Page 94 of Catching Our Moment
Shyla sat down next to Tasha. “Tash, hon. This isn’t like you. Are you doing okay?”
The door to the suite opened, and the other women rolled in with smiles and good energy, which was just want the room needed. Tasha pasted on her best cheerleader face, and I tried to forget everything she and Shyla had shared with me.
Everyone was entitled to a bad day. Relationships were tough. There would be bumps Shaw and I would have to figure out. Except, from where I was sitting, those bumps seemed more like mountains.
I turned away from the chatter behind me, sat at one of the outside seats, and stared down at my man—my Shaw—the man I’d been in love with since the moment he stumbled onto my father’s football field.
The players ran off the field and back into the locker room to prepare for the game.
Tasha and Shyla had inadvertently stirred up those nagging questions that I’d been trying not to think about in the euphoric swirl of our new relationship.
How would we ever see each other? How could I balance my career and Aaron’s custody schedule with James? I’d just gotten out of a marriage where I’d lost my direction and myself. Was I ready to commit so much energy to Shaw’s career? How would such a schedule affect Aaron? Would we have to move? When was Shaw going to retire? If he was thinking of getting out next year, that would be one thing…but he didn’t seem inclined to stop playing anytime soon.
“Hey…” Shyla came over with a fresh drink and sat by me. “What’s going on? You’re not letting what Tash said get to you, are you?”
I thanked her for the drink and took a sip, slapping on my game face. “No. Just taking it all in.”
“Good. Don’t let them chase you off,” she said.
A few more women sat down, introduced themselves, and drew me into the group, asking about my history with Shaw and then oohing and ahhing about our friends-to-lovers romance. They were welcoming and helped me forget my interaction with Tasha, at least for the rest of the game.
We cheered on the team as they were introduced onto the field. The crowd grew louder when Shaw’s name was introduced—a wonderful welcome back that surprised me at the intensity. I knew he was popular, but not living in Charlotte—and not having walked in the spotlight with him—I guess I’d never realized the level of it.
They had one of their better games since Shaw had left—winning 24-10, with Shaw having some amazing plays, including one touchdown near our suite.
He did his patented Shaw Shuffle—a basic two-step shuffle and butt shimmy—that didn’t seem to fit his hulking figure. But then, that was what made it comical and endearing. The crowd, already on their feet, roared with elation. He pivoted, grinned, and winked. Then, with the football gripped in his hand, he pointed up to our suite. The roar of the crowd increased as his gesture was caught on the Jumbotron along with the direction he was aiming.
“Oh my God!” Shyla said. “Look!”
Sure enough. There, up on a Jumbotron, in front of seventy-thousand people—and millions televised—was me, my mouth agape, gasping like a fish out of water as I stared at myself on a screen as big as a building.
Oh. My. God.
So, what did I do?
Did I wave and make a cute, coquettish grin at my superstar boyfriend in front of millions of at-home television viewers?
No, I screamed as if shot, with a level of drama Riley could’ve only dreamed of, and dropped to the floor on my hands and knees.
That was me. All class.
And that was my first strike as a professional football player’s girlfriend.
Never let it be said that I did anything half-assed.
37
Kelcie
“It wasn’t that bad.” Shyla patted my back as we walked down the corridor to the locker room.
My head down, a hat pulled down low over my face, I had to watch her steps to know where we were going. I bit off another piece of pretzel to avoid answering Shyla’s reassurance with four-letter words.
We waited outside the team’s locker room for the guys to come out. Davy came out first, kissed Shyla, and accepted congratulations from those around him for having a good game. “Shaw’s on his way,” he said. “He got held up by some reporters. He’ll be out soon. Do you want us to wait with you?”
“No. I’ll be fine.” I shrunk further into the wall. “I’ll just wait here for him.”
Shyla turned to me and said with a slight grimace, “I hope you had fun tonight.”
