Page 38 of Kicked in the Heart

Coach Albertson grinned. “I’ll need to talk to the owner but I don’t have a problem with it. I hate to lose you.”

“Thanks, Coach,” Butch said and yawned again.

“We’ll get out here and let you sleep. Congrats to both of you for a great season.”

Chapter Nineteen

Six months later…

Butch

He stared at the back of the church, waiting for her to step through the doors. His heart thumped as if it would leap right out of his chest and his hands were clammy. He hadn’t been this nervous since he asked Wendy Mitchell out in seventh grade. His stomach joined the party, feeling a bit nauseous. Great.

The music changed and swelled. His heart stopped and he held his breath as the doors opened. Would she be standing there?

Air whooshed out of his lungs. She was there. He took in the simple white sheath dress clinging in all the right places and all the blood in his body raced down to his groin. He hoped his woody would go down before her father noticed.

She looked at him and his heart started thumping again. She was his. Somehow, the most beautiful girl in the world had fallen in love with him, a grouchy, womanizing asshole. Even as he’d tried to scare her off the team, something about her had tuggedat him, at his heart. And he fell. Hard. Thankfully, she’d fallen too.

Black and silver ribbons were wrapped around her bouquet of wildflowers, a nod to the Legends.

“You got lucky, man,” Trey whispered from beside him. They had kept the wedding small, only having a best man and maid of honor.

“No shit.”

He only had eyes for his bride as she walked up the aisle toward him and their new life together.

Getting to this point hadn’t been easy. First, he’d had physical therapy for his knee and that put him in a foul mood. He’d wanted to marry Rocky right away in a small courthouse ceremony, but she wanted the whole deal. The dress, the flowers, the reception. So, they waited until his knee was healed.

And now she stood in front of him. Her father kissed her and smiled before stepping away.

The ceremony was a blur. He must have replied correctly in the right places because he heard the minister say, “You may kiss the bride.”

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, placing his lips on hers. And there it was, that zing that set his body on fire. He kissed her to shouts and catcalls from their teammates.

And it was done. He was married to the prettiest kicker in the league. Now to get through the reception so they could be alone.

Rocky

When he ended the kiss, she looked up at him, her eyes full of love. “Love you, asshole,” she murmured with a smile.

He laughed and he squeezed her tighter until she almost couldn’t breathe. “Love you too, girl kicker,” he replied.

Hand in hand they walked up the aisle and out into the vestibule.

“Oh my God, you’re really married,” Kylie yelled as she hurried up to them and pulled Rocky into a hug.

“Don’t hog the bride,” Trey said as he bro-hugged Butch.

Kylie laughed and stepped back. “I’ll see if the photographer is ready for you guys.”

Trey swept Rocky into a hug and whispered in her ear, “Run off with me. He doesn’t deserve you.”

She hugged him back. “I know, but I love him.”

Trey gave her one last squeeze and hurried off, probably to set up something with the rest of the team.

She’d been right, the team had assembled to take a team picture with Rocky and Butch front and center with the victory trophy. She couldn’t wait to see how the picture turned out.