Page 12 of Fear of Love (Falling #3)

LYDIA

T hursday and Friday went by uneventfully. It was a nice change after a hectic few weeks getting the magazine ready. The office was empty since everyone already left to start their weekend.

I was just finishing up on some documents when Josie poked her head into my office. “Hey, Lyd. Ready to go in a few minutes?”

“Let me quickly save this and I’m good to go.”

In a little over two hours, Mateo was set to play in his first playoff game. Last year, his team lost one too many games to qualify, but this year, they were ranked number one in their division. It’s all Mateo has been able to talk about in our group chat.

The girls and I came up with an idea to hold posters in the stands to cheer him on. We had seats right above Mateo’s team, so he would definitely see us.

This would be the only game, other than the championship one, we could come and watch so we wanted to go all out. If Mateo’s team won, they’d be on the road for the next one before playing the final game back here at home.

“Mila has the posters right?” I asked, shutting my computer down.

“Yeah, and Tasha has the blow horns.”

Mateo was going to be so embarrassed by us. I wanted to say the blow horns were our idea, but it was actually the guys’. Since we had our posters, they wanted something, too. I just knew we were going to be kicked out before the game was over.

Going over to the bag I packed, I pulled out a University of Toronto shirt. Since Mateo was only in uni, we couldn’t get actual jerseys with his name and number on them, so instead, we made do with the red and white school shirts, although it was going to be freezing.

“Wyatt said he’s on his way. Hope you don’t mind Evelyn driving with us. Wy didn’t want her to drive alone,” Josie said.

“Of course.” With the office empty, I quickly stripped out of my work blouse and put the other shirt on. “Bet Evelyn is excited.”

I adored Landon’s mom. She was probably one of the nicest people I ever met. The moment you met Evelyn, she made you feel like you were part of the family, immediately pulling you into a hug. I’ve never had someone take me in so quickly and effortlessly, even when she barely knew me.

“Pretty sure she’s more excited than Mateo.” It was beyond amazing how supportive Evelyn was of her kids and the sports they played. In the year and half I’ve known her, I learned just how selfless she was, giving and doing so much to ensure her kids had everything they needed to succeed.

My chest ached at the thought. I hoped the guys knew just how lucky they were to have a mom like her.

Josie’s phone dinged a moment later as I grabbed my bag and threw my coat on. She quickly typed out a message to whoever it was, most likely Wyatt saying he was here. I did one last look around my office to make sure I had everything I needed before we left.

The two of us made our way through the office to the front doors, which I quickly locked behind us before turning to a somewhat familiar truck idling at the curb.

That wasn’t Wyatt’s car. It was like fate kept throwing a tall, grumpy man in my path.

The door flew open and Wyatt practically bounced out, that signature grin on his face as headed for his fiancée.

I stepped around the couple as Wyatt pulled Josie against him and kissed her. The two acted like they hadn't seen each other in days when it had only been a few hours. Holding back an eye roll, I slid past them so I could get into the backseat.

Using the side handle, I hauled myself into the back of the truck, shuffling over to the far side.

As soon as I was settled, I lifted my head and met Landon’s eyes in the review mirror.

Our gazes lingered on one another for a moment, the corner of his mouth quirked in greeting.

Ignoring the slight tingle that raced through my body, I turned to the woman next to him in the passenger seat.

“Evelyn.” I greeted, the smile already forming as our eyes met. You could tell where the Boone brothers got their looks from. Even in her early fifties, she didn’t look a day over forty. Her dirty blonde hair was cut a bit shorter than the last time I saw her, making her appear even younger.

“Lydia.” Evelyn sent me a smile of her own, the sides of her eyes crinkling.

“How have you been?” I asked as Josie climbed into the backseat with me, followed by Wyatt. Thankfully, Landon’s truck was on the bigger side so the three of us weren’t too squished in the back. Although, Wyatt’s wide shoulders ate up most of the space.

“I’ve been good,” Evelyn answered, her body twisted to see us in the backseat as Landon pulled away from the curb. “I started taking a painting class.” She looked at both Josie and me.

“Oh, now that sounds fun,” I said.

“You girls should come one night. Tuesdays are wine nights.” The smirk on her face had me laughing under my breath. The first image that came to mind was a bunch of older ladies sitting around getting tipsy while gossiping.

“Maybe we should,” Josie answered.

“How’s work going, Lydia?” Evelyn asked a few minutes later as Landon drove us toward the football stadium.

“It’s been good. Actually landed a deal to put the magazine in more stores,” I said casually as if it wasn’t a huge deal.

“Wait? The deal went through?” Josie squeezed my knee with an excited grin.

“Right before we left.”

“That’s fantastic news.” Evelyn beamed, reaching over the console to pat my leg.

It was a big deal. I’d been working on it for the last few months, all the late nights paying off. Soon, I wanted to have two issues a month instead of just one, and hopefully, this was a step in that direction.

Wyatt gave me a nod of approval over Josie’s head. “Congrats.”

“Thanks.” I felt my cheeks flame at the praise. My eyes lifted to meet Landon’s through the rearview mirror. He didn’t say anything, but I could’ve sworn I saw a flash of pride in his eyes before he looked away.

“Ready to see Mateo win?” Landon asked his mom, changing the subject. The slight tension in my shoulders from all the attention eased as the others jumped into the conversation about Mateo.

I met Landon’s gaze once more, giving him a look that I hoped showed I was grateful for the switch up. Butterflies erupted in my stomach over him noticing my discomfort. The fact he noticed at all lit something inside of me, something I didn’t want to think about right then.

With a quick shake of my head, I tuned back into the conversation, pushing Landon’s sweet action to the back of my mind.

Thirty minutes later, Landon pulled into the stadium parking lot, a sea of red and white as people arrived and headed for the entrance.

It should have only taken us fifteen minutes but the traffic was insane.

The amount of people spilling out of their cars around us made me glad we left when we did.

Who knew a university football playoff game would be so popular?

When Evelyn came around the side of the truck, her arms held a small pile of blankets that she handed to Josie and me. I was glad one of us thought of them with how cold it was.

As a group, we made our way through the crowd to the front entrance. We gained a few looks as we walked by but everyone seemed unfazed.

“Does it ever get annoying having people stare at you all the time?” I asked Wyatt as we waited in line to get through security.

“You get used to it. There’s only been a few cases where we’ve had to tell people to leave us alone,” Wyatt said. “As long as they don’t get too far into our personal space, we don’t mind.”

“All the guys secretly love it,” Evelyn leaned in to say. “Strokes their egos.”

I snorted at her words.

“Not our fault we ooze sex appeal.” Wyatt smirked.

“Sex appeal, my ass.” Landon grunted from behind me.

“You’re just jealous I’m the better brother.” Wyatt turned to look at Landon with a raised eyebrow.

Josie, who was standing in front of me, rolled her eyes at their antics. At least Mateo wasn’t here adding in as well. I swear, when all three Boone brothers were together, it was like dealing with toddlers.

“Just act like you don’t know them.” Josie hooked her arm with mine as we moved forward in line. At this point, she was used to their bickering.

Thankfully, their arguing ended when it was our turn to show our tickets. It only took three, “I’m such a huge fan of yours,” by the guards to get through, Wyatt taking it in stride with a smile and a thank you.

As we tried to navigate the crowd, a firm hand pressed against my lower back, keeping me from getting lost in the throng of people. Glancing over my shoulder, I found Landon standing right behind me, one palm pressed to my lower back and the other guiding his mom.

He was firm but gentle as he steered the three of us after Josie and Wyatt. He easily towered over a lot of the people around us. A few times, I got bumped but Landon was there to steady me, his large frame doing well at keeping people away.

Finally, we made it to an area that wasn’t as crowded and regrouped. With her phone in hand, Josie spoke loud enough for us all to hear.

“Tasha texted me and said they’re heading to the seats.”

“Let’s find them before coming back to get some drinks,” Wyatt suggested. The entire time we walked, Landon kept a hand on my back, making sure I was in front of him and with the group.

Excited chatter followed us as we found our section and headed down the stands. We were definitely on the right side of the stadium as our entire section was filled with the school’s colors. There were even a few people that had their faces painted.

We found our seats with no problem, and of course, they were the closest to the field, above where Mateo’s team would be. He’d have no trouble seeing us now.

“Hey, guys!” Josie greeted when we came to our row where Tasha, Trevor, Mila, and Bryton were already sitting.

“You made it.” Tasha said as she and the others stood.

“Traffic was insane. Almost as bad as Knights’ traffic on game day,” Josie commented as the guys went to hug Evelyn.