My emotions are in overdrive. When I woke up this morning and got ready for the game, I didn’t expect a call from my dad. It was out of character, but nothing is more out of character than hearing him apologize and acknowledge he was wrong.
So in addition to juggling all of those emotions, Zack then admits to my dad he’s in love with me and I’m about to do the same. He looks back at me, his cheeks going red. So much hinges on my next words to him.
I let out a breath. “I’m in love with you too.”
“How long have the two of you been dating?” my father asks.
But I barely hear him. Zack and I just stare at each other, both of us surprised at our candor, but not enough to take any of it back.
“A little over a month,” Zack answers.
Stunned, he looks between us. “And you’re already talking about love?”
Zack sits a little taller in his seat. “Coach, my parents have always told me when you know, you know. I didn’t believe them until I met your daughter.”
Watching Zack admit to my father that he’s in love with me makes the tears I’ve been holding back finally fall.
“Alright then,” my father says, not questioning it any further. He clears his throat before adding, “Zack, the reason I called you to my office was to let you know if anyone else had pulled what you did a couple of weeks ago, not playing football would’ve only been the beginning of the consequences.”
He swallows audibly. “I understand.”
“But,” Dad continues, “over time, I realized you had the best intentions at heart.”
“Does that mean I can play?” Zack asks. I know it’s the question he’s been wanting to ask since he walked into the office and found me sitting here.
“Yes.”
Zack exhales audibly, his shoulders sagging in relief.
Jabbing his finger at Zack, my dad points out, “But do that again and you might not be so lucky.”
“Sir, may I say something?” Zack asks.
“Sure.”
“I promise not to do that again if you don’t put me in that position again.”
“And what position is that?”
“The position where I have to defend my girl.”
Dad nods, cracking an uncharacteristic smile. “I can work with that.”
“Great.”
“Okay, son. Go on and head back to the locker room to finish getting ready,” he says, dismissing Zack.
Zack squeezes my hand and we both get up to leave. “Will do.”
“Could you give me a second with Emma?” Zack checks to make sure I’m okay with that. When I nod, he turns and leaves.
Turning my attention back to my father, I ask, “Yes?” Is this the part where he tells me the joke’s on me and everything he said was a lie? I can’t help but feel like it is.
“I know you’re here with some of your friends, but would you like to watch the game from the sidelines.”
“The sidelines?’
“Yeah…near me.”
I don’t even know what to say to that.
“Your mom’s here too. We were hoping to go to dinner afterward. You can bring Zack and his family if you want.”
I guess he really is going to try. A small smile finds its way onto my face. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
37
ZACK
I take a moment to take everything in right before I start my final walk down the tunnel. The guys around me are yelling, chanting, preparing themselves mentally for the game to come. I’m happy to take it all in quietly. This is our last game together as a family. It feels surreal. The noise at Hard Rock Stadium is insane, but even so, my mind is consumed with visions of the future. Of the past. Of the present.
This is my last game as a Bragan University student. Although I’ll be a Lion forever, this will hopefully be my last college football game.
Now all I can do is pray for the best outcome tonight and worry about the NFL tomorrow.
We exit the tunnel, stepping out onto the field. I try not to let the brightness of the lights blind me, but I can’t do anything about the current of excitement coursing through my body as we run out onto the field. The noise level increases two-fold as our fans scream in support.
I look around, taking in the stadium, the thousands upon thousands of people filling up the stands. I didn’t ever think I’d see this much blue and white in one place.
There are pockets of the other school’s colors here and there, too, but Bragan seems to have the most support. The fans aren’t the ones who have my attention though. As pointless as it seems, I scan the general area where my parents should be. Knowing they’re here, supporting me, means the world. I also look to where Emma should be sitting with the rest of the girls, smiling at the memory of our confession.
“Taking it all in?” Colton asks, standing next to me.
“You already know.”
“We gotta make this one a good one,” he says and I understand why. This game will cap our audition for the draft.
“I got your back.”
“It’s my front I’m worried about,” he jokes and I laugh.
“You know I got that too. I wouldn’t let anyone get near you.”
He pats me on the back. “I’m putting my life in your hands, Hayes. I don’t want grass stains on my shirt.”
“Dude, do I ever let you down?” I laugh at my own pun.
“I have some memories of being sacked a few times before.”
“I held my side of the line. That’s not on me.” I remember exactly the game he’s talking about. He must’ve gotten sacked at least five times that day. I held back the guys I had to, but our line was weaker on the other end.
“Fine, let’s go out there and kick some ass one more time.”
“Think we’ll get drafted to the same team?” I ask. I know the odds are stacked against us, but wouldn’t it be nice to protect the quarterback I’ve been guarding for three years now?
He looks out at the crowd then back at me. “That would be pretty great.”
“We never know, right?” For some reason, standing here surrounded by all of this is making me nostalgic. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a very long time, but now that it’s here, I can’t help thinking about all I’ll be missing. My brothers. My friends.
I know I’ll have Emma though. I’ll always have Emma.
“We never know. But let’s not think about the future right now. Let’s take in this moment. Let’s go out there and leave it all on the field. Let’s play as if it were the last time we’d play on the same side of the field together.”
“Because it might be,” I finish.
“We’ll always be brothers,” he says before walking toward our benches.
“Always.”
EMMA
“Wait. You’re not watching the game with us?” Mia asks. I glance over to Kaitlyn and Zoe only to see them staring back at me, confused. Mia was able to score some amazing seats—only two rows from the front—and while I feel bad for abandoning mine, I really feel like I should give this thing with my father a try.
“My dad wants me to watch the game with him.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “Your dad’s here?”
I suddenly realize they have no idea who my father is—and that’s on me.
“Yeah.” I take a breath. “My dad’s the head coach for the Lions.”
Kaitlyn chokes on her soda. When she’s finally able to stop coughing, she says, “Wait. Your dad is the football coach? I’ve heard my brothers talk about Coach Wilson before. Y’all have the same last name, but I didn’t think that was more than mere coincidence.”
“Why didn’t you tell us earlier?” Mia asks.
I shift on my feet. “We don’t have the best relationship, but we’re working on it.” And that’s the honest truth.
They nod.
“Guys! I just realized something!” Kaitlyn says.
“What?” I ask.
/> “Zack is dating the coach’s daughter!” She bursts out laughing like this is the greatest joke she’s ever come up with.
“Oh crap!” Mia adds. “Does Zack know? It must’ve scared the hell out of him to know you’re his coach’s kid.”
I smile. “He knows. I’m sure my dad scares him, but he tries not to let me see that.”
“Zack has balls,” Kaitlyn says, seemingly amazed.
I shrug. “He took a gamble.”
“It seems like it paid off,” Zoe says with a wink.
To combat the flush creeping into my cheeks, I clear my throat. “So yeah, Dad wants me to do the whole sideline thing while he coaches.”
“That should be interesting! I’m really jealous,” Mia says and I can see why she would be. She’s a huge football fan. I’d bring them all with me if I could.
“How will you read your romances?” my roommate asks. She’s making fun of me. She knows that regardless of how much I love reading, this game is too important to Zack for me not to pay attention to every second of it.
“Very funny. I’ll catch up on the flight back.”
Zoe makes a tsk tsk sound and all the girls laugh.
“Go, go!” Mia says. “The game’s going to start soon!”
“Thanks for understanding,” I tell them.
I walk the short distance to the sideline, catching my dad’s eye and waving. Giving me his hand, I jump over the barrier and onto the field.
Dad smiles, and he seems truly happy I’m here. “Before everything starts, I should warn you, I’m probably going to be screaming a lot.”
“Noted,” I reply with a laugh. “I figured that screaming is something you’d do as coach.”
Dad leads me to where I’m supposed to be standing. I’m a short distance away from the center of the action, but I don’t care. I’m so close, I can see everything.
Especially Zack.
Speaking of Zack, he walks over to me with his helmet in his hands. “I do love you,” he says the moment he reaches me.
I smile. “I love you too.”
With his signature grin, he leans down and captures my lips with his own.
“Hayes, leave my daughter alone and come here!” my father shouts and we pull apart, laughing.
He turns. “Yes, sir,” he yells back. To me, he whispers conspiratorially, “I gotta head back before my future father-in-law comes over here and physically pulls me away from you,” he says with that boyish smile of his.
I chuckle at his words. While I know he’s joking, I can’t help but think about what a future with Zack might be like. “Don’t let me distract you.”
His expression becomes serious. “Emma, you’re not a distraction. You’re my motivation.”
38
EMMA
It’s the fourth quarter. I’ve paced back and forth along the sideline, watching the game with my heart in my throat.
We’re tied 3-3.
There are six minutes left.
No one has scored a touchdown yet, which is insane.
I don’t even know a lot about this sport, but even I know that scoring a touchdown is sort of the point.
I’ve managed to pick out Zack because he’s wearing the number 69, and because he hangs out with all the other incredibly large guys.
Last night, Zack explained in an email that his job is to make sure the opponents’ defenders don’t get to Colton. So far, he’s been doing a pretty good job—Colton’s been on his feet the whole game, untouched. As a result, he’s been making the right passes. The team just hadn’t been able to score. They move up and down the field, catching and running the ball, but somehow are always short of completion.
My eyes jump from him to Colton and then the rest of the offense as they stand at the sidelines talking to my dad. A couple of minutes later, the defense walks off the field and it’s the offense’s turn again. The score is still tied, but the other team sucked three minutes off the clock when their offense was on the field.
I watch anxiously, knowing how much this game matters.
It matters to the school, to my dad, to the fans and players. Above all, it matters to Zack.
The clock starts again, a play is called, and Colton is handed the ball. He sends it flying through the air and perfectly into the hands of one of our players who runs it down the middle of the field until he’s taken down by a defender. The players on the bench and the fans all cheer at the progress he made.
The refs call a two-minute warning. The players run over to my dad, who talks them through what’ll happen next. When the timeout ends, the players hit the field with renewed determination.
Colton gets the ball, but instead of throwing it, he hands it off to another player, who runs it for what the announcer calls another Bragan University first down.
When the guys line up again, I spot Zack, my chest filling with pride as I watch him doing what he loves. The ball is handed to Colton. He looks around for someone to throw it to, but I don’t see anyone open. My eyes go back to Zack, admiring the way he holds back one of the defenders trying to tackle Colton.
Out of nowhere, another defender tries to cut through the defense. Zack shoves away the guy he’s been holding, focusing his attention on this new threat instead. When the other guy starts to stand back up, Zack uses the new guy’s momentum, and pushes him into his teammate, making sure no one gets to Colton before he can throw the ball.
Finally, Colton finds an open player, sending the ball soaring through the air. It lands perfectly in the hands of Nick Hunter, #87. He runs it the rest of the way into the end zone, the screams of the crowd surrounding me are deafening.
Despite there only being fifty-five seconds left in the game, I’m nervous. Anything can happen. We need this win—Zack needs this win.
After a couple of plays, and with ten seconds remaining, the other team is desperate and throws a long pass toward the end zone. The ball is caught by one of their receivers, but before they can get their feet back down, one of our players rushes in and knocks the ball out of their hands for an incomplete pass. Our players swarm the field.
We won.
ZACK
The clock runs out as I watch from the sidelines. Hart, one of our safeties, breaks up what should’ve been a touchdown pass. The moment the ball falls to the ground, I drop my helmet onto the grass and run onto the field along with the rest of the guys. It doesn’t matter that we’ve won the National Championship before. Winning today feels like the first time.
I reach Nick first, embracing him. “Way to go!” I scream in his ear. Letting go of Nick, I high-five, hug, smile and congratulate whoever is near me. In the midst of the celebration, I spot Colton.
“I told you I’d have your back,” I tell him as I hug him too.
“I’ll never question you again. I’d be lucky to be on the same team as you.”
I keep moving around, excitement pumping through my veins. It’s the kind of feeling I know I’ll never forget.
While we’re all commending each other, I look to the sidelines to find my girl screaming and clapping. My girl.
A few minutes later, and after congratulating as many of the guys as I can, I find my feet wanting to move in a different direction. Unable to fight it, I walk over to her. She watches me the whole way, pride shining in her eyes. The way she’s looking at me feels better than how I felt when I was able to stop the blitz coming Colton’s way.
“You played amazingly!” she tells me.
“I knew you were watching and wanted to put on a show,” I tell her with a wink.
She shakes her head. “Don’t lie. We both know you were putting on a show for all the professional teams.”
“That’s true. But when I was playing, all I needed to do was take one look at you to get all the strength I needed.”
She beams at me. “You’re such a dork.”
“I’ve already told you, this is how you make me act.” I’d happily do anything to get her to laugh.
I hook my
fingers into the loops of her jeans and pull her toward me. “I love you,” I tell her.
“I love you too.”
Epilogue
EMMA
“It’s so great to see you both again!” Mrs. Hayes says, embracing me the moment Zack and I reach the front door. Like last time, Zack’s parents are already outside, waiting for us.
“Thank you for having me,” I say the moment she lets go.
Extending my hand, I try to shake Mr. Hayes’ own, but in a surprising move, he goes in for a hug instead. When he lets go of me, I turn to find Mrs. Hayes and Zack looking back at us. I’m happy to know they’re as surprised as I am at the gesture.
“What?” Mr. Hayes says, unable to understand why he’s being eyed suspiciously.
“Did you just hug my girl?” Zack questions and the moment he calls me his, a smile takes over my face.
“Are you two finally officially dating now?” his mom asks, and my eyes move from Zack to her.
“Finally?” Zack repeats.
I’m glad to see he and I are on the same page.
Margaret shrugs. “I knew the two of you weren’t dating the last time y’all were here.”
Without thinking, we follow her into the house, Zack putting into words the thoughts that are running through my head. “So, you’re telling me that you knew we weren’t dating and still acted like we were?”
Mrs. Hayes nods. “Yes.”
“Wow,” I say, unable to add anything else.
“You didn’t correct me,” she tells Zack with a smile.
“You had us sleep in the same room, Mom.”
“You could’ve told us you weren’t dating,” Zack’s dad chimes in.
I’m still confused. “Why’d you go along with it?” I ask, finally breaking the shock-imposed silence.
Mrs. Hayes lovingly tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “Zack doesn’t bring girls over to the house. The last time he came over with Mia and Colton, I could see in his eyes that he didn’t understand why people would want to be in a relationship. He’s been anti-relationship for as long as I can remember. When you came to the house and he didn’t immediately correct me when I insinuated you were his girlfriend, well, that’s when I knew you were the one meant to be with him—the one who finally changed his mind by capturing his heart.”
Bragan Boys (Bragan University Boxset) Page 57
