Page 19 of Winning the Quarterback
A tear slips down her cheek, and I brush it away with my thumb. "I want to be here with you, Nora Bell. The woman who chased her cat across the street and into my life and somehow made me feel like I never lost the game."
"But we barely know each other," she whispers, though her eyes tell a different story. "It's only been two days."
"So?" I smile, cupping her face in my hands. "My first touchdown pass took three seconds. Doesn't mean it wasn't real."
A laugh bubbles out of her, watery and surprised. "Did you just compare our relationship to a football play?"
"It's my go-to metaphor."
Her eyes search mine, looking for doubt or hesitation. "This is crazy," she murmurs. "We've known each other for like forty-eight hours. People don't fall in love that fast."
"Don't they?" I stroke her cheek, heart hammering in my chest. "Isn't that what you write about? People finding each other at exactly the right moment, recognizing something rare and holding onto it?"
"That's fiction," she protests weakly.
"So write us a better story," I challenge, leaning closer. "One where the washed-up quarterback comes home and finds everything he never knew he was looking for in the girl next door. One where timing and chance and maybe a little bit of magic bring two people together at exactly the right moment."
"And then what happens?" Her voice is barely above a whisper, her body swaying toward mine like she can't help it.
"And then they take a chance," I murmur. "They acknowledge that maybe this is crazy, maybe it's too fast, but it's real. They decide that some things are worth the risk."
"I'm scared," she admits, vulnerability shining in her eyes. "I'm scared of believing in this, of letting myself fall, and thenwatching you realize that small-town Nora Bell isn't enough to keep Devin Turner interested."
"Look at me," I say, tilting her chin up. "I've had fame. I've had the spotlight and the glory and the validation of thousands of strangers. And none of it, not one second of it, made me feel the way I felt waking up beside you this morning."
Her breath catches. "Really?"
"Really." I brush my thumb across her lower lip. "I don't know what happens next, Nora. I can't promise we won't hit rough patches or have disagreements or moments of doubt. But I can promise you this: I want to find out. With you. Here, in Whitetail Falls. For as long as you'll have me."
The tension in her body softens, something like hope dawning in her eyes. "That's a pretty good speech, quarterback."
"I've been practicing," I admit with a smile. "All the way from my house to here."
She laughs, the sound warm and real, and it feels like scoring the winning touchdown, that rush of exhilaration and rightness and triumph all mixed together.
"So," she says, her hands sliding up to rest against my chest, "what happens now?"
I pull her closer, until our bodies are flush against each other. "Now, I'm going to kiss you under these ridiculous festival lights, with the whole town probably watching, because I can't wait another second."
"Bold strategy," she murmurs, eyes sparkling.
"Let's see if it pays off," I whisper, and then my lips find hers.
This is a promise, a declaration, a homecoming. Her mouth opens beneath mine, soft and warm and eager, her hands sliding up to tangle in my hair.
I pour everything I feel into the kiss, all the certainty and hope and yes, love, that's been building since the moment I saw her chasing her cat across the street. She responds in kind, her body melting against mine like she's finally letting herself believe this is real.
Nora buries her face against my chest with a groan. "Oh my god. The whole town is watching."
"Small price to pay," I laugh, wrapping my arms around her. "Should we give them an encore?"
She looks up at me, cheeks flushed but eyes dancing. "You are terrible."
"You love it," I counter, and the way her expression softens tells me I'm right.
Before she can respond, a loud boom echoes overhead. We look up to see the first of the festival fireworks bursting against the darkening sky, a cascade of gold and red showering down above the oak trees.
"Perfect timing," I murmur, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
