Page 108 of Laws of Love
“Before you ask, it’s a surprise.”
The Las Cruces airport was moderate and less than an hour after arriving, they’d gone through security checks and were seated on the plane. Aiva had purchased the tickets beforehand, and Knox decided he wouldn’t ask questions and enjoy the day she had planned for them.
“I will tell you I have four things planned for us when we land,” she stated as they waited to take off.
He took her hand and placed a kiss on it. “I’m sure I’ll enjoy whatever they are.”
An hour and a half later, they landed. Half an hour later, they were in a rental car, and Aiva was keying an address into her phone’s GPS. They drove through streets familiar to him, and he knew where they were headed when they were almost to their destination from their surroundings. He was proven correct five minutes later when they pulled into the diner parking lot, which he liked to frequent when they’d had home games.
When they walked inside, he felt like he’d gone back in time a bit. He hadn’t been there in a few years, and it felt nostalgic. The owner, who Knox knew also worked every day the diner was open, spotted them and came over with a smile. Knox introduced him to Aiva, and they gestured to the booth in the back corner he’d always preferred.
“I haven’t been here in a long time,” he stated as they sat down.
“I heard. I asked Ezra what would be a good place to take you that felt warm and would have good memories from your time playing. He suggested this place.”
“He was right. There was always something about celebrating a win here or drowning a loss in a malt after Yas was born. I needed a...better outlet, and this was it.”
Before his daughter was born, he’d go out, have some drinks, sometimes admittedly overdo it in the early days, or throw his frustration of losing into sex, which probably wouldn’t have been the best outlet if he’d been with someone other than Mia. She either hadn’t cared or hadn’t realized that the type of selfish he was back then while having sex was 100 percent about himself. It was a stark contrast to the present.
They ate their lunch, which was as good as he remembered, then stayed an extra forty-five minutes for him to sign autographs and take pictures with those in the diner who had been kind enough to wait until he was done. He also caught up with the owner for a bit.
It was ten minutes till two when they left, but Aiva didn’t seem to mind, which meant their prolonged stay hadn’t thrown off her schedule. She typed another address into the GPS, and he knew where they were going. Twenty minutes later, he could see the stadium off in the distance. They were going to watch a game.
When they arrived, they entered through the west gate and pulled up to the complimentary parking stand. Aiva spoke to the valet as Knox stepped back and looked up at a building he hadn’t entered in years.
“Are you ready, baby?”
He brought his attention down to her. “Yeah, gorgeous, I’m ready.”
Knox took the hand she offered and allowed her to lead the way. He caught her mumbling to herself, and he realized she was remembering directions. They came to an elevator, rode it up, and then took a right. There were a couple more turns before they reached a numbered door. Aiva keyed in a code and led him into a private box.
“Aiva,” he stated when the door closed.
“Don’t ‘Aiva’ me. I can spend whatever I want on your birthday.”
Knox tried to figure out how to word his next statement without sounding ungrateful. He more than enjoyed and appreciated everything she’d done for him to celebrate, but securing a private box was something she didn’t need to do, and he knew how costly it was. It didn’t matter what she made.
“Baby,” he started, placing his hands on her waist. “I didn’t need all of this. We could have sat with everyone else.”
“Yes, but here you can enjoy the game without worrying about people asking you for pictures or autographs throughout. If it makes you feel better, I got a good deal. A former client is vice-president or something of the sports and tourism authority for the state. Besides, we’re already here.”
He knew how much the box typically cost, so her getting a deal didn’t make him feel any better about the amount of money she’d spent, but he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn’t agree with him.
“Fine,” he conceded, and she smiled at him.
“Come on.” She pulled him over to the seats in front of the window. “I’m going to be honest; I’m nowhere near as knowledgeable about football as my little sister, so I might have to ask you a few things.”
“You can ask me whatever you need to.” Knox looked at the clock and saw twelve minutes before kick-off.
“Tell me about this receiver who replaced you. Is he any good?”
“He is, and he’s gotten better since he started.”
“Is he better than you?” she teased.
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, gorgeous,” he responded, and she laughed, placing her purse on the seat beside her.
The game had gone into overtime, but his former team had won, and he and Aiva found themselves on the big screen several times. He wouldn’t doubt there would be more pictures and articles online the following day. As long as they didn’t bother his girlfriend, he didn’t mind.
