Page 86 of Score to Settle
“Harper, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I was an idiot in high school. My friends were ripping into me about the story you wrote because they could see it got to me. I said the first thing that came to mind to get them off my back. I never meant for you to hear it and I’m sorry you did.”
“Why didn’t you say anything?”
He shrugs. “Probably for the same reason you didn’t either. We’ve both done a pretty good job of building our walls up since high school.”
“But I never put my name on that article. How did you know I wrote it?”
“When you didn’t show, I went to the newspaper office. I figured whoever wrote it probably wrote other stuff too. The teacher…”
“Mr. Lamerton,” I say, remembering the stuffy English teacher who helped with the newspaper.
“I showed him the copy of the article and he told me the only person he knew who could write that well was a sophomore called Harper Cassidy.” Jake’s eyes shine as he smiles. “I wasn’t going to forget the name in a hurry. When Mama showed me the list of journalists atSports Magazineand I saw your name, I couldn’t believe it.” He chuckles. “Gotta say, I was pretty surprised when I walked into the kitchen at the ranch that day expecting to find a starry-eyed journalist ready to write about how amazing I was and found you shooting me death glares.”
I laugh. “They weren’t death glares.”
Jake makes a face and I laugh again.
“OK,” I admit. “Maybe they were death glares.”
We fall silent. I’m not sure what to say or where we go from here. But then Jake is moving, pulling me into his arms, hands moving up to cup my face, those intense eyes burning into my soul.
“I love you.” And just like that, he says the three words I flew halfway across the country to say, only to trip on at the last moment. Of course, Jake caught me.
“I love you, too,” I breathe.
Jake pulls me into the room, kicking the door shut with his foot as his lips find mine for a kiss so tender and so deep, I absolutelymelt. He pulls back after a moment and looks at me like he can’t believe I’m really here.
“I’m so sorry,” he says, his voice raw with emotion. “I’m sorry for pushing you away.” He shakes his head, eyes filled with regret. “What I said keeps me up at night. I haven’t been sleeping, I can’t stop thinking about how much I hurt you.”
I notice the dark circles under his eyes, the weariness in his posture. He really does look exhausted. My heart clenches. I did this to him.
“Jake…” I start but he continues on.
“I didn’t mean what I said, Harper. You have to know that. You’re not nothing to me. You’re everything.”
Tears well in my eyes and spill down my cheeks.
“Please tell me they’re happy tears?” he says and I huff a laugh and nod as he brushes them away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry, too,” I manage to choke out. “I’m sorry for not being honest with you from the beginning, for letting my fears and insecurities get in the way of us. I was so caught up trying to be the person I thought I had to be, I almost let the most important thing in my life slip away.” I reach up to cup his face, his stubble tickling my palms. “I love you, Jake Sullivan. I love your big heart and the way you make me laugh. I love how you see me, the real me, even when I’m trying to hide. And I am so, so sorry for ever making you doubt that. For thinking for a single second that you were anything but a good man.”
A slow smile spreads across Jake’s face. “That’s a relief then, because this is it for me, Harper. You make me want to be the best version of myself. I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t know if we’ll win or lose against the Steelguards. If I’ll get injured and never play again. Whatever happens, all I know is that my future is nothing without you in it.”
I tremble with the rawness of the emotion throbbing through my body. Jake has laid himself bare for me and all I want to do is give the same back to him. I’ve finally learned to let somebody else in.
I stroke a thumb across his cheekbone. “Every game. Every scowl. Every injury and touchdown. Every walk around the lake and ball thrown for Buck, I want to be by your side. You are my future.”
FORTY-TWO
JAKE
The stadium lights blaze down on me as I jog onto the field. This is what I was born to do. The roar of the crowd fills my ears—80,000 strong packed into the Steelguards stadium for the biggest game of the season. Of my career. The Steelguards have been undefeated all season, and while the Stormhawks have had some wins, we’ve had more than a few setbacks. This is it. We need this win to make the playoffs.
Despite grabbing only a few hours of sleep the last couple of nights for some seriously needed makeup time with Harper, I’m pumped. Focused. Ready.
Still, I can’t help sneaking a glance at the skybox. Harper stands at the glass, her sexy white Stormhawks top hugging her perfectly. Her hair falls softly to her shoulders, and her red lipstick practically shouts, “Victory!” Wedged beside her are Dylan and Mama, all grinning at me in a way that makes me laugh, even now. I know they’re going to rib me later about how whipped I am. I wish Chase was here too, but he’s playing his own season finale tonight.
The ref’s whistle pierces the air, and I’m locked in.
