Page 5 of Game Day

The summer was so busy with the Kodiaks winning and my art taking off that we hadn’t had time to get anything else.

He helped me up and brought me out to the patio to drink a bottle of wine.

“Is it weird that every time I look at flowers, I think about marrying you?” I asked.

His lips lifted. “I like that everything reminds you of marrying me. I don’t want to wait a year to do it.”

The conviction in his voice made my heart skip.

“If we do it during the season, no one can come,” I pointed out. “The only break is all-star week.” Which would be hardly any time off for Clay and his friends.

“It’s not for them, Pink,” he said as he brushed his lips over mine. “Only person I need there is you.”

Seriously. Is this man even real?

That was when I had a crazy idea.

I blurted it out on the heels of cabernet and dreaming on our patio.

At first, Clay cocked his head, brows lifting.

But the more we talked about it, the more we liked it.

Now, Brooke’s waiting for me to respond.

"At first we were thinking of getting married after next season,” I start. “That way, everyone from the league would be available.”

“But the talk will be about the team,” she says immediately. “If they ran it back, if they came up short.”

“Exactly.” I finish pulling on the dress and step outside as Brooke sweeps her curtain wide as well.

The leggings make her toned legs look even better. “Your ass it amazing in those,” I say with a little envy.

"Hello sexy pot, I’m kettle," she says with an eyeroll. “You need to buy that dress."

I turn in the mirror, enjoying how the fabric clings to my curves. With my pink hair, it's edgy and chic. “Fine. You’re a dangerous wingwoman.”

“You mean the best,” she corrects. “But for real. What are you planning?”

Brooke is one of my closest friends, and I can’t keep the secret from her.

“We’re going to elope.”

She gasps, a hand flying to her mouth. “No fucking way!”

Her entire demeanor changes from excited to horrified in an instant.

I’m still processing her reaction when another curtain sweeps wide behind me and a familiar voice says,"Did I hear someone’s getting married?!"

I swivel so fast I nearly trip.

The redhead wearing the same black dress is taller than me, with endlessly long legs and bangs and long, wavy Dakota Johnson hair. As effortlessly cool as she looks, her smile is warm and her golden eyes glint with mischief.

"Annie! What are you doing here?"I rush to my West Coast friend and throw my arms around her.

I introduce her and Brooke and they exchange a warm greeting.

"Rae's DJing here in a few weeks, and we came to scope out the place. I'm meeting her for lunch at Little Nell. You ladies have to come," Annie insists.

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