Page 31 of Hard Count (Newhouse University #4)

Stepping back, I search the field for my guys. Alex and Lucas are running on opposite sides. I just need one of them to get open. Come on. Lose your man. I’m wasting too much time. One of their defenders breaks our offensive line and starts chasing me. Fuck.

I finally spot an opening with Lucas. I launch the ball just as I’m being taken down. Everything that could go wrong does all at once. I get knocked on my ass, the ball gets picked off, and the clock runs out. Fuck!

“I’m sorry. He came out of nowhere,” Lucas says as we can congratulate the other team on the field.

“It wasn’t your fault. Nothing to be sorry about.” I slap Lucas on the back and run up to Bowman, Texas’s quarterback.

“Good game, Pierce,” Bowman says.

“Shouldn’t I be the one telling you that?”

“I have a feeling we’ll be seeing you again before the season ends.” He slaps my back and runs off with his team.

I jog back to our sideline, congratulating more of the Texas team as I go. This is our first loss of the year and it’s leaving a sour feeling in my stomach. We should have won. We should have had it. If it weren’t for my mistakes…

“Don’t beat yourself up,” Coach says. “You fought hard. The media is going to try and focus on the first half of the game but don’t let them. You remind them of how you came back. You didn't quit working for the win and that's what's important.”

“I ended the game with an interception. ”

“Your throw was not the problem. You were on target. It was out of your control.” He clasps a hand on the top of my shoulder.

He might be right but it doesn’t eliminate the anxiety thrumming through my body. I need Drew . My eyes find hers looking back at me with concern. I step toward the stands.

“Interviews first,” Coach says. I give him a nod but I don’t plan on making her wait long. I need to feel her in my arms the second I’m done talking to the press.

“Eli, wait up,” I shout. He’s on his way to see Frankie. “Can you get Drew for me? I have to get ready for interviews but I want her there.”

“Yeah, man. I’ll bring her to see you.”

“Thanks.” We shake hands and hug one-handed.

Drew’s brows bend in confusion when I back away from Eli and catch up to where Coach Prescott is waiting for me.

Hopefully she understands why I’m not able to see her first like I usually do.

When we win, the press allows us a little more time to celebrate.

As the quarterback of the losing team, I’m expected to explain where everything went wrong and how we plan on coming back.

I take off my pads and head straight to our press room. I answer their questions the best I can without showing how on edge I actually feel. I focus on the positive aspects of the game and avoid dwelling on my mistakes like Coach said. We've lost games before but this one feels different.

The past few weeks I’ve been playing like I used to in high school. I’ve had my confidence back. The mental exercises I’ve been practicing with Drew have been working. And now, it feels like I’m spiraling back to where I was before the season started.

Leaving the press room, I’m immediately searching for Drew. “Where is she?” I ask Eli when I spot him in the locker room. His face falls. “Where is she?” I ask again, a little more aggressively than I should be toward my best friend.

“Frankie took her home.”

“What? Why? What happened?”

“I don’t know. Frankie sent me a text from her car and said she was taking Drew home and would meet me at our house.” He shrugs. “Sorry. That’s all I have.”

I change, shower, and make it to her apartment in record time. I don’t understand what happened to make her leave without me. My skin is itchy below the surface. I won't be able to calm down until I have eyes on her.

Knocking a few times, I rest my head on the door while I wait for her to answer. There’s a sense of desperation swimming in my veins. The door opens and my eyes lock with hers. I don’t hesitate. I sweep her into my arms and bury my face in her neck.

“Why didn’t you wait for me?” I ask, brushing her hair off her face.

“You walked off with my dad. I thought you wanted—needed—space after a loss. I didn’t think you wanted me around.”

I set her down on her couch. Then I close and lock her front door.

“Is Frankie still here?” I ask. She shakes her head.

“Baby.” I get on my knees in front of her.

“I need you. You are the first person—the only person—I want to be around whether I win or lose . I don’t just want you around when things are going well.

I need you for the tough shit too.” I run my hands up her bare thighs and give them a squeeze.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” She exhales a shaky breath. I change positions and sit beside her. She climbs into my lap and pulls my head against her chest. Minutes pass as she holds me and everything fades into the background. All I hear is the steady thrum of her heart beating in her chest.

“This is exactly what I needed,” I mumble. “Thank you, baby.” I tighten my hold on her.

“You played really well.” Her fingers skim the back of my head, calming my frayed nerves. “You stayed composed and in charge the whole game. You were sharp and made smart decisions.”

“And we still lost because of an interception.”

“That’s not why you lost. You can’t take the blame every time it doesn’t go your way. There are a lot of factors at play. You have to believe in yourself. Everyone else does.”

Lifting my head, I press a kiss to her lips. “You’re always so confident when it comes to me and football. You know your dad said something about you always believing in me in the fourth quarter.”

“Oh yeah?” She drops her gaze and if I had to guess she’s spinning her bracelet around her wrist behind my back.

“He gave me a nice pep talk. He said you were right about me. What did he mean?”

“I don’ t know. Are you hungry? I think we have stuff to make a sandwich or maybe a few Lunchables in the fridge. Let me check.” She scrambles off my lap. I grab hold of her hips and pull her back towards me until she’s standing between my legs.

“Please don’t run from me. I’m really trying here.

If you can’t meet me halfway…” I tip her chin up when her head falls toward the floor.

“I will drag your ass. That’s how much I want this with you.

I’ll wait for you to work through what you need to.

” I run my thumb over the broken heart tattoo on her wrist. “But you need to know that I want it all. I’ll take all your messy, your funny, your brilliance, and your sexy too.

” I palm her ass and squeeze. “I want all of you.”

“I want to give that to you. I'm trying,” she whispers and exhales a slow breath. Then glances at her phone sitting on the side table. “I’ll show you what he’s talking about but I can’t be in the same room with you while you watch. It’s too embarrassing.”

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Not with me.”

She laughs dryly. “That’s easy for you to say.” She grabs her phone and starts clicking and scrolling around. “This was a really good day with my dad. I hadn’t felt that connected to him in a long time. Give me a minute before you hit play.” She passes me her phone and kisses the top of my head.

Once she’s out of sight down the hallway, I look at her phone. The video is dated five years ago. What does this have to do with me if it’s from that long ago? We didn’t even know each other .

I hit play and a younger version of my girlfriend pops up on the screen. She’s still gorgeous even at seventeen with her bright green eyes and freckled face.

“Drew here going live once again with Coach Prescott as we make our next pick for Newhouse University,” she says, scanning the room which looks like Coach’s office.

“Do you really have to film everything?” he asks.

“Yes. Don’t be a grump. You’ll thank me one day. What position are we looking at now?”

“Quarterback,” he answers.

“Oooh.” Her eyebrows wiggle at the camera, making me laugh. “Who’s on your list?” She turns the camera toward her dad.

“Sharp, Jenkins, and Curtis,” he says, flipping through papers. Wait, five years? That was when I got my offer from Newhouse but I wasn’t on their radar. My heart sinks to my stomach. My dream school wasn’t even looking at me. How did I—

“What about Pierce?” she asks, cutting off my thoughts.

“No one went to see him. He wasn’t on our list.”

“He was on my list. You need to look at him,” she says frantically.

“There aren’t enough games left in the season to get film on him. The offers have to be ready in two weeks. I can’t get my recruiting staff there in time and watch him play.”

“I’ve already seen him. I’ve been going to his games and recording him.

” She fumbles with the phone and it suddenly goes black.

“Here, put this in your laptop. Please, Dad, just watch him. He’s incredible.

Fast on his feet. Cool under pressure. He knows how to read a defense and make last minute adjustments.

He's everything you look for in a quarterback. Please, do this for me.” She picks up her phone and cuts it to her dad’s computer.

Clips of me playing from my sophomore and junior year of high school flash on the screen. My vision begins to blur as tears fill my eyes. I don’t think Drew realizes the enormity of what she did for me at this moment.

“He’s good, right?” she asks, holding the phone out so they’re both on the screen.

“He is but I don’t know if we can make it work. We have other players lined up.”

She lean over the desk and closer to her dad's face. “You told me if you believe in something bad enough you make it work, you fight for it. I believe in him. I’m fighting for Nash Pierce. I chose him. He’s our guy.”

He sighs, resignation sinking in that he's no competition for his fierce daughter. “Can I keep this?” He points to the flash drive in his laptop.

“Yep. I made your staff a copy, too, and a full report on his high school career so far.” She grins.

“Of course you did,” he says with a lift to his lips.

She fought for me. I wasn’t a thought for their roster until she made them look at me. She shifted my life five years ago and she’s doing it again without even trying.