Page 85 of Devoted Enough

I stood up straight. “You don’t think I can beat you, do you?”

With a half smile, he turned back and started yelling for Brock to go faster. My mother was barely in front of Brock.

“Jump faster, Mom! Kick his ass!”

“Little ears!” someone shouted from behind me.

“Not now, Mom!” Rose cried out. “She’s getting into the spirit finally!”

“Mom, jump faster!”

My mother must have dug deep because she started jumping longer distances and speeding up.

“Yes! Go! Go! Go!” I cried out. I quickly removed my shoes, which no one else had done until then. I pulled off my necklace and tossed it up into the air.

“Hey, that hit me!” Nate cried out.

“Stop whining!” I shouted as I started to run in place. My mother was almost there, but Brock was close behind.

“Sir, I don’t mean to yell at you, but hurry the hell up, old man!” Nate cried out.

My mother fell to the ground and quickly slipped out of the sack as I picked it up, climbed into it, and took off. Brock slipped right before the finish line, and I could hear Nate yelling for him to get out.

“Move, man, move!” Nate cried out.

I knew the moment Nate was jumping in the sack when the men started shouting. I didn’t dare look behind me. I needed to focus. The girls were counting on me, and it was my first game night at the Shaws’, so I wasn’t about to let them down.

“Go, Haven, go!” I heard my mother yell out.

Running along the side of the course, Rose was shouting out encouragements.

“Should you be running?” I called out once I got to the end and turned. Nate was close behind. Our eyes met, and he smirked—he actually smirked.

Rose motioned with her arms for me to keep going. “Focus, man! Focus! Stop flirting with the enemy!”

I could see the finish line. It was right there. I could also feel Nate gaining on me.

Think, Haven! Think!

Nate came up alongside me, and I quickly looked at him. I couldn’t let him win. A memory of us playing dodgeball came to mind from when we were younger. Nate had thrown the ball so hard, hitting me in the face. He instantly ran over to me and asked if I was okay. That’s when it hit me. I knew what I had to do.

“My ankle!” I cried out, acting as if I was about to fall to the ground. Nate turned to look at me, obviously out of concern, stumbled, and lost his balance. I took advantage of the moment and jumped as fast as possible.

“You little cheater!” Nate cried out as he pushed himself up and started coming for me faster. I gave one last jump and crossed the finish line. I was quickly surrounded by women taking turns hugging me while I was still in the sack. When they stepped back, I saw Nate standing there. He wore a smile, but there was something dark in his eyes that made my body shiver, and it wasn’t from the cold. He walked up to me, cupped my face, and kissed me. The crowd erupted into cheers, and I was pretty sure I heard my mother clear her throat.

When he drew back, I gasped for air. “What…what was that for?”

He winked at me. “For playing like a Shaw. Well done with the fake injury.”

I felt my cheeks heat. “I’m sorry, it was the only thing I could think of doing except for pushing you over.”

He laughed. “I don’t know what it is about game night, but it brings out another side of people. Definitely the darker side.”

I was still trying to regain my breath as I nodded. “I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to win so badly before in my life.”

Timberlynn, Nate’s mother, walked up to me and hugged me. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ve all been there. Let’s head on over to the next game, shall we?”

Nate took my hand as I slipped out of the sack. After I put my shoes back on, he laced his fingers with mine as we walked to the second event that was to be played.

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