Page 75 of Make the Play

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?”

“The biggest is that the entire world knows you’re mine. The second would be you wearing my jersey. Fuck, even thinking about that makes me hard.”

“You have thousands of women who wear your jersey every week.”

“They’re not you, Corie. While I appreciate their support, it’s not the same as my girl wearing my name and number.”

“I guess I’m going to have to get me a Knox Beckett jersey.”

“Done. I’ll handle it.”

“You know I can’t wear it,” I tell him.

“Not yet, but there will come a day when you can. When that day comes, you’ll be ready.”

“You think we’ll get there?” I ask, my insecurities showing, but I know I don’t have to hide them from him.

“We will, Corie girl. Tell me when you’re ready, and everything else will fall into place.”

“It’s not that simple.”

“Trust me, baby. We’ll make it that simple.”

“It’s not just Landry. We could both lose our jobs.”

“When you’re ready, we’ll make an appointment with human resources, Coach, and whoever else needs to be there. We’ll explain our situation, and whatever happens, happens.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that.”

“As long as the outcome is that you’re mine and the entire damn planet knows, it will all be fine.”

“I wish I had your confidence.”

“I have enough for both of us,” he says.

“It’s late. I should let you get some sleep.”

“Yeah, I should get to bed.”

“Night, Quarterback.”

He chuckles. “Night, Corie girl.”

ChapterNineteen

Corie

“Hold still,” Sloane commands. I freeze where I’m sitting on a stool in front of the bathroom mirror. My back is turned, so I can’t see it. I have no idea what my best friend is doing to me.

“Not too much,” I warn her. “I’m just me, Sloane. If that’s not enough, then so be it.” I want to make a good impression, don’t get that twisted, but at the same time, I don’t want to pretend to be a different version of myself. We’ve been doing enough pretending the past few months. We don’t need to add more to my list of infractions.

“Babe, we’re doing this for you and no one else. I want you to feel confident and sexy when you walk into that suite with your boyfriend’s family. This is the first time you’ll be meeting them.”

“But I’m not meeting them as someone important to him,” I counter. Saying the words makes my chest ache.

“One day, you will,” she reassures me. “There.” I turn toward the mirror and grin. “See, I told you it wasn’t too much.”

Standing from the stool, I pull my best friend into a hug. “Thank you, Sloane. I don’t think I’d be able to walk into that suite today without you there with me.”

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