Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 382(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“We’re in public,” he said against my mouth. “Be good.”
“Being good is no fun.” I kissed him again. “I love you.”
He hugged me, mouth close to my ear, words only for me when he said, “Whatever we have to do to make it work, Cull. Hell, I’ll leave the Royals if I have to. I don’t give a shit about my career. Just you. I fucked up in college, but from now on, I’ll always pick you.”
I swear my heart nearly fucking burst but in a good way. No one put me first that way, no one loved me that way, and while I would never let him ruin his career for me, it meant the world to me that he would. “No. You’re not doing that. We’ll figure it out later. Let’s go back to your place.”
We parted, but Houston didn’t let me go far, taking my hand. When I looked up, his mom was crying, his dad smiling and… “Are you recording us?” Houston asked G.
“I’m not posting it…just thought I’d keep it for a rainy day. This is prime teasing material here.”
Ramsey flicked him in the side of the head. “You’re a dumbass.”
We hugged and said goodbye to his family. Connie told Houston she was proud of him before they finally went to board their flight, Houston and I making our way through the airport.
“You’re totally in love with me.” I waggled my brows.
“So? You’ve been in love with me since…what did you say? Before we even kissed the first time. That’s some stalker shit, Atwood.”
“Are you complaining?”
“Hell no,” he replied. “And I’ve probably loved you just as long.”
“Probably?”
“Are you really going to bust my balls after that sweet-ass public declaration I gave you?”
Nope, I sure as shit wasn’t. “I don’t know if I can make it until we get back to your place. SkyAir Members’ Club bathroom like old times?”
Houston laughed. “If you think people aren’t watching us today and we wouldn’t get arrested, you’re delusional. I’m a good influence on you, remember?”
Yeah, he really was.
I pulled up TikTok and quickly found a recording of Houston’s big-ass declaration, of him telling me he loved me, and watched it while he drove us back to his apartment…not gonna lie, maybe like fifty times. “We look hot together. I make you hotter.”
He rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.
I dropped my bag the second we were inside his apartment, Houston’s arms around me. We kissed slowly, like we had our whole fucking lives, and I guess now we did. He walked me backward until we got to the couch, but I turned us, pushing him so he sat down, and straddled his lap. I figured it would be easier on his knee. “How long have you loved me again?”
“Shut up, Atwood.”
“There’s the Houston I know.” I grinned.
He cupped my face, his brown eyes turning serious. “It’s not going to be easy… I’m here for another year, and you’re in Denver for likely another two or three.”
“I don’t care how hard it is. We have the off-season…we’ll sneak away to be together when we can. FaceTime orgasms are hot. We’ll make it work. And if you end up in LA longer than another year, we’ll—”
“I won’t,” he said.
“You can’t give up your career for me. You’ll resent me for it.”
“Don’t think too highly of yourself.” Houston winked. “I’m not giving anything up. This isn’t home, Cull. It’s not…I don’t love it like I thought I would. I miss the kids…I miss you. I think I had to leave to see that everything I needed was right there all along.”
“You practiced that the whole drive home, didn’t you?”
He pushed a lock of hair behind my right ear. “I can’t believe you were going to let me walk away.”
“Me? I can’t believe you were going to walk away. It was way more obvious I love you than it was you love me.”
“So we’re doing this, then? The long-distance thing?”
I nodded. “Until you come home to Denver with me for good…and when my time there is up, so is my time in the game. We lost too many years. I’m not losing any more.” I gave him a smirk. “Plus, it really is a great apartment, and I hate house hunting.”
“You bastard,” he joked before pulling my face toward him and kissing me.
In football, when one of the offensive players moved from the line of scrimmage before the ball was snapped, it was a false start. That’s the way I saw our first time together—a false start, our years afterward our penalty, but in the end, all it did was set us up to win the long game. And we would, together, the way we were always meant to be.
26
HOUSTON
Fall
“Goooooooooo!” It seemed like the entire Rush stadium was on its feet around me, the roar of the crowd deafening as a Rush offensive lineman blocked one of San Francisco’s nose guards and Garrett sped through the center seam, closely trailed by their safety, who leapt just as Garrett did. Both hurtled through the air and crashed to the ground in the end zone, several other players piling on top. I still flinched with panic and adrenaline anytime G, Ramsey, or Cullen went down, and my hands clenched into fists as the crowd quieted, seeming to hold its breath collectively.