Chapter 21 #2
It was Jake who saw me first. He flashed me a wide grin as he nudged Mateo’s back. The locker room was too loud to hear what he said to him, but whatever it was caused Mateo to whirl around.
He drank me in just like I did to him seconds ago. I saw the moment he noticed the number eleven on the jersey. Those gorgeous eyes zapped to mine, approval clear as day in them. From here, I swear I could feel the tension rise between us.
The next time I fuck you, it’ll be my jersey you’re wearing.
Mateo’s words from two weeks ago echoed in the space between us. There was no doubt I had thrown the gauntlet down wearing this while knowing what he wanted to do to me in it. I gave him a little smirk as he likely recalled those words, too.
His eyes traveled from my tied-up jersey, down to my bare legs, then back up. The heat in his stare held a promise for what was to come later tonight. I shivered at the thought, wishing we weren’t standing in a loud locker room surrounded by players, my father who knows where.
I took one small step toward him before my name was called.
“Emmie!” I only had time to give Mateo a small smile as I turned, my dad coming toward me with a broad grin. “What are you doing here, sweetie?” In one swift motion, he had me pulled into a tight hug. One I used to crave when I was a kid.
I sagged against him as I hugged him back, face smushed into his barrel chest. His cologne filled my nose, the same aroma I got him for his birthday back when I was eighteen. For some reason, the thought of him continuously buying it after all these years made tears prick the back of my eyes.
“I wanted to wish you luck before the game,” I said when he let me go. His smile seemed to grow wider, like me being here meant more than anything else. Not for the first time, I wondered if maybe I’d been the one putting space between us all these years.
“That means more than you know.” His face barely shifted, but his eyes gave him away. Full of things he didn’t trust himself to say out loud, especially with where we were at.
I swallowed hard, forcing down the tight knot of emotion in my throat. “I better let you go. Have a good game.”
The restless energy in the room grew with each passing second. I needed to leave so they could finish getting ready for the game. I turned to do just that, then paused. “Do you want to get lunch tomorrow?”
“I’d love that.”
“Okay…good. Um, I’ll talk to you later.” I awkwardly shifted on my feet.
I met Mateo’s eyes once more as I pivoted around. With my dad at my back, I couldn’t exactly go up to him, and I hoped he understood that. I gave him a dorky thumbs-up and mouthed good luck.
He shot me an amused look and replied with a thank you. Offering one last smile, I ducked my head and quickly made my way out of the loud locker room.
Many voices met my ears when I stepped back into the hallway.
It was deserted a mere ten minutes ago but was now filled with a mix of people.
Security guards stood in position for when the players walked out to the field.
Cameras were strapped to chests of photographers.
Workers bustled around. None paid me any heed thankfully, so I was able to slip away and head back the way I came to get to the stands.
I passed thousands of fans as I made my way to my seat.
A sea of gray and silver jerseys was all I could see as I weaved between people.
The most popular jersey I noticed was similar to the one I had on.
A few other numbers were sprinkled throughout the crowd of fans, but it was clear Mateo was the favorite.
Smug satisfaction filled me that he was mine. Every woman that I passed clad in his jersey number made me want to declare that he was off the market. They could lust after the hot quarterback, but he would be coming home with me at the end of the day.
Cheers and yells echoed around the concrete walls, the swell of excitement for the first game of the season growing with every passing second.
It was such a different atmosphere compared to my skating competitions.
Which held a more…regal feeling than a football game.
Although, I would almost prefer loud cheers while skating then pure silence.
It took me a good fifteen minutes to get to my seat with all the dodging and weaving. By the time I sat down, I was ready to park myself in the chair and not move until I absolutely had to.
The seats to my right were empty. Behind me and to my left, they were slowly filling up. Hopefully I wouldn’t be seated next to two very loud and opinionated men who thought I wanted to hear said opinions the whole game.
I took my phone out and sent Erin a text. I wished she could be here for the game and then afterward when I met Mateo’s family, but something about a deadline and needing to write ten more chapters was her excuse.
At least I had the next few hours to try and distract myself before I met them, which really wasn’t a comfort at all.
My leg bounced with nervousness as I sat there, eyes darting around at the fans filling the seats around me and then to the field.
I wasn’t in the same section as preseason.
Now I was seated right above the Titans’ team area where they stood during the game.
Only a concrete wall was between me and the field below.
I’d been to a handful of games at the stadium throughout the years, but I forgot the feeling you got.
The way your body vibrated and pulsed with excitement because of everyone around you.
Feeling like you were a part of something even if you didn’t truly like football or had never been to a game before. It was an addictive sensation.
I couldn’t imagine what Mateo must feel being on the field with thousands and thousands of fans cheering. It had to be deafening and exhilarating at the same time.
I continued people watching until a large group entered the same aisle I was sitting in and the one above.
I eyed them with interest as a beautiful brunette approached me.
She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I saw her.
I could only see the side profile of the tall man behind her, but I caught sight of the jersey they were all wearing.
I quickly averted my eyes as the brunette sat next to me. The last thing I wanted to do was get caught staring. I pretended to be busy with my phone until a nudge on my arm caught my attention.
“Sorry,” the woman apologized, “they need to make these seats bigger.”
“No worries. We’re about to be squished together for the next few hours so might as well become acquainted.” I smiled at her. She returned it, but there was something in her expression that gave me pause. Did she know me?
“Nice to meet you…?” She trailed off, waiting for my name.
“Emmie,” I supplied.
“Nice to meet you, Emmie. I’m Josie Boone.”
It took all of a heartbeat for her name to register. Josie Boone. Boone as in… Mateo’s sister-in-law? The sparkle in her eye told me she knew who I was. My realization must have shown on my face because she grinned.
Oh, fuck. That had to mean… I glanced over at the man beside her.
He had to be Wyatt, and the rest were definitely his family, too.
My eyes darted from one person to the next, mentally listing their names.
A few nights ago, Mateo told me all their names and showed me pictures, but I was so focused on meeting them tonight that I hadn’t once thought I’d be sitting next to them at the game.
She leaned in, lowering her voice so only we could hear, which wasn’t hard with the loud crowd around us.
“I take it Mateo didn’t tell you that we were seated right next to each other.” I just shook my head, unable to form words at the moment. When I saw Mateo later, I was going to kick his ass for not telling me.
“That kid, I swear.” Josie shook her head.
“I’m the only one who knows about you, so you don’t have to worry about the others right now.
You can wait until you two are together after the game to truthfully meet everyone, if you’d like,” she offered.
The gesture was kind, yet the panic didn’t subside.
“I…uh…yeah, that would be great,” I managed to get out. She flashed that kind smile again.
Nerves and panic built inside me as I sat there staring at Josie Boone. I was literally talking to the woman Mateo raved to me about.
I was fully prepared to meet everyone later. But maybe in a better outfit instead of my oversized jersey and shorts, hair pulled into a messy French braid. I could have made a way better impression.
But maybe this could work in my favor. Get them to like me the next few hours as a person so when I did meet them, they didn’t dislike me. That pesky voice in my head chimed in. Or they could hate you for lying.
“Hey.” A soft hand on my arm tore me from my thoughts. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to spring all this onto you right off the bat. I didn’t want to sit here and pretend I didn’t know who you were.”
“It’s okay.” I dug my nails into my knee to center my thoughts. “I was prepared to meet you all later, so I’m just a little scatterbrained.”
“No worries, I’d be, too.” There was something about her kind eyes and soft smile that eased the tension in my shoulders. “It’s nice to actually meet you.”
“You too. Mateo talks about you guys all the time.” I kept my voice down, eyes flickering over her shoulder at the others. The smile on her face grew.
“I’m a bit biased, but he’s one of the best people I know.” It almost seemed like a test to see what my response would be. If I would agree just to get on her good side or if I truly felt that he was.
“He really is.” I met her gaze, hoping she could see I meant it. Because I did.
Was that approval in her eyes? I couldn’t be sure, but I wanted it to be.
“Mateo told me your dad is Coach Reggie,” she said suddenly.
Oh, Mateo really did tell her about me.
“He is.”
“Just follow my lead, okay?”
I was unsure where she was going with this, but I nodded. Josie flashed a smile and squeezed my arm before she turned to face the man beside her. That was all the warning I got as she raised her voice.
“Guys, meet Emmie. Her father is the team's head coach,” Josie announced. All at once, nine pairs of eyes met mine. I was glued to my chair, trying not to freak out that Mateo’s entire family was now staring at me.
“Hi,” I said lamely, lifting my hand in greeting.
“Head coach, you said?” A man with dark brown hair, green eyes, and tattoos down his arm leaned forward from the row above us. He was seated next to a gorgeous blonde-haired woman, as well as an older woman and man. That must be Mateo’s mom. I swallowed thickly at the sight of her.
“Can you tell your dad to make Mateo Boone run laps for us?” he asked, sending a charming grin my way.
The blonde slapped his arm. “She’s not going to do that, Trevor.”
“But she could.”
Unable to help it, I chuckled. “I can see what I can do.” That would be great payback for springing his family on me like this.
“That’s Trevor and Tasha,” Josie butted in, introducing everyone. “Next to them is Steven and Evelyn, Mateo’s mom.”
Mateo’s mom gave me a smile in greeting, the skin around her eyes wrinkled. She didn’t look a day over fifty with tan skin and shoulder-length brown hair that had a sprinkle of gray in it. Looking at her, I could see Mateo.
“Hello,” I chirped at her and the man at her side. He also had brown hair with gray at the temples. Despite the hard lines of his face, he sent me a warm smile. If I remembered correctly from what Mateo told me, he was the Toronto Knights coach.
“Then we have Mila and Bryton behind you.” Josie turned in her seat to face the couple two seats over behind me. A handsome man with light brown curly hair gave me a wave as the woman next to him with the most gorgeous dark skin and braided hair beamed at me.
I waved back as Josie continued with her introductions.
“Mateo’s older brother, Landon, and his wife, Lydia,” Josie said, referring to the two seated on the other side of Wyatt. They were Kai’s parents, I mentally reminded myself, picturing the cute little blonde from the photo Mateo showed me.
Mateo’s older brother gave me a nod. I could see the similarities between them, but where Mateo had that easy go-with-the-flow energy, like a human equivalent of a golden retriever, Landon had sharper edges. There was something watchful about him that made me straighten without meaning to.
Next to him, Lydia greeted me with a bit more warmth, blonde hair cut in a short bob and gray eyes that told me she didn’t put up with any shit. The pair of them together made sense in seconds.
“Hi,” I managed.
“And then finally, Mateo’s other brother, Wyatt.” Josie beamed at the man beside her.
“Saving the best for last,” Wyatt said, leaning down to press a kiss to Josie’s cheek. His blue eyes met mine over Josie’s head. Where Landon was intense, Wyatt was the opposite. The easygoing smile he gave showed the laugh lines around his mouth.
Was everyone in Mateo’s family extremely attractive? Because holy hell. I guess Erin wasn’t joking in saying Wyatt was one of the hottest hockey players.
“Nice to meet you,” I said, hoping I didn’t come off as leering at Mateo’s older brother.
“Have you met Mateo?” Wyatt asked.
The lie slipped past my lips before I could stop it. “A few times when I’ve come to see my dad.”
Hopefully lying about how I knew him wouldn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
On the other side of Wyatt, Landon’s stare made me squirm in my seat, like he could tell I wasn’t being truthful. I had a feeling he was going to be the hardest one to win over.
Be charming, Emmie. “Really sweet of you guys to come to the game today.”
“We wouldn’t miss it. Plus, we have a first game ritual,” Mila said as she leaned forward.
“Ritual?” I questioned. In response, Mila reached down by her legs and pulled out four big white…posters? She handed them to Josie, Tasha, and Lydia. No one else batted an eye at them, which made me even more curious.
Before I could question it, a booming voice came over the stadium speakers.
It was game time.