Chapter Mason Kingsley
Mason Kingsley
Six Months Later - Super Bowl
I never imagined that I would ever be this blissfully happy. The smile on my face showed it in every imaginable sense of the word. My friends had even noticed the change, and it was because of Tommy.
After we got married, I had to say goodbye to Axel.
It would never get easier being on opposite continents, but he was only a call away, and I could live with that.
Once we arrived back in San Diego, we had two days before the start of the pre-season, and we took advantage of every second.
We honeymooned in our house until we could take one during the bye week.
Tommy took charge of that and flew us to Germany to see Axel.
When we left Germany, he reminded me that next year was our turn to play in London during the pre-season.
I hoped my mother and Perry would be able to watch me play.
My now familiar nervous anxiety had my knee bouncing as I watched the clock tick down to the end of our season.
It had been the one most teams dreamed about, and we were on the verge of winning it all in what we called our comeback season.
Down 35-33, all it would take was getting into field goal range to do it.
But Denver wasn’t going to make it easy on us.
Glancing up in the box, my father and Makenna were in the suite watching along with Carson’s parents, Lennox’s family, and Hudson and the kids.
Thomas was on the sideline and caught my eye every once in a while to check in.
Axel couldn’t be here since they were in the heart of their season, but I knew he would be watching from Germany. I wanted to win this for him.
A cheer from the crowd drew my attention as Evan sat next to me. “Look at him,” he said, gesturing to Lennox. “He’s in his element. I think he thrives on a comeback situation.”
Our captain was pacing the sideline, itching to get the ball back.
I smiled because I knew him too. He was analyzing every play, looking for some weakness or pattern Denver’s defense might show.
They were out for blood and had gotten to Lennox three times.
At one time, I would have blamed myself, but I was learning not to shoulder all of the mistakes.
Football was a team sport, and I wasn’t the only one protecting him.
In the last six months, I’d come to realize football was my profession, not my life. That distinction went to my husband.
“Think we have time?” I asked Evan as he watched Lennox.
Evan’s cool confidence was a calming force as he looked at the time clock. “Yeah. If we get the ball back, we can do it. I’ve got to shake that corner back.”
“You can do it, Ev. You’re the best in the league.”
He dipped his head with a reserved smile. “Thanks, Mason. It means a lot that you think so.”
Another roar from the crowd had us both getting to our feet. During a Super Bowl, it was impossible to tell who the crowd was cheering for. We’d learned to feed off all of it when we took the field.
Evan grinned, then put on his helmet. “Let’s go do this.”
Grabbing my own, we took our spots on the sideline, flanking Lennox. I took a long look at Coach Henderson. His face showed nothing but his undying confidence in our team. He hadn’t batted an eye when some of us came out as queer, and I respected him more than he’d ever know.
“Okay, Lennox,” Coach said to him, looking at the clock. “You’re going to get the ball back in your hands. Hydrate and be ready to roll.”
I glanced behind the sideline and found my husband. Tommy’s smile was all I needed to spur me on. Win or lose, I’d be going home with him, and that was enough to settle me down.
Turning my attention back to the field, it was third and short.
Carson’s defense was masterful at defending against the play.
When Denver’s quarterback dropped back to pass, I smiled because Colin was all over him, until the whistle blew, and the flag hit the ground.
We didn’t get here alone, and it was going to take all of us to pull this out.