He must still be short on oxygen, because a mirage materialized in front of him.
“Julie,” he said, so soft that it’d hopefully prevent his teammates from worrying he’d lost his mind. Then she was striding faster, rushing his way, and those footsteps sounded real.
Whistles and cheers erupted, and Gavin’s feet began propelling him toward the prettiest mirage his brain had ever conjured. Eyes as blue as the sky after a storm, silky blond hair, and God bless those dimples—he’d be the only one to lick them if he had his way.
Julie flung herself into his arms, and he lifted her off the ground and swung her around. She was warm and solid, and it wasn’t until he caught a whiff of her vanilla perfume that he allowed himself to fully believe she was here in the locker room, in his arms, before the biggest game of his life.
“Thank fuck,” Jason said from beside him. Then he pointed a finger their way. “I’m gonna give you two a minute, but you nearly gave us all heart attacks, missy. Once you’re done assuring your boy that you love him, too, you’d better go sit in the owner’s box and think long and hard about how to do better next game, after we kick the other guys’ asses.”
Everyone else echoed the sentiment while Gavin just continued to grin like a kid in a candy shop.
Jason herded the guys a few feet away, giving them at least a semblance of privacy.
“Sorry I’m late,” Julie said. “Kylo Ren needed to be dropped off with a cat sitter, and you know how he gets around other animals. He didn’t want me to leave.”
Gavin chuckled. “I do know. And that’s a sentiment I totally understand. I’m about to dig my claws into you so that you never leave my side again.”
The smile that spread across her face flooded him with sunshine. “That’s gonna be problematic on the field. What if you toss me instead of the ball?”
“I’d catch you,” Smitts supplied, so yeah, they were all listening.
Julie glanced back at them and waved. “Thank you guys for the video, and for knocking some sense into Gavin.” She slipped her arm around his waist. “I don’t want to distract you too much, on account of you having a game to win.”
They yelled out a battle cry in response, and Gavin peered over the top of Julie’s head and mouthed “thank you” to Charlotte, Lance, and Coach Bryant. Julie was right about them being short on time.
For his own peace of mind, he needed to settle one last thing. “I wanna be clear that I’m not asking you to give up the job you’ve worked so hard to earn. Things might get tricky, and we probably won’t see each other as often as we’d like, but I’ll do whatever it takes. If that’s what you want, of course. But I’m beyond ready to go all in.”
She circled her arms around his neck, tipped onto her toes, and touched her mouth to his. He was pretty sure she meant for it to be a peck, but he’d missed her far too long to let her go without a proper kiss.
More whistles pierced the air as he tugged her closer and kissed the hell out of her, his sense of urgency transferring to the movement of his lips and tongue.
When he finally released her, she wobbled slightly, and he braced a hand on her hip to steady her. “I’d say sorry, but I’m not even a little sorry. I’m so fucking happy that I’m not even nervous anymore. With you here cheering us on, they’ll find they’re taking on a much different team today, and I can’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces when we win.”
“Time to line up,” Coach Bryant called.
“You heard the man,” Julie said. “Get your ass out there and win this game. After you do, I’ll tell you how madly in love with you I am.”
Joy replaced every other emotion churning through him, leaving his body as close to weightless as possible. He pulled her into his arms again and planted a hard kiss on her mouth. “I love you, too.”
Julie pressed her fingertips to his lips. “Um, hello, it’s not time yet.” She stepped out of his arms and smacked him on the ass. “Now get out there and show ’em what you’re made of!”
Coach Bryant peeked around the rest of the team, who’d begun lining up. “Good to see you, Julie. If you don’t mind, I’ll take over the coaching from here.”
Her giggle filled the air, and then she gave Coach a firm salute.
They filtered out of the locker room, cleats echoing against the floor, and Gavin couldn’t help casting one last glance back at his girl when he reached the door. She was standing next to Lance and Charlotte, and she blew him a kiss.
And with his hardest fought victory of the day won, he rushed onto the field to take care of the second.
…
Every once in a while, life gave you a miracle.
A few weeks ago, Julie thought she deserved one for Christmas. About two minutes ago, when the refs made a crap call and Coach Bryant used his final challenge flag, Julie decided now would be a better time to cash in whatever karma points she’d earned during her lifetime.
Perhaps they’d already been used up getting her to the stadium, where she got to hear her best friend tell her, once again, that he was in love with her. She thought her heart would burst from the declaration in the video, but it’d paled in comparison to hearing it directly from the lips she’d just kissed.
“Need a hand to hold?” Charlotte asked, extending an upturned palm.
Charlotte glanced across her to where Lance Quaid was squeezing the blood out of his fiancée’s other hand.
“I should say no and point out that you’ve already got your hands full, but it’s too close to the end of the game to play it cool.” Julie gripped Charlotte’s hand like a lifeline.
“Full disclosure,” Charlotte said, inclining her head in Julie’s direction. “If I don’t have both of them pinned down, I’m liable to fling them so wildly that I’ll knock over drinks and food and—holy shit, they’re about to announce their decision.”
They all braced, and then jeered as the ref announced they weren’t going to call pass interference, despite the defender—with his back to the ball—knocking Holt’s legs completely out from under him.
“This is bullshit! Do they not remember the fallout from the Rams and the Saints game? It’s the entire reason they made the pass interference review rule.” Julie had stood and screamed the words without thinking, and she grimaced as she noticed everyone staring. “Sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Lance said. “You took the words right out of my mouth.”
Unfortunately, it didn’t change anything. Wimpy or not, Julie buried her head in her lap when the other team got the ball. Usually she didn’t go the ostrich route, but in addition to being apoplectic, she was hemorrhaging internally.