Page 17

Chapter seventeen

Janae

T wo weeks have gone by since the last time I saw Shane, and my life is now just as mundane as it was before. All I do is go to work, go back home and continue my online course for the flower shop. Sometimes I allow myself to get lost in a book, but even my book boyfriends don’t compare to Shane.

He was perfect. Except that he lied to you about his job. I still wonder why he lied, because honestly, I can’t wrap my head around it. But it doesn’t matter. It’s time to move on.

I pour myself a cup of coffee when Sam walks into the kitchen and singsongs, “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” I mumble to her as she stops at the coffee pot next to me.

She stops in her tracks and looks me dead in the eye before saying, “Nope. We’re not doing this anymore. You are coming with me today.”

My brows come together in confusion as Sam begins pouring herself a cup of coffee. We sit in silence but curiosity gets the best of me, so I ask, “Where are we going?”

She sips her coffee. “To Kade’s first game,” she says nonchalantly.

“Uh, what?” I screech.

“To his first football game. You should get dressed soon so we’re not late,” she says as she looks me up and down. That’s when I realize that she’s wearing a Vegas Vipers shirt. Is that the name of their football team? Nope, don’t care.

“No. I’m going to stay home. I don’t like football,” I tell her.

“Nope, you’re coming. Jermaine and Jasmine are already on their way,” she says.

“You brought my brother and sister into this?” I ask.

“Yep, it’s time to pull out the big guns. Now, go get dressed,” she says.

Knowing that none of them will let me get out of this, I turn away and slink back to my room to get ready. What does someone even wear to a football game?

Entering my room, I don’t have to wonder long because there is a Vegas Vipers shirt sitting on my bed. My guess is that Sam put it there. I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, hoping I’ll be able to get through today.

How did I end up here? I’ve asked myself this a million times in the last hour that we’ve been here. I’m sitting in the front row on the fifty-yard line with a Las Vegas Viper’s shirt on, and letting Jasmine put a stupid tattoo of a glittery silver number twenty-three on my cheek. I don’t even know why that number. I assume it’s some football thing. At the time, it seemed like a good way to shut her up, but now I’m regretting it.

The crowd cheers loudly and everyone around me stands up in their seats, yelling and clapping. My eyes go to the jumbotron and I see that Shane made another touchdown, or at least that’s what I think it’s called. When I told him I didn’t know anything about sports, I meant it. I’ve never been interested in learning about any sport.

After a few minutes, the cheers calm down and most people, including my brother, return to sitting in their seats.

The moment his butt touches the seat, I turn toward him and ask, “Is this almost over?”

“Stop being a sour puss. Yes, it’s almost over,” he says, returning his gaze back to the game.

Jasmine pulls my attention to her when she screams, “Isn’t this fun? I can’t believe Sam is dating a professional football player.”

“Whoa. Whoa. No one said anything about dating,” Sam yells from next to her.

Jasmine rolls her eyes at Sam’s words. “Whatever. Can you introduce me to one of his friends?”

“Sure. I’ll ask Kade,” she says, but the crowd begins cheering again, interrupting their conversation.

I watch in amazement as they both get wrapped up in the game. My eyes go to the field, but I try to avoid looking at Shane. Which is easier said than done, especially when he’s the one who is making all the plays.

“Whoa. Shane Mitchell is on fire . Welcome to the NFL,” the announcers say. A wave of sadness and pride washes over me. My heart breaks at the idea of not being next to him as he accomplishes everything he’s set out to do.

Jermaine comes over to me and says, “I told you the game was almost over.”

His words grab my attention and I look over at the field. The players are dispersed around the field, some congratulating each other, others talking with the media. Shrugging my shoulders, I guessed he was right. It looks like the game is over.

“Should we go then?” I ask him as I look around the stadium and see people leaving.

“Sam says we need to wait for Kade,” he says, looking out at the field.

“Okay,” I say, searching among the sea of people.

“Are you looking for him?” my sister asks me, pulling my attention to her.

“No,” I deny immediately.

“Are you sure?” she says, lifting one of her brows up at me.

“You might want to look over there,” my brother chimes in, pointing me in the direction of three players holding up signs.

The first one reads my name. Wait. I turn back toward my brother and ask, “What’s going on?”

“Keep reading, Janae,” he tells me.

Returning to the signs, I read them:

Janae. I’m. Sorry.

Looking closer, I realize that Kade, Shane and some other guy I don’t know are holding those signs. All three of them are still in their uniforms and at that moment, I realize why Sam put the number twenty-three on my cheek. What a sly friend I have. I take a deep breath at seeing him again. I’ve been even more miserable since I told him to leave me alone. Every day I hoped that he would text me but disappointment took over me every night when he didn’t. What did I expect, I told him to leave.

“Are you going to talk to him?” Sam asks me with a knowing smile.

I stand up from my seat. “Yeah. I’m going to talk with him.”

Making my way down the stadium stairs, I get to the field when the security guard looks over his shoulder at Shane who nods to let me on. I watch Shane drop the sign he is holding as I slowly walk over to where he’s standing. Dread wells up in my stomach the whole time I’m walking toward him, not knowing what to expect. Even though I missed him, I’m also still mad that he lied to me. It’s all so confusing.

He meets me halfway across the field, stopping right in front of me. I’m waiting for what he has to say, feeling everyone’s eyes on me. Shane grips my waist, pulling me into him as he rests his forehead on mine. I love it when he holds me like this.

“I want to keep this part private. Janae, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you about being a football player. I’ve had people use me, especially girls, just for being a football player. And when you didn’t know who I was, I thought maybe this was my moment to get you to like me for me, and not my job. Seriously, Janae, I’m sorry,” he whispers.

I think about his words, and they melt my heart. The idea that someone would use him and not just love him for him guts me. He’s perfect. Goofy. Loyal. Understanding. Gorgeous.

I understand where he’s coming from, leaving me to whisper back, “I forgive you, Shane. But please don’t lie to me again. I have issues with that.”

“Never again,” he vows.

Taking a step back, he gives me his signature devilish smile and I can feel my body start to tingle, and I know he’s about to do something else.

“Janae. I’ve been enamored by you since the moment you rushed into the bar for our blind date. Will you be my girlfriend and go on another second date?” he yells, loudly pulling everyone’s attention.

I let out a huge laugh as I bring my hands to my face. I don’t answer right away, trying to make him sweat a bit, but it backfires because the people around us start chanting, “Say Yes.”

Another laugh bursts from me and I don’t have words to speak. Smiling at the man of my dreams, I nod my head. The crowd erupts into cheers. Shane opens his arms, and I know exactly what he wants. I run and jump into his arms, crashing my lips to his.

He pulls away briefly smiling. “Baby girl, we might’ve won the game, but this is the best prize.”

“Just take me home,” I say before kissing him once again as everyone around us fades away.

I could do this forever.