But somehow knowing I had Dylan and Isaac with me changed all that. I felt strong enough to handle any questions Sports Now had.
I looked at my left hand. It was hard to ignore the sparkle. The rainbows scattered over my desk. I knew Steve choose it for the bling. He wanted something big enough that people would know I was taken. I was engaged. And it wasn’t just any engagement—it was to the team.
My phone beeped on the desk.
“Vanessa, Mrs. McCade is on line two for you,” Candy piped in on the small speaker.
It took me a second to register she was talking about my grandmother. “Oh no, Grammy,” I whispered aloud.
“Ok, thanks. I’ve got it.”
I reached for the receiver, scared to death of the lecture I was getting ready to hear.
“Hi, Grammy.” I smiled sweetly as if she could see me.
“Vanessa, what in the Lord’s name have you gotten yourself into? I saw the news. Gretchen came running into the sunroom like the place was on fire. Everyone here has seen it.”
“Grammy, please don’t be upset.” I could picture her pacing around in one of her Warriors outfits. Diamonds dripping from her ears. She probably had her pearls clutched in her hand.
“I heard on the news my one and only granddaughter, the girl I practically raised as my daughter is getting married and she hasn’t mentioned a word of it to me? You never even said you were seeing someone. Let alone Dylan James. He’s not your type, Nessa.”
I pinched my lips together. This wasn’t a battle I wanted to get into. “With everything going on I didn’t want to bring up my love life,” I lied. “I should have said something sooner. I’m so sorry you found out this way.” I had to remember next time that I was part of a press release that I needed to inform my family first. This wasn’t fair to do to her.
“You’re not going through with it, are you?” she questioned.
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Nessa McCade, that man is the team whore. I’m sorry to tell you, but it’s the truth. Your grandfather knew it. I know it. He wouldn’t stand for this.”
I covered my mouth. Did my grandmother just call Dylan a whore? I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“Grammy!”
“I think you should come over for dinner tonight. There are some things I have put off and we need to have a talk.”
“I can’t tonight. I have an interview with Sports Now right after work.”
“Then afterward? We can have a nightcap.”
“All right. But I don’t know how late it will be. Are you sure we can’t do it tomorrow? I could meet you for lunch.”
“No. I’ve waited too long. I see that now. I’ll look for you after dinner.”
It was amazing how quickly I could feel like a fumbling teenager again. “Ok, bye, Grammy.”
I hung up, sinking into my chair.
Candy knocked on the door. “Vanessa, the design team is here.”
“Design team?” I looked up. I still hadn’t processed that call. I hadn’t meant to alienate my grandmother.
“Yes. They have models with the new jerseys for this season. And some of the guys are hot.” She winked.
“Oh shit. I forgot we were choosing new uniforms for the Monday night game.” We didn’t have that time slot until later in the season, but if we were going to outfit an entire team I had to decide the new uniforms weeks ahead of time.
“Can I send them in?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “Go ahead. And please, hold any more calls until we’re finished.” I didn’t want my angry grandmother calling back.
“Sure thing.”
She left and in walked a parade of Warriors uniforms.
I smiled. Finally, something I could get into.
Twenty-Two
Dylan
Some of the guys knew the story. They were there for the auction. They were also the ones who had signed the NDA and couldn’t say shit about it. Then there were the ones who stared at me in disbelief, like I had sold them out somehow.
I wiped the sweat from my brow. We were still practicing outside. The Warriors were the only team who still didn’t have any indoor facility for this fucking heat.
“So, you’re fucking her?” Rocks spat as we took the line for the next snap. He was still angry I had won the auction. He wasn’t going to let it go. Maybe I should recommend a trade.
Luke Canton lined up behind the center.
“I’ll let you know where we’re registered.” I grinned at the defensive lineman.
“Maybe Lexi can sing at the wedding,” Halifax joked.
“Maybe.”
“Shut the fuck up!” Luke shouted. “You girls can plan your flowers after practice. We have a game to get ready for.”
Half the line chuckled, the other growled. Practice was different than usual. There was an unspoken tension running through the team like a current.
My hands tingled. My feet danced. I had to get ready to run fifty yards to catch the ball. I didn’t want fake wedding plans in my head. It didn’t matter if the guys were dicks now. In the end they would thank me for what I was doing. This cover story was going to change things for the team. By the end of the season, they would see what the engagement did for them. What it did for every one of their families. It was going to bring stability and reassurance to this team. It would bring us better draft picks. Better trades.
And fuck it, better contracts for the guys who were already here. Isaac and I had Vanessa’s undivided attention. We could make the changes everyone wanted.
Right now we were divided. No one gave a shit what happened this season. The old man’s death had made everyone restless. I hoped like hell, this Hail Mary we planned could bring us back together. Because it didn’t matter how much money we made, or how many tickets we sold. If the Warriors didn’t win games, this was all a fucking waste of time.
I had to put it all on the field. I always had.
Isaac ran down the other side of the field as I took off sprinting. He was fast. I didn’t like to admit sometime he could outrun me.
We had always pushed the other to be a better competitor. And it worked. Like now, I wasn’t only trying to get open and dodge the defender, I was trying to be Luke’s main target. I wanted that ball.
I switched and dodged. The sweat ran in my eye as I looked right into the sun. But the ball was coming toward me and I knew if I wanted passes during games, I had to put it o the line at practice.
I hurled myself forward, yanking the ball to my chest. I cradled it next to my ribs as I landed hard. My helmet bounced as I rolled on my back. Shit that was a hard landing. I held the ball in the air.
“Got it.”
I laughed. I could hear them talking all around me. It was a hell of an athletic catch. The best play we’d run all week.
“Good one,” Luke called. “Let’s do it again.”
I hopped up from the field, brushing the grass from my practice jersey.
“Nice.” Isaac threw me a thumbs-up from across the field. I’d do it again. I’d run it over and over if it meant that play turned into points on the scoreboard.
“Let’s go, ladies,” Luke screamed.
I walked to the line of scrimmage. This was what I was meant to do. My hands twitched. And out of nowhere it him me. Maybe I was meant for something else. Maybe I was meant for Vanessa McCade.
Twenty-Three
Vanessa
I’d never been to the Sports Now studios before. Their main station was in New York, but they kept satellite offices in cities that had more than one professional team. The Austin building wasn’t much bigger than the local news station, but it had a completely different feel. It was plastered in sports memorabilia.
I walked through the halls, staring at the framed Warriors jerseys and Austin’s baseball stars’ portraits. It had been a while since I had gone to the ballpark.
“Hey, there you are, darlin’.”
I turned as Dylan walked toward me. He looked sexy a
s hell. He was wearing a dark charcoal suit that was cut and fit him perfectly. It looked expensive. His eyes were brighter. Greener.
“Hey. How was practice? Where’s Isaac?” I looked around him for the other man who had stolen every part of my logic.
“Talking to Trip Steiner in the lobby.”
“Ahh.” Trip was the Warriors’ play-by-play caller on the local station.
“Ready to do this?” He tangled his fingers through mine and raised my left hand between us.
“I think so.”
He tugged me toward him. My heels tipped as I leaned into his body. I felt the vibrations rumble through his chest.
“You know I only went through with this for one reason,” he whispered.
I shook my head. “No, what was that?” My body raced with electricity. We were alone in the hallway.
His other hand wrapped around my waist, locking against my hip. “So I could have you whenever I want,” he answered.
I saw the devilish gleam in his eye.
“But I thought I was your boss?” I teased.
He brushed his lips over mine, dipping his tongue into my mouth. “Who was the boss last night?” he growled lowly.
My heart beat rapidly. My core twinged with the memory of being taken not once, but twice. Remembering what it felt like to be fucked by both of them, one after the other until my body felt nothing but magical pleasure.
“You,” I answered, knowing I was getting wetter by the second. “And Isaac.”
He nodded. “That’s right.” He brushed the hair from my cheek. “We own you, darlin’.”
“Mmmhmm.” I waited for his mouth again. My lips parted as he kissed me, shoving me against the wall. My back slammed into one of the framed prints, but I didn’t care. I’d lost all reason. Kissing Dylan was everything.
Everything about him was physical and strong. He took what he wanted. There was no hesitation. No doubt in his movements. His tongue stroked mine like a fucking kissing expert.
“Excuse me. Umm…Miss McCade?”
Dylan pressed his forehead to mine. “Fuck that was hot,” he whispered in my ear. He took a step back so I could compose myself.
“Yes?” I was embarrassed we had been caught, but I realized I shouldn’t have been. He was my fiancé, after all.
“It’s time for makeup. We start taping in fifteen.” The assistant held her clipboard to her hip.
“Thank you.”
“You can come with me.” She eyed Dylan. He had turned so she couldn’t see how his hard cock stretched the expensive suit pants he wore. “And Jeannette will be back to find you next.”
“Good to know.”
I waved at him as I followed her around the corner to the makeup chair.
“Sorry about that,” the girl apologized.
“It’s ok. We should have been more professional. I wasn’t thinking.”
She giggled. “If I had a fiancé like that, especially if he were Dylan James, the last thing I would care about was being professional.”
I smiled. She wasn’t completely wrong.
The lights were brighter than I expected. I squinted a few times trying to adjust to the all the angles shining on us.
I took a deep breath. Dylan was laughing with Chantel about some miraculous play he made last season. I knew she didn’t work out of Austin. I was expecting someone with less star power from the network. We were a story, but did we warrant Chantel Morris flying in from New York?
I didn’t know why I felt as if there were an elephant sitting on my chest. The sound tech was fidgeting with the mic he’d attached to inside lining of my dress. He patted it a second time to make sure it was secure.
I realized how comfortable Dylan was in this scenario. He was one of those players that loved the attention he received. He seemed to be able to control his narrative. Even the partying. Despite the women and the drinking—they loved him. Maybe it was why they loved him. He was always comfortable in his own skin. He lived life the way he wanted to without hesitation.
I hoped some of that would rub off on me in this interview. I was out of my element. I tried to look past the glare of the lights. I saw a dark silhouette near the camera. Isaac.
I sighed. He was here. Just like he promised. There was something steadying about his presence. I smiled into the camera’s perimeter, hoping he knew it was for him.
Chantel stopped abruptly. “It’s time? We’re on?”
The producer pointed to us. “We’re counting down, everyone.”
Dylan straightened his tie. The butterflies were attacking my stomach. I wasn’t sure why I had agreed to do this.
“Good evening, I’m Chantel Morris. Tonight we have an exclusive interview with Warriors owner Vanessa McCade and Warriors wide receiver Dylan James. They made a startling announcement today that shocked the sports world.” Chantel paused. “At a team press conference the Warriors press director revealed that Vanessa and Dylan are in fact engaged to be married.”
I felt my stomach flip. My mouth went dry. I didn’t know how Dylan could stay calm. I knew I’d already wasted that extra powder the makeup artist had dotted on my nose.
“So, you two…” Chantel turned from the cameras and faced us. “What a story!” She grinned. “Everyone is talking about this engagement. It’s certainly unprecedented in the AFA. What has your day been like since you shared the news?”
Her eyes pressed into me.
I blinked several times. “Everyone has congratulated us. I think they’re excited for us.” I looked at Dylan.
He squeezed my knee. “Oh yeah. The guys are behind us a hundred percent.”
Chantel nodded. “You have to admit this isn’t the most typical relationship. Excuse the expression, but ownership getting into bed with the players’ side of things is unheard of.”
I knew my cheeks were instantly red. She said players and bed in the same sentence. I’d had two players in my bed last night. I was a complete immoral slut of an owner. My knees started to shake. The lights felt hot, not just blinding.
Dylan stepped up while I fought to find words. “I don’t think either of us expected our friendship to lead here.”
“So you two were friends first?” Chantel prodded.
“Oh yeah.” Dylan grinned.
“Do you have friendships with lots of the players?” Chantel raised her eyebrows. “Is that why Isaac Price is with us in studio tonight?” She looked off to the side.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
I was sinking. I couldn’t even get a sentence together. Dylan moved his hand from my knee to around my shoulder.
“Actually, he’s here because I asked him to ride over with me after practice,” Dylan explained. “The Warriors are a family. He’s here to support both of us.”
Chantel flipped a page in her notes, moving right to the next question. She didn’t dwell on conversations. Apparently, she saved that for when the cameras were off. This was her time to pull as much information out of us as possible.
“Are you worried, Vanessa, that the other players on the team will perceive it las you are giving Dylan preferential treatment? He will after all be married to the team’s owner.”
I shook my head. “We have their full support. They’re happy for us.”
“But will Dylan become part-owner? How does that look for the legal arrangement in your marriage?”
I was prepared for this part. Steve had been explicit with how to answer the legal questions.
“The Warriors have been a part of my family heritage. Dylan wants to focus on his career. He can’t do that and run the franchise.”
“Yeah,” he added. “I’ll leave the family business in Vanessa’s hands.”
“Does that mean you’re willing to sign a pre-nup to that effect?” she pried.
I was starting to dislike Chantel Morris. Where were the questions about the romantic proposal? Why wasn’t she asking if I wanted to be a June bride?
Dylan’s voice deepened. “I’m willing to do w
hatever the Warriors need.”
“Does that mean you’re making decisions in your relationship based on the Warriors franchise?”
“No, I didn’t say that.” Dylan clenched his teeth in an awkward smile. “What I’m saying is that we don’t want our engagement to be anything but a good thing for the team. I’ll sign a pre-nup if that makes the team more secure.”
Chantel nodded her head. “That sounds noble of you, Dylan.”
I could only imagine what Steve was thinking as he watched the optics on this interview unravel.
“In the weeks since your grandfather’s death there have been reports that the transition of team ownership may not have been as smooth as the fans were led to believe.” Chantel held up a piece of paper. “You have an older brother, Daniel McCade who was the original heir to the franchise, isn’t that correct?”
I had no idea where she was going with this question. It didn’t sound good.
“Yes, but the transition has been completed and I have really settled in at the Warriors offices.”
Chantel didn’t let up. “My understanding from an inside source is that your brother does have a legal claim to the team if he did choose to contest the will.” I was going to lose it. Possibly throw up on the set. “Dylan, if Vanessa was no longer the team’s owner, would that change things for you?”
Holy shit. Who was this woman? A one-woman wrecking ball?
“Come on, Chantel. You can’t ask a newly engaged man something like that.” He pulled me closer to him. “Look at her. She’s gorgeous. Smart. Gifted in so many ways. I didn’t ask her to marry me because of her last name. Let’s get that out there right now. No matter what happens, I’m going to play ball and I’m going to marry this woman. Got that?”
I stared at Dylan. I knew it was a charade. I knew we had concocted this entire story to save the Warriors, but I felt as if he had just saved me. He had rescued me from the hole in the floor that was swallowing me up, starting with my designer heels.
Chantel’s eyes widened. “Well, for my viewers, if you’re looking for a real-life love story, I think we’ve found it. We’ll be back with Vanessa and Dylan after this break. I want to hear all the wedding details.” She smiled.
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