Page 97 of Replay

I quirk my eyebrow at him. “Yes, please tell me, Mr. Marine Biologist.”

Nate grins, chuckling. “I learned that sea turtles can find their way home from anywhere in the ocean.”

He brushes a piece of my hair out of my face. “You’re my home, BB. No matter what, I was destined to always find my way back to you.

Twenty-Six

“Hell of a game, guys!” Coach shouts from behind me and Nola as we enter the locker room. We are the last ones here since we did the post-game interviews.

Everyone cheers and shouts, all of us on a high from the last-minute touchdown Nola scored to win the game for us.

“QB, anything you want to say?” Coach Price asks.

I give him a smile, so fucking proud of my team tonight.

“Every single person busted their ass out there. From the O-line protecting me, to our defense, who shut them down in the second half, to our special teams.” I see Pike beside me and pat him on the shoulder. “This dude right here…he doesn’t miss. You kept us in that game, buddy.”

The team goes crazy again, and then I spot Nola standing beside the coach, and I drag him out in the center. “We already know Leblanc is going in the draft from the way he’s been killing it all year,” I say, winking at Graham. “But we might have to hide this guy for a few more years so they don’t take him too.” I throw myarm around his neck, pulling him into me. “Nola made me look good tonight. Mark my words, he’ll go down in history one day.”

He playfully pushes me off him, and everyone joins in, jumping around him until Coach whistles.

With a jolly grin on his face, his loud voice carries throughout the room. “Leblanc just reminded me we have a birthday boy in the house today.”

I roll my eyes in Graham’s direction as a few guys from my O-line pick me up, placing me on top of their shoulders, and the whole team starts singing “Happy Birthday” to me.

Shockingly, my eyes land on Carter’s, and he may not be singing, but he’s actually smiling and enjoying himself.

“Okay, okay...I have one more announcement,” Coach yells over our loudness.

We all quiet immediately.

“We got the call earlier, but wanted to wait to tell y’all… We are going to the Carolina Bowl. You’ll get a second chance at taking down East Carolina.”

Cheers erupt again, and I’m thrilled with this news. I have no doubt we can beat them and this second chance to do it feels like it's meant to be.

“Redemption! Redemption! Redemption!” is chanted over and over in the locker room, and I wholeheartedly believe we’ll get it just by how badly I know we want it.

Today has been the best birthday I’ve had in a while, and the greatest part is coming when I walk out those doors and intoherarms.

Berkley

I’ve been wearing Nate’s old practice jersey to every game for the last month, but this past week, I made a purchase for his birthday party, and I can’t wait to see his eyes when I walk into their house.

“He’s going to go insane when he sees you,” Willow coos from where she walks beside me, and Darby agrees from the other side.

“Damn right, he is,” Bellamy calls out. She’s walking behind us with Shay, who Darby invited tonight because her boyfriend and the men’s team are at an away game.

I have on an oversized Outlaw jersey, and I’m wearing it as a dress with little black spandex shorts under it. I paired it with over the knee black boots.

My belly churns with excitement at the thought of his reaction as Darby opens their front door to an already crowded Wolves Den.

“Birthday boy!!” Bellamy sing-songs over the loud music. “Your dessert is here.”

I smirk, shaking my head at my best friend, but her antics get his attention, and when it lands directly on me, it's like everything else fades away. I stop in my tracks, my blue eyes locked onto his hazel ones until his begin their admiration down my body. His appreciation stops on the number two covering my torso before he meets my gaze again and a smile transforms his handsomeface. He bites his lip and peruses lower to the skin between the top of my boots and the bottom of his jersey.

His eyes roll back in his head, and he runs his palm over his jaw. I swear I hear him groan, but I know that’s impossible from where he stands. Then his large strides are eliminating the distance between us faster than I can think.

Nate’s hand goes to my lower back, and he pulls me into him. I instantly feel his hard cock, and I can’t help the little whimper that leaves my lips. I’m so pent-up after watching him on that football field today.

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