Page 77 of Make the Play

“There’s no backing out now.” Squaring my shoulders, I push my nerves aside and enter the room. The sound of the door opening pulls everyone’s attention. All eyes are on us as the door closes with an audible click.

I wave and smile brightly. “Hi, I’m Corie, and this is my best friend, Sloane. I’m Landry’s sister,” I explain. They know who I am. Knox assured me that he told them all we would be here.

“Come on in, ladies,” Knox’s sister, Everly, says. I recognize her from the photos he has around his house. I also know who his parents are, so the other two must be Reagan and Tyler, his aunt and uncle. He has pictures of all of them, but it’s still hard for me to keep them all straight without meeting them in person. Everly and his parents are different. There are more pictures of the five of them around his place.

“I’m Everly, Knox’s sister. This is my fiancé, Matt.” She steps forward, and I’m expecting a handshake, but instead, she pulls me and then Sloane into a hug.

“She’s going through a hugging phase,” Matt teases his fiancée. “She’s preparing for the wedding.” He smiles at her as if she’s the only woman in the room. Knox said he was a good man and perfect for his sister. My first impression is that I agree. He’s smitten. “Nice to meet you.” He, too, hugs us.

“Not just me,” Everly teases him. He steps back and grabs her around the waist, pulls her back to his front, and wraps his arms around her.

“I’m Emma, the youngest sister.” She smiles and also pulls me into a hug.

“Welcome. I’m Kendall, Knox’s mom.” She also hugs us and steps back.

“I’m the dad. Ridge,” his dad says, pulling us both into a hug.

“I’m Reagan, this one’s sister. This is my husband, Tyler. We’re glad you could join us.” She hugs us, and then her husband steps forward and does the same.

I glance over at Sloane, and she’s all smiles and gives me a slightwhat do you do?

shrug.

“We’re used to this suite being packed, so it’s nice to have some extra bodies with us today,” Kendall says.

“Thank you for letting us watch with you. I told my brother and Knox we would have been fine in the stands.” I mention Landry first, hoping my words don’t screamyour son wanted me here.

“They insisted,” Sloane chimes in.

“Well, we’re glad they did.” Reagan smiles. “There’s tons of food, and we have wait staff assigned to each suite if you want to order something off the menu. They’ll bring it to you.”

“Babe, she’s Landry’s sister. I’m sure she knows the drill,” his uncle Tyler says.

“No, actually. This is a first for me,” I confess.

“What? Really?” Everly asks in shock.

“Yeah, I’ve been away at college for the last four years, and this is too much space. It’s just Landry and me, so it would be a bit much for Sloane and me to sit up here. We’re usually in the stands, but with the weather, Knox and Landry decided this is where we needed to be.” I’m rambling, and I’m scared as hell that I’m going to give too much away, so I clamp my mouth shut.

“You know big brothers,” Sloane teases. “He’s technically my brother from another mother since Corie and I have been best friends since kindergarten. He thinks he knows best and usually won’t take no for an answer.”

“Well, we’re glad they both insisted. Come, take a seat. The game’s about to start.” Knox’s mom, Kendall, grabs my hand while his aunt Reagan takes Sloane’s and leads us to seats.

“This is incredible,” Sloane says. You can hear the excitement in her voice.

“I’ve been in here when the stadium was empty, but this… with the crowd and the players on the field, it’s a completely different experience.”

“I thought you’d never been in a suite?” Everly asks.

Great, now his family thinks I’m full of lies. Technically, I am, but not about this. “Not to watch a game. I started working for the Rampage this season. I’ve been inside, but never to watch,” I explain.

“Got ya. That makes sense. Well, I’m glad you get the full experience.” Everly smiles.

We make small talk, and Knox was right. His family is incredible. They literally welcomed us with open arms, and it feels like I’ve known them forever.

The game is tied, and the Rampage have the ball. We’re all on our feet watching, holding our breath, waiting to see what’s going to happen. The ball is snapped, Knox falls back, and within seconds, he’s launching the ball down the field, and it falls right into Landry’s open hands. My brother takes off running, and we’re all screaming and yelling, cheering him on. Landry lands in the endzone for a touchdown with ten seconds on the clock.

I watch with tears in my eyes as my big brother and Knox bump chests, and then all the Rampage players on the field do some kind of victory dance. Once they’ve finished, Landry taps at his chest with his fist and points toward the suite.

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