Page 94 of Every Beat of My Heart

Then everything around me went quiet. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Come on. You can do it.

The other team and everyone in the stands thought we’d do a running play. It was the smart thing to do. But I’d called for a pass.

There were twenty seconds on the clock. We didn’t have a lot of time for running plays. If we passed and didn’t get the touchdown, we’d have two more tries.

I wouldn’t know if it worked if I didn’t try. I had the support of my family who was in the stands and Claire. And maybe a few of the parents.

Owen called the ball, palmed it, looked right, then left, and a hole opened in the center of the line. He tucked it under his arm and took off running.

I covered my mouth with my hand because I wanted to swear. Two feet. Three. A lineman dove for him, but Owen tucked the ball tight against his chest and jumped like he was leaping over a hurdle, then landed in the end zone.

The referee’s hands raised in the air, the universal sign for a touchdown.

Everyone around me was yelling and jumping. But it felt like time had slowed. The team crowded around Owen, slapping his helmet and fist-bumping him. He grinned, still holding the football as he ran toward me. “You see that, coach?”

I grinned. “I sure did. I’m so proud of you.”

The defensive line greeted them with fist bumps and high fives while I watched our kicker line up for the extra point.

When the ball went through the poles for the extra point, Owen stood next to me, a smile on his face. “Did I do good?”

I pulled him into my side with a hand over his shoulders. “You did good. We’re going to hold them here.”

Owen smiled wider. “We are.”

I nodded as I turned my attention to the field. It was the longest few seconds of my life. We kicked off, and they ran the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. There were five seconds left on the clock. In football, that could mean a play or two, at most. I’d never been more nervous for anything in my life. I paced the sideline, feeling slightly sick.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. I wouldn’t pull it out during a game ordinarily, but something prompted me to do it this time. I turned so that my back was facing the bleachers.

Relax. You’ve got this.

I smiled and tucked it back into my pocket. Her message gave me the energy I needed to refocus on the game.

While the defensive line was on the field, Owen stood next to me. I felt like I was drawing strength from him and Claire’s text. I felt closer to them than I ever had before.

The opposing team ran a quick pass play to the side so the receiver could easily step out of bounds to stop the clock. They hurried into a formation to try another one. This time, the quarterback threw down the field, a traditional Hail Mary, and one of my players, Kurt, jumped into the air, snagging the ball as the crowd erupted around us.

CHAPTER 20

CLAIRE

I never thought I’d get so excited over a sixth-grade football game, but I had tears in my eyes when Owen threw the ball and then ran it in for a touchdown on the next play. Then I was a nervous wreck as we waited for the clock to run out.

I’d messaged Jameson, knowing he probably wouldn’t check his phone, but I couldn’t watch him pace on the sidelines. It had my stomach in knots. But when he had, I hoped it had helped.

We were supposed to pretend we were merely coach and team parent at football events, but I couldn’t help reaching out and making that small connection.

But it was getting harder to do. I heard the women in the stand talk about how hot he was, and I noticed the way the other single moms hovered around him after games and practice, hoping to get a word with him.

The only thing that comforted me was that he didn’t seem to treat them as anything more than his player’s parents. He didn’t throw on the charm and flirt. He was all business when he was on the field.

The kids hefted the Gatorade containers and poured the contents on each other. Jameson narrowly avoided getting hit himself. The excitement was contagious.

I moved with the parents to get closer to the team and to hear what Jameson had to say about the game.

“Let’s take the kids to get pizza and celebrate,” one of the parents suggested.

Jameson grinned. “We gonna celebrate with pizza after every win?”

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