Page 19 of Fourth Down Forever
I watch as Shane leans over and kisses her nose, muttering, "I can't wait until you’re Janae Mitchell."
Right then, another person walks up to the table. "Hello Shane, Kade." They both nod at him. "Kade, do you want to introduce me to that lovely lady sitting next to you?"
Kade stands up from his seat pulling me with him. "Of course, Coach. This is my wife, Samantha. Sam, this is Coach Wilson.
The way he says "my wife" has me melting and I almost forget where I am until the coach places his hand out for me to shake. "Nice to meet you, Samantha."
"Nice to me you, Coach.” I say shaking his hand back. The lights flicker getting everyone's attention. "Well, it looks like weneed to get to our spots. I can't wait to get to know you better, Sam." Relief washes over me with the knowledge that I don’t have to make small talk with him, as we watch the coach head to the podium in the middle of the room.
A few seconds later, the coach is getting up on the stage and speaking into the microphone. "Welcome everyone to another team dinner." He pauses while everyone cheers. Once it dies down, he resumes, "These dinners are important. It's how we connect with each other and our families. During the season, we are busy and work hard, but it's just as important to take a moment. With that being said, if you have a glass, raise it. I only have one last thing to say before we can jump into what looks to be a delicious dinner, Let's go, Vipers!"
Everyone in the room, including Kade and I, raise their glasses and shout, "Let's go, Vipers!"
I take a sip of my drink and sit back down in my seat. Seconds later, a plate of food is put in front of me, making my stomach rumble. Kade and I laugh at the same time. "I guess I was hungrier than I thought."
Picking up my fork, I take a bite of my food. "Mmm...that's good."
Kade nods and dives into his food too. The table is silent for a few minutes while everyone eats. Blake is the first one to break the silence. "Is everyone ready for this weekend's game?"
"Yep. The Minnesota Lightning aren't going to know what hits them when our main man Shane gets out on the field."
Janae and Shane laugh, when he replies, "I have been hitting the iron just for this game."
The men laugh and joke with each other as we finish up dinner. Janae and I talk more about the wedding.
"I'm trying to get a block of rooms for all the Mitchells but it's harder than I thought it would be considering we're in Vegas," she says. She's having it here because of football and her family,but that means helping Shane's family make reservations to come here. I've never seen Janae happier.
At that moment, a hand lands on my thigh. I look down and see Kade's hand lightly resting there, but when I go to say something, I notice that he's not even paying attention to me. He's still talking with his teammates. I can't help but notice how relaxed he looks. I'm not sure I've ever seen him look that way before.
"How is it going with Kade?" Janae asks me, breaking through my thoughts of him.
I turn toward her giving her a smile. "It's going pretty good. We've been getting along this past week, which is good."
"Well, I've never seen you so happy," she says to me.
"I'm happy but very cautious," I tell her as I look back over at my husband.
There is no way I can tell her that we are only staying married for a short time, or that Kade doesn't want to be married. It's important to keep up a wall even if no other man has ever made me feel this way before. But the memory of the way I felt when I saw him at the club with another woman on his lap still lingers in the back of my mind. I can't allow myself to get carried away and fall head over heels for this man.
"Well, I hope it works out for the two of you. I've never seen either of you look happier. I know you didn't mean to get married, but it suits you two," she says.
"Are we going to the game on Saturday together?" I ask, changing the subject.
"Of course!" Janae says before she leans in and whispers, "I need to use the restroom, want to join me?"
"Sure!"
I place my hand on Kade's gaining his attention. "I'm going to run to the restroom with Janae. Be back soon," I say giving him a kiss on the cheek.
Chapter fifteen
Samantha
Janae and I walk into the bathroom together finding a stall. As we are using the restroom, I hear two women come in, talking to each other. Their words cause my ears to perk up. "Did you see who he was with?"
"Yeah. Ryan said that she's his wife."
My brow folds into confusion when I hear her words. Could they be talking about me and Kade? There is no way, right?
