She hated this. Hated being wrong, hated having to bare her heart, hated choosing vulnerability over drifting through life at a safe distance. But choosing all those things would lead to happiness. And she believed in happiness. She believed in being whole, in having a good man at her side. So that’s where she was headed.
And if she could hang on to this courage, she’d tell him tonight. After the game—which hopefully they’d win.
Maxwell’s voice startled her out of her thoughts. On the TV, a prerecorded interview played, one of the channel’s common features looking at different athletes and interesting aspects of the game. On the bottom of the screen, big block letters said FOOTBALL & FAMILY.
“It’s been a tough season for a lot of reasons,” Maxwell said. He was dressed in his standard workout gear, and from the background, she could tell it had been filmed at their training facility. From the looks of it, recently, too. “But the death of my stepsister was the biggest change for me. I took custody of her triplets, and let me tell you, going from bachelor athlete to daddy was a shift I hadn’t planned on.”
Jill’s throat clamped shut as she watched, drifting to the sofa so that she could sit down. It felt like she would faint from watching him speak so honestly, so candidly into the camera.
“It’s been hard. No doubt about it. My stepsister Carmen and her husband Wayne were incredible parents, and I can’t even hope to replace Wayne. I thought I’d slap a nanny on the situation and continue as normal, but that’s not how that works,” he said, his heartbreaker smile lighting up the screen. “I couldn’t imagine how these kids would change the entire course of my life. But it wasn’t just the kids. There was someone else who helped change the course of my life. And my future.”
Jill could barely breathe for fear of missing a single second of this interview. She could get lost in those brown eyes just as easily through the screen as in real life. Seeing this muscled, powerful man on TV provoked just as many goose bumps as if he’d been here beside her.
“Having that partner in life, that special someone, is really the difference between surviving and thriving,” Maxwell went on. “We see the same thing in football. A regular coach can help a team survive the season, but a great coach will help a team thrive. The Sharks have thrived this year, and we’ve got a great team. I don’t think I’d be standing here right now if it weren’t for my own partner in crime, though.”
“So does this mean you’re looking at joining the ranks of the married NFL players soon?” the interviewer asked off-screen.
Maxwell laughed, that trademark cockiness bleeding into a heartfelt bashfulness. A dimple flashed. “I don’t think I can say too much without her approval. But she knows who she is, and how much she’s done for our family. For me as a person. I couldn’t do this parenthood thing without her, and I don’t want to do life without her either.” He looked at the camera, placing a hand over his heart. “Thank you, Jill.”
The segment wrapped up and Jill stared at the screen, shell-shocked. She didn’t blink for what felt like an hour, absorbing and re-absorbing what she’d just seen.
After almost a month in this custodial holding pattern…Maxwell still cared about her like that.
Still wanted her.
Still needed her.
Even after how badly she’d projected her fears onto him, after all the times she’d wrongfully suspected him of straying when she hadn’t even been open with her history or her struggles.
Tears pressed at her eyes and all her anxiety melted away. All she could see was the path forward. And she needed to get moving now. She fumbled with her phone, struggling to see her contacts through the sheen of unspilled tears. She called Kelsey and begged her to come over ASAP. The triplets were just waking up as Kelsey got there, but Jill rushed out the door anyway, shouting instructions over her shoulder as she bolted for her car.
There was no time to waste. She needed to go all in. Maxwell had just declared to an entire nation that Jill was his partner in crime. She didn’t have such a huge platform, but she’d declare it in as many ways as she knew how. And that started by showing up for him. Over and over again. Even if she was terrified of getting hurt someday.
She was ready to be a part of this relationship for the long haul.
At the stadium, Jill arrived at the VIP section out of breath, just in time for kickoff. She stood pressed to the windows, absorbing every second of the game with bated breath, with Tessa and Angus at her side. This was a tradition she could get used to, and Tessa felt like a new best friend as opposed to just another NFL spouse.
But the game was tense; Jill let a few more obscenities fly than she would have liked in the presence of young children. The entire Sharks half of the stadium was on their feet in the last few minutes, roaring with support as the score was tied and James ran the ball.
Tears pressed to Jill’s eyes as she watched the Sharks dream team work their magic. A few more yards gained. A recovered fumble. And then with thirty seconds left in the game, Maxwell made a leaping catch in the endzone to score the game-winning touchdown for the Sharks.
The joy was evident on the team’s faces as they wrapped up the game. Jill cried openly, and Angus danced and shouted with happiness. Tessa squeezed her into a hug, babbling about the move Maxwell had executed. When the clock finally ticked to zero, the entire stadium erupted into cheers.
The Sharks were going to the Super Bowl.
The entire Sharks team flooded the field, all the teammates hugging and clapping each other on the back. Jill watched through blurry tears as Mark hopped onto Maxwell’s back. The two of them ran around, high fiving the entire team. Both Tessa and Jill laughed, sharing another hug.
By the time the three of them made it through the crowds and down to the locker room, the team was just wrapping up their victorious interviews. After the reporters and cameras had cleared the locker room, Jill wasted no time. She rushed into the sacred Sharks space, making a beeline for Maxwell’s locker, not fearing for a second what she’d find.
Because she knew what she’d always find with Maxwell: a good man. A man she deserved. A love she deserved.
He stood in the corner, his hands on his hips, his attention stuck on something across the room. But as soon as she headed for him, his gaze washed over her. Surprise registered first, and then the smile came. She raced toward him and launched herself into his arms. He caught her easily, his big palms sliding over her ass cheeks as he effortlessly held her.
“I’m so, so, so proud of you, Maxwell.” She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her forehead to his. Her heart pounded as she took him in. The handsome lines of his face, his damp, dark hair, the twinkle in his eyes that told her he didn’t mind this greeting at all.
“Wow. Holy shit. I wasn’t expecting—”
“I know. I couldn’t miss this. I couldn’t miss watching you do what you love.” She swallowed hard, emotion overcoming her. “You’re incredible, you know that? You’re so good to the triplets. You’re the best lover. You’re so good to us. So good to me, even though I pushed you away.”
His eyes swirled with emotion. “Jill…”
“I saw your interview. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it right between us. Because I want to try. But I’m going to be honest with you. I want to start over and do everything right. I’m committed to this working. But only if you’ll give me another chance.”