Page 29 of Ready to Snap
Will doesn’t say a single fucking word the rest of the drive, putting me on edge. With a swipe of my lip gloss and one final look in the visor mirror, I tuck my makeup into my bag. We’re stopped in traffic, and I glance over at him. He’s focused, game-day ready. The fun, playful Will I’m loving—liking—more with every minute we spend together is gone.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah,” he grumbles, keeping his eyes on the traffic in front of us.
Trying my best to mimic his tone, I grunt, “Yeah,I’m great, Elle.”
He pins me with a glare, then lets out a hearty laugh. “I’m all right. Promise. I’m just getting ready to take on a lawyer and someone whose job is to protect the Cougars—not us. They could cost me the woman I’ve wanted for years, so I’m… I know it probably sounds stupid, but before every game I go through positive affirmations.”
“It’s not stupid at all. But this isn’t a game, and you look anything but positive.”
“This is significantly more important than any game I’ve ever played,” he admits, and my heart swells at his confession. “I’m not getting any younger. When you find someone who understands you…” He blows out a long breath, making me increasingly nervous. “I’m not going to let them ruin this.”
“What if your agent is wrong? What if?—”
“We’re not going to run through hypotheticals. You know how I feel and what I want, and there’s nothing they can say that’ll change that.”
Will squeezes my hand, and I take a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. He brings our jointed hands to his lips and brushes a soft kiss on my knuckles. The simple, sweet gesture grounds me.
“So, what are these positive affirmations of yours?” I don’t expect him to tell me, but appreciate anything he’s willing to offer.
“Promise you won’t laugh?” he hesitantly asks, and I nod. “The one I usually go to is ‘I deserve this.’ When I signed my first contract, I was one of the highest-paid quarterbacks inthe league. Everyone said I didn’t deserve it. I worked hard to get where I am on the field, but I am struggling with…this. I don’t feel I deserve you, because I didn’t work for it. So now I’m reminding myself that I deserve to be happy, even if I don’t deserve someone as special as you.”
Will’s so confident on the field, but more and more, it feels like it’s all a show. I’ve spent the past few years putting out fires for him—but never anything this heavy. In a single day, he’s declaring I’m some sort of unicorn. He thinksI’mspecial? There’s still a very real possibility that the past twelve hours have changed both of our lives. Whether it’s for the better or worse remains to be seen.
Through my self-doubt, I lean over the console to kiss him, but traffic moves, and all I get is his cheek. When we stop at the next light, he gently grips my throat and brings my lips to his. If things don’t go as planned with the meeting, I don’t think I’ll be able to give him up.
“You’re going to mess up my lipstick,” I tease, but couldn’t care less if he smears it. I’m just grateful he’s opening up to me. He pulls back, and I swipe his bottom lip with the pad of my thumb.
“Worth it.”
I close the distance to press a final kiss to his lips. “You’reworth it, and you deserve to be happy.”
“I am.”
I tuck away any negative thoughts as he brings my lips back to his. It’s brutal and demanding, but interrupted by his phone vibrating with what must be a string of incoming texts. “Aren’t you going to check that?”
“I don’t use my phone while I’m driving, and I’m pretty sureit’s just my group chat with the guys. They probably want to know how last night went. I’ll check it later.”
“You probably shouldn’t be distracting yourself with kissing me either,” I counter.
“You’re right, but I can’t help myself; I’ll gladly take the ticket if we’re pulled over.”
The rest of the drive is quiet, and I’m tempted to text Nora to fill her in on everything, but decide it’s best to wait until after the meeting. We pull up to the training facility and show security our badges, then park. Like last night, he insists on opening my door for me. My stomach is in knots about what the next hour has in store for us, but my heart has never felt so full.
We take the elevator up to the third floor, and Will still doesn’t let go of my hand. I try to take it back, but he squeezes tighter and insists, “I’m not going to pretend.”
I swallow thickly and nod. “Okay.”
The elevator doors open, and a receptionist leads us to a large conference room. The table is filled with several people I recognize and few I don’t. Denise is flanked by the VP of Human Resources and an assistant who I’ve met briefly but can’t remember her name. Will’s agent is on the other side of the table, and there are three men who look like they just walked out of a courtroom drama. It takes a lot to intimidate me, but nerves swirl in my gut as I sit.
“Michelle. William. Thank you for joining us,” Denise starts. She never calls me Michelle, and suddenly the room is too small. Losing my job is still a very real possibility. “Today we are here to discuss the possible breach of your contracts due to inappropriate workplace behavior.”
Will squeezes my hand tighter as he chimes in. “Nothing inappropriate has happened between us. Last night, we were set up on blind dates through an app. When we realized we were each other’s date, we decided to have dinner as colleagues to discuss the game yesterday. Before last night, we never had so much as a coffee together outside of the stadium.”
One of the lawyers adjusts his glasses and references his notes. “You both attended a charity gala last weekend and she was your date.”
“I wasn’t his date,” I insist. “Seating was assigned. I had no idea I was placed at the same table as Will and his mother until I arrived that night.”
