Chapter 34
ZACH
I stand to the side of the stage, waiting for my turn, my gut fizzing like a bundle of hot wires.
“The Finn River Sheriff Department welcomes Zach Hayes,” the deputy director announces from the podium.
The people taking up the entire front row of City Hall’s auditorium jump to their feet, cheering and whistling as I walk to the center of the stage.
I break into a grin. How can I not? I’m going to be the first cadet in the history of swearing-in ceremonies to get kicked out of City Hall for noise and disorderly conduct thanks to Sawyer’s giant sign and the noisemakers Evan brought, like this is a parade.
Sheriff Olson gives the small crowd going wild a sideways glance. “Quite the fan club,” he mutters as I shake his hand.
“Way to go, Zach!” Evan calls out between bouts of enthusiastic clapping. “Woooo!”
Sheriff Olson smiles, and I laugh.
The deputy director continues, “Zach is being pinned today by his fiancée, Sofie, and his brother, William.”
William and Sofie walk toward me, both dressed for the occasion. William in a navy-blue suit and tie, Sofie in a pale blue dress and sandals. I force in a steadying breath. The two most important people in the world are here with me. Supporting me. Celebrating this milestone with me.
It’s everything.
William looks so grown up, his shoulders getting broader by the day, his hair cut short. It makes me ache a little for the boy I left behind, but I admire the way he’s stepping into his future like a man.
I catch Sofie’s eye as William removes the fasteners in the back of my pin. She smiles, her expression so full of awe and love that it’s like being hit by a freight train. I try to hold onto it, let it fill me to the brink as she snaps the pin into place.
I reach for her hand and she gives my palm a gentle squeeze, then dabs at her eye and shakes her head, like this is big for her too.
William lifts the Finn River Sheriff pin to my lapel, his fingers steady but his lips pressed firmly together, like he’s nervous. I told him he didn’t have to stand up here in front of all these people, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“It’s okay,” I say to reassure him. “It’s a lot.”
William finishes with the pin, then smooths the lapel. His gaze snaps to mine. “It’s just… you’ve done so much—” He stops to swallow hard. “For me.”
“For us,” I correct.
“I’m so proud of you, big brother,” he says, his face twisting with emotion.
“Proud of you, too.” I pull him into a firm hug, and he grips me tight.
The audience goes crazy, hooting and cheering, their noisemakers cranking and Sawyer waving his GOOD JOB ZACH MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU sign.
William releases me, wiping his eyes, and I scoop Sofie into a tight embrace. She wraps her arms around my neck and drapes her body against mine. “Congratulations, Zach,” she whispers in my ear. “You’ve worked so hard.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you.” I inhale her soft, summer scent and draw her warmth all the way into my heart.
I set her down, and the three of us pose for the camera. After several blinding flashes, my tribe of crazy family rush the stage to embrace me and slap me on the back, calling out, “Deputy Hayes in the house!” and hugging each other.
In the melee, Rowdy grabs me in a hard, fierce hug. I give it right back. Then Linnea, who squeezes me like a boa constrictor, followed by Jesse and shy Neve, their hugs brief but no less meaningful. The two of them moved in together a few months ago, and we’re all rooting for them.
Stu Valentine comes at me next, his thick chest like a brick wall. “Not too late to come to work for me instead, you know.”
Then it’s Henry’s turn, slapping me on the back, and finally, Barb, who laughs through her tears. “And to think I still have a wedding to look forward to, plus Sofie’s graduation and William’s football games.” She sniffles, then presses a kiss to my cheek. “You’ve made us all so happy, Zach.”
We celebrate with a banquet dinner at the Bitterroot Saloon, then the party spills out to the back deck. I tell stories about the academy, get my ass kicked in foosball, am hugged and high-fived, and soak it all in.
Sawyer settles next to me at the railing while the party rolls on around us. “We still going riding tomorrow?”
I clink my glass of icy lemonade with his. “Of course.”
“Your old boss gave us a day pass for the ranch,” he says, arching an eyebrow.
I catch Stu’s eye across the deck. He gives me a slight lift of his chin, and I grin back because I have a feeling I know his plan. “Is that so?”
“I told him I’d never seen a chair lift before, let alone ridden on one with a freaking mountain bike.”
“The trails up there are sweet.” I set my glass down on the railing.
Sawyer whips out his phone and opens a map of the trails. While he rattles off trail names and their high notes, connecting them into an itinerary, I let my gaze drift across the deck, where Sofie is talking with Kirilee. She bursts out laughing about something Kirilee says, which makes me smile, even though I’m not part of the conversation. I love seeing her happy.
As if she feels my eyes on her, she glances up. Our eyes lock, and our connection quickly turns heated. She turns back to Kirilee, but I can see her blush from here.
I realize Sawyer’s waiting for my answer and give him a fist bump. “I’ve never been on any of those. I’ll go wherever you want.”
Sawyer’s brown eyes sparkle with a playful gleam. “You worked there and never went riding?”
“Nope.” Though I never asked. Going mountain biking for fun wasn’t exactly something I had the energy for. “Stu must like you. Those guest passes are like gold.”
“He’s trying to woo me,” Sawyer says in his tough guy voice, puffing out his chest.
I grin. “Told you.”
He shakes the ice cubes in his glass before taking a quick sip of his lemonade, then shrugs, but I know him too well. He’s finally taking me seriously about joining me here in Finn River.
“Who’s that with Sofie?” Sawyer asks in a low tone, his eyes on Kirilee.
“Kirilee St. Claire,” I say. “One of Sofie’s best friends. Her dad owns Finn River Ranch.”
Sawyer’s eyes widen. “Seriously?”
“You want me to introduce you?” I’m torn between razzing him about his interest in Finn River’s one and only princess and being a supportive friend. “She’s probably the nicest person I’ve ever met. And really talented. It’s too bad…”
“And who’s that?” Sawyer interrupts as a guy with a narrow face in a flashy suit comes over to Kirilee and places his hand on her lower back as if trying to steer her away.
“Uh, that’s her dad’s latest attempt to marry her off to someone richer than him so their two families can combine forces and rule the universe.”
“For real?” He scowls at the guy, who looks seriously constipated, or maybe it’s his resting snob face. “Every time he gets close to her, she turns into a statue. Does she want to get married?”
He’s noticed it, too, huh? “I don’t think she’s being given a choice.”
He shakes his head. “That’s wrong.”
“For real. ”
After the party and my Alaska entourage retire to their vacation rental, I drive Sofie and William to our little bungalow up on the hill. It’s a few blocks from the high school, so William can walk there when I’m on shift early, and though Sofie’s only partly moved in because she’s also at school until June, I’ve come to think of it as our first house.
William’s first game is tomorrow, so he gives me a final hug goodnight before climbing the stairs to his room.
I step into the little kitchen to set up the coffee for the morning. Sofie follows, her heels a soft tap on the hardwood floor behind me. She wraps her arms around my middle while I work. I close the coffeemaker and pull her arms tighter so her body is molded to mine, and sigh.
“You ready to get out of this uniform?” she asks in a low tone.
I glance back at her. “You want to help?”
Her eyes sparkle, and she smiles.
I spin around and kiss her gently. And then I sweep her into my arms and carry her down the hall.
I drive William to the athletic entrance next to the stadium. He’s quiet, but it’s not awkward.
“Remember to take a moment tonight. Soak it all in,” I say as he slips from the car and lifts his gear from the backseat.
William’s only a freshman, but he’s the reserve quarterback tonight because the junior who normally takes that role is sidelined with a knee sprain.
The JV coach spent extra time with him this week in case he gets called onto the field tonight.
I know William’s nervous as hell, but I also know he’s worked hard. He’s ready for this.
“Yeah,” he says, his serious eyes holding my gaze before he spins away. I watch him greet one of his teammates, his face lighting up. They disappear into the entrance.
A few hours later, Sofie and I meet the rest of our group outside the stadium .
Inside the gates, it’s like a carnival. The band plays from the bleachers above us, students mill about teasing and flirting, and parents talk in clusters, laughing and excited.
The crisp fall air is tinted with the scent of corndogs and hot pretzels. Now I see why Barb and Henry insisted I wear my Finn River Falcons T-shirt and hoodie—almost everyone here is dressed in the school’s regal blue and gold colors. At least half of the kids are wearing face paint.
On the field, both football teams are warming up. William is easy to pick out because he’s tall but not broad like the linebackers. And his throw—tight and precise, like a machine.
Henry and Barb lead us up the center of the bleachers to what is apparently “our section” but thanks to my Alaska clan, our group is so big that we spill onto two rows. Henry and Barb’s friends are here and they dive right into football talk with Rowdy. Sawyer and Jesse get into a deep discussion about ways to soup up car engines while Neve and Linnea offer everyone bags of popcorn and licorice ropes from their pit stop at the snack bar.
Sofie squeezes my hand. “Are you nervous?”
“Fuck yes.” I laugh.
She leans into me. “Think he’ll play?”
“No, but it’s still really big for him.”
Ava, Hutch, and Kirilee arrive, and we make room. I pretend not to notice the way Sawyer scoots Jesse down so Kirilee can sit next to him. Apparently, Kirilee ended up at the vacation rental last night, though Sawyer says they just talked.
“I haven’t been back here since our graduation ceremony,” Ava says, her cheeks rosy. “Were we this crazy?”
“Some of us were,” Hutch replies.
Ava laughs. “Right.”
The cheerleaders assemble on the field with the breakthrough banner and the marching band plays the fight song. We get to our feet and cheer, the noise cascading into a deafening roar as the Finn River High School football team races onto the field. They break through the banner and continue to the sidelines for their final pep talk. The band plays “Louie, Louie” while the crowd sings and the field is cleared.
Sawyer claps me on the shoulder. “This is lit. William know how lucky he is?”
“He’s earned it,” I reply over the booming chorus.
Sawyer squeezes my shoulder. “Damn right, he has.”
By the end of the first half, the Falcons have only scored one touchdown. The opposite team’s defense is tough. If the season’s opener is this much of a nail-biter, it’s going to be an intense season.
From the sidelines, William and the assistant coach play an ongoing game of catch so he’s warmed up should the need arise. I had hoped maybe if the Falcons had a comfortable enough lead the coach would let Will play. Just to give him a taste. But the game’s too close, and no coach would jeopardize the game like that.
The Falcons finally get in the end zone again by the middle of the fourth quarter. But in a fast break play directly after, the opposition scores a touchdown, which ties the game with only seven minutes remaining.
Then it’s our ball. The crowd is tense, like we’re squeezed into a pressure cooker. On the play, one of the other team’s linebackers breaks through and races for our quarterback.
We all jump to our feet as our quarterback gets sacked, then buried by half the opposing team’s defense.
“Did he fumble it?”
“Is he okay?”
The field clears, but our quarterback and one of his teammates are still down. The athletic trainer races out with his assistant.
The band goes silent while the cheerleaders take a knee, facing the field, their pompons at their sides.
The trainers help the quarterback up and assist him off the field. He’s limping a little on one leg but otherwise looks all right.
The crowd claps and cheers him to the sidelines. The cheerleaders wave their pompons.
“I hope he’s okay,” Ava says over the noise, frowning at the quarterback being helped onto the trainer’s table .
“Looks like a twisted ankle,” Hutch says.
I catch Henry’s eye. He winks, and I huff a breath to calm my nerves. Because the head coach has just pulled William into his huddle with the offense.
“He’s going to play!” Sofie says, her eyes wild with excitement.
The ref’s whistle blows, and the players run to their places. William lines up behind his center, looking so confident and strong that tears prick my eyes.
Fuck. Yes. Here we are watching his dream come true.
Pride and love flood through me but I don’t try to hold it in. Sofie reaches for my hand and I squeeze it tight. Her eyes glisten, and I bring her fingers to my lips in gratitude.
William crouches down and calls the play. He races back, his gaze locked down the field. And then he arches back and fires. The ball arcs high through the air, soaring.
The crowd jumps up, everyone on their feet, going crazy. At the end of the field, a Falcons receiver is racing for the ball, arms reaching. He’s deep. How the fuck did William get the ball that far so fast? A defensive back is racing for our receiver. William’s pass arcs down, down.
The receiver snags it, then quickly darts from the defensive opponent and sprints down the field, legs pumping, the ball tucked against him, all the way to the end zone.
Screaming and cheers fill the stands. I grab Sofie and hug her tight as the band plays a raucous version of their fight song, the horn section jamming to the beat.
“He did it!” Sofie cries into my chest as I rock her back and forth.
On the field, William’s teammates are crowding around him, knocking helmets and psyching each other up. They clear the field for the kicking team, exchanging low fives and back slaps as they trade places. Just as William gets inside the line, he glances up. The world around me quiets as I tap my fist to my chest and smile.
He presses his fist to his heart and gives me a nod. Then he turns away, pulled back into watching the game with his teammates.
“It’s going to be an amazing four years!” Henry calls out over the cheers erupting from the stands when our kicker sends the ball through the posts.
I jump to my feet again to clap along with the crowd singing the Falcon’s school song at full volume. I take in the players on the field, my friends and family here to celebrate this achievement, and think of everything we’ve overcome together to make this night happen. And then I glance at Sofie—of course, singing the words to this crazy song—and my heart feels ready to burst. I sling my arm over her shoulder and kiss her temple.
“It’s going to be an amazing life.”