Chapter 15
RYLIN
The black cab finally pulled up to the stadium, and I wished Reese were climbing out beside me. Instead, she texted me a heart emoji, promising to watch the highlights later between tables.
She’d refused to miss her shift at The Tight Line, arguing that it would look bad if the assistant manager’s sister bailed on game day. Especially since she’d only been on the job for less than a week.
Finally free from our mother, her stubborn side was coming out in full force. And I loved it.
As I stepped onto the sidewalk, my phone buzzed.
Reese
You’re the best sister ever. Don’t let anyone make you feel like you don’t belong.
It was exactly the message I needed right then.
Me
Love you.
I smiled, tucking my phone away as I joined the stream of people heading toward the entrance. The fans in the nosebleed section were more my style, but Micah had gotten me a pass to the VIP suite, where the wives and girlfriends of players watched the game.
I tugged lightly at the hem of the jersey Micah had asked me to wear and fought the urge to smooth my hair for the hundredth time.
I had no idea what to expect since I’d never attended a pro football game, let alone in a fancy suite.
And without Micah at my side, I felt like I was stepping into his world alone.
I was worried they’d treat me like a temporary distraction for Micah.
The woman before the one he was meant to end up with.
Even though I loved him with every ounce of my being.
But those three little words had caught in my throat more times than I could count.
Because a part of me was still terrified that claiming it out loud would ruin everything.
But that was a worry for another time. I drew in a steadying breath and straightened my shoulders. Micah believed I belonged here, even if I wasn’t sure yet. So I took a deep, steadying breath as I showed my pass to get through security.
The suite doors opened onto what felt like a whole different world.
I hesitated just long enough to take in the soft leather seating, the panoramic view of the field below, and the low hum of conversation layered with laughter and the distant roar of the crowd.
Every instinct I had told me to brace myself, but I’d barely taken two steps inside when a woman smiled at me as she’d just spotted a friend, even though we’d never met before.
“There she is,” she greeted brightly. “You made it!”
I blinked. “I—hi?”
“It’s great to finally meet you, Rylin. I’m Finley.”
Before I could even reply, someone gently took my elbow and guided me farther in. Another woman asked, “What are you drinking?”
“Oh. Uh—ginger ale is fine.”
“You can take mine. I’ll grab another,” she offered, handing me a full glass.
The casual generosity threw me more than it should have. “Thanks.”
I looked around the room. My gaze landed on a visibly pregnant woman who slowly stood from one of the couches. When her eyes met mine, her face lit up. “I’m Marissa. We’ve been dying to meet you.”
The knot in my chest loosened a notch.
Before I could respond, the woman who’d given me her drink leaned in. “You’re the one who makes those bars at The Tight Line, right? The apple ones?”
“Uh—yes,” I answered.
“My husband won’t shut up about them,” she continued. “Gage usually tries to eat healthy during the season, but he didn’t even save me a crumb of the ones he brought home.”
Laughter rippled around me as everyone else introduced themselves, and I used my years working as a server to good use as I memorized their names and faces.
Finley asked how long I’d worked there. Marissa complimented my jersey. Rory scooted over to make room on the couch like it was the most natural thing in the world.
No one asked how long Micah and I had been together, or whether I planned to stick around.
They asked about my sister. My job. My baking.
At some point, without quite realizing how it happened, I found myself laughing with them. Fitting in as though I belonged.
“Micah’s been smiling like an idiot for weeks,” Marissa murmured as the team warmed up on the field. “Raiden has known him practically forever, and he said this is the happiest he’s ever seen him. Because of you.”
“Really?” I whispered, loving the idea that I made him truly happy.
Rory nodded. “You’ve made him light up in a way I’ve never seen when he was with a woman.”
Marissa must have clocked something on my face because she leaned closer and whispered, “You know he’s not a player, right?”
I kept my expression neutral this time, but inside, everything went still.
The last fear I hadn’t quite been able to shake reared its head.
The worry that I was just another phase.
A moment before the real thing. I’d heard rumors that he dated a lot, but in all the time we’d been together, I’d never felt his intense focus stray from me.
Ivy snorted softly. “That reputation’s the most misunderstood thing about him.”
“His short-lived attempts at finding the right woman are actually kind of legendary.” Marissa shook her head. “He doesn’t even bother with a first date if it’s not right. Every time.”
“The single guys still don’t get it,” Rory added. “How he wouldn’t settle. Not even a little.”
My fingers curled into the fabric of my jersey as I listened.
“He’s been teased for years about it. They started calling the women he talked to ‘Mrs. Right Now’ because no one even got invited to dinner,” Marissa explained.
“He’s been looking for his forever person longer than most of us have been married.
Raiden used to joke that Micah was waiting for lightning to strike. ”
Ivy laughed. “And now it has, because he finally met you.”
Warmth spread through my chest, loosening something that had been clenched tight for far too long. For the first time since I’d fallen for him, the instinct to guard my heart quieted. I didn’t need to protect myself from loving Micah.
Loving him wasn’t reckless. It was safe.
The realization settled deep as the teams got ready to take the field. And I knew that no matter the outcome of this game, we’d both be winners tonight because I was finally going to tell Micah that I loved him.
My head was in the clouds as I watched the coin toss, grinning when I realized the Nighthawks losing and their opponent choosing to receive the kickoff meant that the first play I’d watch would be with Micah on the field.
And he made all my worries worth it when he got the tackle that stopped the other team from making their third down.
I jumped up to cheer, and nausea hit me so suddenly I had to grip the edge of the counter beside the couch.
“Whoa,” Marissa murmured. “You okay?”
I nodded quickly, forcing a smile even as my stomach roiled again. “Yeah. I think I stood up too fast.”
That was only half a lie.
Rory was holding a plate piled high with finger foods. Mini sliders. Pretzel bites. Something cheesy and fried that normally would’ve been my weakness.
“Want something?” she offered cheerfully.
The smell hit me. Heat rushed up my neck, my mouth flooding as bile crept higher. I swallowed once. Then again. Hard this time, hoping to stop myself from puking.
“Oh,” Marissa breathed, her eyes widening. “Hey. Sit.”
“I’m fine,” I insisted, even though my vision pulsed faintly at the edges. “I just need a second.”
Marissa was already moving, all gentle efficiency. She guided me back onto the couch and pressed a cool glass of ginger ale into my hand. “Sip. Small ones.”
I did, breathing carefully through my nose.
The nausea eased just enough that I didn’t embarrass myself in front of half the New York Nighthawks’ WAG circle.
Marissa watched me for another beat, then glanced down—and smiled knowingly as she reached out and patted her very round belly. “Don’t panic. That green look hits fast. At least you’re probably only dealing with one baby instead of two.”
I blinked.
She laughed softly. “Trust me. Twins are a whole lot harder to wrap your head around.”
The room faded out for a second as my brain kicked into overdrive.
My period was late.
Really late.
And I hadn’t even noticed because I’d been so darn busy.
But Micah and I hadn’t used condoms. Not once. It had never even crossed my mind to worry about what that meant for the long-term. The risks we were taking.
My hand drifted to my stomach without me consciously deciding to move it.
“Oh my,” I whispered.
Marissa’s smile softened when she noticed. She didn’t say anything else. Just squeezed my knee like she understood exactly what was happening inside my head.
The noise from the stadium surged as the teams lined up on the field. Cheers thundered around us, vibrating through the glass.
Micah was down there, playing his heart out.
And now I had something else to tell him when the game was over.
Something big. Terrifying. And wonderful.
I leaned back against the couch, one hand resting on my still-flat belly as I watched the field, my heart racing for a whole new reason. Counting down the minutes until I’d see him again.