Page 100 of Make the Play

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I knew the rules. I knew we had to report our relationship to the team at the start and that we weren’t going to be doing that. I know that means I could lose my spot on the Rampage roster. I know that means I might get traded and lose my contract. I know I might have to move away from my family when that happens. I knew it all, Landry, and I did it anyway. I’d do it all a million times over if that meant she was mine. Because no matter what happens, Corie and I will decide together what the next steps will be.”

“Tell me I’m hearing this right. You’re willing to give up the game you love, the team you love, for my sister.”

“For the love of my life, yes.” There is no hesitation in my reply. My answer is resolute.

“That’s fucking insane, Beckett. Do you hear yourself right now?”

“I know what I said, Reynolds.” My voice is hard. “I meant every damn word. Football won’t keep me warm at night.” He growls at my words, but I ignore him and keep going. “Football won’t create a family with me and be there for all of life’s adventures. None of us play forever, and if I have to choose, I choose her. No contest. Every damn time, I choose her.”

Again, we sit in silence. I know he’s processing my words. I don’t know how long we sit here, but I’m not moving, not until he’s ready. I’m also still expecting that punch, which so far hasn’t come.

“You’re different. Still disciplined, but you seem… happier, too. You smile more, just like she does, and you’re not as tense or uptight. You’ve been taking it easy on riding our asses. I chalked it up to your girl but didn’t know it was my sister.” He pauses. “You know, now that I’m looking back, you seem softer with her. The way you talk to her. The way you look at her. I guess the joke’s on me. I just chalked it up to you seeing her as a little sister.”

“No. The love of my life.”

He gives me a hard stare. “Tell me where this goes.”

Haven’t I been clear enough? If he needs me to keep repeating it, I will. “One day, we’re going to be related,” I tell him. “I want her in my jersey and for her to be wearing our last name. I want to fall asleep every night with her lying next to me and wake up the same way. I want little Cories running around our house. I want… everything, Landry. There isn’t a single part of my future that I don’t see her in.”

“Does she know?”

“Yeah, I mean, I haven’t told her that I’m in love with her. I’ve told her she owns my heart, but I haven’t said the words.”

“Yet, you said them to me.”

I nod. “I know she should have heard them first, but I needed you to understand what she means to me. This isn’t a fling. She’s my forever, Landry. I didn’t want to scare her away. She’s been stressed about someone finding out and the effect on our relationship and the team, and then there are our jobs on the line.”

“Why not call it quits, then?”

“Neither one of us wanted that. She loves me, too.”

“Has she told you?”

“Not those three little words, but yeah, she has.” I smile when I think about all the moments we’ve shared. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that she loves me, and I know that even though we haven’t said the words, she knows how madly I’m in love with her, too.

“Fuck, Beckett, my little sister.”

“Yeah.” I grin.

“You’re grinning like a lovesick fool,” he tells me.

“That’s the Corie effect.” I shrug. I’m not ashamed of how my girl has me wrapped around her little finger.

He chuckles lightly, and tension releases from my shoulders. “I have one question.”

“What’s that?”

“Are you going to make the play or continue to ride the bench?”

This time, I’m the one who’s laughing. “The play is already in motion, brother. I love her. Now that you know, I plan to tell her tonight, and then she and I will decide together when to tell the team. If she still wants to wait, then we wait.”

“You could lose it all.”

“Nah, it’s not what I’ll be losing. It’s what I’ll be gaining. A wife. A partner for life. The mother of my children. I love the game, man. I do. I’ve lived and breathed football my entire life. I didn’t know there was anything more out there waiting for me until I met her. I could never step on the field again, and I’d be okay because I have her. Sure, I’d miss it. But when I think about losing the game, it sucks, but it’s not the end of the world. When I think about losing your sister, my heart cracks in two. I wouldn’t survive that. She’s my number one pick.”

My phone rings, and I look down to see my girl’s smiling face. “Hey, babe,” I answer.

“Are you heading to your place?”

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