Page 18 of Game Changer

“Quinn O’Malley with First and Ten. Great game today, Boone.” She smiles.

“Appreciate that.”

“Hudson’s touchdown celebration—the ‘Cradle’—it’s blowing up on social media already. Did the team know he was planning that?”

I laugh, shaking my head. “We’re a family—of course, we knew. That was all Hudson and a perfect moment to announce he and his girl got engaged. His fiancée, Riley’s, been helping him hold it together. She earned that nod.” I give one to another reporter.

“Jaxon Wade from Titan Sports Network. This was a physical game—they came at you hard. What’s the mindset moving forward?”

“Same as always—celebrate tonight, work tomorrow. This game’s done, but we’ve got another one coming, and we gotta be ready.”

“Daddy!” I hear then see Lily tearing ass toward me. I stand up and catch her as she launches herself at me and see Riley flying in behind her, followed by Lindsey.

“You know you’re not supposed to be in here, right?” I ask, my voice low and teasing.

She nods solemnly then grins. “But I missed you.”

I press a kiss to her forehead, and my heart does that thing where it feels too full for my chest. “All right, you got me. But you gotta let Daddy finish his work, okay?”

She nods again then looks out at the sea of reporters, her big blue eyes scanning the room. “They’re all looking at me.”

“They sure are,” I say, chuckling. “You just became the most important person in the room.”

She leans closer, whispering loud enough for the first few rows to hear, “Even more ’portant than you?”

“Even more important than me.”

The reporters eat it up. Cameras flash, and someone mutters, “This is the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen.”

“All right, guys,” I say, adjusting her on my hip. “One more question, then we gotta bounce.”

Lily nods seriously, playing along. “Daddy’s busy,” she announces to the room.

The press room explodes with laughter, and I just shake my head, my grin impossible to hide. My girl knows how to steal the show.

One of the reporters, a younger guy with a big grin, raises his hand. “Hey, Lily, can I ask you a question?”

Her face lights up like she’s just been handed a microphone at a princess ball. She nods, her curls bouncing. “Okay!”

The reporter leans forward. “What’s your favorite thing about your dad?”

I raise an eyebrow, smirking. “Careful now. Choose wisely.”

She tilts her head, thinking hard, her little mouth pursed in concentration. Finally, she says, “He gives the best hugs.”

The room lets out a collective “aww,” and I can feel the grin tugging at the corner of my mouth.

“Not bad, kiddo. Not bad at all.”

Another reporter, a woman near the front, joins in, clearly enjoying this detour. “Do you think your dad played a good game today?”

Lily’s nose scrunches up in mock seriousness as she looks at me, clearly enjoying her moment in the spotlight. “He did okay,” she says with a little shrug. “But sometimes he falled down.”

The room bursts into laughter, and I bury my face in her curls, shaking my head. “Brutal, Lily. Just brutal.”

The woman laughs, scribbling in her notebook. “So, what’s your advice for your dad to play better next time?”

Her little cherub face goes dead serious. She leans into the microphone like she’s about to deliver the secret to life. “Run faster.”

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