Page 51 of Going for Two
As my team lifted both Derek and me up into the air, I realized that I didn’t need a knockout season to end my career with abang. All I wanted was to enjoy the moments like this with the people I loved next to me. Because when it was all said and done, I wouldn’t be able to recall the statistics or certain plays, but I would remember the joy I felt as I celebrated with my teammates.
“Just you and me, bud!” Derek shouted at me again as our teammates celebrated around us.
Chapter 24
Lottie
After the game in Denver, something changed between me and Nolan. Over the next few weeks, our time together extended beyond practices and games. Suddenly, Nolan was everywhere. After practices he would either invite me over for dinner or show up at mine to cook and it was always just an evening of enjoying each other’s company. We hadn’t had sex since that first night together at his place, despite several times that I wanted nothing more than to forget the boundaries I had set and just give in to the desire building inside of me. What was most surprising to me was how I didn’t seem to mind spending so much time with him and how within a few weeks it felt all too normal.
When the buzzer of my apartment rang the morning after the fourteenth game of the season, I wasn’t surprised to see Nolan coming up the stairs with two coffees in his hands. He wore a beanie to fight off the cold winter weather that had started to settle in around the city of Chicago. His sharp cheekbones were hidden behind a layer of stubble that he had started to grow out and my fingers itched to run down the lines of his cheeks to feel it.
“Good morning,” I greeted him, happily accepting the coffee he extended out to me. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
I had given Nolan the morning off after yesterday’s win to give his body time to recover. I’d watched a completely different Nolan Hill play these past few weeks. It looked as if he was free of the burden of pressure he had placed on himself at the start ofthe season. He looked freer while he was playing, and I even saw him smile and laugh a few times throughout the games. Nolan’s change in attitude had unlocked the missing piece of chemistry the team needed, and the Bobcats had marched to thirteen wins and one loss on the season. It was slowly becoming a historic year for the organization, as they now had the best record the program had ever seen.
Normally at this point in the season, the players began to drag—exhausted from how physical professional football games could be on their bodies. But the energy that radiated off Nolan made him look like a man full of excitement rather than someone who had been pushing his body to the limit for the past three and a half months.
“Since you gave me an off day today, I had an idea,” Nolan told me as he folded his long frame onto my couch. “I know you wanted to complete your bucket list before the end of the year and there’s one thing on it that I kept thinking about. I thought today would be the perfect day to do it.”
My mind sorted through the remaining items on my list before I realized which one he was talking about.
“A yes day?” I asked. Nolan nodded, his smile revealing his excitement for his idea. I had been thinking about this since Olivia had put it on my list. Normally a yes day consisted of a day where parents had to say yes to everything a kid asked, but Olivia had wanted this to be a day where everyone else told me to do something that I had to say yes to—with the intention of me doing things that I normally never would have done for myself. Olivia had wanted today to be a day where I was pampered instead of constantly being the person to pamper everyone else.
“I’ve been working with Olivia and Maggie on it, so it won’t just be me telling you to do something for yourself today. I wantedthe people that you care about in your life and that know you best to contribute.”
Every response I could have had died on my tongue. I wasn’t used to someone doing something for me that was so thoughtful. He’d taken the time to include my sister and friend to make sure they were involved in today.
He’s just love bombing you. Remember when your father would bring home your favorite candy after he missed out on important events for yet another football game? He knows what you want to hear and what you want him to do and he’s using it to his advantage.
I forced that voice out of my mind, refusing to let the man who ruined most of my childhood leech anything else from my life.
“What did you have in mind?” I asked as I sipped on the coffee he’d given me. The taste of vanilla hit my tongue and I realized that Nolan had given me my exact coffee order. He must have noticed it from all those mornings after our runs where I’d make a coffee as he went through his treatment routine.
“I made an appointment for you this morning at the Waldorf Astoria Spa. I got my mother a spa day there last year and she loved it. She suggested it for today.”
My heart paused when I realized he’d taken the time to ask his mother about his first idea. Whether or not his mother knew who he was getting a spa day for, a nervous energy swelled in my stomach.
“You don’t need to get ready for anything because Olivia made sure I booked a hair appointment while you were there too. She may have said she could count the months since you’d last had a hair appointment by the inches of root that was showing.” Nolan coughed when he finished relaying my sister’s message, clearly uncomfortable with how the two of us operated in our relationship.
“Of course she said that.” I rolled my eyes as I grabbed my coat. “Did you book a massage for yourself while we’re there or are you just dropping me off?”
“I was planning on waiting for you. I hadn’t booked anything for myself. Today’s supposed to be a day for you, not me.” Nolan held the front door open for me as the two of us took the stairs down to his Range Rover waiting on the curb outside.
“Is there any way you can book one? I think you’d really benefit from it … And I wouldn’t mind having you there with me.”
Nolan looked like he wanted to argue again about how today was supposed to be just for me, but he stopped himself when he realized this was something I wanted and not just a sneaky way for me to still worry about taking care of him.
“I’ll ask when we get there,” he conceded.
The Waldorf Astoria was on the north side of downtown and only a few blocks away from Magnificent Mile, the stretch of Michigan Avenue known as Chicago’s premier commercial district. The Waldorf Astoria’s architecture was made to replicate the buildings in Paris with its private terraces, dramatic archways, and light-colored stone.
It was easily the most luxurious building I had ever stepped foot in and not somewhere I would have ever taken myself to. A large Christmas tree sat in the middle of the front courtyard, twinkling golden lights flashing against silver and gold ornaments. String lights crisscrossed around the u-shaped space, making the area feel like its own personal Christmas wonderland. The entire lobby was full of smaller Christmas trees and a large roaring fireplace crackled in the corner near a small sitting area. Velvet bows were tied around the old sconces dotted through the lobby and “White Christmas” by Bing Crosby filled the room from an old record player in the sitting area.
People in business professional attire bustled around and I felt out of place in my jeans and sweater. Nolan was dressed similarly next to me, but he’d somehow managed to make his jeans and flannel combination look like it was straight off the runway compared to my dressed-down appearance.
Nolan led me toward a golden elevator, giving a few nods to people that recognized him as we walked through the few people lingering around the lobby. He selected the tenth floor where the spa was and the two of us stood in comfortable silence as the elevator rose.
The spa had the same Parisian architecture that the rest of the building had, except everything was brighter and airier with the hope of providing a relaxing space. A woman dressed all in white greeted us at the front desk.