Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty-Three

DANE

Me: Morning. Do you have a uniform I can wear of yours? I feel like you're superstitious like that.

Lettie: Morning. You would look funny in my tight pants and little boots. I'll pass.

S he's in the bathroom, but I do have something for her.

When she comes out, her hair is slicked back in a tight, fancy bun at the bottom of her neck. She looks like a million bucks. And her ass in those tight pants makes my dick twitch. She carries a little more weight in her hips, and I love digging my fingers into her flesh in that spot.

"Wow, if this were a beauty pageant, you would win, hands down." She blushes as I slip my arms around her, kissing her forehead and not wanting to mess up her lipstick. "You're ready. But call me superstitious, I need to give you a lucky charm."

I reach int o my pocket and pull out the copper coin she gave me when we were seniors in high school. I rub my thumb and finger over it, and her eyes tear up. "You gave this to me when I didn't believe in myself. The pandemic made me scared of germs, and you gave this copper coin to me and said, "Keep it in your warmup pants on the bench. Take it out and rub the germs off. It has antibacterial properties and will keep you from getting sick."

The water in her eyes is about to fall when she says, "You were so scared because your grandmother died from complications from that virus. But she was already sick, Dane, and it wasn't because you had a cold and hugged her."

"I know that now. But I've carried this coin with me every day since. Did you know that?" I ask.

She pulls her mouth to one side. "Occasionally, I would see you flipping something in your pocket."

"Whenever you were flirting with another guy or if I was having a bad day for another reason, I would rub the coin, not because of germs but because you gave it to me, and it showed how much you cared for me. I knew you would always have my back. Now I'm giving it to you. I have your back."

"Have I told you how much I love you?" she asks, pressing on her toes.

"Not since last night."

"Well, I love you, and I'm lucky to have you as my best friend and boyfriend."

I grab her ass. "You bet your ass you are." She cackles as she jerks. "Now let's get some breakfast before Jasper steals you away from me."

Grans called me this morning, hysterical. She's so fucking happy, and I'm not kidding, her exact words were, "I'm so fucking happy. I always knew you loved my girl, and she's always felt the same about you but too damn stubborn to admit it. And she was afraid you didn't feel the same way."

She found out because the local news did a story on us. I almost forgot about the camera crew. As I scroll through my phone, we're blowing up on social media. When I find the actual newscast online, I watch with intrigue. I've been on newscasts for at least the past four years, but I've only watched the one where I committed to the Stallions. Overall, it's positive and sweet. The headline that scrolls under BIG STORY reads:

Stallion Basketball Great is Off the Market

It captures me swinging her around, and the smile on her face sends goosebumps through my veins. She was happy. Jasper wasn't. Even though the video is spliced together, there's a spot where he's gritting his teeth while looking at me. It shows me watching her with the binoculars but also working out.

The wife of the owner of the Crown Jewel Horse Farm ends the segment with, "This is just part one of the story. She's won Dane's heart, but will Elizabeth Scott win enough points to go to the next competition? Find out more on the BIG STORY at eleven."

Elizabeth. Why is everyone calling her Elizabeth? The camera crew has to hear me calling her Lettie. But that's the least of my worries. When my dad finds out, which won't be long, he'll be pissed. Not that I'm dating Lettie, but that I blew off practice and maybe missed classes and will miss being announced today at the Stallions football game.

I better enjoy the time I have left. But I can't because my phone beeps with message after message.

Nick: You're so sweet.

Asshole.

Mom: Call me. God, I hope your dad doesn't know.

Mac: Guess you won't be at the football game tomorrow, watching me make Stallion history with the most receptions in three seasons. Wish Lettie luck.

Brooke: You two are the absolute cutest. Can't wait to hear all about it. I'll be watching on the telly.

The other fifty messages are about the same.

Must be love, or Coach is going to go off!

I'm not w orried about Coach Cappitano, but I hate that he's going to take it out on the whole team. Make an example of me and remove me from my position as captain. If he does that, my dad will absolutely flip the fuck out.

"Hey, Mom."

"Sweetie, what are you thinking?" she asks, her voice laced with concern.

Does she not approve of Lettie? "About me dating Lettie?"

"No, of course not. I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier. But missing practice… Dane, this doesn't look good."

Soaking in her words, I'm aware she's talking about my dad and the NBA thinking I'm immature. "I'm happy for the first time ever. That's not true, but I feel complete. We've been dancing around our feelings, and it finally came to fruition at the fundraiser. I would have told you, but we didn't nail down being a couple until right before she left. We didn't want to tell our families until we were sure."

"I had my suspicions. In fact, I hope I gave Lettie a little nudge at the spa. I just want to make sure you continue to take your responsibilities seriously. Basketball has to come first and sponsorships second. They depend on you for marketing their businesses. Dane, I have faith in you that you can handle all of it, including Lettie. That girl loves you, so she'll want what's best for you."

"Thanks, Mom. Leaving without asking Coach wasn't a good decision. He would have changed practice to help me out. It was impulsive because I want to support Lettie like she has me all these years. I messaged Coach, and I' ll have to buy my teammates steak dinners for all the laps and suicides they'll have to run because of me. But Lettie's worth it."

"She is. Be careful. Give her a hug for me."

"Love you. I'm turning off my phone, just tell Dad I'll talk to him when I get back. It's my turn to cheer on Lettie."

When we hang up, I leave Coach a voicemail asking him not to use my actions against my teammates, then I call Lettie and leave her a message too.

"I love you. You can do this." Then I turn my ringer off, and anyone who calls will get "Please leave a message," in my best Australian accent.

The Show Jumping portion of the competition begins in an hour, so I race down to the event space, show the wristband Lettie gave me, and they escort me to a seat on the first row. More than likely, I won't need the binoculars, but I keep them hanging around my neck.

Leafing through a program I bought in the lobby, I stop on the section, Get to Know the Competitors . There are seventy-five people competing for points that will help them reach the Olympic Trials. However, only the top twenty have a profile picture and write up.

Elizabeth Scott – Age 22,

Senior at the University of Kentucky

Major: Statistics.

Hometown: Huntsburg, Kentucky

Horse: Diamond Mine

Trainer: Jasper Col e

Hobbies: Singing. Hanging out with her best friend and watching the Kentucky Stallions.

Special Talents: Touching her tongue to her nose.

Goals in Life: To make the Olympic Team and to have a large family.

The announcer asks us to stand for the National Anthem. As the little girl sings, she reminds me of Lettie, with her hands stretched out to the side as she hits the high note. The crowd claps, and the first competitor is announced. The person with the least number of points goes first, and the person with the most points goes last, knowing the time they need to achieve a win as well as any deductions they can withstand. Lettie competes in the last group of fifteen riders.

The first fifteen knock over quite a few rails, resulting in faults, and their times are slower than the allotted time, especially in comparison with what I know Lettie did this week in training.

During the change between groups, they show live video of riders and horses in their barns, waiting. I see Lettie sitting on a bucket beside Diamond Mine's stall. Her chin rests on a bent knee as she rolls my copper coin between her fingers. Then it pans to a male rider, bouncing on his toes and cracking his neck.

Two hours later, Lettie's name is called. Well, Elizabeth Scott is called. She waits for the signal and when she gets it, Diamond Mine expertly goes over the first two obstacles, then clears the water jump with ease, and makes the combination jump without a hitch[JD3] . Lettie finishe s the rest of the course with a clear round. Laying her head on Diamond Mine with a broad radiant smile, Lettie takes my breath away. I'm on my feet, clapping. This isn't exactly a Stallions basketball crowd, so I have to temper my response—a little. I beat my fist against my heart, so happy for my girl, and, when she sees me, she's overtaken with emotion and cries. How do I know? Because she and Diamond Mine saunter over, and she whispers, "I love you."

She ends up in third place, but her time is equal to what she rode in training but with only two faults. When it's over, I walk back with Lettie and Jasper. She dismounts Diamond Mine and gives Jasper the rope. I guess I need to give him kudos for doing whatever he did to shave time off her run.

"Jasper, whatever you did, it worked. Thanks for helping."

He nods, and Lettie attacks him with her arms. "You're amazing. Thank you so much."

A slight smile turns into a full-blown toothy grin. I push down my feelings about how happy Jasper is. This is Lettie's night, and I'm not ruining it.

"I'll be back." Lettie goes to grab a carrot for Diamond Mine.

Jasper takes the opportunity to say, "Elizabeth and Diamond Mine are special. I'm just asking that you take her training seriously. My job is to film her, watch her, analyze her. The same way you watch opposing basketball teams to figure out how to gain an advantage."

My jaw tigh tens. "I've known Lettie for my entire life. I know she's special." I move into his personal space. "I'm asking you to keep it professional. She doesn't need to be wined and dined."

A stare off ensues. I have at least six inches on him and after a few moments, he steps backward.

"Lettie, baby, let's go celebrate," I call out.

Jasper shakes his head and glares at Lettie. "Elizabeth, we leave tomorrow afternoon."

She bounces on her feet and suggests, "Jasper come with us. Let's go to karaoke."

"Hell no."

Thank God. The last person I want to celebrate with is Jasper.