by B. B. Hamel
“I just quit my job.”
He laughs. “Yeah. You really did.”
“Oh, god. Oh, shit.”
He kisses me softly. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
“You will?”
He cocks his head. “Of course.” He kisses me one more time. “But there’s one more thing we need to do.” He takes my hand and squeezes it. “Are you ready?”
“I don’t know,” I admit. “Is it going to be hard?”
“I hope not.”
“Good. I don’t think I have much in me today.”
He grins. “Come on, Brynn. You’re the strongest person I know.”
I grin back and roll my eyes. “Fine. Let’s go, you charmer.”
He leads me from my apartment, my heart beating fast, but it doesn’t matter where we’re going.
So long as I’m with him.
17
Sean
The practice facility is mostly empty when I park outside. Brynn steps out and hesitates by the car.
“I don’t think I should be here,” she says.
“Why not?” I ask her.
“Your coach hates me, for one.”
“You don’t work in the media anymore,” I point out.
She frowns. “Huh. Okay, that’s true.”
“So who cares if you’re with me?”
“I’m with you?”
I nod and walk back to her. I take her hand and squeeze it. “You’re with me.”
“Okay then. Let’s go do whatever it is you need done.”
I laugh and lead her along. We head in through a back door. Security lets me pass right on through without a second look.
There are a few players here, cooling down from the game, getting some food in the cafeteria, visiting the training staff. I pass right on by all that, heading toward the back halls.
Coach is in his office, just like I knew he would be. I knock and he tells me to come right in.
Wood looks surprised when I step into his office with Brynn. He frowns and leans back in his chair.
“This isn’t what I felt like dealing with right now,” he says slowly.
“We come in peace, I promise.”
Brynn smiles awkwardly. “Hi, Coach. I’m not a reporter anymore.”
His frown deepens. “What?”
“She got fired,” I explain.
He clears his throat. “Why?”
“I wouldn’t write about Sean anymore. Soren didn’t like that.”
Coach stares at us for a second, not saying anything. Finally, he sighs, and gestures at the chairs in front of his desk. “Sit down, you idiots.”
I glance at Brynn and wink at her before we sit down in front of Coach’s desk.
“So what happened?” he asks.
Brynn tells the whole story, starting from the beginning. I hadn’t heard the whole thing yet, and I listen attentively.
I can’t believe how much stress she’s been going through these last few weeks. Between Coach and her editor, it’s like she was torn in half. No wonder it finally beat her, finally tore her to pieces.
“So you walked away, huh?” Coach says at the end.
“Just an hour or so ago,” she confirms.
He sighs. “Shit. Quite a decision to make like that.”
“I know,” she answers softly.
“I’m sorry you did it, I really am. If you had explained sooner…” He trails off, shaking his head. “No, I probably wouldn’t have listened.”
“I know,” she says, and smiles. “I don’t blame you, don’t worry.”
“Good. Just trying to protect my team.” He looks over at me, cocks his head. “Why come here right now, Sean?”
“I wanted you to understand something, Coach. I wasn’t seeing her because I wanted to undermine you. That’s what you thought, right?”
“Something like that,” he admits. “I couldn’t understand why you’d insist on seeing this girl when I fucking told you what would happen.”
I nod. “I get it. But it wasn’t about the interviews.” He looks at me. “We’re together.”
Coach cocks his head. “You’re… together.”
“Right,” I say. “It’s a real thing, Coach. Not some bullshit fling. I’m not throwing my spot away just for that.”
He sighs. “Damn it, Sean. Why do you need to complicate shit?”
“You know I didn’t choose it,” I say softly, grinning. “If I recall, you did something similar.”
He glares at me but his gaze slowly softens. “What happened with me and Leah two seasons ago…”
“Wasn’t so different,” I say for him.
He sighs. “Shit. I know you’re right. But you still have to follow orders. This isn’t a fucking movie.”
“I know,” I say. “I’m here to apologize. I brought Brynn so you’d understand. And I’m here to ask for my spot back.”
Coach looks at me for a long moment. I can feel Brynn tensing next to me.
“Well,” he says finally, “Carter sucked ass today, so I guess we’re stuck with you, aren’t we?”
I grin at him. “You are, sir.”
“Fine.” He sighs. “Anything else?”
“And a job for Brynn?”
They both stare at me like I’m fucking nuts.
“Are you fucking nuts?” Coach asks me.
I laugh a little. “Come on, have some sympathy. She got fired because of you.”
“Not because of me,” he grumbles.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know he was going to do that,” Brynn says quickly. “It’s okay, you don’t have to—”
“I’ll find a spot for you,” Coach says to her. “I’m sure we have a position you can fill. Just don’t be stupid about your relationship, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, looking stunned. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” He leans back in his chair. “Now, I have work to do. Fuck off and leave me to it.”
I get up. “Thanks, Coach.”
Brynn follows me out of his office. We walk down the hall together, hand in hand, and she bursts out laughing.
“What?” I ask her, grinning.
“I can’t believe you did that,” she says softly.
“You needed a job. I saw an opportunity.” I shrug. “Just taking care of you, like I said.”
“God damn, Sean,” she says softly, and kisses me.
I kiss her back, and I know. I just know.
“I love you,” I say softly to her when we finally break apart.
“I love you too, you asshole,” she says, grinning despite herself.
We kiss one more time. It feels like slipping into fresh sheets.
We break apart. “You know, that shit with Felix,” I say. “That was a mistake. He was going to hit on you, someone said we hooked up, I didn’t correct them. I’m sorry. It was stupid.”
“It’s fine,” she says, shaking her head. “You should’ve cleared it up sooner, though.”
“I know. I fucked up.”
“Yeah, you did.” She grins. “You can make it up to me.”
“How?”
“Take me home, asshole.”
I grin at her, grab her hand, and pull her along behind me.
I love this girl. Here we are, finally together, finally past our issues. I’m back on the team, back in my spot. She’s moving on from her job, starting at a new job with the organization.
I have what I’ve always needed. My woman, my life. We’ll be together and I can finally breathe, for the first time in my life, I can finally breathe.
I never knew I was choking before. But now my lungs are full, full of her.
That’s what I’ve always needed.
18
Brynn
One Year Later
“No, you absolutely cannot talk to him.”
I can’t help but smile. I’m loving this moment so much, it almost hurts.
“Come on. Just one interview.”
“Absolutely
not. He’s the Super Bowl champ. He doesn’t have time for local papers.”
I can practically hear the anger in Soren’s silence.
“Fine,” he says finally. “I’ll remember this.”
“I hope you do,” I say, and hang up the phone.
I lean back in my chair, grinning like mad. I look at the ring on my finger and for a second, I wonder how this all happened. It seems so freaking surreal.
“Hey, Brynn.”
I look up from my desk. Leah Wood is standing at my door. She smiles at me and leans up against the frame.
“How’s it going?” I ask her.
“Just saw your husband.”
“Is he still complaining?”
“Of course. But he’s fine.”
“That’s what I told him. But he only listens to you.”
Leah laughs. “Yeah, well, he thinks I have magical healing properties or something.”
“I thought you did?”
“Maybe, who knows?” She laughs again. “Anyway, want to get dinner with me and Cole later?”
“We’d love that,” I say.
“Great. See you later.” She waves and heads off down the hall.
I sigh and smile to myself. Becoming friends with Leah is one of the better things to happen to me in this last year.
Well, that, and getting married to Sean.
It was a whirlwind. I don’t know how else to explain it. Our relationship got tighter and closer as last season progressed. When the Chainsaws made the playoffs, Sean was barely keeping it together.
He was so afraid that he was going to screw it all up.
And then a few weeks later, he won the Super Bowl. He wears his ring almost every day.
He says it was the second best moment of his life.
The best was when he married me.
I think that’s bullshit. I think that win really was the best moment of his life, and I can’t get angry about that. I mean, he dreamed about it for years, struggled so hard to get in the position to make it happen, and he earned it. He earned it all.
Still, I’m obviously a very close second.
I have a few more emails and calls to deal with. I’m part of the media relations division for the Chainsaws, and this season I’m in charge exclusively of dealing with Sean and his affairs. I’m not his manager, exactly, but I deal with media requests and all that stuff.
I love it. I love working with him, and I love being a part of this organization.
And I love making Soren eat shit every once in a while.
He’ll get his interview. But he’ll have to beg a little bit first. He’ll have to stew in how much of an asshole he can be.
When I’m finished, I wander out of my office, down the hall, and out onto the practice field. Sean’s out there, throwing ball after ball, practice his drop, practicing his footwork.
He looks smooth. He looks like a robot.
He looks amazing.
He catches me watching and comes jogging over. “Hey, wifey,” he says, kissing me.
I smile at him. I can’t help it. “Aren’t you done for the day?”
“Nope. Leah just gave me the okay to come out and throw some more.”
“She says you’re fine.”
He shrugs. “I got pain.”
“Sure you do.”
He grins and kisses me again. “You’re the pain in my ass.”
“Good one.” I kiss him one more time. “Dinner with Leah and Cole tonight?”
“Sure,” he says. “Aren’t you sick of them yet though?”
“Not really,” I admit.
“Good, I was hoping you’d say that.”
I laugh and hit his arm. He pulls me against him and we kiss like that for a while, not caring who sees us.
It doesn’t matter. Everyone knows we’re married.
This is the dream I didn’t know I had. This life with Sean is the love I always wanted, the life I always needed. After this season, we’re going to start having babies, and soon we’ll settle into a house, make it a home.
Soon we’ll create a big, happy family.
But right now, it’s all work. Because one Super Bowl win isn’t enough.
“How do I look out there?” he asks me.
“You look good,” I say. “Real good. Want to get out of here?”
“Don’t tempt me,” he says.
“Come on. I know an empty office we could use.” I wink at him and he laughs.
“Later,” he says. “Promise.” He kisses me again, and this time it’s full of a future pleasure I know I can’t wait to taste.
Eventually he trots back onto the field. I sit down and watch him for a while. I could probably go back into my office and do some more work, but I don’t feel like it.
I’m happy. God, it’s so simple, but I’m happy. I’m content. With Sean, there’s nothing wrong, nothing less than perfect. He makes me happy in the morning, happy at night, and every second in between.
I could sit there and watch him for hours on end, day after day.
This is what life is meant to be. A perfect man, a perfect job. I never knew I could be so fulfilled.
And I even have good friends. Leah is incredible, and even Cole is starting to warm up to me. They’re the kind of people I want to know for a long, long time.
This is home. It’s finally starting to feel like home.
I wouldn’t give this up for anything else.
Sean throws a ball long down the field. It slams against the base of the field goal posts. He laughs and I laugh along with him, feeling high, feeling like I’m floating above the whole world.
THE END
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Also by B.B. Hamel
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Rock Hard
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My Brother’s Bad Best Friend
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