Everyone in the suite started giving out high-fives.
Nate ripped his helmet off while his teammates surrounded him in the end zone.
Ember grabbed my arm when Nate pointed up at the suite. He tapped his chest three times and pointed at me.
“Oh, my fucking God. You two are ridiculously adorable.” Ember rolled her eyes next to me.
I giggled next to her while leaning against the glass. I wasn’t sure if he could see me or not, but I blew him a kiss and tapped my heart.
“He needed this,” Callie said quietly.
She was right. Not just the touchdown or the win. He needed a moment to block out all the noise and chaos that had been flooding his life and focus on football.
Because after tomorrow, reality would set in. But for now, he was under those stadium lights, with the crowd chanting his name and reminding him why everyone believed in him in the first place.
CHAPTER 32
NATE
Coach Mac’sface was grim. “You’re going to do what?”
“I have a meeting scheduled with management.”
He straightened up in his chair. “About what?”
I met his gaze, knowing he was going to try to convince me to keep my mouth shut. “This is going to be hard for you to hear, but I plan on telling them about my injury. My ex-agent knows, and he’s using it as leverage to get what he wants.”
He squinted his eyes. “What does he want? Money?”
“Yes.”
And I’ve spent far too long sitting back, feeling like my hands were tied. Now I finally had something solid to stop him.
He smacked his palms on the desk. “Then fucking pay him.”
I shook my head, trying to be careful with my tone. “I can’t, Coach.”
His jaw locked tight. His eyes held mine as if he were trying to figure out if I was serious or not.
“So, you’re just going to screw me over?”
There was no easy way to deal with him when his temper was hot, so I concentrated on sticking to the facts.
“The truth is coming out one way or another. Whether it’s from me or him. I didn’t want you blindsided.”
He let out a harsh breath and pushed his chair back so hard it smacked against the wall. “So, what is this? Some type of courtesy visit? You just walk in and drop a bomb like that?”
I exhaled heavily through my nose. “I have to do this.”
Did he think I wanted to be the guy who took down his coach? I hated this—all of it. But there was no clear way out or changing my mind.
This whole situation was already spiraling out of control. It wasn’t just about me anymore or him.
His expression hardened. “Do you realize what will happen if you do? You open this organization to fines, discipline. Draft picks. Hell, worse.”
He was angry, just as I suspected, but there was panic in his tone too. We both knew how this ended for him. With him sitting in front of management and having to explain why he let his star quarterback play injured in not just any game, but the Super Bowl.
I hated that my decision to play wasn’t just mine. But I couldn’t go back and change that. All I could do was try to control what happened next. Even though it was my decision to play, he was going to be the one to pay the highest price.
