22. Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Adam

The door closes behind us, and I hear the deadbolt fall into place. I turn to give Elizabeth another wave. When I turn around, I find Susie halfway down the street, practically running away from me.

Where does she think she’s going? We live at the same address.

A smirk climbs up my face, finding humor in her reaction before I call out her name. She stops but doesn’t turn around at the sound, so I jog up next to her.

“Amelia Adams, huh?” I say eagerly. The tingling in my stomach at learning that I am married to my favorite author is right up there with winning a game against a tough opponent. Adrenaline pumps through my veins.

“So,” she responds, looking anywhere but me. I place my body directly in front of her and stare. Her face is a delightful shade of bright red.

A goofy grin crosses my face. The woman in front of me is a complete enigma. The thought of peeling back all the layers that are her have me looking forward to the years ahead of us.

“Susie,” I say softly, gently taking her hand. “Look at me.”

She hesitantly raises her emerald green eyes to mine, and I see apprehension in them. My grin gets bigger, and I see the corner of her lip lift.

“I can’t believe it.” I shake my head and laugh. She takes hold of my hand, tightening her grip, and turns her head away. I place my finger on her cheek and gently turn her gaze back to me. “I feel like the biggest fanboy right now. I can’t tell you how much I love your books. I really love them.”

Her expression softens, and an unassuming expression fills her eyes.

“The only people who know exactly how much I love them are Olivia, Nicole, and Steve. So if you could keep it quiet, I’d appreciate it. As Steve likes to tell me, ‘I have a rep to protect’.”

She laughs at me and lightly slaps me on the chest with the book I just borrowed. Her book. I take the book but keep a hold of her hand.

This woman just keeps getting better and better.

“Is it okay to hold hands in public?” I ask, lifting her hand up, a pleading tone in my voice. “Cause I’d really like to.”

The light that shines in her eyes as she looks at me is breathtaking. Just then, my heart decides to take a few laps around the block before settling back in my chest, only to try and break free from my ribcage.

She entwines her fingers with mine and beams at me. “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that actually.”

“Hand holding?” I ask, lifting our hands.

“And kissing,” she says. My heart stops, and I look over to see her looking at me. “I think we should talk about kissing.”

I narrow my eyes and tilt my head. “Do you want to talk about kissing, or do you want to kiss ? Cause I thought last night I got the impression that we both want to kiss.” Her cheeks get that rosy hue I adore.

“Oh my goodness.” She shakes her head and rolls her eyes at me, her entire face turning pink. “Okay. Yes. I think there should be kissing.”

“Oh, good. So glad we agree that kissing should happen.” I slow my pace as we approach my Jeep. I stop and lean against the car, still holding Susie’s hand. A playful grin lines my lips. “My lips are ready and available for kissing whenever and wherever you’d like.”

She lifts her eyes to mine, and the affection I see there has my heart ramming against my chest. My gaze falls to her lips.

“Now, back to the subject of you being—” I look around to make sure no one is around us, “Amelia Adams. I have so many questions I want to ask; I don’t even know where to start.”

“You really like Amelia’s books?” The vulnerability I hear in her voice tugs at my heart.

“No,” I say firmly. “I really love them.”

The smile she beams my way makes my stomach flip. I gently push her hair behind her ear.

“Oh, oh!” I say excitedly. “Can I read them early? Isn’t there some type of reader that does that? They give an opinion or something? Can I do that? Can you tell me how you get your ideas? I want to know everything—”

Her laughter sends tingles down my spine. “How about we talk about those details later?” She backs away from me and starts heading to her car. “See you later.”

Still holding her hand, I pull her back to me and whisper in her ear. “See you at home.”

A shiver runs through her body, and my heart clenches when I see the effect I have on her. She looks at me from the corner of her eyes, and a smile spreads wide across her face. Warmth spreads from my chest through my entire body, and I can’t wait to see her in the privacy of our home.

Where I have every intention of kissing her soundly.

But first, I need to text Olivia and Nicole and tell them who I’m married to. They’re going to be even more excited than I am.

It’s the fourth quarter, and the score is fourteen-seventeen. The Mavericks are up by three against the Jaguars and have the ball.

Steve, my defensive lineman brother, has been giving me lip all game. He’s also been making me work for every block I get.

He’s good, great actually, but today I’ve been better.

Michaels, the Mavs quarterback, calls the play in the huddle, and the offense gets lined up. Michaels gives the call, and the center snaps the ball, putting the play in motion. The sound of pads hitting pads and grunts as players come into contact with each other is mixed with the crowd's roar. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shaw, our running back, get past his blocker and wide open. Michaels lets the ball go, and it flies right into Shaw’s hands. He breaks free of another defender and runs it into the end zone.

Touchdown!

The crowd goes wild, and I look up to where Susie told me she would be sitting with Brie in the stadium. All I can think about is her wearing my jersey.

“Focus on the game, Daniels!” Steve yells at me jokingly from across the field.

Ignoring him, I line up for the extra point attempt. It’s good, bringing the Mavericks lead up by ten points. With two minutes left in the game, it’s the defense’s turn to shut down the Jaguars offense.

“I think I did my job where you were concerned today.” I walk over to Steve, smiling, and pat him on the shoulder after the extra point attempt. “Good game.”

“It’s not over yet,” he tells me before he heads off to the sideline.

Our win is pretty much guaranteed with a two-score lead, but you don’t stop playing until the score clock reflects zero.

The Jags are good, but the Mavericks were the better team on the field today. The clock counts down as Josh walks toward me on the sideline.

“Josh,” I yell as he claps my shoulder. I give him a chest bump and a one-armed hug.

“Great job today,” he says as we fist bump. “If you don’t get nominated for the Pro-Bowl, it’s rigged.” I slap his back and laugh.

“Well, that’s obvious.” I smirk at him and wink. “I’ll see you in the locker room. I want to talk to the Jags offensive coordinator before heading in.”

Running into my old coaches and teammates is easier than I thought. If someone had told me a month ago that I’d be settled in with my new team and feeling good about where I am, I would’ve told them they were crazy.

But here I am, happier than I ever believed possible.

It feels good to see my old teammates and the coaching staff, but the Mavericks are now my team, and this place is my home. It’s where I belong.

Susie’s face pops in my head, and I smile. With her, everything has become bigger than football. Where she is is where I want to be. She’s my home.

I grin as I see Steve walking over to me, a smile from ear to ear on his face.

“You were tough out there today.” He slaps me on the shoulder. “Trying to impress someone?”

I feel heat creep up my face, and a smirk settles in. I can’t stop the smack talk falling from my lips. “I just had to prove who the better half of the dynamic duo is once and for all.”

“Yeah, yeah, little brother,” Steve retorts. “You can’t deny that falling in love makes you feel superhuman. Especially when that woman is wearing your name.”

He’s not wrong—on both counts. Knowing Susie is watching and wearing my jersey made me want to play better than I ever have in my entire life. Knowing that I’m in love with her and want to make her proud quadruples all of that.

“I knew it.” He claps me on the shoulder and pins me with his gaze. “I’m happy for you. You deserve to have someone as amazing as Nicole by your side.”

Tears burn the back of my eyes at his words. To distract myself, I immediately start to take my jersey off so Steve and I can swap. It’s been something we’ve talked about but have never had a chance to do with each of us always being on the same team.

“I’m beginning to wonder if being traded was the best thing to happen to you,” Steve says as he pulls his jersey over his head. I turn around so that he can sign his name on it. Then I do the same.

“I’m starting to think that too.” I laugh. “Though I could’ve done without the drama that brought me to this place.”

“Well, sometimes the road you have to travel is a bit bumpy.” Steve laughs.

“A bit? I think the road I had to travel had more than a ‘bit’ of bumps.” I quirk a brow. I reach over and give my brother a quick hug. “Thank you for your support through all of this. And siccing Darius on me.”

Steve gives me a side hug and a light slap on the back. “I’m just glad it’s all working out better than either one of us could’ve hoped. Now go inside and shower. The first time you see Susie in your jersey is going to be an experience that will be branded on your brain forever.”

“That’s pretty romantic for someone who claims not to be into romance.” I grin at my brother. Does he really think he’s not into romance? What he just said tells me all I need to know about what a softy he is when it comes to love.

He rolls his eyes at me. “I’m romantic; I just don’t read romance.”

A huge grin crosses my face as I head into the locker room. The time can’t move fast enough for me to see Susie.

Hopefully, I can keep my emotions in check because what I really want to do is let the entire world know she’s mine.