Page 92 of Silent Count
I lean down to her ear. “You doing okay with all of this?”
“Which part? The ring or the cameras?” She giggles.
“Baby, I know you wouldn’t have said yes if you didn’t mean it, so I know you’re okay with the ring. I mean the cameras.”
“Bo, this is all part of being with you, and I don’t want to miss a thing, so, yeah, I’m okay with all of it.” As we reach the stairs, she stops. “Now go get that trophy!” She kisses me, then pushes me to climb the stairs.
After Coach gives his speech, he moves and waves me toward the mic. Chelsea is right where I left her, and Casey’s family and Noelle are with her. My parents aren’t far, but closer to the side, some state troopers standing near them.
I adjust the mic and bend down to speak into it. “Let’s go, Stallions!”
Coach hands me the trophy, and I lift it up, and the crowd cheers again.
“First, I would like to thank God. I wouldn’t be here without my faith. And I want to give a quick shout-out to my teammates, who killed it out there today and fought hard to bring this win home. Coach Pettys, you brought me to Walker three years ago, and we had a conversation about winning a national championship. But now … we have TWO!”
My teammates cheer and jump around Coach.
“And I’d like to thank my family for always supporting me. And to my fiancée, you are my reason for everything. I love you, Chelsea.” I blow her a kiss, then lift up the trophy and kiss it. “Let’s GO!”
The crowd roars again, and I pass off the trophy to someone else, then make my way off the stage to my girl.
“You ready to celebrate tonight?” I ask her as I lift her in my arms and kiss her.
She wraps her arms around my shoulders. “Hell yeah, I am.” She kisses me fiercely. “Fiancé.” She smirks.
I spin her around, and we laugh.
The first time I saw Chelsea Sullivan, she took my breath away. I thank God every day that I failed that quiz, because it led me to her.
She used to think love was supposed to be loud—fast, dramatic, full of highs and lows. And I guess that’s what happens when you grow up around people who mistake chaos for care. But I’m trying to show her something different. I want to give her peace. The kind of silence where you don’t have to fill the space—you just belong in it, together.
Chelsea was meant to be mine, and I was meant to be hers. And this love we have for each other, it’s the kind of love that lasts.
