Page 152 of Broken Saint
“I love game days,” Peyton says with a wide smile on her face. “It blows my mind that our men do this.” She gestures to the exuberant crowd. “They cause this kind of excitement and so much happiness in so many lives.”
“When they win,” Letty jokes. “Different story otherwise.”
“Nah, they still love them. Saints’ fans are the best.”
Music booms through the speakers as the camera pans around the crowd, the images of over-excited fans illuminated on the jumbotron.
Taking my seat, I stare out at the mass of people.
I watched Colt and the guys play some big games when they were Maddison Kings Panthers. But this…this is beyond anything I’ve experienced before.
A little sadness trickles through me as I think about all the games I’ve missed, but it’s quickly washed away when the cheerleaders take to the field to continue to build the anticipation.
I think of Colt somewhere deep in this building, pulling on his pads and lacing up his cleats.
He’s surrounded by his best friends and about to do the thing he loves most in the world.
The rivalry between the Saints and the Chiefs might run deep, but I know that playing with West means a lot to Colt. He might try to downplay it, but he loves his little brother something fierce. He always has, and without him saying the words, I know he’s beyond proud of him.
The minutes pass quickly as we wait for the game to start, the excitement levels of the people around me only growing. But it’s nothing compared to the moment their beloved Saints come running from the tunnel and take to the field.
The vibrations from their pounding feet rock through my body as goosebumps erupt over my skin.
Despite attending a hell of a lot more games than me, Letty feels it too and begins screaming beside me for her man.
Reaching out, she takes my hand as I stand there completely overwhelmed by it all, my eyes scanning each member of the team as they emerge, waiting for the moment I see him.
My heart is in my throat, my stomach in a tight, impatient knot, but the second he emerges, every single muscle in my body relaxes.
I have no idea if he knew where we’d be, but the second he looks up, he finds me.
All the air rushes from my lungs and a smile spreads across my lips.
Out of all the tens of thousands of people in this stadium, he found me without any hesitation.
Me.
Lifting my hand, I press my palm over my racing heart, my eyes staying locked with his.
His teammates move around him, but he remains frozen in the middle of the field, every bit of his attention aimed at me.
The moment feels like it goes on forever, but the second his head moves and breaks the trance we’d fallen into, I realize it was nowhere near long enough.
His fingers touch his lips before he blows me a kiss from the fifty-yard line with almost all of Seattle—hell, most of the country—watching.
I swear my entire world falls into place right then and there.
All too soon, the moment is over and he’s forced to turn away and prepare for the game.
My breathing is shaky and my hands are trembling as I watch him.
“Who knew Colt would turn out to be such a romantic?” Peyton muses.
As much as I might want to agree, I can’t find any words. He’s stolen all of them, right along with my heart and soul.
If there was even an inkling of doubt in my mind about the decision I made on Friday night, then it’s been completely obliterated.
This is it for me. My life is here.