Page 97 of Owned By The Cowboy

“How’s our boy looking?” Blayne asks Tommy, settling in next to him.

“Good. Confident. Coach has him running some new plays tonight.”

“Where are the girls?” Carlos asks.

“Nia’s with the band, and Annalise is…” I look around and spot her with my parents a few rows down. “With Grandma and Grandpa.”

The band starts playing the national anthem, and we all stand up. I spot Nia in the clarinet section, looking serious and focused in her uniform. She’s made friends with some of the other band kids, and I can see her chatting with a girl next to her between songs.

The game starts, and for the next two hours, I get to watch my son do something he loves and is really good at. Jaylen throws three touchdown passes, including one in the fourth quarterthat wins the game, and by the time it’s over, I’m hoarse from screaming.

“That’s my boy!” Blayne shouts when Jaylen throws the winning pass, and the pride in his voice makes my chest warm.

After the game, we wait for Jaylen to get changed and cleaned up. The stadium is emptying out, but we’re in no hurry. This is one of those perfect nights, cool air, clear sky, our team winning, our family all together.

“You want to get out of here?” Blayne asks me quietly while the others are talking.

“Where?”

“Somewhere we can be alone for a few minutes.”

“The kids…”

“The kids are fine. Your parents have Annalise, Nia’s going to some party, and Jaylen’s gonna want to celebrate with his teammates.”

“What about the guys?”

“They can entertain themselves.”

I look around at our little group.

“Ten minutes,” I tell Blayne.

“Twenty.”

“Fifteen.”

“Deal.” We’re grinning at each other like two idiots.

We tell the others we’ll be back, that we’re going to walk around and stretch our legs. And it’s technically not a lie…

Blayne leads me away from the bleachers, toward the back of the stadium where it’s darker and quieter. There’s a little area behind the concession stand where the maintenance equipment is stored, and it’s completely private.

“This is very high school of you,” I tell him as he backs me up against the wall.

“Feeling nostalgic.”

“You didn’t go to high school here.”

“No, but if I had, this is definitely where I would’ve brought you.”

“You think teenage me would’ve snuck around with bad boy you?”

“I think teenage you would’ve driven me out of my mind.”

“Good thing you didn’t meet me when I was a teen then.”

He kisses me then, slow and deep, and I can taste the drink he had during the game and something that’s purely him. His hands find my waist, pulling me closer, and I let myself get lost in the feeling of being wanted like this.