32. Lucia

Lucia stared at the three emails in her inbox. She hadn’t told Colton about them yet because the moment he’d asked her to spend the night after the Vipers game, she’d decided she was staying in Charleston. She needed to talk to Coach Turner before she turned the other offers down, though.

Lucia hadn’t stopped smiling since the morning after the Vipers game. She hadn’t realized how easy it could be to be loved. Colton made her feel chosen every day, and that’s all she could have asked for.

The man in question stepped into her office, a winning smile on his face. He’d donned a pair of black, tailored pants and a button-down for their dinner like he’d known exactly what fire to stoke inside of her, and she realized by the setting sun that it was already five. With playoffs, they didn’t have much free time, but he’d been adamant about taking her to dinner for their first real date.

“You ready?”

She nodded, a matching smile on her face. She slipped her hand into his outstretched palm, grabbed her purse, and followed him out of her office. The elevator opened, revealing Coach Turner.

“Oh, good. You’re here. Let’s go up to the seventh floor. Colton, you’re welcome to come with us, but you’ll have to wait outside.”

Lucia’s brows furrowed, and she looked at Colton to see if he knew what was happening. He shrugged but squeezed her hand tightly.

They followed Coach out of the elevator and onto the floor, then toward the boardroom where they’d first seen each other again. Just like that day, Lucia squared her shoulders and held her head high. She dropped Colton’s hand, and he nodded like he understood that she needed to walk in her own way. Clearly, whatever was about to happen had to do with her professional future with the Sabers.

The layout of the meeting was practically the same as when she’d first shown up, all the same key players in the room, though now she had Colton by her side instead of sitting before her, heckling her. She held back a smile at the memory.

She smiled at Colton reassuringly as Coach shut the door in his face.

“Thank you for being here. We heard that you’ve received some offers from other teams for next season.” She was sure Colton could hear through the door, and she cringed, mentally thanking Coach Turner for outing her to Colton about something that she’d planned to discuss with him over dinner.

Coach Turner continued, “We have found your skills to be immensely helpful to the team as a whole, as well as to Colton’s game. As such, we’re looking to extend your contract for another three years with the ability to renew at a later date. Additionally, we’d like to offer you a raise, effective at the end of the season.”

With every word, Lucia internally screamed louder and louder. She couldn’t believe any of the things leaving his mouth. Not only did they want her to stay for at least another three years, but they wanted her so badly, they’d decided to give her a raise. She had to hold back her squeal, trying to appear professional as she nodded. She wouldn’t have to leave Charleston, or Colton, or Rudy and Jenna, or any of it.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Coach held up a hand, nodding to Tim, who stepped forward. “You will continue working with Colton and running analytics with the rest of the analysts. In addition, we want you included on the draft day team to help us decide who we’ll be taking for next season. You will also receive training from a couple of our head analysts with the hope that you’ll eventually be promoted to their position and take over your own team of analysts.”

She nearly collapsed.

“I…I…” She had to pause, trying not to hyperventilate. Putting on her most professional smile, she said, “Thank you. I’d love to continue working with the Sabers.” Her voice shook as she responded, but her acceptance seemed to be all they were looking for.

“Great. HR will get the contract and other paperwork sent up to you by next week.”

She started to turn toward the door when Coach Turner spoke. “You and Colton are still operating within the agreement you signed about this relationship, and while you’ll continue working together, we’ll have to re-evaluate if it begins to impede his game.”

“Of course.”

Coaches and staff began talking amongst each other, and she took that as a dismissal.

Lucia walked out of the boardroom, and the moment she was out of sight of the men in the room, she turned to Colton excitedly. He was beaming, pride written all over his face. He’d clearly heard it all. She jumped into his arms, giggling as he spun her around.

“Don’t think you’re getting away with not telling me about the other teams,” he whispered into her hair, right beside her ear. She smiled.

“I was gonna tell you at dinner so we could figure out our options, but I knew my answer the moment you asked me to stay the night after the Vipers game.”

“I’m so proud of you. Now we have to celebrate.” He set her down, slipping his hand into hers again. “Let’s get to dinner, and then tonight”—he dropped his voice, low and sensual—“you’re the queen of the castle, and I’m gonna be on my knees begging for a taste.”

She felt herself warm, her heart galloping at an unhealthy pace.

Every day, Colton proved to her that he wanted to be in her life and that she deserved the love that so many other people enjoyed. She knew her fears wouldn’t disappear overnight, and she wasn’t sure they would ever fully go away, but at the very least, she and Colton could navigate and attempt to quell them together. For the first time in her life, Lucia felt like she had everything she wanted and more.