Page 166 of Toxic Wishes

“Let the games begin.” I grab a drink from the counter and salute it in the air, popping open the top and taking a swig.

The halftime show was amazing. Maroon Five, Usher, and Alicia Keys, my all-time favorite since her voice was up there with Whitney Houstons, put on a hell of a show. It was hard not to think of Blake during the show since it was one of his wishes in his journal to perform at the Super Bowl while his brother played. I worked hard to get his album into the right hands, but it took work. If you didn’t know the right people, getting noticed in a flooded market was nearly impossible, so I was thankful for Mel’s dad. He may not have been a music agent, but he knew several people working together to help me pull this off. Even though all his songs are top-hit-worthy, in my opinion, I know one of them will hit the charts and become one of the most-known songs around the world. That’s been my wish ever since I found out about his journal anyway, and I wouldn’t stop until I knew I did everything I could.

It’s fifteen minutes until the game ends, and we all have been on edge. This game has been neck to neck between the Cardinals and the New York Giants. I would be lying if I said I’m not getting into the whole thing, either.

“Go, Go, Go!” Nora screams as Troy zooms down the field, the ball tucked into his side, as he weaves through the defenders aiming to take him down. He was freaking fast. He ran nearly forty yards until the opposing team took him to the ground. My heart was in my throat as I looked up at the score, the time shining back at me. We were down by four with only twenty-two seconds left—and not a single time-out. I thought the Arizona Coach would chew Colt’s head off as he watched him scramble back to the line. Troy hadn’t gotten out of bounds, so the clock was still ticking.

“Holy shit, this is intense,” Mel says. She’s standing next to me when I look over at her and smile, catching a glimpse of Naomi in the suite next to us. She flips me off as she mouths, Fuck You. I ignored her as I drew my attention back to the game. Josh complained about her since she threatened me whenever I stepped out on the patio deck. He was right. I will let her make a fool of herself on national television while I keep watching the game, pretending she doesn’t exist.

The ball was snapped as soon as the players lined up, and Colt was pinned to the ground. The whistle blew, the clock stopped, and now we had 11 seconds.

“I can’t fucking breathe,” Cliff says.

“Don’t curse around Bodie.” Nora swats at his arm.

“Oh, sorry, but when the game is this close to being over, I think Jesus will forgive your Grandpa,” Cliff says as he looks down at Bodie.

“Grandpa, don’t worry,” Bodie says as he rubs his forearm. “Daddy knows what to do to win. He always does. That’s my dad.” Bodie beams, pride glittering in his eyes as he looks back on the field.

“That’s right, bud, he’s a Killian,” Cliff says with a smile.

“No, that’s not why. It’s because my dad is Bolt Colt. He’s really fast.”

Cliff starts to pace back and forth as he clasps his hands to his head. I felt the same way, but I couldn’t move.

Bodie tugged at my hand. “What’s wrong with Grandpa?” he asks as he pulls me down to whisper in his ear. “He’s just a little stressed because the game is almost over, and the score is tied, so he just wants your daddy to win. That’s all.”

“Oh,” he perks up as if it’s no big deal. “Daddy will. I already told Grandpa that.”

A chuckle rumbles from my chest. When I look back at the field, my eyes fixate on the number 11.

“C’mon, c’mon,” I mutter under my breath.

He huddled up the offense, tucking through the route he had on his forearm play holder. He clapped, and they all hustled back to the line.

Colt was up, his last chance to prove himself since he was soon approaching retirement. And although the crowd was split fifty-fifty between the Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants, it felt like the stadium was rooting only for him. The Cardinal fans roared for the defense to hold us. The ball was snapped, and it had no sooner landed in Colt’s hands before he had it flying towards the back corner of the end zone, where Aaron was waiting. But it was tipped and bobbled in the air, almost snagged by safety before it flew out of bounds.

“Fuck,” Cliff cursed under his breath.

“Cliff,” Nora says in a high-pitched tone, but he shrugs her off as he stops pacing and meets us back out on the suite deck, leaning over the iron rails.

“C’mon baby, play your game.” I hear Nora say under her breath.

The team huddles, and I watch Colt take off his helmet. He had black smeared under his eyes. Sweat dripped off his nose and chin. His bright blue eyes shined as he talked. He called what would be his last play. When they clapped and got back on the line, for the first time in my life, I saw why this sport was so damn addictive. America lived for this shit. The adrenaline rush. I felt that same emotion intensify because I knew one player. I could only imagine if I had been a fan my whole life.

Everyone expected the Cardinals to run the ball with the team only a few yards from the end zone. I’m no expert, but it just made sense. But when the ball was snapped, the team's receivers zigged and zagged as they tried to get to the end zone. Colt retreated deep into the pocket. Eyes scanned out, right arm locked back and ready to throw. No one was open. Aaron was completely covered. Troy had tripped over his feet trying to scramble up, and number forty made it clear it would be impossible for Colt to throw to him. We were out of time. The clock ticked down, and I saw Colt looking left and right while watching where his offensive line was struggling to hold the beastly men desperate to sack him.

“He’s done,” Cliff says as he hangs his head low, unable to watch.

“No, he’s not,” Bodie says, eyes wide, unable to take his eyes off his dad.

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t look or do anything except close my eyes and envision this all going differently. A second after my eyes closed, the crowd turned wild. My eyes shot open. Colt found a hole, and I screamed. Throwing my arms in the air, jumping up and down as he sprinted through the break in the defense on the far left side of the field, the defenders caught on to his movement just a millisecond too late. One of the players managed to wrap Colt up, bringing him down to the ground with enough force to break a bone. Not that it mattered because he was taken down inside the end zone.

Tears stung my eyes as I saw Bodie jump up and down, along with Nora and Cliff. Half of the stadium went bonkers. The Giants hung their heads in defeat and disbelief. Confetti and loud noises popped a second later. When I saw what Naomi was doing, she had her phone hung high above her head as she took selfies’ making sure to get the football field in the background. Nora wrapped me in her arms as we jumped up and down together, and for a brief moment, I let myself make this dream my reality. Nora was my mother-in-law, Bodie was in my care, Colt was mine, and I was his.

Cliff and Josh were already talking about how incredible Colt was and how the team was so attuned to each other, but none of it was possible without the all-mighty quarterback. He did it. He won his third Super Bowl.

“Now you know there’s going to be one hell of an after-party, and you bet your ass I’m going to be there,” Mel says as she hugs me. “How about we go back to the hotel, freshen up, and get our party on.” She sways her hips from side to side. And right as I’m about to speak, a man comes on the speaker that protrudes throughout the stadium.

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