Page 21 of The Stunt
MAVERICK
“Let’s fucking go, boys!” Dalton Davis yells as we head to the locker room. I look around nervously, trying to figure out how I can sneak away to watch Bella sing. It’s frowned upon by the league for any of us to be on the field during halftime, but I’m desperate to see her, even if it’s from afar.
The team shuffles into the room and guys take their places on the benches in front of their lockers while Coach Mills starts his speech. Since we’re winning, it’s mostly just praising us for our hard work and going over some of the things we need to watch out for in the second half. But I’m not fucking listening. I’m just waiting for him to turn his back so I can slip out the door.
The length of halftime for the Super Bowl is thirty minutes, as opposed to the thirteen minutes we are used to, so I’m hoping we’ll be done here soon.
“Okay,” Coach says, clapping his hands. “Take some time to relax and recover. Anyone caught out of this room will be dealing with me after the game, win or lose.” He turns, walking into the office with the other coaches to go over their plan for the second half.
Fuck.
I’m a ball of nerves, bouncing my knees, hating the fact that Bella is about to walk on stage and I’m not there. I just need to see her.
“Hey, Moran,” our quarterback, Tanner Lake, says. I look up at him, hoping he doesn’t see the anxiety written all over my face. The last thing I need is for my captain to think my head isn’t in the game. “Can I see you in the hall for a second?”
I look at him, confused. “But Coach said?—”
He waves me off. “It’s okay. I just want to talk to you privately for a couple minutes. If he says anything, I’ll tell him I said it was alright.”
“Yeah,” I say, forcing out an exhale as I stand and follow him out the door. I shut it behind me, expecting him to turn around, but he just heads back toward the tunnel. “Ummm,” I say. “Where are we going?” He says nothing as he leads me to the edge of the field, where the entire stage is visible. We stand there and watch together as the lights dim and Bella steps out.
As soon as I see her, I stop breathing. She is perfection in her sequined blue costume, fringes barely hitting her upper thighs. Thighs that I’ve rested my head on as she played with my hair while we watched a movie. Her hands grip her bedazzled microphone as she takes in the crowd. Hands that I’ve held as we slept, unable to fully relax without touching her somehow. She smiles and the crowd goes wild. For her.
Formy girl.
Fuck. I love her.
I love her so much it hurts. This whole thing was supposed to be fake, but I think it started blooming into something real the first night she stayed at my house. When she had that nightmare, I was overcome with fear thinking she was hurt. I should’ve known she was already finding a place in my heart. It was the last thing I expected when Twyla told me about her plan, but here I am, watching my Songbird captivate the entire country with her voice.
I look over at Tanner, eyes wide with realization. “I love her,” I say, tasting the words as they move across my tongue. “I fuckingloveBella Simon.”
His expression softens. “Congrats, man. Take good care of her.”
“Thank you, Lake,” I reply. For helping me get out here. For knowing how much it meant to me. For leading the Blizzard, on and off the field.
I look back to the stage. The first song is over, and the dancers are hitting every move in sync as the band plays, but Bella is nowhere to be seen. I watch as the stage goes black before a spotlight illuminates a small area. Just then, the floor opens, and she slowly rises up from underneath. The music is loud, and the fans are screaming, but I can’t hear any of it. My heart whooshes loudly in my ears as I see that she’s changed her costume. Now, she’s wearing only a Blizzard jersey.Myjersey. My last name and number ninety-nine stretches across her back as she turns, pausing dramatically as she allows the crowd to take it in.
She’s claiming me. In my stadium. On my field.
This has to be real.
I stand in awe as she commands the stage, never missing a beat as fireworks go off all around her. There are eighty-thousand people in this room, but the only one I see is her. She’s so beautiful and talented. There’s no way this thing ends in any other way than her being mine for the rest of our lives.
Now I just need to win this game so I can tell her.
THIRTEEN
MAVERICK
Confetti rainsdown over us as the clock hits double zeros. The Boston Blizzard won the Super Bowl. And all I can think about is getting Bella into my arms.
I search around the field frantically as friends and family members of my teammates rush to congratulate them. Blaze Beckham’s girlfriend Mads blows past me, jumping into his arms while a dark-haired woman trails her, giving Dalton Davis a quick hug before backing away, her cheeks reddening. I continue searching the crowd for Bella and stop in my tracks as Carlo’s salt and pepper hair catches my eye. Just then, a blonde blur comes into view, whipping past her bodyguard, running straight at me. She jumps up and I catch her, lifting her in the air as she laughs.
“You won!” she screams. “I’m so proud of you! You were amaz—” I cut her off by crashing my lips to hers. She wraps her legs around my waist, opening her mouth as we shamelessly make out while cameras flash all around us.
I reluctantly pull back, one hand under her ass as the other cups her cheek. “Baby, your performance…it was fuckingperfection. And you in my jersey? I’ve never seen anything sexier.” I smile.
Her brows raise in surprise. “You saw it? But how?”
