OBSESSED Series

Chapter 30

Down on the field, Gage takes a hard tackle and I make a helpless sound, my shaking hand pressing to the glass until he stands up, jogs toward the huddle. Slowly, I let out the concrete breath in my lungs, my attention straying to the game clock. Five more minutes. We’re ahead by ten. Unless the other team really turns it on, another championship is in the bag. I’m so happy for Gage. He needed this. He needed to know he could love football on his own, even though he shared the sport so closely with his father. I can’t wait to hold him later, tell him how proud I am of him for overcoming such a tragedy. For emerging better than ever.

A cheer goes up in the family box moments later, the wives exchanging a hug. Two of them even pull me into an embrace, making me laugh and blush.

And then they all begin clearing out of the room.

“Oh…” I catch up to one of the wives. “I was asked to wait here until Gage comes to get me. Is that all right?”

“We have to clear out,” one of my security guards answers to my right. “It’s an insurance thing. The game ran late and there’s only coverage until ten pm.”

“Oh. Okay.”

The woman lays a hand on my arm. “Are you going to be all right, dear? Or would you like a ride home from one of us?”

Looking back toward the glass, I can see Gage down on the field. His helmet is off now and he’s being interviewed, a microphone held in front of his face. His attention continually strays up to the box, but I don’t think he can see me, due to the glare of the lights. None of his teammates are being bombarded by reporters. They’ve all left the field. And my spine can’t help but straighten with pride. Of course they want to speak with him, he was amazing out there. Game MVP according to the giant screen above the stadium.

There’s a good chance Gage will be busy for a while. However, instinctively I know he would probably lose his temper if I left without him. Or took a ride from someone without discussing it with him beforehand. Yes, that’s really controlling of him. His behavior is highhanded and sort of irrational—do I really need a security team?—but I won’t pretend I don’t like him caring for me, even in the craziest of ways. For so long, I barely existed. No one hugged me, let alone spoke to me. I was a shadow. He makes me feel like an entire planet.

“I’ll be fine,” I say to the coach’s wife, smiling. “Thank you for the offer, but Gage asked me to wait for him.”

I retrieve my purse, tucking it under my arm, and I let the security team lead me down the buzzing hallway to a freight elevator. We take it down to field level and I suck in a surprised breath when the elevator doors open, revealing total pandemonium. Fans and players alike have uncorked bottles of champagne and they’re spraying it at each other. A big bucket of Gatorade is dumped on a man’s head. There are reporters and screaming students and flashes going off. It’s exciting. I’ve never witnessed something like this up close.

In a relative daze, I start to walk off the elevator, but one of the guards stays me with a hand on my elbow. “I think we should wait somewhere else.”

He’s probably right, but…this is my boyfriend’s world. Should I get used to it? I understand he’s protective of me, but I can’t always be sheltered in the background. “I would rather stay here, if that’s okay.”

The guards seem uneasy, so I step off the elevator before one of them stops me. Someone hands me a red solo cup of beer and I laugh, taking a sip. The crisp night air combined with the magic of victory is wonderful. Knowing I’ll be home with my boyfriend soon is equally incredible. I’m just about to take my first sip of beer when one of the players stops in front of me, his jersey soaked in champagne and sweat from the game.

“There she is. The unsung hero of this game.” He turns to the crowd of celebrating fans. “Hey everyone! This is the girl who tutored Weston. She’s the reason he passed the test so he could play tonight. Give it up!”