did something with computers now.
The three were an odd mix but somehow worked as friends. They all took the time out of their schedules to be here for Mateo’s game. I sort of went behind Mateo’s back tosurprise him with his friends. One night while he was asleep, I grabbed his phone and got all of their numbers. It took a few weeks to figure it all out, but it was worth it to see Mateo’s face two days later when they showed up at his apartment.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I muttered, my stomach a ball of knots as I watched Mateo on the field.
“Here, you can use my bowl if you need it,” Mila offered from behind me.
I waved her off. I would be okay…after Mateo won this whole thing. I’d been to countless games this season, but this one was the most stressful. For both Mateo and my dad. They were coming back to defend their title, despite the pressure that’s been on them all season.
I knew just how much this moment meant to Mateo. Missing three games for his ribs wasn’t easy, even if he went back to playing a few weeks earlier than recommended. He’s worked his ass off to get his team here again.
They only had five more minutes to hold the opposing team off, to prove why they were the top team in the league and why Mateo was the quarterback everyone feared. But also why my father was the coach who built it all.
I stared out at the field, watching Mateo as he bounced on his toes and looked for an open player. It only took milliseconds for him to cock his arm back and throw the most perfect spiral downfield. Right into Jake’s arms.
