Page 7

CHAPTER 7

blue

I stood on the sideline watching Ford jog to the fifty like it was no big deal. But being that close to someone who shared Anna’s DNA made my pulse tick up a notch. Or thirty. At least. Once the national anthem was over, I shook my hands out and jogged in place, trying to stay warm. The last thing I needed was a cold arm when this game started.

“Aaannaaa?” Ford called. “Aaaannaaa Baanaanaaa?”

I stood straight up, my heart slamming into my ribs.

Madden stepped over to me. “Anna’s here? The Anna?”

I ignored the question, turning in the direction that Ford had come from, searching the crowd. But it was impossible to find her. Exactly like looking for a needle in a haystack. Ford called her name again and suddenly her face was on the Jumbotron. It felt like someone had vacuumed all the air out of my lungs. My hands flew up, gripping my hair. She was here!

Madden pointed. I turned and there she was, stone-faced, coming down the stairs, her eyes narrowed on Ford. Oh, she was not happy. But my word, she was beautiful. Breathtakingly. Her hair was shorter, hitting the tops of her shoulders in big voluminous waves. She looked the same, but different too. Even prettier than before, if that was possible. Curvier. Which was just torture. She’d been kinda skinny in high school. But I guess that’s what happens when you’ve lost your mom. She said she was never hungry. Looked like her appetite had finally come back—and it was nothing but glorious to behold.

“She’s beautiful,” Madden said in a reverential hush.

I grunted. It was all I could do.

“Deep breaths.” Madden chuckled.

When she hit the grass, I took a step toward her without realizing it. Madden’s hand shot out, pulling me backward by my jersey. My hands were still on my head when she walked past. Close enough that I could smell her perfume. I closed my eyes and inhaled. Honeysuckle. She smelled like the honeysuckle that grew in droves on Silas and Lemon’s farm, Firefly Fields. Then she was gone, hurrying to center field.

“She’s hot,” Tyson hooted. “Somebody get me her number!”

“That’s Blue’s ex, moron,” Madden said.

“You never said your ex is Ford Dupree’s niece!” Tyson whooped.

But I couldn’t care about any of them. Anna was here. Holy crap. It took all my effort, but I pulled myself together, propping my hands on my hips.

“I’m gonna kill you when this is over,” she whispered and the mic picked it up. I grinned so wide at that. Man, I’d missed that voice.

“Dude, you’ve been barking up the wrong trees,” Madden said. “Lacy, who?”

My thoughts exactly. And every other girl I’d ever dated. Yeah, I’d made a huge mistake leaving Seddledowne. I’d felt more in the last thirty seconds of being in the same stadium with her than I’d felt in four years of having my hands all over countless other girls. Hormones I thought were six feet under for good surged through me like it was resurrection morning.

Her being here today—this had to mean something. She wouldn’t have driven all the way to a Knoxville game unless it was to see me. Or would she? Maybe she just came to watch Ford sing. But if she had come for me and if I had an atom of a chance with her, I was going to take it. I had to talk to her. Had to. Whatever it took, I had to make it happen.

I stood as still as possible, my eyes trained on her every move. Then she and Ford started singing. Honestly, I thought she put Ford to shame. But I might’ve been biased.

“Dayum,” Madden said. “She looks like that and she can sing? No wonder you still talk about her after all this time.”

I had my hands at the back of my head again, feeling antsy to do something, anything, but stand here like a helpless idiot. After all these years, she was right there.

“Hey, Blue.”

My head turned to see Alexa Shelton with the roses. Oh dang. I forgot. My face split into a grin. I knew exactly what I was going to do.

“Thanks.” I took them from her just as they started the final line of the song.

“I’m right behind you,” Barry, one of the camera guys said just like every other week. He had to film the bouquet handoff. Some other guys filmed from farther away.

Ford strummed the last chord. That was my cue. I paced myself, jogging at normal speed, eyes trained on Anna. But she was looking at the ground. Ford whispered in her ear, and her gaze lifted.

When our eyes met, I smiled and jogged a little faster, my heart slamming into my ribs again, and not from the running. Then, instead of giving the roses to Ford like I was supposed to, I stopped in front of Anna.

She was watching me with a poker face. And if I hadn’t known her—if she hadn’t been the center of my orbit at one time—I might’ve been a little deflated. But her hands were shaking at her side and her lips were pressed a smidge too tight. Then I saw her swallow. She was overwhelmed big time.

“Hi.” I held the roses out. “These are for you.”

“Thank you,” she said, barely above a whisper, her eyes taking me in. Ford took the mic from her as she wrapped her gentle hands around the bouquet.

I was jealous of some flowers. I wanted to stay there and ask how she was, and clear up all the things that had happened in the years we’d been apart, but it wasn’t the time. I took a step back like I was supposed to.

Grinning like he knew a secret, Ford lifted the mic to his mouth. “That’s no kind of reunion for two high school sweethearts who haven’t seen each other in four years.” He waved at the fans. “ High school sweethearts !” So much for keeping that secret. Ford glowed at us. Anna looked like she wanted to disappear. “C’mon now. You two can do better than that.” He held one arm out, waving for the crowd to help him. “Don’t y’all agree?” Then he swung the guitar to his back and took the roses from Anna.

With nothing in her hands, Anna gulped, wide-eyed, her mouth clenched tight. Her cheeks turned the most beautiful shade of pink against her tan skin.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” The crowd roared. Barry closed in. Two other camera guys whose names I didn’t know were right there, catching every angle. But I was pretty sure from the look of horror on her face that kissing her after all this time would be the stupidest thing I could do.

So I stepped up, and after four long, lonely years, I pulled her into a hug. With that contact, four years of repressed hormones surged every nerve ending of my body, lighting me up in a way I’d forgotten was even possible. It took a second, but then she slid her arms around my waist and squeezed. It was pure heaven.

The stadium went wild. The hug was a tad awkward with the hard plastic of my shoulder pads between us, but it was one of the best I’d ever experienced.

“How have you been?” I laughed over the shouts, wishing this moment could last way longer than it was going to. But she didn’t say anything. Just gripped the back of my jersey like a life preserver, her face wedged against my neck. Her torso shook. Oh man, she was crying. This felt like déjà vu, like the day I said goodbye.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I laughed again, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded, but she didn’t step back. Just cried into my neck. I tightened my arms around her and closed my eyes for a second, just enjoying having her against me. I couldn’t stop smiling. Barry was way too close. I had to get her off the field. So I slid an arm around her shoulder and escorted her across the grass like a hundred thousand people weren’t watching—leaving all eyes on Ford who was waving and blowing kisses to the crowd as he exited the field. If there was any way I could have stayed with her, I would’ve, but I had a game to play. Thankfully, her Uncle Ashton was on the sideline, waiting.

“Hey,” I said to her when we were almost to him. “Meet me right after the game? Just…stand by the gate up there and I’ll find you.” I pointed to the gate she’d come through.

She whimpered a response but I couldn’t tell if it was a yes or a no.

“Hi, Blue,” Ashton said, frowning. I didn’t take it personally. I thought he was just angry for Anna. That was a crappy stunt Ford had pulled. But I couldn’t be mad because it meant I’d gotten to hug this girl I’d missed so much.

“Nice to see you, Ash.” It took all my willpower to hand her off. I gave her one last look.

That was all I could do before Madden screamed for me to hurry. I spun on my heel, hoping with all my might that she’d be waiting for me when the clock ran out.

Every game, I knew she was watching on TV. There was no way she wasn’t. ’Cause if roles were reversed, nothing would stop me from watching every one of her games. But having her there in person? It felt like I was on steroids. Or how I imagined it would feel. My adrenaline was maxed, making every pass fly with precision. My stride was longer. My reflexes quicker. It felt like I was floating, flying over the field, my feet hardly touching the ground. Completely unstoppable. I wore a stupid grin the entire time. It felt like tenth grade all over again. A feeling I’d thought was gone forever. It was the high I’d been chasing ever since I left Seddledowne. Anna was the missing piece.

At the end of the third quarter, we came in for the huddle. I peeled my helmet off and scanned the crowd, needing to be certain Anna was still there. She was, and I realized by squinting that Brooklyn and Tally were with her. It was so surreal. They all looked older. But I was older too. Still, it was going to take a bit for me to wrap my head around it.

Madden pounded me on the back. “One more quarter, man, and she’s yours.”

I lifted my chin up. “She brought some of her friends too.” They used to be my friends. He peered over his shoulder, trying to see where they were sitting. I shamelessly pointed, not even caring that Anna would know I was pointing at her. “Front row, right there. I’ll introduce you after.”

He nodded and swiveled his head back around. “Nice.”

“Head in the game, boys!” Coach Whitlock yelled and we both chuckled.

One quarter to go.