Page 27 of Saving the Halfback

“I’m a wide receiver. Left or right. Can I move you?”

“Yes.” I gave him a small smile of reassurance. It felt odd giving him that verbal consent every time, but he acted as if it were normal. To be honest, after years of being pushed around the way I had been, it felt good when he asked for permission. Felt good being in control. And his consideration added another layer of trust.

Lachlan reached around me, pulling the measuring tape around my back and across my chest. “Did Coach tell you what position you’ll be playing?” he asked, distracting me from his fingers hovering just over my breasts

I tried to keep my breathing normal. “Not really. He said he would move me around a few times until they found a good spot. He said he’d like me to play…uh…halfback? Or half runner?” Lachlan’s fingers stilled for a moment before he pulled the measuring tape out.

“Just going to get your waist size.” He kneeled in front of me and waited. I gave him permission, and he wrapped the tape around my hips. His fingers grazed my stomach briefly, sending my heart into a fluttering frenzy.

“Is it a bad position?”

His blue eyes shot up to me. “What?”

“Halfback… Is it not a good position? He said I would move around if I didn't like it.”

“Oh, that.” Lachlan stood up, shaking his head, as though to clear it. “Do you not know the positions?”

I bit my lip and shrugged. “It’s been a while. Tykes was like, when we were five, eight? That was almost ten years ago.”

A smile spread on Lachlan’s face. “You joined a full-contact sport, one that has a huge list of risks and injuries, with players who have been playing since the moment they could walk, and you don’t remember how to play?” Lachlan chuckled, then looked at the clipboard. “All right, sounds like you are definitely on the offensive side. So, you need more light shoulder pads. We should have your size too. Just give me a minute.” He turned to the rack and began sifting through the shoulder pads.

Ed’s words came traveling back to me, and I deflated. “Shit, this is a mistake.”

“Bailey McCormick, cursing.” Lachlan shook his head slowly. “Do you want to play?”

I thought about practice. About Nolan giving me pointers, the excitement of watching the team scrimmage. Ultimately, though, it was my desire to make my father proud that had me answering, “Yes.” I had put him through so much these last years. This might be what it took to make things right with him, maybe even make things right with the guys.

“Then, no, it’s not a mistake. Play because you want to play,” he said, and he was right. “Here, put these on.” Lachlan handed me the black shoulder pads, and I pulled them over my head. “May I?” he asked, pointing to the clips.

“Yep.”

I watched as he clipped the straps in, under my arms and on the chest, then tightened the strings in front. “I’m just going to check the fit.” He stepped forward, grabbing hold of the pads and lifting. I went up on my tiptoes as he dipped his head down, his face so close to mine that I could feel his breath against my lips. I had the urge to reach out and hold on to him, but before I could, he lowered me and straightened. “Looks good.” His voice came out husky before he cleared it.

“Hopefully they won’t get too much use,” I joked.

“Doubt it.” He winced. “You will be a target. Sounds like you are the running back, some call it a halfback, but you will run the ball. Almost every play, you will have a player assigned to protect you.”

“I thought you ran the ball.”

“In simple terms, I catch the ball.” He flipped through some hangers on the rack and pulled one out. “Here’s your girdle. You’ll wear it under the black pants. Coach will have the uniform and helmet because they are special order colors.”

I took them from him. “Thanks.”

“All right, mouth guards.” I followed him over to the end of the row, where the mouth guards hung. “One is only a few bucks, the other is more than double the price,howeverthe more expensive one has insurance. If your teeth get damaged while playing, they will cover a certain amount of the dental costs.”

“Insurance?” Damn. “Do people really lose teeth?”

“It’s more damage or chips from the impact of the tackle.”

I sighed. “I’ll take the insured one.” I saw the variety of colors on the rack. “Oh! Can I have the pink one?”

Lachlan laughed but grabbed the box for me. “Cleats.” He led me to a wall display of different footwear. “The cleats you need are really only these six here.” He pointed to the one section of football cleats. “Have a seat.”

I sat down and kicked off my shoes as Lachlan knelt before me again, measuring my foot size. “So, who’s the guy that would protect me?” I asked.

Without missing a beat, Lachlan answered, “Me.”

I rolled my eyes. “On the field.”

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