Page 26 of Broken Saint
“Surprise, Rogers. Looks like your night just got even better.”
7
ELLA
The second we stepped foot in the stadium, something settled inside me.And it only got better when Letty and Peyton explained that we’d be sitting in the stands with the fans, not in a family box. I always loved being in the thick of it, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be disappointed if we were closed off in the luxury of a box.
I’ve spent too long watching games behind a screen, silently rooting for my boys.
Even before the game started, the buzz around the stands was just like I remembered. It didn’t matter that the walls, the seats, the jerseys around me were blue, not purple. The desire to win, the hunger, the excitement, were still the same.
But nothing compared to the moment the Saints came running out onto the field.
My eyes searched for Kane and Luca, just like my girls did. But I didn’t linger on them for long; I needed to see someone else.
Someone I hadn’t seen in the flesh for years. Someone whose name and number were currently printed on my jersey.
And the second I found him, in full uniform with his helmet on and a determined look in his eye, it was like the world was pulled from beneath me.
Even though he was wearing pads, he was bigger, stronger, more powerful, and more breath-taking than I ever remember. He stole every ounce of my attention as he prepared to go head-to-head with the Bulls.
I wasn’t naïve; I knew who was on the Bulls roster. I knew who he was going to be going up against. It might have been petty, but I was desperate to see Colt wipe the floor with Sawyer. For a few months back in freshman year at college, I thought Sawyer Cooper was the one. He was everything I thought I wanted. Athletic, intelligent, funny, fit AF. He had no idea who Ella Myers from Texas was. All he saw was confident, outgoing Ella Myers, a student at Maddison Kings University.
But it wasn’t meant to be. He was great, but it soon became apparent he wasn’t the one. My eyes were wandering elsewhere—and so were his, I discovered after finding a pair of panties in his room that did not belong to me.
If the current situation wasn’t so painful, I might laugh at the similarities.
I should have cared when I found them. But mostly, I’d felt relieved. We’d had our fun, and it was time to move on. And move on I did. Because the next guy rocked my entire world, to the point that all these years on, I’m still feeling the tremors.
I didn’t speak—hell, I’m not even sure if I took a breath—as the game started and I got the pleasure of watching our incredibly talented boys boss the field and show the Bulls exactly how it’s done.
By the time Colt scores the final touchdown, my throat is raw and my voice is practically gone from how much I’ve screamed for all of them.
On either side of me, Letty and Kyan, and Peyton bounce up and down in excitement. We’re surrounded by other members of the team’s families. I’ve been introduced to a few but honestly, I’ve already forgotten. My anxiety and excitement over seeing Colt are too potent to focus on anything else.
The guys bounce around together on the sidelines, clapping each other on the back and bumping helmets before the three of them huddle together and turn our way.
I heard Letty talking to Kane on the phone before we left their home earlier, but I excused myself to give her some privacy, so I’ve no idea if she told him that I was here.
Although, from the lack of shock on his face when he looks at me, I get my answer.
My gaze doesn’t linger on him though, or Luca. Instead, my eyes are locked on someone else.
Colton Rogers.
The man who stole my heart all those years ago, despite telling me that he couldn’t be trusted with it.
My chest heaves, my heart pounds, and my entire body trembles with nerves and anxiety as he searches the crowd.
The second he finds us, everything around me vanishes. The screaming fans disappear until it’s just us that exist.
It’s intense, but it’s nothing compared to the moment our eyes lock.
He stills as shock rocks through him, and the crackle of chemistry that was always loud and powerful between us reawakens. I’d convinced myself that it would have died after all this time. But it seems I may have been lying to myself. Even through his helmet, I see his eyes widen, but that is all he gives away as he steps forward from his teammates.
Lifting his hand, he undoes his helmet and rips it from his head, giving me an uninterrupted view of his paint-covered, sweaty face.
“Holy fuck,” I mutter as I remember just how freaking hot he is. And it’s not just his looks, which should be freaking illegal. But his size, his power, his confidence. All of it talks to me on a level no one else ever has.