CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
Blair
It doesn’t escape me that I’m more excited about game day today than I have been since I used to watch Zane and my brother play.
I loved attending games with Nathan, but this feels different. My guess is that it has something to do with the fact that I was dreaming of this day growing up. Actually, dreaming isn’t the right word. I was expecting it.
Before our fight on Zane’s birthday, I was convinced we were in it for the long haul. It was just a matter of time. And even after our fight, I was certain we just needed to get over that little hurdle. That once we were both at college together, everything would work out.
Zane made me believe that.
And if the accident hadn’t happened, I truly think that would have come true.
Now I’m here, potentially beginning the life I always imagined, and it’s making me giddy, filling me with a lightness I haven’t felt in years.
“I really wish I’d gotten you a jersey.” Zane groans from behind me, flicking my braid as he wanders past.
“I told you; we need to be subtle for now. And me having a Storm jersey with ‘property of Fitzpatrick’ written on the back is not at all subtle.”
Zane chuckles. “I would love to put ‘property of’ on your back, but jerseys don’t really work that way.”
My eyes widen. Did I just say that? Jesus. “I know that.” I roll my eyes and laugh to cover the uncomfortable feeling settling in my chest. Is that what I felt like wearing Nathan’s jersey? That he owned me?
Turning back to the mirror, I tuck my sweater into my jeans, then brush a loose curl behind my ear.
Zane steps up behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder as he wraps his arms around my waist, humming.
“Mmmm, I am going to play the fuck out of this game.” He inhales as though breathing me in.
“Nothing beats knowing you’re there in the crowd, cheering me on.
I still remember the buzz I got in high school.
Thinking about you watching me, and not being able to tell anyone.
There was always something forbidden about it. ”
“I’d say hooking up with your rival’s ex-girlfriend, a week after she broke up with him, is extremely forbidden.”
“Very true.” He squeezes my waist, making me jump. “I’m a lucky man.”
“Don’t ever forget it.”
“Trust me, that’s not going to happen. But I’ve got to go. You have everything you need, right?”
“I do. Honestly, I would have been fine with a ticket in the nosebleed section.” I spin in his arms and bounce my eyebrows, making him chuckle again.
“You know, sometimes you make it hard to believe you are a football genius.”
“I like to keep people guessing. Now go, before you’re late.” A feeling of déjà vu hits me as Zane kisses my nose and turns to walk away, but I can’t tell if it’s familiar because I’ve done this with Nathan, or I’ve done this with Zane in another life. The life we were meant to have.
I’m on a high until Dad and Cade call for our usual game day chat, and I have to lie to Dad.
Not because I don’t want him to know about Zane, or that I think he’ll be disappointed, but I want to talk to him about it in person, when I know exactly how my life’s about to change.
We’re close, and he always takes on my worries like they’re his own. I can’t put him through that just yet.
The afternoon flies by and I think I’m in control, but the second I step onto the elevator for my journey to the suites, my confidence wavers. Dammit, Zane.
Why the hell would I agree to watch the game with the wives and girlfriends?
I know he means well and doesn’t want me to be alone, but I don’t know these women.
What if they’re awful, or bitchy? Or worse, what if they’re boring and spend more time talking about themselves than they do watching the game?
My stomach lurches when the chime signals that I’ve reached my destination, and I almost press the button for the ground floor. Maybe I’d be better off watching the TV near the food stands, then—
“Blair?” A smiling redhead greets me as the doors open, and I startle at the sight of her. “Oops, sorry. I probably should have waited until you actually stepped out.”
“No, that’s okay. I was in my own world. I’m Blair.” Shit. She knows that.
“I’m Keeley.” She smiles, brushing her hair behind her ear before stepping back to give me space. “I think we met in the hospital.”
“The hospital?”
“Yeah. I was there when Zane and Reed were—”
“Oh, yes.” Now that she mentions it, she does look familiar. “It’s lovely to officially meet you.”
“And you. Zane asked me to help you get settled. I work for the team so I can’t stay, but Lucy Johnson mentioned she was coming, and said to let you know she’d be here by the time the game begins. Do you know her?”
“I do. I’ve just accepted a job at Heartwood University.”
“What? No way! That’s amazing. Lucy’s great. I met her a while ago through Dylan, but I’ve really gotten to know her since Wes started late last season. She tries to come to most games. Not that you have any reason to be coming to most games.” She pretends to zip her lips and I laugh.
“Zane filled you in then?”
“A little. He said it was better if you kept things quiet for the time being.”
“That’s right.”
“I can promise you, the ladies here are all wonderful and understand the need to be discreet. As do I.”
“Thank you. I can’t wait.” My voice comes out shaky, and when Keeley laughs, my cheeks heat.
“And… I promise, you’re going to have fun. If you loved Lucy, you’ll love the rest of them. They’re the most genuine humans I’ve met. As are the guys.”
My shoulders drop and I relax, her genuine smile filling me with warmth. She could be lying, setting me up for heartbreak, but she has no reason to do that, and it’s not the first time I’ve heard that about them. Zane said the same. Though admittedly, he also said he barely knows them.
“Well, there’s no time like the present. I’m ready.”
Keeley’s eyes light up. “There’s the spirit. You’ve got this.”
“Thanks. I hope so.”
She leads the way to a glass door, and I study the women on the other side of the panels, taking them in before they undoubtedly do the same.
They’re all sunshine and rainbows, laughing and smiling at each other, but that doesn’t mean anything.
I’ve met girls like that before and they were not what they seem.
Keeley opens the slider, and as though they planned it, the four ladies in front of us fall silent until one of them gasps.
And it’s freaking Hayley Jackman, Hollywood’s IT girl of the moment. How the hell did I forget that she’d be here?
“Blair?” She rushes forward. “Oh my God. It is you.” Hayley pulls me into a hug and I internally wince for not mentally preparing myself for this moment.
I knew she was dating Reed, both from the hospital and from Jenna reminding me, yet here I am, my chest tight with awe and my belly full of nerves.
Jenna and I watched her movie—after I got over Jenna’s disloyalty of talking about me behind my back—and Hayley was incredible.
“Reed mentioned that you were his nurse.” She pulls back to look at me again.
“I forgot about it until just now. I kept thinking of you as Jenna’s friend.
” As she laughs, she brushes her long, blonde hair away from her face and bounces on her toes, her genuine excitement impossible to miss.
“Jenna is going to kill me for not inviting her today. She thinks the world of you.”
“The feeling is mutual. She matches my energy, and there weren’t many others that did on set.”
“I heard. I’m glad you had each other.”
“And I’m glad we figured out our connection to you and Zane.” She bites back a smile but I get what she’s saying. She had a hand in me being here today. In a roundabout way.
“So am I.”
A throat clears behind Hayley and she laughs. “Okay, okay. Sorry.” She reaches for my hand and drags me closer. “Let me introduce you to the girls.” She spins to face the others, but before she can speak, Keeley taps my shoulder.
“You’re in good hands, but if you need me, I can stay.” The kindness in her eyes has me instantly smiling.
“No, I’m okay. You have work to do.”
“Okay. I’ll be back at halftime to check in.”
“Thank you.” She waves to the group then disappears, and when I turn back around, I have four gorgeous faces staring my way, happiness lighting their features.
“This is Amelia, Paige, and Lainey,” Hayley says, pointing to the three women I haven’t met. “And over on the other side of the room are Jessica, Kylie, and Bree. They’re lovely.” She forces a smile, leaning in close. “But they have their own little clique, so we don’t talk to them that often.”
“Noted.” I nod, my eyes briefly flashing to the other women who are currently ignoring my presence. “It’s lovely to meet you all.”
“Likewise.” The woman Hayley said was Amelia steps forward, bouncing a beautiful little girl on her left hip. “I’m Amelia, Luke Bennett’s wife, and this is our daughter, Juliet.” Juliet smiles, burying her face in her mother’s shoulder, and I can’t help but laugh.
Of the four women, Amelia’s the most casually dressed, wearing a Storm jersey and boyfriend jeans. She doesn’t stand out as much as the others, but there’s a spark in her eyes that makes me want to get to know her.
The next woman to step forward has to be a model.
She’s tall with perfect features, her brown hair pulled sleekly off her face to highlight her sharp cheekbones and flawless complexion—and come to think of it, she looks familiar.
“I’m Easton’s girlfriend, Paige,” she announces, her warm smile making her a little more approachable as she pulls me into a hug.
Paige. Paige. Wait. Paige D’Angelo. I’ve seen her in magazines.
I can’t believe I never made that connection when Zane was talking about the team’s owner.
“Fiancée,” Hayley says from behind me, interrupting my thoughts. “She’s Easton’s fiancée.”
Paige giggles, brushing her off. “It’s still fairly new.”
“It’s been months.”
“Okay.” Paige raises her hands in the air, winking at Hayley. It’s easy to see they have a close friendship. And with the way Amelia and Lainey laugh, I’d say they’re all pretty tight.
I wait for my stomach to knot, realizing I’ve walked into some kind of sisterhood of the football playing partners, but that’s not what happens.
Instead of making me uncomfortable, it has the opposite effect, and a weight lifts.
This is what I thought being a football wife would be like.
This is what I was craving with both of Nathan’s teams. This friendship, comradery.
God, I hope they actually watch the game.
I get properly introduced to Lainey next, Thomas Kelly’s wife, and marvel at her stunning teal hair.
“I usually keep it pink or purple,” she tells me. “But Thomas has been begging me to match the team colors for years, and since this is his last season, I finally obliged.”
I laugh as the girls fall into easy conversation, with me nodding along. But when cheers ring out in the stadium below us, my attention shifts.
My heart jolts as I contemplate breaking away from the group, but the panic doesn’t get a chance to set in when Hayley squeals, rushing over to the windows. “It’s go time. Here’s to another win.”
Without a discussion, they all spin around and beeline for the glass, their priorities changing the second the men hit the field, while the other three women continue to talk over near the drinks.
While it’s exactly what I wanted, it takes a second for it to all sink in, and my eyes water. Is this real? Please don’t let it be too good to be true. Because right now, it feels like some kind of good karma, and I’m not sure I deserve it.
As promised, Lucy joins us at the start of play, and just like me, she and the rest of the girls are hooked on the game.
We spend the entire time yelling at refs, cheering on the men, joking about the high levels of testosterone.
Even Paige, who claims to have no clue about football, calls out when she thinks the Storm has been wronged.
I may have watched with my chest tightening to uncomfortable levels, but my heart was full, and I don’t think I’ve ever met a group of people more welcoming. It’s almost hard to believe.
The final whistle blows with the Storm winning by six points, and we celebrate in the suite until it’s time to head down to meet the guys.
Hayley links her arm through mine as we walk, her smile exuding comfort, and it feels like I’ve known her for years.
“How would you like us to play it down there?” she asks, turning to give me her full attention. “Did you and Zane talk about it?”
“We did. I’m actually heading back to his place now, instead of waiting for him. It’s easier that way.” Hayley pouts and I can’t help but laugh. “It’s okay. I’m used to it. We had to hide our relationship once before. When we were younger.”
“But you’re adults now.”
“I know, but I just broke up with my boyfriend and—”
“You don’t have to justify it to me. I get it. I’m just bummed I don’t get to hang out with you. Actually—” She pulls me to a stop, spinning abruptly. “What do you say we have a welcoming party for Blair this week?” she asks the others, and I panic.
“Oh. Uh…that would be lovely but I have to go back to LA.” And I’m not sure that Zane’s ready for that. He filled me in on the tension he caused with his teammates, and I’d say it’s still a work in progress.
“Damn. Next time then. When will you be back?”
Despite having an answer, the question stills me. I don’t think it’s quite hit me that I’m moving here, somewhere, to work at Heartwood U. “I’ll be back soon. I’m starting work with Lucy next month.”
“Amazing. Let Jenna know we’re throwing you a party when you’re here. It will be great to spend time with you both.”
“I will, thanks. She’ll love that.”
“Good.”
I turn to walk away but Hayley calls out, stopping me before I get too far. “And Blair… Welcome to the team.”
My heart jolts but I smile through it, another small weight lifting.
Because while for the longest time I’ve felt like I’m lost, I finally feel like I’m home.