Page 33 of Second Down Scrooge

“I’m sorry I was such a dick to you and your family. None of you ever deserved that. You’re the better tight end, and Lincoln was right to start you. I’m a work in progress.”

He chuckles, and then he lightly slugs my arm. “Aren’t we all?”

I think he might be right, and I’m learning how I need to shift my focus to gratitude rather than what I might be missing out on.

And right now, I can’t think of a single damn thing I’m missing out on—well, you know, other than having Kelly keeping my bed warm every night instead of just once in a while, but that’s a work in progress too—one that’s about to change once we get through the holidays.

A half hour later, I run out onto the field to start the first drive of the game, allowing those feelings of gratitude to pour over me for maybe the first time in my adult life.

That’s right…I’mstarting. It wasn’t just a fluke. This is the third game in a row I’ve started now, and it feels official.

I’m astarting tight endfor the Vegas Aces. The woman I’m falling for is in the crowd. She’s moving in with me. We share the sweetest, smartest, most beautiful baby in the world.

I have a reason to celebrate Christmas this year—for the first time in over two decades.

I knew getting that starting position would be the start to getting all the things I deserved. It’s likely unrelated, but it feels symbolic anyway. Everything is falling into place. Finally.

It was a tough road to get here, but then out of nowhere, I’m here.

I’m not sure I’ve ever felt this…this…thishappy.

But that’s sort of the problem with flying at our highest, isn’t it? There’s only one way to go once you get to the top.

I just didn’t expect it to all come crashing down because of one stupid mistake—a mistake that wasn’t even mine to make.

We coast through the first quarter, and we’re up by a touchdown as we start the second quarter. We’re in the middle of a drive down the field when Coach calls, “Seam Forty-One Pepper!”

Seam forty-one is me. That means I need to run a route down the seam, and Pepper means I need to run fast and hard to break away from the defender.

This is my chance to score. This is my chance to show everyone in the stands and on the sidelines—including Kelly, including my coaches, including my teammates—what I’m made of.

It’s my chance to prove I’m the player I’ve always wanted everyone else to see.

As soon as the ball is snapped, I sprint down the middle of the field. I’m hauling my ass toward the end zone, surprising the defense with my speed—surprisingmyselfwith my speed.

Adrenaline courses through me, pushing me to get to my intended target so I can catch the ball as Miles throws it to me.

I reach for the ball and grab it out of the air as I leap over the goal line.

The crowd goes wild. Fuck,Igo wild.

My teammates slap me on the shoulder, the helmet, the ass. We celebrate for the cameras, and then we run back to the sidelines as more of my teammates high-five me. I feel like every game I get to start, I prove my worth to this team, this stadium, this city.

I’m finally exactly where I always dreamed of being, and it feels so goddamn good. I just hope this feeling can last.

Chapter 17: Kelly Kaplan

A Different Answer

Five Days Until Christmas

The entire stadium erupts into cheers as we watch everyone on the Aces celebrating with Austin.

My heart warms.

The fear that comes with watching him every time the ball is sailing through the air toward his arms and a defender is rushing toward him to stop him from catching that ball is next level.

That’s my baby’s daddy there on the field, and every single time, I’m terrified he’s going to go down. I’m scared it’ll be him lying on the ground as the medical staff and Coach Nash rush onto the field, that seconds will stretch into what feels like hours as time comes to a standstill.

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