Lucia

Lucia stepped out of the analyst box, swiping across her screen to answer the call from Maya. Halftime had just started, and because it was the conference championship, she could hear the fans screaming even in the hall outside the room.

“Maya? Are you in Colton’s player box?”

Maya had suffered an injury that’d taken her out of tennis for a while, so she’d been splitting her time between Charleston and Los Angeles. Both Lucia and Colton had noticed how down she’d seemed, so they’d made sure she stayed with them when she came to visit, despite all the boxes that had littered Colton’s massive mansion since Lucia moved in—something that Lucia would only take ownership for in her own head.

“Yeah, I’m here with Dad.” Lucia knew that tone meant Maya needed saving.

“I’ll meet you at the staff entrance, and you can come hang with me in the analyst box if you want?” Lucia was running a small team of analysts, so nobody would say anything about having Maya in the room. Plus, nobody wanted to piss off the star quarterback who’d given them not one but two Super Bowl wins. In a row.

“Please.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “I can’t do this for much longer. I’m surprised Colton even let him have family tickets again.”

Lucia stifled a laugh as she walked toward where she’d promised to meet Maya, and when she saw Colton’s sister heading toward her, she clicked off the call.

“If I’d known he was coming, I would’ve had you join me from the start.”

Maya blew out a sigh, walking beside Lucia back toward the analyst box. “I’m starting to think Colton’s cold indifference toward him is the best way to handle him.”

Lucia was inclined to agree, but she tried to stay out of the family dynamic as much as she could. Lucia noted the grimace on Maya’s face when she attempted to open the door with her splinted arm. Lucia grabbed the door from Maya, made quick introductions, and cleared a space at the table beside her for Maya to sit.

They talked about Landon, who was just finishing his season since they’d lost their playoff game, and other football-related topics. Lucia tried to keep the conversation away from Maya’s tennis, knowing it was still a sore spot. They were all praying she’d find a way through the injury, but Colton had told Lucia a couple of weeks earlier that Maya thought it might be career-ending. Lucia’s heart tightened at the thought of her bright friend losing her greatest passion in life. She couldn’t imagine how down Colton would be without football.

When the second half started, Lucia had to focus on the numbers and Colton’s game. Maya didn’t seem to mind, watching quietly, tensing alongside Lucia when Colton got sacked or missed a throw.

As the fourth quarter drew to a close and it became obvious that the Sabers wouldn’t be making it to the Super Bowl for a third year in a row, Lucia began packing up her equipment.

She turned to Maya. “Wanna come with me to my office to drop these things off before the press conference? If not, I’ll meet you in the press room.”

“I think I’ll meet you in the press room. I should say bye to Cooper before I leave tonight since I may not be back for a few weeks.”

Lucia tried to hide the surprised look she knew was on her face. She’d noticed Maya and Cooper sharing looks here and there and recalled the night she’d gone out to drinks with Maya, Isa, Jenna, and Leigh. Jenna had talked about how Cooper looked at Maya, and Lucia wondered if there’d been more to that than simple teasing. She needed to talk to Colton about it.

Maya seemed to have picked up on her thoughts because she continued talking. “Uh, and Rudy and Jenna and Chris and everyone, of course. I should say goodbye to everyone.”

“Of course. I’ll meet you in the press room in a few, then.”

Lucia and the rest of the team moved the equipment they could from the room to the offices. Once Lucia plugged her computers in, she grabbed her purse and headed back to the stadium, knowing she’d need to put on her bravest face to comfort an upset Colton.

He’d gotten better about dealing with losses, but she hadn’t seen him lose a playoff game since they’d started dating, and she was sure it would be far worse than a regular-season loss.

She walked into the room and closed the door silently, questions already being answered. She sidled up to Maya just as Colton was asked a question.

“Tough loss, Colton. What do you think went wrong?”

Lucia sighed, hating their insensitivity. The press had never, and would never, be their friend, and she’d made her peace with that.

She was pleasantly surprised to see a half-smile on Colton’s face, his eyes finding hers. “Sometimes, you do the best you can, and you don’t win. Sometimes, they’re just gonna outplay you. I’m proud of the way the team played. I’m proud of our offense, and I’m proud of our defense. We did our best, and that’s all anybody can ask of us. They were just the better team today.”

A big grin split Lucia’s face at his words. She was immensely proud of Colton. He’d never played better than he had in this past season, and though it wouldn’t end in another Super Bowl attempt, her heart swelled with love and pride for all that he’d accomplished since she’d joined the Sabertooths.

Three reporters tried to ask him different questions at the same time, and he put his hands up. “I appreciate all the questions, but I’m gonna let Coach take the rest of them for the night. I have dinner plans with my two favorite people.”

A couple of people turned to her and Maya when they noticed where Colton’s focus was, and Coach Turner gave Colton an annoyed look but said nothing.

Lucia led Maya out of the room, a smile spreading across her face once again when she heard the other door closing. She turned and found Colton before her, the corner of his mouth ticked up.

She moved toward him, sliding her arms around his torso as he placed his head atop hers.

“I’m really proud of you. You played so well.”

He rubbed her back. “Thank you. We’ll get ‘em next year,” he murmured into her hair. They pulled away, and he put one arm around her shoulders and the other around Maya’s. “Let’s let Maya say her goodbyes, and then it’s pizza time.”