Page 18 of Remember Me

I caught her face between my hands before she could pull away, holding her gaze. The playfulness in her eyes softened as she registered my sudden seriousness.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.

“I just...” I shook my head, searching for the right words. “I'm so fucking proud of you, Thea. The woman you've become, what you've built. I can't wait to be by your side to see what you do next.”

Her eyes widened slightly, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. It wasn't often I caught Thea Joyce off guard, but when I did, it was always worth it.

“Jackson...” she began, but I silenced her with another kiss.

“I mean it,” I said when we parted. “From that girl who accidentally set her dorm on fire to landing interviews with Bailey Hill at the Super Bowl? You're incredible, and I'm just lucky I get to come along for the ride.”

She smiled, soft and genuine, leaning her forehead against mine. “You know it's not just luck, right? You're the reason any of this happened in the first place. You believed in me when I didn't believe in myself.”

“We believe in each other,” I corrected. “That's our superpower.”

She laughed, the sound warm and intimate in the small confines of the bathroom. “That, and your apparently iron stomach now. Turbulence who?”

I groaned, reluctantly letting her go. “Don't jinx it. We still have three hours to go.”

“Come on,” she said, reaching for the door handle. “If we stay in here any longer, Aiden is going to make even more inappropriate comments.”

I caught her hand before she could open the door, pulling her back for one last kiss. “Let him. I couldn't care less what anyone thinks right now.”

She smiled against my lips. “Me neither.”

As we made our way back to the seats, I noted the bedroom door was still shut and looked at my girlfriend with a raised brow. “What do you say? Join them for round two?”

Thea rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “No, thanks.”

She took my hand and led me back to our seats. The plane still shuddered occasionally with turbulence, but now, with Thea's hand in mine and the memory of that incredible blow job, I barely noticed. Instead, I picked up my champagne glass, now refilled by the flight attendant who was diplomatically pretending she hadn't noticed two couples disappearing to different parts of the plane.

“To the Super Bowl,” I said, clinking my glass against Thea's.

She smiled, that special smile that was just for me. “Nah. To us.”

“To us,” I echoed, knowing that no matter what happened with theChallydeal or anything else, as long as I had her by my side, nothing else mattered.

Chapter Five

Tanner

“Tanner! Hey, Tanner! Really? You’re going to ignore me now? After nine full months in the womb together? Or was it eight? Mom had a C-Section, right?”

I turned to see Thea hurrying down the stadium hallway with Jackson following behind. The lanyard around her neck bobbed between the blazer of her sharp jacket and slacks, the most professional thing I’d ever seen her in, but that was understandable. Today was almost as big a day for her as it was for me.

“Tan Tan!” She said, slightly out of breath as she reached me. “I’m so glad I caught you! Didn’t think I’d see you until you were out on the field and that’s no way to wish your little bro good luck.”

She pulled me into her arms which I eagerly accepted. Although I hadn’t seen my sister in a few months, we talked almost daily, and it always felt like we picked up right where we left off.

“I’m surprised you’re just walking around back here.”

“It’s all thanks to this.” She lifted the lanyard with ‘PRESS’ on full display and I smiled. My sister had finally gotten her life together. She was working hard on something she loved, and I loved that for her.

She leaned forward just as Jackson got to us. “We just finished with theChallyexecutives, and they’re officially very interested.” She lowered her voice, glancing around. “It’s all down to my performance tonight, so you better win, otherwise I’m going to have to ream your ass on TV and I really don’t want to do that.”

“Way to kick your brother’s nerves, Pyro,” Jackson said. It was his turn to pull me into a hug, and I accepted it. The guy already felt like a brother to me with how well he’d treated my sister over the last five years. “How you feeling?”

“I’m doing okay. I’m used to playing under pressure,” I said, the same thing I always did during intense times like this because that was the best way to focus. Disconnect. Take the emotion out of things and focus on the game.

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