Chapter 30
Knox smiled from the football field as he saw the giant sign that Keeneston had brought to the championship game. It was going to be a hard battle, but that just made it that much more exciting.
“You’re going to win. I just know it,” Quinn said from where she stood on the sidelines.
Knox kissed her as he held her hand. “I already won, Q.”
He loved the way she blushed a little, yet rolled her eyes at him.
She wore his jersey over a turtleneck and jeans.
Her hair was in a ponytail and she wasn’t wearing much make-up because she said she’d cry it off if they won.
There were other wives from the team—and of course, Austin’s wife—who were dripping in designer attire with more makeup than someone wore for a theater production.
However, that wasn’t his Q and he was glad for it.
She was perfect. She was real. She was his.
“I’ll be in the suite with your family and Helena. Chantel and Elisha are joining us too.” Quinn looked around the field and saw both of her friends giving their guys good luck kisses. “Zack!”
The big lineman jogged over with a kind smile on his face. “Yes, ma’am?”
Quinn reached into her back pocket and pulled out a note and handed it to him. “Maeve is in the suite and asked me to give this to you.”
The big man looked so excited as he opened the note. His face flushed red and his smile spread to cover his whole face. He turned to Knox with wide eyes. “We’re going to freaking win.”
He put the note in his shoulder pad and jumped over to the line to pump them up.
“I guess that was a good note,” Knox said with a chuckle. Quinn leaned forward and whispered what his treat would be if he won and Knox stopped laughing. He kissed her hard and then turned to the team. “We’re gonna win this thing!”
Knox pulled off his helmet as they ran through the tunnel at halftime. “We got this, guys!” They were tied 14-14. The team was still full of excitement. They thrived on this.
Knox looked up to see Samson and Kate waiting for him in the hallway. Samson moved to talk to Knox’s father, but Kate immediately went in with her plan for the second half.
“Zack is a beast today,” Kate told him as he slowed his pace to match her extremely pregnant gait. “That means you have more options. You can run it or you can pass it. Their cornerback twisted his ankle so . . . crap!”
Knox’s brows furrowed as he looked down at where Kate had grabbed his arm. Her face was slightly pale. “Are you okay?”
Kate grunted. Then after a short time let go of him.
“As I was saying, their top cornerback is injured. That will leave Deon open more. Look there first, but give Jaylen some runs when you see them move to cover the pass.” She rubbed her belly as they walked and took some deep breaths.
“Here are some plays I think will break their defense.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Knox asked again.
“I will be when we win this game.” Kate took another deep breath and entered the locker room.
Knox could feel the team’s desire to win crackling through the air in the room. The guys were hungry for it. They’d never won a championship before and they wanted it. Badly. His father was in his element and Kate somehow managed to whip the guys up even more.
They burst back onto the field ready to win. Kate was in his ear as she called the play from the box above the field. “Motherfu— Get those guys, QB. Make their defense cry,” Kate said, her voice tight.
Knox lined up in shotgun formation. He slammed his foot to the ground.
Zack snapped the ball and then leveled a defensive player, giving Knox all day to throw the ball.
And when he did, Deon was halfway down the field.
Knox planted his feet and threw. The ball was a bullet downfield straight into Deon’s hands.
Deon shook the cornerback covering him, caught the ball, and ran for everything he was worth.
“Dammit!” Kate screamed into his earpiece after the play.
Knox wondered if there was a penalty, but didn’t see a flag.
He wished he could talk through his headset, but it was one-way communication only.
He jogged off the field as the extra point was kicked.
The team was pumped. They were now up 21-14.
No one sat. They were all cheering for the defense which had just taken the field.
Knox picked up the phone and called the box where Samson and Kate were. “Yeah,” Samson answered.
“Coach Kate didn’t seem happy with my last play.”
“She’s not happy about anything. She’s sweating she’s so worked up.”
“Bite me, Samson. Give me the phone,” Knox heard Kate say as she snatched the phone away. “What do you need? That play was perfect.”
“You were cursing.”
“I’m in the moment, dammit,” Kate snapped. “You need to get your head in the moment, Knox. This is what Samson and I were thinking for your next set of downs.”
Kate told him what to do and Knox nodded as if she could see him. It was going to break their defense and would be a perfect way to pull ahead if their defense could get a stop here.
“Is your belly supposed to move like that?” Knox heard Samson ask warily as Kate sucked in a breath.
Realization hit Knox like a linebacker. “You’re in labor!”
“Shut. Up.” Kate said between gritted teeth. “You do not use the L word and you do not say a thing to your father or anyone else. So help me, if you two let this slip I will murder you in your sleep. I will not be dragged away from the championship game for a little thing like labor.”
Knox opened his mouth and then thought better about telling her what to do and closed his mouth.
“Well, I’m not delivering a baby,” Samson muttered.
“Then we need to hurry up and win this thing,” Kate said, determination clear in her voice.
“Yes, coach!” Knox said, smiling. He hung up the phone and headed to his offense, conveying Samson and Kate’s instructions. He just finished telling them when the stadium gasped and Knox turned to see the interception. “Hell, yeah! Let’s go!”
Knox looked at the clock. It showed six minutes left and they were ahead 24-17, but the other team was close to scoring.
“Hey!” Kate snapped. “Offense, here, now!”
Knox turned his head to see Kate and Samson on the sidelines instead of in their box overlooking the field. The offense immediately rushed over. Kate was holding a whiteboard and looking fierce. There was no sign of the labor she was in except for the way her lips were pursed.
“We need to eat up the clock as much as we can, but we have to score too,” Samson told them.
“They’ll think we’re just running the clock for as long as we can and settle for a field goal.
But that’s not what we’re going to do. We’re winning this right here and now.
We’re not going to take a chance that we can’t stop them from scoring a touchdown and stealing this from us.
Jaylen, you’re up. You’re going to ram it through the line and right down their throats.
Zack will make you a hole. I want at least the first two downs to be running plays.
Then, when they think we’re going to move into field goal position, coach has a play for you. ”
“This is the play when we get to that point.” Kate drew it out and everyone looked on.
“Talk about a nail in the coffin,” Deon said, blinking. It was not a safe play but it was a play that, if it worked, would be a touchdown.
“Knox can make the throw,” Kate said, suddenly taking a deep breath through her nose as she clenched her jaw.
“You okay, coach?” Zack asked.
“I will be as soon as you win us the championship,” Kate said between gritted teeth.
The crowd cheered. The other team had scored.
“Five minutes and thirty-three seconds. Finish this,” Kate told them.
“Yes, ma’am!” Zack was already bouncing on his toes, ready to go.
The extra point was good and they were tied 24-24.
Knox walked out onto the field with the confidence of knowing they had this win.
He glanced at the suite and saw Quinn, holding hands with his mother and Annaleigh as she cheered.
Holt held on to their mother’s other hand.
Elisha and Chantel, were next to Annaleigh cheering and clutching each other.
He blinked in surprise when he saw Maeve clinging to Elisha’s hand.
She didn’t scream, and she wore a Thoroughbreds knit cap over her ears, which probably hid some earbuds to help with the noise of the stadium.
But she was right there, supporting Zack, Knox, and the rest of the team.
“Look men,” Knox said in the huddle. “Look at your friends and family cheering us on. They love us regardless of our win. But it’s time to show them how much it means to us that they support us.
Let’s show ourselves that all the hard work, all the workouts, all the practices, all the sweat, and all the tears are worth it.
We’re worth it. No one has trained as hard as we have.
We deserve this and it’s right here for us to take.
One more drive breathing so hard, pushing so hard, running so hard, blocking so hard that we think we might pass out.
But we won’t because our strength, our talent, and our determination are on the line.
Let’s show everyone what we’re made of. Every play.
Every down. We give it everything we have. ”
“This is it, men,” Deon smirked.
“I’ll block so hard he’ll end up on his ass,” Zack told Jaylen.
“Hell yeah, you will. You’re a beast tonight. The best damn center in the league. Let’s go!” Jaylen yelled and the team responded.
Knox called the play and it was on.
The ball was snapped. Zack did exactly what he said he would. He blocked so hard that the defender flew backward and landed right on his ass. Knox handed the ball to Jaylen who burst through the hole Zack created and took off for eight yards.