Page 178 of Hometown Halftime

People scream loud enough to shake the walls. Brynn and Kate shove Riley to the side as they surround me in a bear hug. Across the room, Knox looks emotional holding Beau against his chest while the baby sleeps peacefully through the mayhem, completely unaware his unofficial aunt just got engaged.

For the longest time, I thought love was something that happened around me instead of to me. Something I watched from the sidelines while everyone else got to play the game. And I was okay with sitting on the bench until it was my time.

Until there was Riley.

He crashed into my life with his loyalty and ridiculous charm, his gentleness and care, and he turned into the safest place I’ve ever known.

And now I get to keep him forever.

Riley

Nine Months Later

The Roanoke Pride weren't supposed to make it this far this season.

At least that's what every sports analyst in America seemed to think back in August.

The team finished near the bottom of the league last season. The roster was weak, the coaching staff was new, and every prediction article I read during training camp had us sitting comfortably outside playoff contention. Now it's January, we're hosting a playoff game next weekend, and Coach Morgan spent most of today's practice attempting to correct every mistake we’ve made all season.

The drive home from Ironcrest Stadium takes less than twenty minutes. Winter settles over Roanoke in soft shades of gray, porch lights glowing as my truck rolls into the driveway of the small blue house Kinsey and I bought last summer in the suburbs. The second I spot her Jeep parked in front of the garage, the stress of the day starts to fade away.

I grab my duffel bag and head inside. The front door has barely clicked shut behind me before a furry orange blur comes tearing across the hardwood floor.

“Traitor.”

Kevin comes trotting out of the dining room and throws himself against my legs, giving me a lecture with loud meows.

“Every day,” Kinsey complains. “Every single day I feed him his ridiculously expensive food, clean his litter box, and make sure he gets his playtime. Then you walk through the door and I cease to exist.”

Kevin answers by purring so loudly it fills the entryway.

I drop my bag and bend down to scratch behind his ears. “Sounds like a skill issue on your part.”

A dramatic gasp echoes from the dining room.

“I don’t have a skill issue, I love him with all my heart. He wasn’t supposed to be your cat.”

“He's our cat.”

“He absolutely is not. I know he loves you more than me.”

I pick him up and continue petting the furry traitor as I follow the sound of her voice into the dining room. When I round the corner, I pause to take in the scene waiting for me. Wedding magazines cover nearly every inch of the table, mixed with color swatches, guest lists, and an open laptop displaying what looks like seventeen different open tabs going. Three notebooks sit scattered among the chaos, alongside enough sticky notes to drive a normal person insane. The entire table looks like a wedding planner threw up all over it.

Kinsey sits at the table, her dark hair is piled on top of her head, and she's staring at a spreadsheet with the kind of concentration most people reserve for defusing a bomb.

I love her so much.

She glances up and points a pen at me.

“Okay, now that you’re home. Your mother and Brynn have opinions again.”

“About what?”

“Everything.”

“That’s not helpful.”

“At this point, I’m thinking about just handing it all over to them. We could just show up, say the vows, eat, and leave for the honeymoon. Done.”