The Backup Plan: A Friends to Lovers Sports Romance (One Pass Away: A New Season Book 2)
Page 19
“Just need a chance to catch my breath.”
“Last play of the game,” Mac said. The head coach dropped a hand on Levi’s shoulder. “The situations black and white. We need a touchdown, or we lose. Here’s the play.”
Listening, Levi nodded then ran onto the field. Every kid in America dreamed of a moment like the one he faced. Twenty seconds on the clock. Down by five points. He’d marched his team down to the twelve-yard line. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and fastened the strap of his helmet.
“Huddle up,” he yelled. Ten eager, exhausted faces looked Levi with hope and confidence. He clapped his hand. “Do your jobs. Let’s win.”
Levi took the snap. His hands gripped the ball, his fingers found the laces. Stepping back, he read the field, waiting for his man to get open. Wait, wait. He knew the longer he held the ball, the greater the chance he might be sacked. But with one shot, he needed to make the pass count.
Out of the corner of his eye, Levi saw a white jersey barreling toward him. Taking a breath, planting his feet, he let the ball fly. A second before he hit the ground, taken down hard, the saw the ball sail through his wide receiver’s hands.
The final gun sounded. Levi closed his eyes in disbelief. The Knights had lost.
“Get up,” Dylan shouted, kneeling by Levi’s side. “We aren’t dead yet.”
Dazed, unsure what happened, Levi let Dylan pull him to his feet.
“Roughing the passer, son,” his friend explained with a grin. “Thanks for taking one for the team.”
Levi’s knees almost buckled with disbelief. The NFL rules were clear. The game couldn’t end on a defensive penalty. Because the official ruled a late hit, the ball was placed on the two-yard line. The Knights had one more chance.
Glancing toward the sidelines, Levi held up three fingers, then, lowered one. Mac recognized the play his quarterback wanted to run and nodded his approval.
“We’re going with a sneak,” Levi said in the huddle, telling everyone that he would keep the football. He grabbed Dylan by the jersey. “You ready?”
Dylan nodded.
“I’ll make the hole,” he told Levi. “You get that motherfucking ball into the endzone.”
No time left on the clock. Levi stood behind the center for the last play. Their last chance. The call wasn’t complicated.
“Twenty-two, shift,” he yelled.
The unmistakable sting of leather hit his hands. Dylan surged toward the goal, pushing bodies out of the way. Levi followed. The hole wasn’t big, just big enough. Ducking his head, he fell forward, arms outstretched.
Before the dust settled, the referee crouched to check where the ball had landed. Standing, he blew his whistle and raised his arms over his head.
TOUCHDOWN!
Levi lay on the field, arms and legs splayed, and stared at the domed roof. When his teammates would have dogpiled on top, Dylan stopped them, shaking his head.
“Give him a moment,” the tight end said.
A moment. A day. A year. Levi didn’t know how much time would need to pass before everything sank in. Saying a silent prayer to his parents, to the football gods, and most of all, to Piper, he pushed himself to his feet.
When he was hoisted into the air, Levi didn’t feel any pain. High fiving everyone in sight, he lifted his face, grinning as blue and yellow confetti fell from the rafters.
If he lived to be a thousand. If he never played another down of football. No one could take away the memory of what happened here today. Starting quarterback, Levi Reynolds had accomplished what everyone—with exception of his Piper—said couldn’t be done. He led his team to victory.
The Seattle Knights were Super Bowl champions.
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
Hair still slightly damp from his shower, Levi stood behind the podium, ready for his post-Super Bowl victory press conference. Cameras flashed and keyboards clicked.
“Not a bad way to end the season.” A reporter called out. “Right, Levi?”
“I can’t complain,” he said. Everyone laughed as though he gave the wittiest answer in the history of time.
Shaking his head, Levi’s phone buzzed. Seeing Piper’s name, he swiped his finger across the screen and read her text.
“Hey, Mr. MVP. I told you so.”
Levi’s grin didn’t go unnoticed.
“Who sent you the text, Levi,” a columnist for Sports Illustrated wanted to know.
Levi considered the question, unsure of how much he wanted to reveal. He looked at the woman then asked a question he first heard two years earlier.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
For a moment, the columnist seemed surprised by his response.
“Not really,” she said with a shrug.
Picture Piper, his heart, his love, his life, Levi nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. He laughed. “Neither do I.”
EPILOGUE
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“I HATE WEDDINGS,” Levi said, looking into Piper’s emerald green eyes. “Remind me again why we came?”
“Because you asked me to marry you.” From where they stood, about to walk down the aisle together, she glanced out the door at their friends. “They expected a ceremony. Foolishly, we agreed.”
“Oh, right.” Levi nodded. “This time, we’re the ones getting married. How could I forget?”
Levi’s backyard was decorated in splashes of white and yellow. A canopy of yellow and white roses waited at the end of the flower petal lined walkway. The backdrop of Lake Washington sparkled in the bright May sunlight, the sky a cerulean blue without a cloud in sight
Friends and teammates gathered to watch as Piper and Levi made their relationship permanent. One member of her family—her grandmother—had been invited. The rest wisely took the hint and stayed away.
“Grandma wasn’t happy when I told her we don’t want the money.” Piper adjusted the white rose in the lapel of Levi’s jacket.
“Granny loves me,” Levi said. “After I charmed her at dinner last month, she was ready to sign your inheritance over before dessert was served.”
“About the money.” Looking a bit guilty, Piper cleared her throat. “Would you be angry if we kept a smidgeon?”
“How much?” he asked, curious despite himself.
“Thirty million.”
Levi let out a slow whistle.
“I can’t believe I’m about to marry a woman who calls thirty million dollars a smidgeon.” He shook his head. “We really were raised in different worlds.”
“I didn’t grow up rich,” Piper reminded him. “However, Grandma made a solid argument. When we have a child, we—”
“A child?” Levi asked.
“To begin.” Piper laughed. “I’m no spring chicken, rooster boy. I’d like to be done gestating a whole human being in my womb by the time I’m forty.”
“We better start reproducing—immediately.” Glancing around, Levi considered their options and sighed. “After everyone leaves.”
“Wise choice,” Piper said.
“About the money?” he reminded her. “The paltry thirty million?”
“Or less.”
Piper smoothed one hand down the skirt of her wedding dress—white lace because Levi favored the fabric and color. Levi was dressed in a light gray suit and a pair of oxford dress shoes in a color slightly darker than his suit. Telling him the gesture felt intimate and wifely, Piper insisted on personally knotting his yellow silk tie.
“Explain why you want any amount.” Levi handed Piper her bouquet of yellow roses, dotted here and there with tiny white daisies. “You were adamant about not touching a penny.”
“I realize that money won’t be an issue for our family,” Piper said. “The contract you signed an extension with the Knights to play another three years is very generous.”
Levi nodded, smiling when he thought about how quickly the deal was completed. He proved t
o everyone that he still had the passion and the ability to play football at an elite level. And now he would. Here. In Seattle.
“With my business booming and my investment savvy, we, and any little one who comes along, will be fine.” Piper smiled. “We talked about setting up a charity. What better way to use the Engels’ fortune that neither of us wants?”
“You’re right.”
“I am?” Piper seemed surprised by his capitulation. She recovered quickly. “Of course, I’m right. Should I ask for more? Forty million? Fifty?”
“Thirty is plenty,” Levi said with a chuckle.
As a string quartet began to play, Levi tucked Piper’s hand into the crook of his arm.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” Piper nodded. “Are you? No second thoughts? The door is to your right if you want to skip out on me.”
“Where would I go?” he asked, thinking that if he believed in perfect, today would qualify. “When I’m with you, I’m home.”
“Levi.” Eyes wide, Piper touched his cheek. “You’re crying.”
“Guess I had a few tears left in me after all.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to become your husband.”
Levi thought about the vows they were about to recite. Love. Honor. Cherish. Forever. With Piper by his side, he couldn’t think of four sweeter words.
IF YOU LOVE LEVI AND PIPER, YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS THE OTHER ONE PASS AWAY: A NEW SEASON BOOKS.
The Seattle Knights are back on the field, hotter and sexier than ever. Order your copies today.
Turn the page to find out more
READY FOR DYLAN’S STORY?
Stuck with cleaning up his brother’s mess one last time, Dylan unwittingly grabs a tiger by the tail, and her name is name is Eve Stewart
Hate at first sight with and unwanted sizzling attraction thrown in? If they lasted a week without committing murder—or tearing off each other’s clothes—it would be a miracle.
Dylan Montgomery spent his entire life cleaning up his brother’s messes. The last one is a doozy. Taking in the niece he never knew existed is a big enough chore for a dedicated bachelor. Dealing with the little girls self-appointed guardian would try the patience of a saint.
Eve Steward learned early in life that men are born liars. From what she could tell, Dylan wasn’t any different. Sure, he said all the right thing, made all the right moves. And maybe his smile made her heart race in an uncomfortable way. But she didn’t trust him as far as she could throw him.
With her snark attitude and the kind of killer body that would make a saint sweat, Eve is a massive pain in Dylan’s backside from day one. But he soon learns that under her tough exterior lies a vulnerable woman whose been hurt more than once by a man’s lies.
Winning Eve’s love is one thing. But Dylan fears earning her trust and convincing her to stay with him forever won’t be as easy.
THE LAST HONEST MAN: (ONE PASS AWAY BOOK THREE)
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JOSHUA AND DARCY
Dark and irresistible, they call him the Devil for a reason.
The moment he touched her, held her, kissed her, she knew the dangers. She should have said no.
But unlike him, she was only human.
When Joshua McClain is hired as the Seattle Knights new head coach—a move that raises more than a few eyebrows—he’s determined to prove he’s not the same hot-headed troublemaker he was in his playing days. However, when he meets beautiful, exasperating, irresistible Darcy Wells, his good intentions are put to the test.
As the first woman general manager of an NFL team, Darcy knows she has a lot to prove and everything to lose. She can’t afford to let herself be distracted by any man, let alone the impossibly arrogant Joshua McClain.
Joshua and Darcy have two goals. First? Return the Knights to their Super Bowl-winning glory days. Second? Do everything in their power to keep their hands off each other.
What happens when an almost reformed bad boy and a good woman with an unexpected wild side clash? Turns out there might be just enough devil in him and her to satisfy them both.
THE DEVIL WEARS BLUE JEANS (BOOK ONE)
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GRAB YOUR COPY TODAY
COMING IN DECEMBER
ONE PASS AWAY: A NEW SEASON BOOK FOUR
ERIN AND FINN
And don’t miss the originals. Gaige, Sean, and Logan. ONE PASS AWAY
Logan’s story: AFTER THE RAIN: CLICK HERE
Sean’s story: AFTER ALL THESE YEARS: CLICK HERE
Gaige’s story: AFTER THE FIRE: CLICK HERE
And catch up with the ONE PASS AWAY boys in the spin-off series, ONE STRIKE AWAY.
Four sexy baseball players heat up the diamond. Four women, they can’t resist. Grab your copy now.
CLICK HERE
AUDIOBOOKS
ONE PASS AWAY SERIES
After the Rain – click here
After All These Years – click here
After the Fire - click here
HOLLYWOOD LEGENDS SERIES
Dreaming with a Broken Heart – click here
Dreaming with My Eyes Wide Open
HARPER FALLS SERIES
If I Loved You – click here
If Tomorrow Never Comes – click here
If You Only Knew – click here
If I Had You – click here
THE SISTERS QUARTET
One Way or Another - click here
Two of a Kind - click here
ROCK & ROLL FOREVER
Almost Paradise - click here
Almost Blue - click here
Almost Everything - click here
Almost Home - click here
Almost Like Being in Love – click here
MORE BOOKS BY MARY J. WILLIAMS
Harper Falls
If I Loved You
If Tomorrow Never Comes
If You Only Knew
If I Had You (Christmas in Harper Falls)
Hollywood Legends
Dreaming with a Broken Heart
Dreaming with My Eyes Wide Open
Dreaming of Your Love
Dreaming Again
Dreaming of a White Christmas
(Caleb and Callie’s story)
One Pass Away
After the Rain
After All These Years
After the Fire
Hart of Rock and Roll
Flowers on the Wall
Flowers and Cages
Flowers are Red
Flowers for Zoe
Flowers in Winter
WITH ONE MORE LOOK AT YOU
One Strike Away
For a Little While
For Another Day
For All We Know
For the First Time
The Sisters Quartet
One Way or Another
Two of a Kind
Three Wishes
Four Simple Words
Five More Minutes (The Sisters Quartet Christmas)
Six Days (The Sisters Quartet Wedding)
Rock & Roll Forever
Almost Paradise
Almost Blue
Almost Everything
Almost Home
Almost Like Being in Love (A Rock & Roll Forever Christmas)
One Pass Away—A New Season
The Devil Wears Blue Jeans
The Back-Up Plan
The Last Honest Man
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Writing isn’t easy. But I love every second. A blank screen isn’t the enemy. It is an opportunity to create new friends and take them on amazing adventures and life-changing journeys. I feel blessed to spend my days weaving tales that are unique—because I made them.
Billionaires. Songwriters. Artists. Actors. Directors. Stuntmen. Football players. They fill the pages becoming dear friends I hope you will want to revisit again and again.
Thank you for jumping into my books and coming along for the journey
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