30. Lucia

It was the first home game Lucia had worked since the fake relationship started where she wasn’t standing in the end zone, waiting for a kiss. Just the thought of Colton running out onto the field and not having someone there for him made her chest tighten painfully.

The stadium erupted with screaming and cheering as the Sabers ran out onto the field, Colton leading the charge as usual. The lights shut off momentarily as green, firework-like sparks leaped into the sky. The sounds of 80,000 fans doing the Sabers roar put a small smile on her face, and Blade the Sabertooth ran up and down the field, jumping for joy near the loudest sections.

Boos rang out when the Vipers came onto the field, and she had to ignore the looks from her colleagues when Max’s face appeared on the screen above their windows. Despite the allegations clearly being false, since she’d obviously been cleared to continue her work, they’d become cold toward her once again. Not that she was surprised. Nothing the men in her life did surprised her anymore.

After the national anthem, Colton went to the center of the field for the coin toss, a grim expression on his face. His glare was leveled at a grinning Max, who looked like he’d already gotten everything he’d ever wanted. A jolt of electricity shot up her spine as the corner of Colton’s mouth lifted a fraction when he won the toss, electing to defer.

Max’s first drive was sloppy, and the Sabers’ offense was on the field quickly. Unfortunately, they didn’t do much better.

The teams traded three and outs before each kicked a field goal. The game was much slower than everybody had hoped. Colton and the offense went back onto the field for a final drive before the end of the half, with a minute and a half and two timeouts left. They’d been able to accomplish much wilder feats, so she had faith that they could do it.

On first down, TJ, the Sabers’ first-string running back, got three yards. On second down, Colton faked to TJ and then ran the ball another three. She could see Coach Turner gesturing at Colton from the sidelines, likely changing the play call. They wouldn’t get the remaining four yards they needed if they kept rushing.

On third down, Chris hiked the ball to Colton, who looked downfield for an open receiver. Two defensive backs were covering Cooper, and Devin’s route looked busted. The offensive line was struggling to keep the Vipers at bay, and in the blink of an eye, two of them were on Colton. He tried to evade, but there was nothing he could do, and then he went down. Hard.

She hadn’t realized the gasp had left her mouth until her coworkers looked at her. She stood, walking toward the tall, glass windows of the box as if getting closer would provide him the support he needed to get up.

Get up. Get up. Get up. Why wasn’t he getting up? The Vipers’ linemen were already standing, high-fiving each other and gesturing at the crowd, but Colton remained on the ground. Lucia didn’t so much as breathe as her eyes flicked from the field below to the screen, trying to make out if Colton was moving at all.

“Come on, Colt. Get up,” she whispered pleadingly. “Please, get up.” Her eyes began filling with tears as trainers came out onto the field and rolled him over. He moved a little, but needed help getting up.

A golf cart came out onto the field, and the trainers loaded him onto it, something clearly wrong with his leg. Lucia’s heart beat in her ears as her eyes followed him until he disappeared inside the tunnels. Was she allowed to go see him? Would she get in trouble for leaving the box? Did he even want to see her?

She stood still, body pressed close to the glass of the box, ignoring the odd looks she was getting. Elijah went out onto the field and tried to gain more yardage, but only brought them close enough for another field goal.

The moment the half was over, Lucia ran out of the analyst box, her lungs on the verge of collapse as the walls began closing in on her. She didn’t care what the rest of the analysts thought of her, everything was getting to be a bit too much.

She paced the hallway outside the box, warmth licking down her cheeks. She realized she had been crying when her face grew tight as the tears dried. She walked into the bathroom, splashing water on her face as she tried to breathe through her anxiety.

She was sure he would be okay. Being taken off on a cart didn’t necessarily mean anything was wrong. He could’ve just been in shock or rolled his ankle a little. He might have already been up and moving. She needed to stay positive or she would lose her mind.

Still, her thoughts kept straying to the moment he’d gone down, trying to figure out what might have been wrong. Why hadn’t he moved? Why hadn’t he been able to get up on his own? She rolled her shoulders to loosen the tension building there.

When she walked out of the bathroom, she was surprised to see Isa standing outside the analyst box, eyes scanning the hallway.

“Isa?” she asked like she wasn’t sure if it was a dream, like she needed someone to pinch her hard to confirm everything was real.

The moment Isa’s eyes locked on hers, a look of sympathy washed over Isa’s face, and she rushed over, throwing her arms around Lucia. Lucia melted into the embrace, resting her head on her friend’s shoulder.

“Hi, mi cielo. It’s okay, it’s gonna be okay.”

At the words laced with comfort, Lucia began sobbing again. “What if something is seriously wrong with him? What if he can never stand again? What if he can never play football, or do anything he loves, ever again?” Her words were smashed together, and it was a wonder Isa could understand anything that came out of her mouth.

But it was her best friend, so of course she did. “I saw him. I wanted to check on him before I came up to see you because I knew you were going to be worried. He’s okay, osita. I promise. He’s banged up, and they’re doing some x-rays on his left knee and ankle, but it’ll take an entire legion of soldiers to keep him from getting back on that field. He’s a fighter.”

For the first time in ten minutes, Lucia let out a relieved breath. Then another, and another. She pulled away from Isa, searching her friend’s face to confirm that the words were true. Her tears stopped as she wrapped her arms around her torso, looking away from Isa.

“I know what you’re going to say. I did what you told me not to. I got attached. And I know it was—”

“Luc, no. I would never say that.” Isa sighed, pulling Lucia by the hand until they were against the wall. Only when her friend lowered her voice did Lucia realize how many other staff members filled the hallway around them.

“He cares about you, Luc. It’s about time you find someone who’ll treat you right, and Colton will.”

A harsh breath left Lucia. “It doesn’t matter how we feel. He’s upset with me after the shit with Max, and even if that weren’t true, I can’t do this again, Isa. I can’t.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“With the news article that came out. He thinks it’s true and—”

“Not that. He’s not so dense to believe the Sabers would’ve kept you if it was true. What do you mean you can’t?”

Lucia hadn’t told Isa about what had happened on New Year’s Eve. She’d been too embarrassed that Isa had been right, because she had been hurt by everything, just like Isa’d said she would.

“Come on, Isa. You’ve seen it. You’ve seen my dad, you’ve seen how his life has been for years, ever since my mom left us. I won’t let someone do to me what my mom did to my dad. The breakup with Max wasn’t so bad, but I just know it would be worse with Colton. Even this weird fake breakup we’re going through is harder.”

Isa looked at her sympathetically. “You love him?”

She surprised herself with her quick reply. “Yes.”

Of course she did. If she hadn’t known it by the emptiness in her chest for the past two weeks, she’d known it the moment Colton had gone down on the field.

“Then tell him that. You can’t let fear rule you for the rest of your life. I know you’re scared of getting hurt, but Colton has never treated you like Max did, right?”

Lucia shook her head.

“Don’t let Max ruin your chance at happiness. If you keep pushing Colton away, Max wins. You’d be a fool to let him go.”

Isa’s wording was like a smack to the face. This whole time, she’d been worried about Colton hurting her and her becoming the fool once again. Did Isa really think she was being foolish for sticking to her beliefs and trying to move past her feelings? How could Lucia or Isa or anyone be sure she wouldn’t get hurt if she told him how she felt?

She thought about him in the training room, pissed off, in pain, and potentially alone. Or at least without somebody who cared about him as much as she did. She couldn’t believe she’d waited so long to go see him. She could only hope she’d have enough time before the end of halftime.

“Isa, can you get me into the training area?”

Her best friend beamed at her, taking her hand and dragging her down to find Colton. It only took a few minutes of wading through Sabers’ staff before she was outside the room. Isa nodded at her encouragingly, and Lucia opened the door.

He was facing away from her, lying on his back with his left ankle taped and raised. She could only see the side of his face, but she could tell he was brooding. He must’ve seen her in his periphery because he turned his head, his eyes landing on her.

She couldn’t decipher the look on his face. Was he happy to see her? Did he want her to leave? How much time did she have to tell him how she felt before he had to go?

The trainer who was working with him moved toward her. “You can’t be in here.”

“It’s fine,” Colton spoke quietly.

Lucia moved so she was close enough to touch him, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. Just seeing him all beat up brought tears to her eyes, and she couldn’t believe the number of times she’d cried in the past two weeks. She’d turned into a weepy mess.

He didn’t shy away when she set her hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded, but she could tell he was in a lot of pain.

“Is it true? I can’t imagine they would have let you work today if it were, but…”

Lucia sucked in a breath. It hurt that he didn’t trust her, but she also understood. It was her fault for not telling him about the call with Max.

“The call happened, yes. But nothing else was true. I didn’t want to tell you because I was so embarrassed that I gave him a chance to apologize. I didn’t want you to think less of me.”

“I never would have thought less of you.” His voice was gravelly. “So you really said that to him? That you would give him our plays?”

Betrayal was clear in his every word, and for the hundredth time in two days, Lucia wished she’d told Colton about the call.

She closed her eyes, nodding. “I did, but it was taken out of context. It was sarcastic. I have the video of the whole thing I wanted to show you, but that should probably wait until after the game. Isa got her hands on it for me, and it helped me clear my name with Tim and Coach Turner.”

He nodded once, still no semblance of a smile on his face. “Okay.”

Okay? Okay like he believed her? Or okay like he would decide how he felt after he saw the whole video?

“Okay,” she echoed. “I guess I should go.”

“Why’d you come down here, Lucia?”

“I wanted to see if you were okay. I was worried about you.”

He looked at her incredulously. “That’s the only reason?”

Lucia glanced at the trainer, who’d been standing awkwardly behind her the entire time. He took the hint, walking out of the room quickly.

“I wanted…I want to tell you that I’m sorry. About New Year’s Eve.” She let out a breath, her hand sliding down to clasp his. “I was scared. I had just been in Philadelphia watching my dad deal with another heartbreak, having to cook and clean for him because he’d hardly left the couch the whole time, and it scared me. Because I realized how much I care about you. How much of it wasn’t pretend for me.”

She wasn’t ready to tell him she loved him yet, but she was trying her best.

“I realized that it was more than I’ve ever cared about anyone, including Max. And that scared me. Because if Max was able to hurt me the way he did, then if anything ever happened between you and me, I knew it would be so much worse. And I don’t think I could handle that.”

She felt a tear slide down her cheek, her pulse jumping when Colton wiped it from her face gently. “I’m so scared of being my father, Colt. I don’t want to end up like that. It hurt me so much to say goodbye, and every single time I saw you afterward was like a punch right to the gut. When you came into the facility and started to say something to me, I knew if you spoke, I’d lose all my resolve. So I ran away like a coward and asked Tim to join our sessions.” She rested her right palm on his cheek, her thumb brushing over his cheekbone. “I’m done running now. If you still want me.”

The door opened and Lucia started to move her hand away, but Colton placed his hand over it, keeping her anchored to him. “Of course I still want you, Luc. I told you as much in my texts.”

Lucia dropped her eyes, embarrassed that she hadn’t responded to any of them. She hadn’t been able to swear on her fantasy football team, and she hadn’t wanted to lie to him. “I know, but after the news, I wasn’t sure.”

“One minute before you need to be on the field, Colton,” the trainer said. Lucia huffed out an annoyed breath, wanting nothing more than to keep talking.

He grimaced as he pulled himself up into a sitting position, Lucia helping him.

“I didn’t believe it until I saw the screenshot of you on the phone with him. Even that, I wasn’t sure about, but then I saw the necklace and I knew it was recent, and I didn’t know what to think.” Finally, he smiled softly. “But I trust you. We’ll recover from the game tonight and talk about it tomorrow, okay?”

Lucia contained the urge to throw her arms around him, especially since the look on his face as he lowered himself to the ground told her how much pain he was really in.

“Are you going to play?” She couldn’t help the worry that tinged her voice as she asked.

“Coach will have to wrestle me to the ground if he thinks I’m not gonna go out there and kick Max’s ass. We can win this game, I know we can. And I want to be the one who helps us do that.”

Lucia didn’t want to tell him what to do, even if she was worried about him. She nodded, happy to hear him talk like he was a part of the team, rather than the only person on the team.

“Be safe.” I love you, she thought.

Then Colton was being ushered out of the room, limping toward the tunnel that would take him out to the field. Lucia turned down the hallway in the other direction and headed to the analyst box. Isa had already gone out onto the field.

After she closed the door and sat down, she watched him limp onto the field, suited up and ready to start the second half. Her heart trampled over itself at the determination on his face, and she said a prayer to a god she’d forsaken a long time ago to keep him safe.

The second half was similar to the first, except that every time Colton went down, he took longer and longer to get back up. She was ready for Coach Turner to make the call to bench him and put Elijah in. She knew it would metaphorically kill Colton not to play to the end, but she was worried playing to the end would actually kill him.

By the end of the third quarter, the Vipers were up by a touchdown, and very few of Colton’s drives had looked like they would result in points. The fourth quarter was more of the same, and even Coach Turner looked torn, a green-looking Elijah beside him. As they neared the end, she watched Colton and Coach Turner exchange a few words before he patted Colton’s shoulder and sent Colton back in. It could’ve very well been their last drive, and once again, Lucia found herself standing beside her table, biting the top of her pen.

She could tell from their formation that he was going to try for a long pass. He moved his feet after the snap, just like they’d practiced, and let a beautiful ball sail toward Devin who caught it on his way out of bounds. Thirty yards. She let out a small sigh of relief, but they were far from being able to celebrate.

The Sabers tried running the ball on the first two downs, but then on third down, Colton let the ball fly as he took a hit, Cooper jumping over a defensive back to catch it in the end zone. Colton stayed on the ground, but he pumped his fist before one of the Vipers’ players helped him up.

She looked over at Coach to see if he’d try for two or go for the extra point. When their kicking unit didn’t move, she bit down on the pen harder. Coach was putting an enormous amount of pressure on Colton to get this win.

They were going for two points. Their last attempt to take the lead and leave the Vipers with forty-five seconds. She could practically hear the entire stadium inhale as Chris snapped the ball to Colton. The Vipers’ secondary was doing a good job of keeping Colton’s receivers covered, and Colton evaded one lineman and then another, limp-running laterally across the field until it seemed the attempt would end with a sack. Instead, Colton limped quickly through a hole in the defense toward the end zone and leaped into the air, arms extended and ball knocking over the pylon.

Lucia jumped to her feet, letting out a squeal that was drowned out by the rest of the analysts cheering. Her heart tried to go back to normal but sped up again when she saw the look on Colton’s face. His smile was wide, as the adoration of nearly 80,000 fans washed over him, his name chanted all around the stadium. Even Coach Turner was jumping up and down with the offensive coordinator, a huge smile on his face and his clipboard abandoned on the sidelines.

Colton had gotten what he wanted, what he needed, to convince himself he deserved to be where he was. All Lucia could do was smile.