Page 39 of The P*ssy Next Door
But every time the Mustangs scored, every time the cameras panned our way, the worry gnawed at me, a constant undercurrent to the excitement of the day.By the fourth quarter, I was hiding by the buffet, my nerves were frayed, my bottom lip raw from worrying it between my teeth, even though the Mustangs were absolutely dominating the Sharks.
Thank goodness for that ice cream bar. I gave alcoholic root beer floats an A plus for drowning one's anxiety. Jules caught me staring at the remaining food, sucking on said drink. Except I hadn't noticed I was just standing there spacing out until she threw a chicken nugget at me.
“Willa? We haven't scared you off already, have we?”
I forced a smile, shaking my head. “No, no, of course not. This has been more fun than I expected. I think I'm just all worn out.”
Penelope joined us and gave me an all too knowing look. “Wouldn't have anything to do with why you didn't rejoin the pajama party last night, would it?”
“Shh. I don't want to get Hayes in trouble.” I glanced over to Mr. Kingman, who, of course, was definitely eavesdropping on us. Thankfully he laughed and went back to watching the game.
Jules saw that exchange and shook her head. “Don't worry about my dad. Not that I want to talk about my brothers' sex lives, but everyone knows the Kingmans play better ball when they're getting laid.”
Trixie and Kelsey came over to join in the gossip too, because why not? Apparently, there were no secrets among the Kingman queens. Trixie loaded up her plate again, grabbing a slice of red pepper and shaking it at Ms. Know-It-All with a giggle. “Jules.”
“What?” Jules gave her a smug look. “I noticed Chris's game is on fire today too. Enjoy your visit to the locker room?”
Trixie turned the color of her snack. “If you must know, I did. You don't think I'd mess with the quarterback's pre-game routine. They are superstitious as it comes.”
Kelsey snickered. “I think you were the one coming.”
Trixie took a bite of her pepper and nodded with a dreamy smile on her face. “Hmm. Yeah. Twice.”
“If I wasn't so happy to be getting more girls in this family, I'd be retching right now.” Jules stuck her tongue out at the three of us.
Wait, she thought I was joining the family? Hayes and I weren't even actually dating. And we weren't going to. I needed to remember that the next time he made eyes at me that made me go all weak in the knees. I was leaving in a few more months. The last thing I should be doing is making friends with his sister and his soon to be sisters-in-law.
This day had to be a one-time thing. Or did it? I didn't have to know everything about how our future was going to play out, and it was probably better if I didn't.
“And I couldn't help but notice that Everett was not at the top of his game today,” Jules continued, “Who are we going to find to make the love guru, a.k.a. man whore, fall in love?”
Penelope made an abrupt turn toward the bar. “One margarita, please. Extra shot of Patrón.”
Our girl gossip got diverted by the crowd outside suddenly going wild. We rushed back to the windows to catch a particularly spectacular play happening on the field. Hayes was racing down the sideline, the ball tucked securely against his chest, two defenders hot on his heels.
Time slowed as one defender dove to catch him, and he danced away as the guy hit the ground. Hayes was approaching the end zone, but the second man was gaining on him. Then Everett smashed into the other guy, sending them both onto the sidelines. Hayes put on another burst of speed, and the roar of the crowd doubled. But for me, it faded to a dull hum in my ears. I held my breath, my heart in my throat, as he crossed the goal line, the ball raised triumphantly over his head.
The suite exploded, everyone screaming and hugging, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Hayes. He was pointing up at us, at me. The stadium of people disappeared, the sound of a suite filled with family and friends celebrating dissolved, and there was only the two of us. Even as his teammates lifted him up on their shoulders and he ripped off his helmet, he stared up at me. I pressed one hand to the glass, wishing I could touch him, be with him, right now.
The worry, the fear, the uncertainty of how I was going to make this work, none of it mattered. All that mattered was this man, this incredible, talented, kindhearted man, and the way he made me feel seen, cherished, wanted.
If I was going to get attached to someone in this world, it was Hayes Kingman.
The final seconds ticked down and the Mustangs secured their victory. I knew I should have been celebrating with the others. But all I could think about was getting to Hayes, of throwing myself into his arms and never letting go.
I barely registered the trip down to the family meet-up room, my feet just moved on autopilot, following the other girls. And then he was there, his eyes finding mine across the crowded space, and everything else faded away.
There were reporters everywhere, and of course they were all surrounding Hayes. He said something to the one he was talking to, patted her on the shoulder, and then pushed by all the rest of them, coming toward me. I ran to him, leaping into his arms with a laugh that was half sob. He caught me easily, his arms banding around me like he never wanted to let go.
“You were incredible,” I murmured into his neck, my fingers tangling in his damp hair. “I couldn't take my eyes off you.”
He pulled back just enough to look at me, his gaze soft and wondering. “I was playing for you, Willa. Every moment, every play. All I could think about was making you proud.”
Tears pricked at the back of my eyes, my heart so full it felt ready to burst open and spew out rainbows and unicorns and cotton candy and kittens. I had no words for how that made me feel, so I kissed him, pouring everything I felt, everything I couldn't quite say, into the press of my lips.
Here, in this moment, wrapped in the arms of the man I was falling in love with, nothing else mattered.
Let the cameras capture that.