Chapter 40
EMMIE
Mayhem. Complete and utter mayhem. The seat below me rattled, the concrete below my feet practically vibrated as the screaming around had my ears ringing.
Straight ahead, the clock hit five minutes until the end of The Legacy Championship game, where Titans would hopefully win back-to-back titles.
My eyes were glued to number eleven as he jogged onto the field. He looked amazing out there. Every throw, every dodge of a player, smooth like silk. Mateo owned that field and every single person sitting here in the stadium knew it. Even the people watching on TV had to be aware of it.
On my left sat Evelyn, Mateo’s mom, anxious and restless as she watched her youngest son play the biggest game of his career.
On my right, Josie screamed alongside every other fan in the stadium.
I really should have sat with Tasha and Mila in the row behind us.
Thank god we were at the front with no one seated in front of us.
“Don’t worry, he’s got this,” Oliver, Mateo’s old college roommate, said over his shoulder, a slight British accent to his tone. I only talked to him through the phone and Mateo’s gaming headset, so this was the first time we were speaking face to face. Same with his other two friends.
I knew nothing about soccer, but Oliver was apparently being called one of the best up-and-coming players in the sport. A title that was hard to gain.
He was also a bit of a charmer, which made sense given how he looked—blond hair, one green and one blue eye, a jawline that even had me staring.
He had wide shoulders with a lean body, thanks to hours of running on a soccer field.
While he was only six foot, he was insanely attractive.
Every woman in the vicinity gaped at him.
“Mateo looks the best he’s ever been,” Jude, another college friend, commented. He was an outfielder for a baseball team in California. From what Mateo told me, he had one of the biggest contracts in the league currently.
Just like Oliver, Jude screamed sex appeal with light brown hair, green eyes, and the light scruff that littered his jaw.
The dude was tall at six two and surprisingly muscular for a baseball player.
Again, a sport I knew next to nothing about.
He had that goofy vibe like Mateo, and it instantly made me understand why the two were friends.
“He does,” said Elliot, the final guy who made up their friend group.
Out of all three, Elliot was the one I was most intrigued with.
He was tall, arms bigger than my head that were littered with tattoos, with dark black hair and amber eyes that I swear glowed in the sun.
A ring ran through his lip, and I caught a small glint in his mouth that indicated his tongue was pierced, too.
He was a football player back in college but didn’t go into the draft.
Instead, he did something with computers now.
The three were an odd mix but somehow worked as friends.
They all took the time out of their schedules to be here for Mateo’s game.
I sort of went behind Mateo’s back to surprise him with his friends.
One night while he was asleep, I grabbed his phone and got all of their numbers.
It took a few weeks to figure it all out, but it was worth it to see Mateo’s face two days later when they showed up at his apartment.
“I think I’m going to be sick,” I muttered, my stomach a ball of knots as I watched Mateo on the field.
“Here, you can use my bowl if you need it,” Mila offered from behind me.
I waved her off. I would be okay…after Mateo won this whole thing. I’d been to countless games this season, but this one was the most stressful. For both Mateo and my dad. They were coming back to defend their title, despite the pressure that’s been on them all season.
I knew just how much this moment meant to Mateo. Missing three games for his ribs wasn’t easy, even if he went back to playing a few weeks earlier than recommended. He’s worked his ass off to get his team here again.
They only had five more minutes to hold the opposing team off, to prove why they were the top team in the league and why Mateo was the quarterback everyone feared. But also why my father was the coach who built it all.
I stared out at the field, watching Mateo as he bounced on his toes and looked for an open player. It only took milliseconds for him to cock his arm back and throw the most perfect spiral downfield. Right into Jake’s arms.
As he ran, Perry came up from behind, tackling an opposing player before he could get to Jake. Behind me, Erin screamed at the top of her lungs for her two boyfriends.
She almost put Josie to shame. Almost. The fans around us were probably regretting getting these seats.
My leg bounced nervously as the clock ticked down. Being in a competition myself wasn’t a big deal, but sitting here watching Mateo… I wasn’t sure I was built for this kind of stress.
“Don’t worry, when they win we can go down and see him,” Evelyn said, leaning in so I could hear her.
“Is that allowed?”
Evelyn laughed and patted my knee. “It is. Even if it wasn’t, I’m pretty sure Mateo would hop the wall to see you.”
I smiled. “Sounds like something he’d do.”
“I’ve never seen Mateo this…content before.
As a kid, he was always restless, constantly moving and participating in every sport under the sun.
When he stuck with football, it helped ground him, but it wasn’t enough.
Not until he met you.” Evelyn turned a little in her seat to look at me.
Her hand landed on my knee as she gave me a soft, tender smile.
“You’ve made him stay in one place. And for that, I cannot thank you enough.”
My throat tightened, and I shook my head. “You don’t need to thank me. Your son is the first person who ever made me want to stop running.”
Evelyn’s fingers curled a little more firmly against my knee before she gave it a small squeeze. “I think he’d say the same about you,” she murmured, her smile deepening.
I didn’t trust myself to respond, fearing I’d just cry. I put my hand on top of hers and squeezed back, hoping she understood how much her words meant. We shared a watery smile.
Evelyn’s hand didn’t leave my knee right away. Her thumb brushed against me one more time, a motherly action I missed out on, before her attention turned back to the game.
I followed her gaze, my pulse quickening as Mateo took his position.
“Okay,” she murmured under her breath. “Let's go.”
The next four minutes were stressful. Every hit Mateo received, I flinched.
Every fourth down missed, I prayed the other team didn’t score.
The atmosphere in the stadium shifted from excitement to tension.
Every single person knew this next minute was it.
It was the last moment for the Titans to clinch the win.
The team was up two points. A field goal for the other team would tie it up, but the Titans had the ball. Mateo only needed to run the clock down. Easy peasy.
I found my dad through the crowd of players pacing the sideline, hand clenched around his clipboard. It was crazy to think at the start of the season my dad and I weren’t close. We couldn’t even talk without it being awkward. And now we had dinner every other week and talked and texted daily.
For the first time in a really long time, we were finally working our way back to being a family.
Whistles blowing jerked my attention away from my dad and back out to the field.
A fight was starting to break out, the second one this game.
I chuckled under my breath when Mateo reached out and yanked Perry backward by the back of his jersey.
Realizing who it was, Perry relaxed and let Mateo tug him away from the thick of it. Like a kid being grabbed by his father.
Just like in the other fight, Mateo stayed on the outskirts, still holding Perry while staring at his play sheet on his forearm, completely unbothered.
A minute went by before the refs stopped the fight, letting the game continue. Whistles blared as the clock started again, making everyone get in position before time ran out.
My fingers dug into the back of my knees as I leaned forward. It felt like everyone around me was holding their breath, the stands going silent as we all waited to see what would happen.
I sucked in air as Mateo got behind his center. It was like time slowed as the ball was hiked into his waiting palms. Perry and Jake dispersed down the field, the offensive line clashing with the other team.
I waited for Mateo to throw the ball. Instead, he tucked the ball under his arm and took off.
“What is he doing?” I heard someone ask—maybe Bryton—but my eyes were glued to Mateo.
He scrambled around the offensive lines, twisting his body to avoid being tackled. Player after player tried to get him on the ground, but he either avoided it or another Titans player was there to help.
“RUN!” someone screamed, and it took a moment to realize it was me. I shot to my feet, along with everyone else, as Mateo neared the end zone, his long legs eating up the distance.
A defender came from behind out of nowhere. My lungs seized as he reached for Mateo’s jersey, fingers grazing the fabric as if he was going to yank him back. Just as the player’s hand clasped the back, Mateo dove.
Time fractured as Mateo and the other player fell forward, Mateo’s body hitting the ground with a hard thud.
Right into the end zone.
The roar of the crowd swelled and hit my ears like a tidal wave. I didn’t even remember moving, but suddenly, I was screaming, laughing, crying—maybe all three at once.
Mateo was swallowed by his team in the end zone, bodies piling on top of him in celebration.
He did it.
My body was yanked in multiple directions as arms wrapped me in hugs. First Evelyn, then Josie, and Erin from behind me as her arms went around my neck.
The next bit was a flurry of motion. One second, I was in the stands, the next, my hand was around Josie’s as our entire group worked our way onto the field to find Mateo.
The field was chaotic. Titans hugged one another and shook hands with the other team, jumping around and yelling as confetti rained down.
A bodyguard I hadn’t noticed stood in front of me, shoving his way toward the center of the field. My hand slipped from Josie’s, but I knew Wyatt had her. I quickly dodged an oncoming player, trying not to fall on my ass in the crowd of people.
I stayed close to the security guard, eyes darting around for number eleven. We broke through a small opening where the press stood with giant cameras. I paid none of it any attention, not when I finally found the person I was looking for.
As if sensing I was there, Mateo whirled around. His hair was dark with sweat, sticking to his forehead, the most dazzling smile on his face. A sound left my lips before I took off running.
Mateo closed the distance between us within a few strides, reaching for me. I jumped into his arms, legs around his waist as everything around us faded. I pressed my lips to his without a second thought. I didn’t even hear the clicking of cameras as I kissed my boyfriend with everything I had.
When I pulled back, I had tears streaming down my face.
“You did it!”
His smile was blinding. “I did.”
“I’m so proud of you.”
Something in his expression softened, like my words meant more than the win. His arms tightened around me.
“I brought home a trophy,” he said quietly. “Now it’s your turn to win gold.”