Next Man Up (Making the Score Football Romance Book 2)

by Tawdra Kandle

  Pulling my keys from the ignition, I slid out of the car and went into the house through the back door. As I’d expected, Grammy was in the kitchen, kneading a lump of bread dough. She turned at the sound of the door, her eyes widening when she saw me.

  “Zelly! My goodness, child, this is a surprise.” She hurried to the sink to rinse off her hands. “Are you all right? What are you doing here?”

  I stepped into the comforting embrace of the woman who had raised me. “Can’t a girl just get homesick and come for dinner?”

  “Always,” she replied without hesitation. “But this girl doesn’t usually do anything without making plans first. I can’t remember you ever just popping back here for a visit.” She eased back and frowned, cupping my chin with her worn hand. “What’s wrong, sugar pea?”

  Tears spilled over my eyes. “I just need to talk with you, Grammy. Do you have a little time?”

  “For you? All the time in the world.” She pointed to a chair. “Sit you down, and I’ll pour us some coffee.”

  I watched my grandmother hustle around the old kitchen and waited until she was settled across from me, both us holding steaming mugs.

  “Tell me what’s happening, Zelda.” Her gentle voice tore down the last of my barriers.

  “Grammy.” I took a quick sip of the coffee. “Did I . . . was I a tremendous burden to you and Gramps? Was it hard, having to take care of me after you’d raised all your other kids? Was I a lot of trouble?”

  Her eyes snapped with fire. “Zelda Maureen Porter, what on earth could give you that idea? Raising you, taking care of you, having you in our lives—that has always been a privilege.” She reached across to cover my hand with her own. “What brought this on, Zelly? Are you . . . is there a baby on the way?”

  Through my tears, I shook my head, laughing. “It would have to be an immaculate conception, Grammy. No, I’m not pregnant. But I’ve realized something lately. It’s not your fault—it’s nothing you and Gramps ever did or said. Still, I have this sense that I have to be good enough to be loved. That I don’t deserve it. I remember when I was little and I understood about Lottie . . .” I swallowed. “I thought that what she’d done had somehow stained me. You didn’t expect me or want me. I must have been quite a surprise. And you didn’t have to keep me. But you did. I think I always had the sense that I had to work hard to be the best I could be, so that you never regretted that decision.”

  “Zelda, nothing could be further from the truth.” Grammy folded her hands and spoke with unwavering conviction. “You were—and are—a blessing. We’ve always known that. And nothing you could have said or done or been would change our feelings.” She was quiet for a moment. “Lottie was always a challenging child, as you know. I often wondered if she was a test from God. We could never seem to do the right thing for her. We were at our wits’ ends. And then she ran away, and I felt so guilty because . . . I was worried, of course, but I was also relieved. That was a horrible thing to admit, but it was true.” She sighed. “When Lottie came home, it was because of you being on the way. And I thought to myself . . . this baby is our reward. We’ll love her the way Lottie would never let us love her.” Grammy sniffled. “And I thought we did.”

  “You did.” I squeezed her fingers. “I think I just needed to hear it from you now. I’ve been having a rough time over the last six months or so.” I bit the corner of my lip. “I pushed Eli away. He loves me—he told me so, and he showed me in a million different ways—but I never told him how much I love him. I do, but I never said it. And then I let some stupid little disagreement blow up, because I was looking for a reason to force him away from me.”

  “Hmmm.” Grammy tilted her head. “Is he with someone else now?”

  I shook my head. “As far as I know, he isn’t.”

  “And does he still love you?”

  I felt a sob rise from my chest. “He said he always would.”

  “Then why in the blazes are you sitting here with me, Zelly?” A smile stretched her face. “Time is precious, child. Don’t waste it. Tell people when you love them. Live in that love.” She tapped the back of my hand. “And bring that boy home to meet us. If he’s going to be part of the family, he deserves to know what he’s getting himself into.”

  I stood up, suddenly in a hurry to get back home—to my true home. “Thank you, Grammy. I love you.” I hugged her and kissed her smooth cheek.

  “I love you, too, Zelly. Be safe—don’t speed. And text me when you get there.”

  “I will!” I sailed out the door and down the steps to my car. I wouldn’t speed. Not really. But when forever is waiting on the other end of a drive, it’s not easy to take it slowly.

  I didn’t know Eli’s address, but I knew who did. Once I’d crossed the river and was in New Jersey, I pulled over to a gas station and texted Leo.

  Zelda: Turnabout’s fair play, dude. I need to know where Eli’s living. Send me his address, and I’ll withdraw my threat to castrate you.

  A few seconds later, his reply came.

  Leo: A reprieve! Thank God, I can sleep at night now. Sending you his address.

  Zelda: Thanks, Leo. Having a good time with Q? Behaving yourself?

  Leo: All of the above and more. Are you finally going to make an honest man of Tuck? Dude is seriously gone on you. Have mercy on him.

  I laughed. Leo was a good guy, and now that I didn’t have to worry about punishing him, I could freely admit that.

  Zelda: Only if he begs for it. Later, Leo. Thanks again. My love to Q.

  I entered the information into my GPS and took off again, following the highway to the exit for Eatonboro.

  It was late afternoon, nearly five o’clock, by the time I pulled my car to a stop in front of the pretty duplex. Eli’s side was easy to spot, since the steps to the front door had been modified with a ramp. His grass was neatly cut, and there were flowers in front of the porch.

  I sat for a minute to take a breath and gather my courage. For all that I’d been eager to get here, now I was a little nervous. How would Eli react? What would he say?

  Finally, I forced myself to walk the ramp and knock on the front door. I heard his voice calling from within the house.

  “Just a second!”

  And then there he was.

  I hadn’t seen him in half a year, but damn if the man hadn’t only gotten hotter. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open a little. His fingers gripped the arm of his wheelchair.

  I opened my mouth to say something, but no words came out. I was gaping like a fucking fish.

  Eli stretched out his hand and took mine. Never looking away from me, he breathed out one sentence.

  “It’s about time.”

  Somehow, that opened the floodgates for me. I swallowed hard and leaned down, resting my hands on his wheelchair. “Eli. I love you. I have since . . . well, for a long time. Since we were freshman.”

  He wheeled his chair backwards so that I stepped fully into the house. I was vaguely aware that we were in a living room, but I didn’t pay any attention beyond that. I just kept talking.

  “I ran away last year because I was terrified. You were talking long-term and babies—and I didn’t know if I could do that. I didn’t trust me, Eli. It was never you. It’s always been my problem. But I’ve learned shit. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”

  The most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen wreathed Eli’s face. He slid his hands to my hips and pulled me onto his lap.

  “Fucking hell, Zel. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

  Tilting my head back, he kissed me, and my body sang. This was what I needed, what I wanted. This man was my today and my tomorrow—and he’d been my yesterday, too. He had been my first lover, and he would be my last.

  “I have so much to tell you,” I managed to get out the words between deep, drugging kisses. “But never stop what you’re doing. Promise me that you’ll never stop kissing me.”

  “Never,” Eli vowed. “But I hope you’re okay wit
h doing this on a football field.”

  That did make me pull back. “What?”

  Chuckling softly, he pressed his hands to my back, holding me close. “I got a new job, baby. I’m going to be an assistant coach at Birch starting this summer. And I’m going back to grad school.” He paused. “I mean, that’s the plan. But now . . . we can talk. If you want to do something else—live somewhere else—”

  “Nope.” I shook my head. “I only want to be with you. The rest of the details we can figure out later. As long as you’ll have me, I’m yours. For all time.”

  “Zelda.” Threading his fingers through my hair, he held my head and lowered his mouth to mine again. “I love you. I love you with every ounce of me, and I don’t plan to ever waste another moment without you. I want a future with you. I don’t care what that looks like, as long as you’re in it.”

  His lips urged mine to open, and I hummed in appreciation as his tongue made insistent forays against mine. My body was on fire, arched toward him, needing his touch more than anything else.

  “Zelda . . .” He dropped tiny kisses on the side of my mouth and along my jaw. “Will you stay with me?”

  “Only forever.” I linked my hands behind his neck. “After that, we’ll have to renegotiate.”

  He grinned down at me. “The first time we met, I was stupid. I wasted the opportunity.”

  I sighed happily. “And the second time we met, I was impossible. I pushed you away.”

  He skimmed his questing lips down the side of my neck. “And then we were friends, even though you swore we never would be.”

  I smoothed his hair with my hand. “And then we were lovers, even though I said that would never happen in your wildest dreams.”

  Eli laughed softly. “Zelda, you are my wildest dream—and the one that came true.”

  Twisting in his arms, I straddled him and gazed into his eyes. “Eli, stop talking so pretty and love me hard. Now.”

  And he did.

  The End

  Epilogue 1

  “Hey. Look over there.” Eli nudged my arm, and I followed the direction of his gaze to the edge of the reception tent, where just beyond the shadows, I saw the silhouettes of Tate and Gia, their lips fused and their bodies pressed together. His arms were around her, and she stood on her toes to reach him.

  Leo and Quinn were finally married. It was hard to believe that today, we’d watched the two of them say their vows and promise forever. It made me positively misty.

  I sighed, smiling. “Ah, young love. Another happy match made, despite all the bumps in the road and obstacles on the path.”

  Eli picked up my hand from where it rested on the table between us, his fingers stroking mine lightly, teasing and tantalizing until I shivered. “Is that what people say about us?”

  Shifting in my chair, I leaned back to rest against the solid comfort of his chest. “Maybe. Although even our closest friends don’t actually know about the real bumps in our road.” I tilted my head up to look into his eyes. “Everyone probably thinks, ‘That nice Tucker boy took on the crazy and promiscuous Zelda. What a saint he is!’”

  “If they only knew the whole story,” Eli snorted. His lips touched my temple lightly, and his fingers tightened around my ribs. “Sometimes I never thought we’d get here, to where we are now. And I know that nothing is perfect. But . . . I’m happy.” He said it almost wonderingly, as if it were as much a surprise to him as it was to anyone else.

  “I am, too. Happier than I ever thought I could be.” I covered his hands with mine, linking our fingers together over my middle.

  “If Gia’s moving in with Tate pretty soon, I think you’ll need a roommate, won’t you?” Eli dipped his lips to brush over my ear lobe.

  “Are you submitting your application?” I teased. “There’s a lengthy vetting process, you know. Lots of forms to fill out . . .”

  “I was thinking,” he went on, ignoring me. “Maybe we want to find something that works for both of us. Maybe not in the city. We could think about a little house over here on the Jersey side. You work at home half the time, and the drive into Philly wouldn’t be so bad. Lots of people do it.”

  I was quiet for a moment, considering all the pros and cons of moving from my beautiful high-rise apartment in a beautiful city neighborhood to a suburban house in New Jersey. The cons were many and plentiful. But one pro—Eli Tucker—outweighed them all. Before I could give voice to that thought, he spoke again.

  “I don’t just want to live with you casually, though, Zelda.” His mouth found the sensitive spot on my neck and nipped it lightly. “I want to marry you. I want to make us official. Seeing Quinn and Leo tonight . . . it made me realize that I don’t want to waste another second of our lives with what-ifs and what-could-have-beens. I want to spend the rest of our lives together. And I want the rest of our lives to start now.”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Are you proposing to me, Eli Tucker?”

  “I am.” His voice wobbled just a little. “I guess the not being to go down on one knee makes it tough to figure out. But yes. Zelda, will you marry me?”

  All around us, music swelled and conversation buzzed, but I was aware that what was happening in this moment between Eli and me was pivotal. This was a turning point in our lives. How I responded would determine our future.

  I ran the tip of my tongue over my lips. “Eli, I love you. I’ve never loved anyone the way I do you. I can’t imagine being with any other man. Before I answer, there’s something I need to tell you.”

  “Oh, yeah?” He smiled and brushed back my hair. “Is there something about you I don’t know yet? Some secret that you’re hiding?”

  I nodded. “There is.”

  Eli’s eyes narrowed. “You can tell me anything, Zel. You know that by now. Or I hope you do.”

  “This is a new secret.” I linked my fingers with his and held on tight. “It’s a new chapter in the story.”

  He was intrigued, I could tell. “I’m listening.”

  My heart began to beat a little faster. “Once upon a time, there was a boy and a girl. They met, and they loved . . . and then they lost each other.”

  “Sad beginning,” he commented.

  “Just wait. It gets better,” I assured him. “Because then they met again, and they didn’t love right away, but they did eventually. And they found their way to happily ever after, even though it wasn’t always easy.”

  “So true,” he murmured against my ear.

  “But because the boy loved the girl so well, she trusted him and decided to stay with him forever, even when she was a little scared. As a matter of fact, he loved her so well—and she loved him so much—that their love couldn’t stay between just the two of them. It had to grow even bigger.” I lowered our joined hands to cover my stomach. “It grew into . . . new life. Their love made a family.”

  Eli’s breath caught. “Are you serious? Are you—Zel, babe—are you pregnant? Are we having a baby?”

  “We are.” I swallowed. “I know it’s a surprise, and I know we didn’t plan this, but somehow it happened. I guess you’re just too much man, babe.”

  “My God.” He cupped my cheek. “My God, Zel.”

  “Are you happy?” I gazed up at him.

  “Happy doesn’t begin to cover it,” he rasped. “I want to show you how happy I am, but I don’t think Leo and Quinn would appreciate that here at their wedding. But when we get back to the hotel room, watch out.”

  “I hope that’s a promise.” I arched my back and kissed him. “Want to know the rest of the story?”

  Eli traced my cheekbone. “Of course. Don’t leave me dangling here.”

  I pressed my cheek to where his heart beat, sure and steady, and always for me. “They loved each other for the rest of their lives, and even when things weren’t perfect, they kept on loving.”

  “Happily ever after?” Eli touched my middle softly, wonderingly.

  “How could they be anything else? He belonged
to her. And she belonged to him.” I grinned wider, thinking of the tattoo on my shoulder that Eli loved to trace with his tongue. “They lived by their family’s motto: Try everything at least once. In bed.”

  Eli’s eyes went molten. “Oh, baby.”

  “I love you, Eli. Always.”

  “I love you, Zelda. Forever.”

  Epilogue 2

  Gideon

  God, I hated weddings.

  I avoided the damn things whenever possible, but this time, it hadn’t been. Leo Taylor was a newer member of our team, but he was still a teammate. That meant that my absence on his special day would have been a big deal, and as much as I hated weddings, I detested dealing with press nonsense even more.

  And that was why I was here, leaning on the bar at the edge of the tent that housed the festivities on the beach. I’d been skulking in this spot for over an hour, watching everyone else have fun while I sipped a drink. Across the dance floor, my teammates had commandeered several tables in the corner, and that was without doubt the loudest section of the party.

  The whole crowd was a mix of Taylor’s life, I mused. In addition to all the guests from the Richmond Rebels, I’d spied a couple of people from Leo’s high school and college years, guys he’d introduced me to at his engagement party months ago.

  Remembering the engagement party brought my mind back to the one person I was trying not to watch. Even as I thought of her, Sarah Jenkins spun into my line of vision, her arms wrapped around Leo’s older brother Danny. She had her head tossed back, laughing, as the two of them clowned around on the dance floor.

  Just looking at the line of her body beneath the silky material that clung to her curves made my mouth water. Hearing the sparkle of her laugh took me back to the night we’d met, hung out and had spectacular sex. I hadn’t seen her since, of course, hadn’t really even thought of her since the night of Leo and Quinn’s engagement party.

  But earlier today, when I’d walked into the ceremony area before the wedding itself, I’d spotted Sarah, sitting in a row by herself. Almost before I could stop myself, I’d started moving toward her. Was I planning to drop into the seat next to her? I wasn’t sure, but before I could find out, I’d gotten my crazy ass firmly in hand and walked past her, heading to where Corey and Ellie Iverson were sitting. The last thing I needed to do was renew my acquaintance with a woman who was only meant to be a one-night stand.