Page 91 of The Way We Collide

With a laugh, I send back a selfie of me doing the last-minute hand gesture I made up for us. I’ll have to give this one a little more thought. She gives the picture a heart, so I guess she’s okay with it.

“Come on, bruh,” Tyler slaps my shoulder. “Time to win.”

I put the phone away, but their image is in the front of my mind. I think of them being two thousand miles away watching the game, being there when I get home, and I’m happy.

I’m ready to get out there and clean up.

Wisconsin has a good team, and it’s clear they’ve been studying us from the start. They’re not about to let us walk away with the game, and they come at us hard.

The trash talk on the line is fierce. Tyler is sacked twice, and Coach is all in the faces of our offensive line. Hell, I’ve got a linebacker staying on me like white on rice. He brings me down more than once, forcing Tyler to find another receiver.

We’re not walking away with any brilliant plays, and I don’t expect to be the talk of sports coverage this week. Right at the end, I manage to give my guy the slip and get down the field. Looking back, I lock eyes with Tyler, but he’s in trouble.

He barely gets the pass off before he goes down, and it’s too high. I’m afraid it’s over my head, but I dig in, pushing off with all my strength and reaching hard. All my focus is on the ball, and my fingers curl just scooping it out of the air and into my arms.

The stadium goes wild, but coming down, Sam is right there on me. I break the tackle, jerking out of his grasp. Then I use the strongarm on Will to regain my balance, and I can’t believe I see a path to the endzone.

My vision tunnels, and I run with everything I’ve got, crossing the line as the whistles blow.

The guys surround me, slapping my back and shoulders, and I hold up my hand, pushing my thumb against the third finger of my left hand and laughing my ass off.That’s for you, Pink.

That was some sweet shit.

We actually lose this one, but we played well. We’re prettybeat up as the reporters run out with their mics, ready to get their sound bites.

Tyler is at my back talking to CBS. I’ve got one of the ESPN gals on me. She asks about that catch, and I confess, sometimes it all comes together.

But she’s not letting me off the hook. “Answer the burning question for us, Hen, who was that mystery lady in your box?”

My throat tightens, and I look down. “She’s… She’s my…” I feel the weight of six pairs of Bradford eyes on me, and I straighten my shoulders, staring directly into the camera as I say it.

“She’s my wife.”

23

Raven

Dylan

WIFE?????? RAVE!!!!! What’s going on?

Rachel

Looks like I need to update my wedding program

Allie

You little sneak. You ran off and got married on us?

Liv

Now we really have to talk.

Dylan

Tell my stinky brother he’s in trouble… Rave??? Where are you???

I’m in Hendrix’s giant bed again, wrapped up in linen sheets holding Haddy. She had her bottle and her bath, and she’s falling asleep with a pacifier, Axel, and her daddy’s pillow. I’m chewing the side of my nail trying to decide what happens now.

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