Page 74 of Players and Pages
Taryn held them up, glancing at me. “These are so cute,” she gushed. “Ugh, how can we say no, now?!”
“I’ll call the pack,” Mathias promised. “You had me at free food.”
I snorted. “I have a feeling that’ll get the others in, too.”
“Maybe Holt’s mom can take the kiddos early. She’s been begging but I’ve been too reluctant to pull the trigger,” Taryn said, worrying her lip between her teeth.
“She’d be excited,” Mathias reassured her. “And if you change your mind, or it’s too much, we can head back for them.”
“Okay,” she said, giving him that dopey smile that said they were true soul mates.
I no longer felt jealousy, only happiness that I got to experience the same thing. Maybe we’d have babies of our own once things settled.
For now I had to get through this next heat. It was only a few weeks away and we hadn’t really talked about it yet.
I tucked the jersey back in the bag to preserve the scents for tonight.
Now, I just had to get through the work day.
Easier said than done when I was this excited to see my guys and have a fun night where we wouldn’t have to worry about Henry.
The energy was already pulsing through the stadium as we waited for our turn to be announced. I bounced on the balls of my feet, going over choreography in my head. This was my sweet spot. The moment where I soaked in every ounce of the excitement and adrenaline and used it during the game.
We’d been working harder than ever, even with meeting and keeping Dani safe. We practiced after our early runs, before leaving camp, anywhere we could fit a minute outside of our actual practices and games.
“Think she’s coming?” Jackson asked as he stepped up beside me, his dimples already on display as he scanned what little we could see of the crowd from here.
“Of course,” I said easily. After the jerseys, how could she resist? Plus, our girl promised she’d be here and she always kept her word. Knowing she was waiting to see us win had me grinning right along with him. She was our good luck charm.
Under the current of excitement, there was a hint of worry. As much as I loved my job, my alpha protested every time I had to leave Willow Lake without Dani. Not just because she was somuch a part of me now, but Henry had thrown a whole new wave of worry into the dynamic.
It was our fault that she was in danger. He was our teammate and we knew that he was jealous of us but how could anyone predict just how far he was willing to go to ‘put me in my place?’ There was only so much the league could do to help. Assholes like Henry always found a way around the rules and laws.
“It’s time, boys,” Coach called out, right before the announcers cut him off. I moved forward to get into my spot, the camera man already moving to the end of the tunnel ready to start rolling.
"Aaaaand the moment you've been waiting for...The Knuckleball Knockouts!" the announcer boomed over the speakers.
Tonight, I led the team out onto the field to “What was I Thinking.” I did my best to focus on the moves but my eyes kept heading towards the VIP where Dani was likely waiting.
I missed a step and Jackson bumped into me, nearly sending the whole team into chaos.
"Focus, dude," he hissed.
"On it," I shot back and got back into the rhythm. It took everything in me to keep time in my head and my usual easy grin on my face, playing up the part the audience expected. It was easy to fall into this mask, to be this version of myself. It was mostly me, just a bit less honest.
I wasn’t always happy and grinning… unless I was with Dani. She was pure light and sweetness.
All the fans cheering reminded me why I was here and doing all this. I spotted a kid, maybe ten, wearing a shirt that read, "The next Cy Nixon." Not missing a beat I sent him a wink and wave, his screams echoing over the crowd. I loved it.
When we had a kid with Dani, I'd have a special onesie made for the baby with my number.
Knowing the other two, they’d do the same.
Somehow I managed to finish right on beat, the song fading and the crowd going insane despite my distraction. I winked one last time at the camera before rushing back to the dugout. I had to get the rest of my gear on. The only thing that I wore was my chest protector to dance in. The rest of it was too bulky to do some of our moves.
"Cy, here's your glove and helmet," Griff grunted, holding them out to me and giving me a look.
"Thanks, and I know, I know. I let thoughts about our omega get me out there," I said as I finished the last strap on my left leg guard. I was always the last one out of the dugout. Thankfully, that also meant he didn’t have time to lecture me.
