Page 52 of The Air I Breathe

"Willa, are you and Blake engaged?"

That question gets me. I want to shout yes, and bring all the attention I can to the ring on my finger, but we haven't talked about when we're going to announce it yet. There's no way I'd want to spill the beans before we talk about it, so I just smile. The three of us make our way up to the suite and get settled.

"So..." CeCe looks over at me, a smirk on her face. "I see that ring on your finger, and sooner or later everyone else will too. I'm excited that you're going to be my sister."

"I'm excited too." I wrap my arms around her, hugging tightly.

"Have you and Blake had your first argument yet?" She raises her eyebrows.

"No, not yet. He strikes me as the type of guy who doesn't get mad off the field. I mean, I'm sure I've done things that have annoyed him, but no." Now I'm thinking about it, nothing with him has been difficult. It's as if he were made to be the other half of me. He understands what I'm saying before I have to rush and explain myself.

"That's a good description. I've been around the family for almost eight years, and I still haven't seen him yell. I'm just wondering how he reacts when he’s really mad." She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. "I've seen him get angry on the field but never off the field either."

Avery snorts. "I bet off the field, when he does get angry, he's...passionate."

Leave it to my best friend. "Now I'm interested." I wink, already thinking I might need to plan this. "Maybe I'll figure out a way to piss him off slightly and see what happens."

"I like this idea." CeCe giggles. "Then you can tell us exactly how Blake Whitfield deals with his anger."

I'm already getting excited thinking about it.

Two hours later, we're all standing at the front of the suite, our hands clasped together as we chant with the rest of the fans. "Let's go, Warriors!" We stomp our feet five times. "Let's go Warriors!" Feet stomping again. They need a few more yards to make a down. At that point we can try for a field goal and clench the game.

"I can't take this shit." Avery moans, pouring the rest of her drink down her throat. "How do y'all do it? I'm not made for this."

"You just learn." CeCe fidgets with her phone, flipping it up and down, end over end.

"I don't know—this is one of the first times at the biggest of games for me too. Hand me a drink." I grab the glass and down it, much the way Avery did, and when I put it on the table, there are cheers throughout the stadium. Glancing up at the big screen, I notice they've shown me chugging. I'm sure that'll be on some gossip blog tomorrow, but I refuse to dull myself anymore to fit into someone else's idea of what I should be.

"C'mon, c'mon, c'mon." I wring my hands in front of me.

We scream loudly as Russell and Blake connect, and the man who knows how to move his fucking hips fakes to the left, then goes to the right and gets a clear lane into the end zone. Everyone around us is screaming.

"Go, Blake!"

"Yeah boy, go!"

And then there's me. "Go, baby! Kick their asses. Go, go, go..." If I could run with him, I would, and I’d make sure that no one stops his forward momentum. When he blasts into the end zone, the stadium erupts, as does our suite. There are high-fives and congratulations all the way around.

On the field, he takes his helmet off, and points toward us up in the suite. The heat from his head makes it look as if he's smoking, and all I can think about is how hot this night is going to be. I plan to find out just what happens when this man has won an important game, and when he's got a little bit more adrenaline pumping through his body than normal.

Hiding my smile behind my hand, I lean over to CeCe. "I'm gonna piss him off. I'll let you know what he does. I have a feeling he's going to have a lot of aggression to take out after this game."

She snickers, covering her own mouth. "Get it, girl, and welcome to the family."

Chapter Forty-Six

Blake

I am on cloud nine after doing the required press post-game, and now I'm waiting on the okay to leave the stadium. Coach Wallace is standing in front of the team, and we've all changed. We're all hanging on what he might say.

"Y'all did a great job tonight. I know it's a holiday and you're anxious to either go home or go party with your friends. Keep it safe—one more game before the playoffs start. I need you all to get it out of your systems tonight, and the come Monday, we're back on the grind. Got it?"

Everyone agrees with loud claps and cheers.

"Alright, go out there and have fun."

I'm out the door as soon as I can be, phone in hand. Willa's texted me that she'll be meeting me at the bar. They've got igloos set up on their roof. They're heated, and there are already-mixed drinks, along with a snack menu, then we'll be able to ring in the New Year. The best thing about it is we won't have to worry about everyone watching, or getting pictures that we haven't approved of. The only other people on the roof will be teammates.