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“But—”
He shakes his head. “Stop doubting this. It’s real. My agent will handle the contracts, and you’ll just have to sign. Unless you want to get your own lawyer?”
Goosebumps spread over my body. I’ve never had to think of any of this stuff before. “I-I don’t know,” I stammer out.
“I don’t either. That’s why we hire people smarter than us to do it.”
My stomach flops. Tears prick my eyes. I didn’t realize how much I wanted something like this. To be seen as an athlete.Oh my God.“This is all because of you.”
He presses a kiss to my lips. “They just see what I see. Someone brave and fierce and passionate. Exactly who they want to represent them.” He pats my butt. “Now, one more set and we’re done. I have to get to practice.”
My mind races as I bust out the last set. My legs quiver. I grit my teeth. But I’ve come so far. I used to have the same reaction when I started with half the weight, and now I can do so much more.
I rerack the bar, and then we both unload it. Afterward, he picks up his hoodie and wraps it around my shoulders. One of the first things I did was ask for it back. He takes both our gym bags and slings them over his shoulder as we walk out of the weight room and down the hall. Before we get to the exit, he guides me into an empty corridor and presses me against the wall, his wide chest pressing into mine.
His hot breath blows across my lips. “Your place or mine after practice?”
I bite my lip momentarily. “We can decide that later.” He pulls away, brows knitted together. “I’m coming to practice with you today.” His green eyes take on even more confusion. “Coach invited me. Plus, I have a pact to fulfill.”
“You don’t—”
“I do.” I no longer think poorly of football players. There are good ones and bad ones. Immature and mature ones, just like regular people. The football player in front of me is one of the best men I’ve ever known, and he’s most definitely changed my mind. “We had a deal, West Brooks. You get me in shape for diving, and I come to one of your practices. A deal is a promise, and I fulfill my promises.”
He searches my gaze, and I can almost see a sliver of relief lift from him. I accept football. I have to because I accept West for who he is. Football is his passion, and I would never want to take that away from him. “Have I told you today that I love you?”
I wind my arms around him. “Not in the last few hours.”
He grins, the inner light that pours from him growing brighter. “I must be the worst boyfriend.”
“The worst,” I agree.
He hikes my legs up over his hips. “Let me fix it, then. I fucking love you, McKenna Knowles. Tonight, let’s sneak into the hot springs again, and I’ll show you exactly how much.”
“It’s a date.”
“No, it’s a promise.”
He seals his lips to mine, kissing me like two souls intertwined.
Loving West Brooks is going to be an adventure. Nights spent under the glow of stadium lights with thousands of people screaming his name, and days of just us where I make sure he knows that he is loved, and he reminds me that I am brave.
…And I’m so ready for the next chapter.
EPILOGUE
West
I glareat the ringing phone. Kenna takes my hands, making me focus on her. She gives me a small smile. “Do you think we should turn the ringer off?”
My nerves go from a plague of butterflies to a low buzz just looking at her. “I wish.”
“Everyone wants a piece,” she says, squeezing my hands. “The great West ‘the Hulk’ Brooks’s draft day.”
Her saying it out loud amps up the electricity in my veins. I got invited to Union Station for the selection, but I turned it down. I wanted to be here. With my friends. With Kenna.
I tug on my college jersey—the one I gave her a year and a half ago. I can still remember the way my stomach flipped when I saw her in the stands. She wasn’t obligated to come, but there she was, anyway. “I’m so glad we decided to do this.”
She bites her lip and peers around mischievously. “What? Con everyone into coming over for a draft party when really we’re forcing them to watch us get married?”