Chapter 38 Katie
Katie
Fifty thousand fans stomp their feet.
They chant the team’s name.
I’m like a Kermit the Frog nail-biting GIF, a nervous wreck, staring at the game clock. I can’t take my eyes off it. “C’mon, Renegades,” I shout. “Put some numbers up.”
My dad pats my shoulder. “Bet your guy scores.”
“I don’t care who scores from the Renegades. I just want them to win,” I say desperately.
“We all do,” Dad says. “Have faith.”
But faith doesn’t win football games. Talent and timing and skill do. The score is still tied with hardly any time left.
With tension threading through every muscle, I perch on the edge of my seat as the Renegades get in the huddle with only a minute left in regulation.
“C’mon, my daughter’s boyfriend,” my dad shouts amidst the din of voices. I cast him a glance, roll my eyes.
“What? No one can hear me over the crowd.”
“And I don’t care if they do,” I say.
“Go, go, go!” he cries.
When Cooper takes the snap seconds later, Harlan shoots off down the field, going long. Holy smokes. He runs like the wind as Cooper cocks his arm, takes aim, and hurls the ball downfield.
I hold my breath as it arcs twenty, thirty, forty, fifty yards.
Harlan leaps, arms high in the air, wrapping around the ball and cradling it. Then he runs like hell into the end zone.
I lose my mind, along with the rest of the fans and the team itself.
My dad and I high-five, and hug, and he holds me close for longer than two football fans normally embrace. “You did good. I’m proud of you, Katie,” he whispers in my ear, at just the right volume for me to hear.
“Me too,” I say, emotion tight in my voice.
“But then, I’ve always been proud of you.”
“Love you, Dad.”
“Love you, sweetie.”
When the game ends, the Renegades celebrate on the field, but the man who made the game-winning touchdown yanks off his helmet and rushes over to me. I make my way to the edge of the stands, racing closer to him.
His grin is elated. His brown eyes are lit up like sparklers.
When I reach him, he lifts his arms for me, and I climb over the stands and into them.
He tugs me close, kisses me, and says, “Playoffs, sweetheart.”
“Get that third ring, handsome.”
He smooches me hard, and when he lets go, a reporter strides over and asks for a minute.
“Sure,” he says.
She thrusts the mic at him. “How did it feel to make that game-winning touchdown catch?”
He glances at me next to him.
I squeeze his hand, letting him know I’m by his side. He told the team his news already, but he hasn’t told the fans. “It felt great, Erin. Especially since this is my last season.”
Her eyes widen. “Oh. You’ve decided to retire?”
He nods, resolute, making his announcement official. “I have. This will be my last season as a Renegade, and I hope we go out on top. I’ll do everything I can to make that happen.”
“And what will you do when you retire?”
He shrugs happily, lifts our joined hands, presses a kiss to mine. “Spend time with my girlfriend and my daughter. Maybe take some trips.” He turns to me. “Hey, Katie, want to travel in the off-season?”
“As long as the timing works out,” I say with a smile.
He winks my way, and I catch it.
“We’re a good team,” he says.
Yes, yes we are.