Page 88 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

“Tough loss, Colton. What do you think went wrong?”

Lucia sighed, hating their insensitivity. The press had never, and would never, be their friend, and she’d made her peace with that.

She was pleasantly surprised to see a half-smile on Colton’s face, his eyes finding hers. “Sometimes, you do the best you can, and you don’t win. Sometimes, they’re just gonna outplay you. I’m proud of the way the team played. I’m proud of our offense, and I’m proud of our defense. We did our best, and that’s all anybody can ask of us. They were just the better team today.”

A big grin split Lucia’s face at his words. She was immensely proud of Colton. He’d never played better than he had in this past season, and though it wouldn’t end in another Super Bowl attempt, her heart swelled with love and pride for all that he’d accomplished since she’d joined the Sabertooths.

Three reporters tried to ask him different questions at the same time, and he put his hands up. “I appreciate all the questions, but I’m gonna let Coach take the rest of them for the night. I have dinner plans with my two favorite people.”

A couple of people turned to her and Maya when they noticed where Colton’s focus was, and Coach Turner gave Colton an annoyed look but said nothing.

Lucia led Maya out of the room, a smile spreading across her face once again when she heard the other door closing. She turned and found Colton before her, the corner of his mouth ticked up.

She moved toward him, sliding her arms around his torso as he placed his head atop hers.

“I’m really proud of you. You played so well.”

He rubbed her back. “Thank you. We’ll get ‘em next year,” he murmured into her hair. They pulled away, and he put one arm around her shoulders and the other around Maya’s. “Let’s let Maya say her goodbyes, and then it’s pizza time.”

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