Page 137 of Playbook
“Come on, I’ll take you to him,” Archer says.
I look to Alec, who is still standing behind me.
“Go, go,” he says.
“Thank you.” I hug him before turning to follow Archer.
“You owe me box seats,” Alec calls after me.
Archer and his brothers flank me on all sides as we move through the crowd. I’m too short to see over them, so I trust we’re making progress.
When we come to a stop, I can hear Brogan, but he still sounds like he’s a little ways away.
Archer is in the front and he turns to me. “I can’t get us any closer.”
I lift onto my toes, but it’s useless.
“Sorry about this.” Archer steps closer and crouches in front of me, then pulls me up onto his shoulders.
“Oh,” I yelp and grab on to his bicep with one arm and his head for balance, but his grip is locked on me. My fear lasts only a few seconds because I’m tall enough now I can spot Brogan.
I yell his name, but it gets lost in all the other shouts.
“We got you,” Knox says to my right. He cups his hand around his mouth and yells, “Yo, Six!”
Then they all join in. People nearby start to notice and the five of us keep screaming Brogan’s name.
I see the moment he hears us. He stills and then scans the crowd. Our eyes lock and I wave awkwardly.
His grin makes my insides light up. He cuffs one of his teammates on the shoulder and says something, then moves toward us. The crowd parts much more easily for him than us.
Before I have any idea what to say to him, he’s in front of us. Archer setsme down while his brothers congratulate Brogan.
“Thanks, guys. Appreciate you all being here.”
“That was a great game. We’re so proud of you.” Hendrick hugs him, then they all step back to give us some room.
“I see you met my brothers,” he says.
“Yeah.” I laugh. “They’re handy in a crowd.”
His smile remains, but his eyes soften. “I wasn’t sure if you’d come. I’m sorry I was such a wreck this week. I wanted to reach out, but after the way I acted, I wasn’t sure you’d want to hear from me.”
“I was never not coming. I’m here. Good and bad. Always. You’re my guy.” I open the front of my jacket to show him the Six jersey I’m wearing.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Yes, you do. And I’m going to keep telling you that until you believe me. I wouldn’t sit through a football game for just anyone.”
“Good to know.” One side of his mouth inches higher.
“I don’t know a lot about the game, although I am a fan of you in football pants. Actually, the whole uniform really does it for me. Your arms, your chest, your butt…The way your hair curls out around the back of your helmet.” I wave a hand in front of him, and he smirks.
“But my favorite things about you have nothing to do with your ability to catch a ball or even your rugged good looks.” I hear his brothers snickering behind me. I turn to them. “Shocking, I know!”
I turn back to him. “I like how kind you are, how much fun you make the most mundane things. I admire your work ethic and how you make people feel loved and appreciated. People want to know you because they can sense how wonderful you are. I wonder if I made you feel half as adored as you made me feel the past couple of months. Ihope so. And if not, I promise I will if you let me.” I take one more step toward him. “There are so many more things I like about you. The list is endless. I guess you could say I’m your biggest fan.”
He reaches forward and fists the material of my shirt, tugging me to him. Then, his mouth comes down onto mine and he kisses me hard.
