Page 102 of Playing Games

“And what’s your official analysis of my stats?”

“No doubt, you’ll be all over ESPN for the next week,” I say with a grin.

“That’s nice, but there’s only one person I wanted to impress,” he says and brushes his lips against mine. “Did I manage to impress her?”

“You did more than impress her.” I speak my truth. “You made her fall in love.”

“You love me?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “But I’m pretty sure we already established that before the game when I was wearing that ridiculous cheerleading uniform.”

He smirks, but then he sets me on my feet. And I scrunch up my nose in confusion when he gets down on one knee in front of me.

“Blake?”

“Relax,” he says, smiling up at me. “Lexi Lou Winslow, I would like to officially ask you to be my girlfriend.”

I laugh. “Oh my God.”

“So, will you be my girlfriend?”

I roll my eyes, but I also say, “Yes.”

“Hell yeah, Blakey!”

“Get it, BB!”

Several hoots and hollers fill my ears, and I realize that half of his team is watching this ridiculous scene, but Blake doesn’t care. And you know, the craziest thing of all, I don’t care either. My eyes are solely fixated on Blake. The rest of the world might as well not exist.

He’s smiling proudly as he rises to his feet and pulls me back into his arms. “I love you,” he says and presses a soft and sweet kiss to my lips. “Thank you for doing what you did today. Thank you for thinking I’m worthy of you putting yourself out there like you did,” he whispers directly into my ear. “I know it wasn’t easy. So, I just want you to know I’m proud of you, Lexi. I’m proud of you, and I love you.”

“I love you too, Blake,” I whisper back, squeezing my arms around his neck and burying my face into his shoulder. “Thank you for being patient with me. Thank you for understanding me. And mostly, thank you for loving me exactly the way I am.”

“Always,” he says and presses another kiss to my lips. “And that’s a guarantee.”

“What do you say we get out of here?” I eventually ask, and he meets my eyes again.

“As in, go to one of the many after parties we’ve been invited to tonight?”

I shake my head. “I was thinking something a little more private…”

“Thank fuck,” he says, but he doesn’t even bother setting me on my feet. Instead, he tosses me over his shoulder and just starts carrying me toward the hallway that leads to the exit of the stadium.

“Blake! What the hell?”

“Relax, Lex. I’ll have us back at my place in no time.”

I giggle. “You’re insane!”

“No, babe. I’m just a man in love with his girlfriend!”

And I’m just a girl who is in love with Blake Boden. A football player.

God help me, the universe sure has a sense of humor.

PART 1

Friday, September 6th

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