Page 79 of The Wedding Deal
It hit Lance hard, the words ringing over and over in his head. It wasn’t just fortune or luck, and time didn’t have anything to do with it. He knew he’d never find anyone like Charlotte and that he’d screwed up and that he wanted her back. Part of him had known that since he’d woken up that morning after their blowout, before he’d even found out Gavin’s mom had leaked the story to the press.
“Okay, the other team snatched up a quarterback within five minutes, and they’re just about to announce who’s on the Giants’ ticket,” Williams said. “Then we’ll be up again.”
Right. The next draft pick. That was where his head was supposed to be. He was still debating between two players, not sure if he wanted a running back or wide receiver more. The coach and GM were split.
He found he didn’t care, not even a little. Because sometimes you just know.
“Charlotte,” he said.
No response.
Screw his pride. It was time to go big. He said her name louder, loud enough that everyone in the war room looked at him, too.
“You need stats?” she asked, her eyes going to the board instead of him.
“I need you,” he said, and the whole room went deadly quiet.
“We’re on,” Williams shouted. “Who’s it going to be? The running back from Penn State or the wide receiver from Bama?”
Lance cleared his throat. “I’ve made a decision. I’m not picking until Charlotte hears me out.”
Her head snapped up, her green eyes finally focusing on him. “Don’t be stupid.”
“Why stop now? I was stupid for assuming I could take you to my brother’s wedding without anything changing between us. Even stupider to fall so hard for you in such a short amount of time.” He took a step up the aisle, his gaze locking on to hers. “But the stupidest thing I didby farwas to let you go. To not fight harder for you. So I’m abandoning my pride and throwing myself at your mercy. I’ll drop to my knees if that’s what it takes. This is the war room, and I’m ready to go to war for what I want—and that’s you.”
He took another step up, slowly moving toward her, his heart pounding so hard he felt it in every inch of his body. “Actually, it’s more than want. Like I said, I need you.”
Around them, people began squirming in their seats, frantically glancing at the ticking clock up front.
“Brett,” Charlotte said. “Call it in.”
Lance spun and pointed a finger. “Call and you’re fired. I lose my mind and make brash decisions like that all the time—ask Charlotte.”
“You’re being ridiculous,” she said, that fire inside of her finally igniting as she shot to her feet.
“You’re one to talk. You won’t even hear me out. Won’t even let yourself be alone in a room with me.”
“We already went through this. It didn’t work. We never should’ve broken the rules in the first place.” Exasperation roiled off her, reminding him of their first few meetings in his office, only this was magnified by everything they’d been through together since then. “And you doing this right here in front of everybody breaks so many sections of the handbook I don’t even know which one to start with.”
Lance raised his voice and addressed the room. “Apparently we’re not supposed to make you guys uncomfortable by discussing our relationship in front of you. PDA is also out, but I’d give up my first draft pick next year if that was even an option.”
A collective gasp went through the room, and in any other situation, it might strike him as comical.
“Is anyone uncomfortable?” he asked.
Blank stares and gaping mouths followed, all except for Coach Bryant, who made a rolling motion with his finger, encouraging him to keep on with this crazy-ass play he’d made. He’d launched the ball, now it was up to her to catch it.
Just like with a long-shot pass like that, panic hung heavy in the air—but he could tell that was more due to the clock hitting the halfway point than the fear of PDA.
“Talk or kiss or do whatever the hell you need to do,” Williams said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just hurry up about it so we can make the call.”
Lance turned back to Charlotte. “See. They’re fine with it. Now, where was I?”
“I think you were in the middle of proving that you’re a pompous asshole who doesn’t think the rules apply to you.”
“I won’t even bother denying that. Charlotte, I fu—screwed up,” he said, deciding he’d at leasttryto follow some of the rules in case it’d help his predicament. “I was falling so fast and hard, and I told myself it was too good to be true. I let my doubts overtake my common sense. I’ve been burned by people I thought I could trust before, and I let my past get in the way of my future.”
He climbed up those last few steps, until they were on the same tier. “To be clear,you’rethe future I want. We’ve worked so hard building this team together, and the last couple of weeks have shown me that it means nothing if I don’t get to share it with you. Losing my football career sucked, but I knew I could move on. Losing you… I can’t do it.” Adrenaline pumped hard and fast, the kind of spike that preceded a devastating crash or a moment of everlasting glory. “I know we have a lot to talk about, and I’m not even asking you to forgive me right here and now. I just need you to say you’ll consider it—”
