Page 30 of Make the Play

Jake exhales sharply through his nose, muttering something under his breath before looking back at Meadow, who’s still perplexed.

Charlie coughs, composing herself as she gently smooths Meadow’s hair back. “It’s just a saying, honeybee,” she tells her, still breathless with laughter. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

Meadow accepts this easily, already distracted by her crayons. “Oh, okay!”

Jake exhales like he just survived a near-death experience, and Ryan claps him on the back. “Handled it like a pro, Brooks.”

Logan pulls himself back up from under the table, still wiping his eyes. “That was historic.”

Jake groans, tilting his head back, fully exhausted. Charlie pats his cheek, before pressing a kiss there.

“I love you,” she says, effortlessly.

It’s so incrediblythemthat it makes my blood thrum.

Because Jake never hesitated, never wavered. Never flinched at the weight of love.

My gaze automatically drifts to Zoe, watching the way she’s laughing. Radiant and wild and utterly untouchable.

And it hits me. This is it.

This is us.

We fight. We push. We bicker like it’s our own private language.

And yeah, I love getting under her skin. But I also know she gives just as good as she gets.

Because beneath all of this, beneath the sexual tension and the lingering aftertaste of last night, beneath the way I haven’t stopped thinking about how she looked this morning standing there in nothing but a towel, Zoe is my friend.

For years, she’s been the person who keeps me in check, who calls me on my shit, who laughs with me so hard my stomach aches.

And that part hasn’t changed, even now. Even after last night ruined me beyond repair.

She meets my gaze for a fraction of a second, and in this moment, we both silently agree.

Last night never happened.

And if we both pretend hard enough, maybe we’ll believe it.

Chapter eight

A group of chaos goblins in expensive suits

Zoe - 2 weeks later

The crisis call comes at 11:43 a.m.

I’m in my office at Pulse Marketing, halfway through drafting a press release for one of the team’s new sponsorship deals.

Off-season is my favorite time of year.

No back-to-back media scrums. No damage control for poorly timed fights or questionable social media activity. No chasing down players to get their statements straight before the media circus swallows them whole.

Right now, my job is simple: secure high-value partnerships, push the Storm’s brand, and make our players look likecommunity-driven, charitable, well-rounded individuals instead of a group of chaos goblins in expensive suits.

It’s peaceful. Until my phone vibrates across my desk.

Incoming Call: John Raines (Head of PR, Colorado Storm)

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