Finn ran a hand through his hair. “For some reason, Em likes you, and I’ve realized she gets to decide who she wants to date.”
Too bad Finn couldn’t have had this epiphany a few weeks ago—before Grant had called things off with her. “That ship has already sailed.”
“Does that mean you don’t like her?”
“I really like her, more than any other woman I’ve ever dated. She’s smart, funny, kind, and gorgeous.”
Finn cleared his throat. “And still my little sister.”
“Right.” Grant nodded, glad that he didn’t mention how amazing their kiss was now that Finn was looking at him with his intimidating game face. “Ending things with her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
Finn adjusted his stance. “Then why did you do it?”
“I did it because I like her so much. I was planning to go back to Kansas City when the season was over. I didn’t want to hurt her by dragging things out. That wouldn’t be fair to her.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Was planning? Does that mean you’re staying?”
His response suddenly felt important, but Grant still wasn’t sure if he planned to stay or not. He shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Finn made a hmm sound. “You said Greg already offered you a spot next season, right?”
Grant nodded.
“Then what’s the hang-up?”
“Your sister. She’s the hang-up.” Grant threw his arms out. “Seeing her after the game the other night was really hard. It would be impossible to keep playing here knowing that she would be watching from those box seats—to know I couldn’t talk to her afterward.”
Finn’s eyes were unfocused as they looked off to the side. “Believe it or not, I get that.” He closed his eyes for a moment and looked back at Grant. “But let’s say she wanted to be with you, would you stay?”
“But she doesn’t.”
Finn cocked his head. “Humor me.”
Grant hated the way his pulse picked up at the mere thought of Em wanting to be with him. He knew it wasn’t the case...but what if it was? Grant would sign next year’s contract for the Storm tomorrow and start looking for a place in Waterfront as soon as possible. ”Of course I would.”
“Then I want to help you get her back.”
Grant lowered his brows. “I don’t understand.”
Finn reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I made some mistakes that I’m trying to fix.
“And that somehow involves playing matchmaker with me and your sister?”
“For now, it does. But if you ever hurt—”
“I would never hurt her. Not again.”
Finn stared at him for a moment as if he were trying to determine if Grant was telling the truth. “Good. Then we both have the same goal—happy Em. Now we just need to figure out how to make it happen.”
Grant wasn’t sure if Finn had a plan, or if it would work. But as the possibility of fixing things with Em took hold, Grant realized he would do whatever it took—even if that meant he would have to work with Finn.
Emmeline
Em was just stepping out of the shower when she heard her phone buzzing from the bathroom counter. She quickly wrapped a towel around herself and looked at the screen. The name on the screen surprised her.
Why is Miriam calling me?
While Em and the team’s community outreach coordinator enjoyed spending time together during games, she’d never called her for anything. Especially not on a Saturday morning.
What was going on?
She swiped the screen and held her phone to her ear. “Hello?”
Miriam’s words came out in a rush. “Oh, thank goodness you answered. I’ve called you three times in the last ten minutes.”
Her heart raced in her chest. “What’s wrong?”
“What are you doing right now?”
She walked out of the bathroom and sat on the edge of her bed. “I’ve been cleaning my apartment all morning and just took a shower. Why?”
“How fast can you come down to the arena?”
Tonight’s game wasn’t for several more hours. A sinking feeling of dread settled in her belly. “Did something happen to Finn?” She paused. “To Grant?”
“What? No. They’re fine,” Miriam said. “But I really need your help with something.”
Em let out a sigh, but her relief was short-lived and soon replaced with irritation. “Why did you scare me like that? I thought something was wrong.”
“Oh, something is wrong. I’ve been working on another Storm project and nothing is coming together how I wanted it to. I was hoping you could help me.”
Miriam had gotten Em all worked up over a Storm project? Em shook her head. “I don’t know,” she said.
“Please, Em. I know it’s last minute, but I’ll owe you one.”
Em laughed. “I’m pretty sure you said that last time. And it’s not just because it’s last minute.” The last time she’d agreed to help Miriam, Em had ended up on The Dating Game, and that had ended in disaster.
“Fine.” She huffed. “I’ll owe you two. Three. A hundred. Whatever you want. I just really need your help.”
Em couldn’t believe she was actually going to say yes. She ran her fingers through her wet hair. “Yeah. Okay. Let me get dressed really quick, and I’ll head down.”
“You can, uh, spend a little time on yourself first. Dry your hair, do your makeup…maybe wear a dress.”
Why would she have to do her hair and makeup? Or wear a dress? “What kind of project is this?”
“You’ll see when you get here.”
“Miriam.”
“I promise you’ll like it. Just make sure you actually come, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, still confused.
Warning bells went off in her head, but Em had already agreed. And if she was being honest with herself, part of her was curious about what Miriam was cooking up.
Not sure of what to expect, she took the extra time to do her hair and makeup, and headed down to the arena.
Em arrived an hour later and walked through the empty halls of the civic center. When she opened the doors that led to the arena, Miriam was already standing there waiting for her.
I hope she hasn’t been here since we hung up.
Miriam’s mouth broke out into a wide grin, and she pulled Em in for a hug. “I’m so glad you came.”
“I told you I would,” Em said, pulling away.
“Which is good. Can you go check on something I left on the field?”
Em’s brows lowered. “Uh, sure. What is it?”
“Don’t worry, you’ll know it when you see it.”
“Do you need me to do anything with it?”
“No, you don’t have to do anything.” Miriam giggled. “Just go make sure everything is okay in there, and I’ll be right back.”
“O-kay.” Em shook her head as she walked into the stands. The lights were off, and she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to find what Miriam left in there when it was so dark. The only light in the entire room was a soft glow that came from midfield. When Em looked more closely, she saw the light was coming from a table covered in candles—and someone was standing beside it.
Grant.
He was the thing Miriam left on the field?
Breathless, she carefully walked toward the table. She was glad that she’d listened to Miriam and dressed up since Grant was wearing a suit. The urge to play with the curls she’d put in her hair or smooth her hands over her dress was hard to fight under his watchful gaze, but she did not want him to see the effect he had on her even now. She held her head high as she got closer.
“Wow,” he breathed when she stopped in front of him. “You look gorgeous.”
Em’s cheeks heated. She looked down at her feet in hopes of hiding her reaction to his words. “Thank you.”
“I’m glad you came.”
She looked back up, keeping her features blank. “Miriam said she needed help with somethi
ng. If I’d known that this was her project, I might not have shown up.” The words and her tone sounded harsh to her ears, but she didn’t apologize for either. Grant had hurt her—deeply—and now he was trying to...what? Em still didn’t know. “What is this?”
“This is me trying to apologize.” Grant sighed loudly and shook his head.
It was the most elaborate apology she’d ever gotten. Decorating the field on game day was risky. “Does Coach know you’re making a mess of his field so close to kickoff?”
“Since he hasn’t stormed the field yet, I can only assume the answer is no.”
“And how exactly did you pull this off without him knowing?”
“With a lot of help from Miriam...and your brother.”
Finn had helped Grant with this? Now she really was shocked. But she still wasn’t sure what Grant was hoping to accomplish with a table and some candles. “Why?”
His brows lowered. “Why what?”
She put her hands out. “Why did you do all this? The suit, the table, the candles?”
“I was hoping I could take you on a proper date.”
A date?
Even though Em could appreciate the effort he’d gone through, did he really think he could light some candles and everything would be fine? Things weren’t fine. She shook her head. “You and I both know this isn’t going to work out. You said yourself that you’re going back to Kansas City when the season is over. And just like you, I don’t want to have a long-distance relationship. Going down this road will only lead to more heartache.”
“What if I wasn’t leaving?”
Her brows lowered. “What are you talking about?”
“Please just sit with me for a little while and I’ll explain.”
Speechless, she nodded.
Grant walked around the table and pulled out a chair for Em. When she was comfortable, he walked around to his side and sat down. He pulled a bottle of champagne and two glasses. “Would you like a drink?”
“Yes, please,” she said, though it was going to take more than a glass of champagne to settle her nerves.
Grant opened the bottle and poured the bubbly liquid into both of their glasses.
“So, you’re staying in Waterfront?”
Grant opened his suit jacket and pulled out an envelope from the inside pocket. He slid it across the table. “I recently applied to a couple masters programs. One of them was USF.”
Her eyes went to the envelope on the table. She wanted to know when he applied—and why. Was it too much to hope that she had something to do with his decision? She took a shaky breath. “Why are you telling me all this?”
“I didn’t want to end things. I’ve regretted it every day since I let you walk out my door. I figured if I got into a local school, I would have an excuse to stay. And if I stayed, I might get another chance.” He reached out and grabbed her hand.
So she had been a factor in applying to a Florida school, and now he was asking for another chance. Warmth filled her chest. She wanted to say yes, but there was a small voice in the back of her mind warning her that she’d only get hurt again. The idea of facing another rejection from Grant was unbearable. She pulled her hand away and picked up the envelope. “When do you start?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t actually know if I got accepted yet.”
“I don’t understand.”
He shrugged. “I haven’t opened it.”
What was wrong with him? Why go through all the trouble of applying only to not open the envelope? “Why not?”
“I wasn’t sure what I would do if they didn’t accept me.” He shook his head. “Or what I would do if they did.”
“Then how can you sit there across from me and say you want another chance when you don’t even know if you’re going to stay?”
Without asking for permission, she grabbed the envelope off the table and tore the edge. She stared at him as she pulled the letter out, daring him to stop her. He didn’t.
Em unfolded the paper and read the first line.
Congratulations. You’ve been accepted into the master’s program at the University of South Florida’s School of Business.
He got in. This was great news.
Or was it?
It was one thing for Grant to stay in Florida if he were to go to school at USF—he’d already said that he would. But would he still feel so passionate about another chance with Em if he wasn’t accepted into the program? She needed to know how much he wanted to be with her.
She turned her lips down into a frown. “I’m so sorry. You didn’t get in.”
His shoulders slumped. “I have to say, I imagined this going differently. I really thought I would get accepted.”
“It’s okay. You can always apply for a school back home.”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to go back to Kansas City. I still want to stay here. I’ll just have to figure out another plan. I can try online programs, put it on hold or something, but I’m not leaving Waterfront.”
Hope built in Em’s chest. “You aren’t?”
He leaned forward and looked her in the eye. “I’m serious when I say that I want another chance with you Em. What we have is special, and I’m not going to let silly rules or rejection letters get in the way of that.”
He wanted her—not because it was convenient or easy, but because of who she was. He’d hurt her, but she was willing to give him another chance because she wanted him too.
“Good answer,” she said with a small smile. “Because you got into the program.”
His brows lowered.
Em turned the letter around. “This is an acceptance letter.”
He snatched the paper out of her hands. His lips spread into a wide grin as he scanned the page. “But you said…”
“I wanted to know how serious you were about staying here. I needed to know it was more than a whim.”
Grant stood up and walked over to where Em sat. He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up so that they were both standing. His hand reached out, and his fingers ran over her cheek. “You’re more than a whim. You are the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, and somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you.”
Grant loved her?
Her heart felt like it would burst with his words.
She wrapped her arms around the back of Grant’s neck and lifted up on her toes so that her face was even with his. Dizzy with the desire to be near him, she pulled him closer so that their lips were almost touching.
He smiled, causing small crinkles in the corners of his eyes. “Does this mean you feel the same way?”
Yes. She absolutely felt the same way.
Even though she hadn’t named the feelings she had for him before this moment, she now knew that she felt the same. It was why it hurt so much when he’d said they couldn’t be together. She loved Grant. The thought rendered her speechless for the second time that night. Thankfully, she didn’t need words to tell him how she felt.
Em closed the small distance between their lips and kissed him with the unspoken words from the last few weeks. She hoped that he could feel the emotions in what she couldn’t say aloud. She was foolish to push him away for so long. She loved him. She never wanted him to go.
By the way he moved his lips against hers, he could hear her loud and clear. She tightened her grip on him as his hands slid down her arms and around her waist.
They were finally on the same page about what they wanted, and that was each other. Now that they finally realized this, nothing was going to stand in their way—not even a silly rule.
Emmeline
Em’s lips still tingled as the announcer called the players out to the field one-by-one for that night’s game.
She wasn’t sure how long she and Grant had been kissing before Miriam had come out onto the field and told them they needed to break it up and clean up the evidence of their date before the civic center started allowing fans to enter the arena.
Even t
he embarrassment of having Miriam walk in on them making out wasn’t enough to make her want to stop. Their time on the field hadn’t felt like nearly enough.
It would never be enough.
Now that she’d officially thrown herself into a relationship with Grant, she didn’t want to spend a minute apart. There was too much lost time to make up for, and if Em had her way, much of that time would be spent kissing.
For now, she’d have to settle for fangirling over him from the sidelines.
“On defense, number seventy-seven, Vinny Nelson.”
Assuming the announcer ever called him out. Em clapped her hands for Vinny as he made his way out to midfield.
“Team captain and keeper, number one, Finn O’Brien!”
Em cheered but kept her eyes on her hands as her brother ran out. Even though he’d helped Grant with the secret date, she was afraid that he would take one look at her and know just how that date was spent. He might be okay with Grant and Em dating, but that might be too much too fast.
“Number seven, Grant Vaughn.”
Em’s heart raced as Grant came into view. When his eyes met hers, her cheeks flamed.
Miriam jabbed her in the ribs with her elbow. “Are you still going to pretend like you don’t have a crush on him?”
“I don’t.”
Miriam laughed. “You don’t have to lie about it.”
“I’m not lying,” she said, her eyes still fixed on Grant. He looked so handsome standing out there. She wanted to jump over the boards and rush to him. She smiled wide at Miriam. “It’s not a crush. It’s much more than that.”
Want more sports romance?
If you’re looking for more sports romance, make sure to check out Courtside Crush. It’s been called “Romeo and Juliet…in basketball shorts” and is the first in a YA sports romance series.
Looking for more sweet adult romance?
If you’re looking for more sweet adult romance, make sure to check out The Bridesmaid & The Reality Show. It’s the first book in the Wedding Game series and is filled with drama and romance!
Out of Play: A Sports Romance (Love in the Arena Book 2) Page 14
