Page 52 of (La)Crosse My Heart

A man stands and I can only see the back of him and a sliver of his profile, but my brain is still blanking on where I’ve seen him before.

“You want the guy who got his girlfriend fired from this organization to be responsible for an entire team? The guy can’t even speak on camera.”

I want to jump up and defend Clark, but he’s already speaking before I can form a response.

“Actually, I’ve learned a lot from her over the past little while. Invaluable things about perseverance through hard things and that it’s okay to laugh at yourself when things don’t go to plan.”

The man shakes his head and says, “I don’t know if there’s any coming back from your last viral interview, Denton.”

Standing, I say, “I’m pretty sure he just proved he can.”

I glance over at Clark and he’s grinning. All eyes are on me, and I hear a few people murmuring, wondering who I am.

“I don’t know what your beef with Clark is, but you’re probably the worst reporter I’ve ever seen. It’s one thing to get a story, but another to tear the athletes down who put their whole heart and soul into prepping for their sports. Maybe you didn’t get the chances you thought you deserved, but if I were your boss, I wouldn’t want you to taint my company any more than you already have.”

The man glares at me. “So, Clark needs his girlfriend to defend him?”

I laugh and say, “He doesn’t, but I’ll gladly do it anytime I can.”

“I think it’s time to go, Richards,” Coach Martin says. He gestures to a larger bodyguard-looking guy, who makes sure to escort the reporter from the room.

“Okay, where were we?” Coach Martin jokes, glancing down at his notes.

The press conference goes on for another twenty minutes, but I can’t stop smiling at Clark. He’s grinning like he’s just scored the game-winning goal, and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

When it’s all done, I get a text from him.

Meet me outside the locker room.

I have to weave through a bunch of reporters to get to the door and then practically run to where he is.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, pulling me into a hug. Before I can respond, he’s cupping my face with his hands and pulling me in for a heavenly kiss.

“I wanted to see you. Nora said you’d be here.”

“Did everything go okay with your boss?”

I nod, grinning. “She got fired and I got my dream job.”

His eyes grow wide. “Are you the team photographer?”

“Kind of. I’ll be making sure the social media is up to date. That means I get to travel with you and everything. I mean, if you want that.”

He uses his pointer finger to tilt my chin up so our eyes are locked. “I absolutely want that. And what they said about you being my girlfriend. I want to call you that, if you’re okay with it.”

Laughing, I say, “Absolutely. Who knew I’d fall for my brother’s best friend?”

“I definitely did not,” he says, laughing. “But I cross my heart that I’ll do everything I can to make you happy.”

I lean over and give him a slow kiss, savoring the moment before I pull back. “That’s a job only two people can fill. And I’m all in when it comes to you, Clark Denton.”

EPILOGUE

Eight Months Later

It’s amazing how one small choice can lead to so many great ones.

Moving to Utah was the best thing that could’ve happened to me. It’s like I’m a new person, and I can’t stop smiling about it.

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