Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79800 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 399(@200wpm)___ 319(@250wpm)___ 266(@300wpm)
“You’re welcome.” Her eyes meet mine for a quick glance in the rearview mirror before her eyes are back on the road.
Corie turns to look at me. “She’s done that for all of us. Trust me when I say you’re in for a fun night.” She winks.
“I thought the same thing.” I laugh. We chat about our week—not that we all haven’t talked several times this week already. I even watched Alexander for a few hours while Corie had a meeting with the Rampage about her position and travel. Now that she has Alexander, she doesn’t want to travel with the team and leave Alexander for days while both of them are out of town. They’re working out a system to keep her. She’s an essential part of the Rampage family.
Foster said the team really cares about its staff and players. It’s not that I didn’t believe him, but after hearing how they’re working with Corie, it felt more real. It could be that she’s married to their quarterback, but honestly, I think it’s just the organization and how they run things. It really is one big family.
Inside the stadium, it’s loud, and people are everywhere. But Corie and Sloane take charge, leading our little group to the entrance of the suites. When we walk in, Rowan, Bellamy, Coral, Amanda, and Mia are already there waiting for us.
The kids toddle off to the corner that’s filled with toys. “Nice setup.” I nod toward the kids.
“Yeah, it keeps them occupied.” Bellamy smiles.
“Okay, whose baby am I stealing first?” I ask.
“I’m taking this one,” Rowan says, taking Alexander out of his car seat.
“Gimme,” I tell Amanda, and she laughs. “Come here, sweet Mia,” I coo. “We’re going to give Mommy a break, yeah?” I ask the baby. She just stares up at me, wide-eyed and so damn cute.
Conversation flows easily, as if I’ve known these ladies all my life. They each tell me about their personalized gifts from Sloane, and how it all started with Corie and Knox.
“We’re still waiting to find out the gender,” Rowan says, placing her hands on her belly. “Landry’s on board, surprisingly.”
“Yeah, I see him wanting to know,” Bellamy says.
“He said there are very few true miracles in life, and that our baby is one of them. He wants to be surprised.”
“He’s such a softie,” Corie says. “When we lost Mom, after already losing Dad years earlier, he was so good,” she tells us. “He was there for me. He was essentially my big brother and my parents, even though I was technically an adult and had graduated high school. He’s the fun guy, but he’s also so much more than that.”
“And that’s why I fell in love with him, for real.” Rowan laughs, and I do, too. Since the first time I met these ladies, they’ve brought me into the fold. They each told me their love stories, and I know that Rowan and Landry started out as fake but ended up in everlasting love.
I’m one of them. I’m a part of this group, and damn if my heart doesn’t feel all mushy just thinking about it. It’s nice to belong, to have more than just Carrie and her family to lean on. Foster and his amazing group of people gave me that. And for a girl who always wanted a family, that means everything.
“Here we go,” Corie says as the Rampage runs out onto the field. I spot Foster immediately, and he looks up here. I don’t know if he can see me, but he knows that I’m here for him, and that’s all that matters.
Tears well in my eyes because the man I love has held himself back for so long. I know Coach Pruitt and his wife, Hope, came to watch him play, but tonight is different. I’m not just here for a game; I’m here for the season. For every season he plays, I’ll be here. Cheering him on, loving him, watching him play the game that’s given him so much.
“It’s a lot, huh?” Sloane asks, sliding her arm around my shoulders. “You’re good for him. You were our missing piece,” she says, and I swallow hard.
“Stop. You’re going to make me cry.”
“That’s okay,” Sloane tells me. “We won’t let you cry alone.”
I know she means that she hates for her friends to cry in front of her, and that makes her upset, but there’s also a double meaning. They’re not just here for their husbands, but for Foster, for me, for the team. They’re my people. She’ll never know what that easy acceptance means to me. Then again, when she winks and smiles, I think maybe she does.
The game starts. The Rampage has the ball, and I’m on my feet. I’m swaying back and forth with Mia in my arms. When Knox passes the ball to Foster, and he sprints off toward the endzone, I cheer, and Bellamy laughs.