Page 128 of Nanny for the Athletes

Christian and Braden left for the stadium to prepare for the last game of the season. I gave them each an extra long hug before they left.

“Give it your all, today,” I told them. “Don’t hold anything back. Show them what they’re missing if they trade you.”

Braden gave me a wink. “Giving it my all is the only way I know how to play, baby.”

“See you after the game,” Christian told me, smiling warmly. “Love you.”

“Love you too,” I replied automatically.

It wasn’t until the door was closed and they were gone that I realized:we just said the L-word to each other.

Funny. It didn’t seem like that big of a deal. I loved all three of my men, and I knew they felt the same way—even if Braden and Logan hadn’t said it yet.

I went home to the kennel to take care of some work before going to the football game. When I arrived, I walked into the kennel building and immediately yelped in surprise. Ken and Suzie were locked together against the wall, vigorously making out.

“What the hell!”

They immediately split apart. “Shit. Sorry, Ms. Foster.”

“I thought you two hated each other!”

Ken shrugged. “I hate her opinions on how many healers should be in a D&D party. But I like everything else.”

“AndIhate how Ken insists a Paladin should prioritize holy damage.” She shook her head. “It’s like you don’t even know what a tank is.”

“Paladins can still tank, even if they have higher DPS than normal!” he argued.

Suzie rolled her eyes. “Is that what we’re going to do today? Fight?”

I laughed it off and got to work on the to-do list clipboard. I’m glad my kennel was helping other people find love, and not just me.

After a few hours of work, I met Logan and Claire at the football game. There were still protesters outside the stadium holding signs and chanting in unison, but most fans ignored them while shuffling inside.

Today, we had regular seats up in the bleachers. We didn’t need the attention that came from sitting in the front row in the end zone. Claire asked why we were so far away from the field, so Logan explained that those tickets were a lot more expensive than these ones.

“Don’t you make, like, a bajillion dollars?” Claire asked.

Logan chuckled. “I only makehalfa bajillion dollars.”

“Oh. Too bad.” Claire didn’t ask anything else about it.

As the game against the Tennessee Titans began, a lot of fans tried to get a chant going in the stadium. But it was disjointed and never got very loud. I couldn’t even tell what they were trying to chant until someone in the row in front of us joined in: “No trade! No trade!”

“At least some of the fans are upset enough to let their voices be heard,” Logan muttered.

“Too bad it’s not more.”

The Titans received the kickoff, then quickly made a fifty-yard pass that moved them halfway across the field. That took the air out of the stadium, and the fan noise grew quieter.

I hope the season doesn’t end with a whimper, I thought.

The Titans scored a quick touchdown, then the Colts had the ball. But on the third play, their running back was tackled from the side, and the ball popped out. The Titans recovered the fumble and ran it in for a second touchdown.

Within two minutes, the Colts were losing 0 - 14.

“Come on, Christian,” I whispered. “Get back into the game.”

Christian’s next pass was too long for the receiver. On the next play, he rolled out of the pocket and looked downfield… but then was sacked by one of the Titans defensive players. It was third and long.

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