Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 69794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69794 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
However, the team was ready with the follow-up, and we were able to get it in with a header from our defensive midfielder.
My voice was hoarse as I met them mid-field.
When we set up for the next kick off, the time showed we had eleven minutes left to play.
One of the players muttered something to me that sounded suspiciously like “bitch” and I side-eyed her.
“I’m sorry, what?”
She turned her back on me, and I watched the ball as it once again sailed out and left.
I didn’t fall for the same trick this time, and neither did the rest of the defense.
No one touched the ball this time, allowing our midfield to advance the ball up the field with a throw-in that went well over thirty yards, thanks to the wind.
It fell perfectly at Nettie’s feet, and she ran it in so fast that no one was able to prepare.
Instead of shooting it herself, though, she crossed it to the other side, allowing our left wing to head it into the goal.
That was the moment that the other team started to play dangerously.
They were performing fouls that were close to injuring us, and not just stopping the play.
One such foul caused our left wing to go off the field with a knee injury that I prayed wasn’t anything too terrible.
In the last two minutes of the game, I was the one fouled in the box, having come up for a corner kick.
The breath left my lungs when I took an elbow to the throat.
I hit the ground hard, having trouble catching my breath for a second that caused me to panic slightly.
Nettie dropped down on her haunches and blew in my face.
I blinked, then took a deep breath that cleared the panic from my nerve endings.
“You okay?”
I nodded, holding out my hand.
I glared at my old teammate, who had just taken me out in such a dirty way.
“Was that necessary?” I grumbled.
She turned her back on me.
The ref put the ball on the penalty kick line, and Nettie shoved me toward it. “Me?”
The clock was counting down toward zero, having only eighteen seconds left on the clock. “Get to it.”
I stepped up to the goal and waited for the whistle.
The ref blew, and I faced my old goalie.
I’d taken thousands of penalty kicks off of her in my life. But the bad thing about knowing her tricks, she also knew mine.
This goal ultimately didn’t matter, but I didn’t like the dirty way in which they’d played the last twenty minutes.
I took the shot, and the ball went so far and high to the right that she had no hope of saving it.
The net swished as the ball sank into the back right corner, and the buzzer sounded, signaling the end of the game.
I was dog piled, and was laughing uncontrollably moments later.
“We did it!” Nettie cried.
“We did it,” I confirmed.
There were a lot of sweaty hugs passed around, and then there were all the interviews, followed by the ceremony awarding us our championship win.
Overall, the day went just as well as could be expected, considering.
When Beau finally met me with Iris holding on to his pant leg, I was more than ready to get to the locker room to change and then get out of the state.
No offense, because I loved Texas with my whole heart, but I felt like I was about to get jumped by my old teammates, they were glaring at me so hard.
“You did so good, Mama!”
God, I loved that she was talking so much.
I had the man at her side to thank for that.
“Thank you, Iris.” I hunched down. “Are you okay with a hug?”
She wrinkled her nose. “After you shower.”
I giggled. “I can do that.”
She kept hold of Beau’s pants as we wound our way through the crowd.
I was beside her the entire time, my gaze mostly on her, when I saw the arm that went around her waist.
I cried out in anger as I turned and reached for my girl.
I blinked when I came face-to-face with a cop who was holding my child to his chest.
“What the fuck?” I cried out. “What are you doing?”
The crowd around us went still at my yell.
Beau took a threatening step toward them as Iris started to scream bloody murder.
Everyone winced, and there was not a single person in that stadium who wasn’t watching now.
“We were informed this child was kidnapped from her father.”
“That child is my child,” I disagreed, reaching for her. “Give her to me right now.”
“Sorry.” Two other cops came to block my way. “Until we know for sure, and you can provide proper paperwork, that won’t be happening.”
Iris continued to yell.
“This is her child,” all of my teammates started to encircle the group of five cops. “Give her back!”
The trigger-happy one to Iris’s left put his hand on the butt of his firearm.