31. Colton

Colton shifted in his bed, looking for some relief for his aching left leg. The tape around his ankle had only been able to stop the swelling so much. His entire body felt like it’d been put through a meat grinder, and yet he hadn’t stopped smiling all evening.

Most would have assumed that was because of the win. He’d held his breath until the last second ticked off the clock, but beating the Vipers out of the playoffs had been the second-best reward for playing through his pain.

The real reason he couldn’t stop smiling was because of the woman who was curled beside him in his bed like she was his missing puzzle piece, brown hair tossed across the pillow on her side. They had a lot they needed to work through, but they’d agreed to set it aside for the night, too exhausted to try to talk through everything.

He needed a little more of an explanation from her, but the moment the game was won, he’d known he wanted her to stay the night. The win had been exhilarating, but it was nothing if he couldn’t celebrate it with her. Winning didn’t matter if Lucia wasn’t a part of it.

Before her, that certainly wouldn’t have been true. He’d never needed anyone besides his teammates to celebrate with, but clearly, things had changed. Lucia had changed everything for him.

He’d spent his entire life believing that winning was the only way for people to love and respect him, but Lucia didn’t care about any of that. She’d told him countless times that he mattered regardless. That he was important whether he quit the NFL right now or waited years to retire.

So while he knew there would be a lot to talk through in the morning, words couldn’t express his happiness at having her in his bed beside him, clothed in his t-shirt and sweatpants.

His movements must’ve woken her because she groaned. “Is it time to get up?”

He chuckled. “Nope. Go back to sleep, pretty girl.”

A second later, her breathing evened out again. His phone lighting up on his nightstand reminded him of what he needed to be looking out for before their talk.

After the game, Colton had hobbled over to Clark and had told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn’t apologize publicly and ensure The Richmond Herald retracted the story in the next twelve hours, news would spread about the woman he’d impregnated and swept under the rug only months before he’d started dating Lucia in college. He had his agent and the Sabertooths’ PR team to thank for that tidbit of information. The girl had been trying to get in contact with Max for years, only thinking of approaching the media once Colton’s team had asked about her willingness. Max had paled at the threat, the sneer on his face disappearing instantaneously.

Scrolling through all of Max’s social media profiles and The Richmond Herald’s website, Colton found that neither had been done. He set his phone back down, making a note to himself to check again in the morning. He wanted to make sure he could show it to her when they talked.

Colton rolled over, slinging an arm over Lucia and closing his eyes, hoping his body would relax enough to let him sleep.

Colton woke to the smell of pancakes and bacon, his stomach growling. He was thankful he didn’t have to be at the facility until the afternoon, especially since sleep didn’t appear to have helped his body’s healing at all.

He walked into his kitchen, the sight of Lucia whisking something in a bowl making him wish he could wake up to this every day.

“What are you doing?” he asked, unable to keep the smile from his face.

“I’m terrified by the number of pizza boxes in your fridge. I genuinely don’t know how you look as hot as you do when you eat like this.”

“But you don’t need to cook. I could’ve ordered us something.”

“What, breakfast pizza?” She laughed at her own joke. “I like cooking for you. Plus, think of it as a part of my apology.” Her smile tipped down at the corners.

He wouldn’t tell her because he wanted to hear what she had to say, but she was already practically forgiven in his eyes.

“Do you need any help?”

“Nope. You can just sit and watch. You don’t really look like you should be moving around anyway.” Her eyebrows furrowed as she took in the way his body was overcompensating for his many injuries.

“I’ll be fine. I’m always a little beat up after games.”

Lucia turned around, her back facing him as she cut up some potatoes. She was going all out for this apology breakfast.

“I know I could’ve sent it to you, but I wanted to be here with you when you watched the video of the call. My phone’s on the counter if you want to pull it up. Password is zero-eight-two-three.”

Colton’s stomach turned at the thought of having to listen to her talk to Max, but he brought the phone closer to him, typed in the password, and opened the app. He played the video, turning up the volume.

His heart ached at the shakiness of her voice as she spoke to Max. He cringed at the mention of her having sex on the beach with him, pushing the image out of his head as fast as it had entered. His jaw clenched as he heard Max slam something after she’d told him she wasn’t in love with him and clenched harder at the insinuation that Lucia couldn’t have gotten her job with the Sabers on merit alone. He bristled at Max’s mention of him.

By the end, all he felt was pride. He was so proud of her for holding her own against Max and finally telling him what needed to be said. When the video ended, Lucia turned to look at him, her bottom lip tucked under her teeth.

He walked to where she stood in front of the stove, wrapping his arms around her. “You okay?”

“Of course I am. Are you?”

“I’m proud of you for not backing down. And thank you for saying all that about me to him. Standing up for me.”

The sounds of sizzling had her turning in his arms as she scrambled the eggs in the pan along with the diced potatoes. She leaned back against his chest, her left hand resting on top of the arms wrapped around her stomach.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you about the call. Like I said, I was so embarrassed that I agreed to even take the call since I’d given him so many other chances. And then he said that thing about the Sabers’ playbook, and I was even more embarrassed because not only did he not redeem himself, but he tried to take advantage of me. Again.”

Colton settled his head on her shoulder, watching her cook. “It’s okay. I think I was hurt by it mostly because you didn’t tell me that you were gonna talk to him. I know we weren’t really together then, but it’d felt like we were. And seeing you with that necklace, smiling while talking to him…It broke something inside of me.”

Lucia turned the heat down on the food, setting the spatula down and placing her other hand on top of his too. “I know. I should’ve told you all of it, especially since Thanksgiving was so amazing. I had the best time with you and everyone, but it was something I wanted to do alone, and then when it was over, I didn’t want to think about it anymore.” She paused, her head turning to the side and resting against his chest.

“And the reason I was smiling in that picture was because you texted me about team bonding. You could probably see that Max was pissed because that little laugh was me giggling at your message. That was the only time I smiled, and he screenshotted that part on purpose. I’m so sorry you found out the way you did.”

At the mention of her laughing at his text, he squeezed her waist. “Forgiven.”

He kissed her cheek, then her neck, then let her go, sitting on the bar stool across the counter once more.

She began moving stuff from the pan onto plates, so he opened his phone to check if Clark had done what he was supposed to. When he found no mention of the pictures or video clip and saw a new post on Max’s Instagram, he turned the phone so she could see it.

“Look.”

She turned to him, grabbing the phone with a questioning look. He stood and took over for her, putting a couple of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and potatoes on two plates and setting them on his counter side by side.

“I don’t understand. He’s apologizing for leaking the video and pictures? Why would he do that?”

Colton shrugged, guiding her to a bar stool gently with a hand on her back. “Maybe he was worried about a lawsuit.”

Lucia looked at him through narrowed eyes, setting his phone down. “You did this, didn’t you? You convinced him to do this. And got the article taken down.” She didn’t wait for confirmation before she asked, “How?”

He grinned. “I have my ways.” A well-paid woman who he’d gladly given Max’s contact information.

He thought Lucia would have been happy, but she began moving food around her plate, her shoulders slumped.

“Luc? What’s wrong?”

She turned to him, eyes shining. “Nothing’s wrong. It’s perfect. You’re perfect. I—I’m just so sorry.” She sighed. “I’m sorry that I ended things the way I did. That I ran away from this because I was scared it would end with me hurt like it did with Max. I’m sorry I ever compared you to him. You are wonderful and sweet and caring. These past few months with you have been better than anything I’ve ever experienced. There’s no comparison. You make me feel cared for, even when you’re busy with football.”

She looked down at her lap as if embarrassed. “I can’t focus on work when I know you’re in the building or out on the field. I can’t imagine not watching romcoms with you in your hotel rooms, or not forcing you to do agility training on the field after everybody else has left.” They chuckled together at that.

“The thought of being away from you makes my stomach churn. These past few weeks without you have been torture. And watching you go down on the field almost killed me. I was so worried about you, Colt, you don’t even know. When I saw you in the training room, I tried to hold it together, but…”

Colton couldn’t take it. He took her hands and pulled her toward his couch. He sat her down, dropping to his knees between her legs and placing his hands on her waist. “Luc, you are the reason that I love football again. I’ve been going through the motions for the adoration of the fans for who knows how long. For the first time since—god—flag football? I love it again. And that’s because of you. You were the first person in my life to make me feel worthy, even without winning. Like I matter regardless of my stats.”

Her lips parted, and he ran a thumb over them. “Wait, let me finish, sweet girl. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you how I felt sooner. I don’t know if it would’ve changed things, but I was scared. So scared to fully admit it to even myself because…god, if you knew how I feel about you, you’d have the power to end me completely.

She made a noise that sounded like surprise and something else. “Colt…”

“You’ve lived under my skin for so long, put roots down inside of me that don’t want to move. I can’t go a minute without thinking about you. When I’m in meetings, lifting, practicing, even during games, you consume my every waking thought, even when you shouldn’t. I can’t even pinpoint when it all changed for me, not really. All I know is that I…fuck, Moretti. I love you. I love your little skirts and those ridiculous heels. I love that you have ten different green pantsuits for game day. I love that you know more about football than me. I love that you know how to fix my game with just a glance at my film. I love how good you are at football trivia. I love that little groove between your eyebrows that you reserve for me, mostly.” He placed his thumb between her brows where he usually found that groove, though it wasn’t there now.

“I love that you came here and made friends with my friends so fast, and that you made my sister feel so welcome when she visited. I love your strength, and how brave you are after everything you’ve been through. And most of all, I love the feeling I get when I run out on that field and get to kiss you in the end zone like I’m a giddy teenager during homecoming. You’ve changed my life immensely over the last five months, and I’m so grateful to know and love you. You’ve made me better in every single way.” He chuckled, remembering his conversation with his father. “Hell, I finally stood up to my father because of you.”

Her eyebrows shot up at his last sentence. “You did?”

He nodded, a wide smile on his face. “I did.”

She looked like she was still processing his rambling, so he added one last thought. “I’ve spent my whole life only caring about one thing: how I can get my next win, my next championship, my next Super Bowl ring. And for the first time in my life, I realized at the game that none of that shit matters if you’re not there. If I can’t smile up at you as you jump up and down in the analyst box, if I can’t celebrate with you, what’s the point?”

Tears formed in her eyes, and she sniffled. “I hate how much I’ve been crying recently, and you being sweet isn’t helping.” She laughed, looking down at her hands in her lap. “I love you too, Colt. Of course I do. How could anybody not love you? You make me smile when nobody else can—even when I should be in a bad mood. You make me happy beyond anything I’ve ever felt. I feel like I can do anything, be anything I want when you’re with me. You make me feel like I’m more than an analyst, and I appreciate that so much because, for the longest time, the only way I knew how to describe myself was as a numbers girl. And now I can be anything.”

Colton’s heart thumped hard in his chest, hope filling every vein and artery in his body. Her confession was better than a hundred Super Bowl wins.

He grabbed her chin gently, pulling her head up and meeting her eyes as he opened his mouth to speak. She smiled wickedly. “Let me finish, Superstar.”

He smiled back.

“I can’t promise that I’ll magically get over this fear of mine, but I promise I’ll try. I’ll tell you if I’m ever feeling like running or if something happens and I get the urge to push you away. I’ll make sure you know so we can talk it out. Because I trust you more than anybody in this world, and I want to prove myself wrong. I want to show my younger self, and even me from a few months ago, that love can be for me. That I’m deserving of it, no matter what I’ve experienced. That not all relationships have to end in heartbreak.”

That’s all he’d wanted. He hadn’t expected her to leave all her fears behind just because they loved each other. But he did want her to try, because he was sure he could prove to her that she deserved love. If it took their entire lives together, he would prove that to her.

“That’s all I want, Luc. That’s all I will ever ask for. Just give me the privilege of proving to you that you deserve love. Because you do. You are the most deserving person in this world, and I want to be the one who gets to show you that every day.”

Lucia leaned forward, her forehead resting on his for only a moment before she kissed him passionately. When they pulled away, she said, “You better start by eating the breakfast I made you before it gets cold.”

And then they grinned at each other like a couple of idiots in love.