Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty-Seven

LETTIE

Me: Good morning. Bra or no bra under the jersey.

Dane: You better fucking wear a bra. Only I get to see those perky nipples.

I had sent the message before I boarded the plane and just now saw his response while standing at baggage claim. I receive some weird looks when I snort, laughing aloud.

After finding a pushcart, I load my luggage, exit through the automatic doors, and spot Mrs. Greathouse's navy blue Mercedes with the Stallions license plate. I knock on the rear door window to let her know I'm here. She unlocks the door, then comes around to help.

"Lettie, I'm so proud of you. You got my messages, didn't you?" She wraps her arm around me just as I throw in the heaviest piece, and my elbow hits her in the jaw.

"Oh, I' m so sorry. You would think I would have more grace."

She cackles. "You've never been known for being graceful. I would say you're more like a tornado. You walk into a room, and everything jumps off the tables and walls. Except when you're riding—you are the epitome of grace and class."

"Thank you. I owe it to you. I had a hard time focusing." We go around the vehicle and get settled. "What if I never rode a horse? And I wouldn't have if it weren't for you."

She pats my leg easily. "Let's not talk about the past and concentrate on the future. Love the jersey," she says with a quirk of her brow and a knowing smile. "His dad is very upset that he blew off his responsibilities."

I twist my lips. "Thanks. Dane thought he would go off. Why hasn't he?"

"He's more worried about how it affects him. I hardly see or speak to him since he's out campaigning all the time and I can't travel with him since school started. But hopefully, he's realizing that Dane needs to make his own decisions. Who knows?" A hint of sadness and something else I can't quite put my finger on lingers in her voice, but then we laugh at that because Mr. Greathouse thinks he makes every decision.

We drive to my apartment and unload the suitcases and then head straight to Stallions Arena. Of course, the Greathouses have VIP access, and we stroll into the area filled with large donors. Everything in the building is related to horses or bourbon in some way. The food table, know n as the "Grazing Table," has country ham sandwiches, pulled barbeque chicken, and all kinds of chips and fruit.

As we walk around, with our little blue plates, eating finger foods, Dane's fans descend on me, not Mrs. Greathouse. "Elizabeth Scott? Congrats! Hope you make it to the Olympics."

"Thank you," I say over and over. I almost wish Dane hadn't brought the camera crew but at the same time, I'll always have those snippets of him hugging me or saying he loves me. They would have never been caught on camera without them being there.

Then several teenagers and college students approach me, asking for my autograph. Okay, this is cool. I had no idea that so many of them followed equestrian[JD1] sports. My bubble busts when one girl gushes, "You and Dane are going to be so famous. Those songs… gah.. so fun, and that last one was so emotional. You two sold it like you were breaking up for real."

Chatter surrounds me with people talking about the viral videos. The room feels like it's spinning. Dane wants to be known for basketball, and I want to be known for my riding.

Thankfully, the big blue clock hits thirty minutes, and the team comes out to warm up before the game, and we head to our seats on the second row. Dane is shooting at the other end, stroking ball after ball through the net. But when he turns to talk to Nick, he sees me.

I stand, an d he jogs over to me, looking every bit of the man and athlete I know he is. His muscles shine with a thin layer of sweat.

He jumps over the first row of chairs and kisses me in front of his mom. I push him back just a bit and say, "How do you like it?" I ask about me wearing his jersey.

He whispers, "The things I'm going to do to you." When we separate, he laughs and says, "Mom, have you met my girlfriend Elizabeth Scott?"

I can't control the burst of laughter that comes from me. "Get back out there. You better win your first game with a girlfriend, or your dad will make you break up with me," I joke.

He winks. "It's in the bag."

As always, Dane plays incredibly well with a triple double—twenty-three points, eleven rebounds, and ten assists. His mom kisses him on the cheek and asks if we want to go to dinner, but he tells her we have plans with friends to watch Logan's game.

I wait in the VIP area for him to shower and come from the locker room. He drove to the arena. He comes out and says, "Do you know this is the first time I've had a girl waiting on me in my four years here?"

"I've waited for you many times." I cock a hip out.

"Yeah, but then you were my best friend. Now you're my girlfriend who happens to be my best friend." He tips my chin up and plants a quick wet kiss on my lips. "Let's go." He drapes his arm over my shoulder, and his teammates holler as we pass them.

Reed asked if we would stop and pick up some cake pops from The Sugar Shack. When we walk into Reed and Brooke's house, there are at least twenty people milling around. Immediately, I spot Mac Callaghan, Flynn, and Presley, and five or six guys in hockey shirts and about the same in Stallions baseball shirts.

Dane laces his fingers with mine as we snake through the front room. "Jabari, good to see you, man. Two big wins, maybe we don't need Logan." Even Jabari chuckles at that one. "This is my girlfriend Lettie." I'm amazed that I haven't met him before as we float between groups of athletes, but he just transferred here this season.

"Hi."

"This is Josie, my …"

"It's not that hard to say girlfriend," Josie says, rolling her eyes. "We used to be friends with benefits but recently decided to move into new territory."

"Well, we've been best friends since we were six, so this has been an awkward transition for us too. Anyway, we brought cake pops. Want one?" I ask, offering the tray of boxing glove cake pops in red. It's weird to have parties with red anything. In fact, we have a rule against it but since it's Logan, and it's a professional team, I guess everyone's letting it slide.

I pull Dane into the kitchen, and they follow.

"Lettie! " Caleb screams in delight. Not sure if it's because I haven't seen him in weeks or I'm holding a tray of cake pops. I'll go with both. I set the tray on the island as he leaps into my arms. Then he sees Dane crouch down, and he hugs us both. "Gweathouse!"

"Hey. Still playing baseball?" Dane asks.

"Daddy makes me play hockey too. And Mommy says I can play whatever I want."

Last year, my apartment burned, and I moved in with Brooke while Dane was in the hospital with smoke inhalation. Caleb and I formed a strong bond. I always loved him, but he just grew on me. It was as if I needed him to recover from the trauma of not being able to wake or move Dane when my apartment was being engulfed by flames. It was the sweet innocence of a little boy who couldn't say his r's that healed me.

Dane picks him up and sets Caleb on his shoulders. "What will you play when you get this tall?"

Dane jobs around the house, and my heart feels like it's too big for my chest, like I might actually pop. When I think about what I want long term, I know it's a family. One much bigger than mine that consists of me and my grandparents. That's far down the road, but I want to think I can have that with Dane. This is all so new, and he has an NBA career looming, so it's not realistic to think about.

"Basketball like my favowite player."

And who's your favorite player, Caleb?"

"Devon Williams," Reed chimes in, dying laughing.

"No, Dadd y, Gweathouse."

Reed shakes his head. "This kid used to idolize me, and now he wants to be Hagan and play baseball, like Logan and play football and a basketball player like you."

Dane lifts him off his shoulders and turns Caleb to face him. "You can be everything you want to be." Dane squeezes him before handing him to Reed, who kisses his cheek and puts him on the floor.

"Okay little guy, we have ten minutes. What do you want to play in the backyard?"

"Football. Football."

Dane wolf whistles, telling all the guys to go outside. Dane, like Logan, stayed and played their sports all four years and with that comes a certain amount of respect. They file out through the back door, leaving Presley, Adalee, Brooke, Josie, and me.

Brooke hands out a tray of sweet tea in mason jars and striped straws. "These are so cute, and you're becoming a little Martha Stewart."

She smiles. "Thanks. As soon as Dane said that to Caleb, I got chills. How my life has changed in a year. Things I thought I wanted last year changed. I love producing plays and events, but there's not much money in it. I never thought I would be teaching ballet as a career. And be living with the hottest hockey player on the planet while I'm still in college."

I ask, "Do you miss his bad boy brooding personality?"

"It's s till there; it shows itself once in a while. He knows he's loved by so many, but his mom's actions cut him deep," Brooke says as she corkscrews her lips to the side in thinking mode.

My eyes water. "I know how he feels."

"Oh God, Lettie. That was insensitive, I'm sorry."

It's the first time in a while that I've felt sad. "You shouldn't be sorry; my mom and dad should."

Adalee says, "Okay, let's talk about what you and Dane are going to sing at the wedding."

Presley claps. "Yes. That video is amazing. It's like you've been singing together forever."

I guess we have, just not in front of crowds. Talent shows at school, yes, but we would sing when we were camping outside or looking at the stars. It was never romantic; it was just us. We didn't know any difference other than to be us."

A collective aww slips from their mouths. Each girl suggests a song until we decide on one, and when the guys come back, Adalee pulls Hagan to her, and I reach behind me for Dane, and it's right where I expect it to be.

"We've come up with a song for our first dance. How do you feel about "Hopelessly Devoted to You?" Adalee leans back and looks at Hagan.

"Is my fiancée being romantic? In case you all don't know, I'm the romantic one," Hagan grins, and Adalee agrees. "I thought you would want something current."

Dane cuts i n, staring at me. "Did you suggest that song because I thought that would be our song, you know since we know all of the Grease songs?"

Whatever is unfurling in my stomach is too much. A million flowers are blooming and tickling me everywhere. He's thought about us getting married. "Josie suggested it, and I knew we could sing it and hit all of the notes."

Hagan and Adalee say at the same time, "We'll pick another song."

Then Adalee asks, "It's Your Love," by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill?"

"Yeah, I love that one. Plus, that was one of the first times we…" Adalee smacks Hagan's arm. From what she's told us, those dimples hide the dirty talk.

Dane squeezes my hand. "We'll have to practice but yeah, we can do it. She can do anything."

"One month from yesterday, I'm marrying the girl who pushed and pushed me away until she didn't have the energy to do it anymore." Hagan looks at Adalee with so much love, you can just see it and feel it.

"You were like a bad cold I couldn't get rid of," she teases. His dimples frame his bright smile, and he begins to say something, but she covers his mouth.

Flynn, one of Reed's best friends and teammates, yells, "The game is on, and the camera is on Logan."

Everyone rushes into the living room. Dane sits against the wall with me between his legs. Hagan seems a little re stless. "Have they shown Harper and Evy?" he asks.

Adalee scratches his back. "Roscoe is with them, and they're in the VIP suite. She'll be fine. She knows what to do now. Plus, Archer and Megan are with her, right?"

"Yeah. And Logan's sister and brother-in-law."

I think about being Dane's girlfriend and how I'll deal with his fame when he leaves for the NBA. Will I find a job where he goes? Will he forget about me? I can handle the campus hotties throwing themselves at him. I've watched that for three years but being a professional in any sport has to be a different level of jersey chasers.

The Louisville Heavyweights are an NFL expansion team and aren't expected to win, but they won the first game of the season. At halftime of this one, they're up by 7. And end up winning the game 21-17. Logan throws three touchdowns.

Mac yells, "If they draft me next year, we'll win the fucking Super Bowl."

Jabari says, "Dude, I'm sitting right here, and I'm your quarterback."

Mac jabs back, "Yeah, but the Heavyweights aren't going to draft a QB two years in a row. But if the Cowboys draft you, I'll go home to Dallas."

Jabari rolls his eyes.

All the guys leave, and the couples trickle out. Dane and I stay behind to help clean up. Caleb has been asleep on Reed since the first quarter. The kid can sleep throug h an earthquake.

Dane takes a trash bag as we leave and throws it in the dumpster.

"Are you tired?" he asks as we get into his car.

"A little, but if I recall, you promised if I wore your jersey, you would do bad things."