Page 6

Matty

I thrummed the steering wheel and looked over at Britt, who was gnawing at her bottom lip nervously. I had no idea why. My wife was glowing. More beautiful than the day I met her, and she was living her broadcasting dreams, letting me come along for the ride. To say I was proud of her would be an understatement.

“Everything okay, B?”

I asked, just making out the worry lines wrinkling her forehead before she glanced out of the passenger window. “Are you still feeling nauseous? I was hoping that had calmed down a little. Do you need me to pull over? Drive slower? Granted, I’m not sure I could go any slower than this traffic, but I’d try for you.”

Her hand instinctively dropped to her flat stomach, and she turned to me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I’m good. Everything’s fine.”

“Mhm. Then why is your leg shaking? Worried that the Atlanta fans are going to spot you in the Charlotte team’s box and start a riot? I wouldn’t blame you. Those fans can hold a grudge like nobody’s business.”

“I would be. Those fans can be vicious.”

“Not as vicious as when they found out my brother plays for their biggest rival.”

I winced, remembering sitting in the stands the day Max beat the Atlanta Armadillos in a near-perfect game during their post-season run. Fantastic for him, but Britt took a lot of flak for that. Either way, she survived, and the fans love her again. How could they not? She was perfect in every way.

She laughed lightly, her thumb still gently rubbing her belly. “No baseball fan is going to spot me in a football game box and care. I’ll be fine.”

“That’s what you think. The minute they sniff out that you’re supporting the Crossbills, there will be trouble.”

Her brows crossed. “I’m backing the Crossbills?”

“Yes. Devin and Tanner play on that team. Why wouldn’t you?”

She shrugged. “Because they didn’t offer Bryce the contract he wanted.

Right. How could I forget? A couple of years ago, her brother had been gunning for a $45 million deal, and they lowballed him with a measly forty. I wish those were the kinds of problems keeping me up at night.

“Besides,”

she added, “I’ve never seen Drew McCallister play in real life, and I’m excited to watch him dominate like always. The way he’s playing, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sticks around another fifteen years.”

I glanced over. Her face was lit up, eyes wide with admiration. I’d only ever seen her look like that one other time. When she was flat on her back, clutching the sheets after I used her vibrator on her.

“Aha. So there it is,”

I teased. “It’s not about football. You’re into the green eyes and that carved-from-stone jawline. Or maybe you’ve got a thing for the seasoned vet. I get it—total daddy vibes.”

She groaned, rolling her eyes. “Please. The only green eyes I ever want to get lost in are yours.”

“I know, B. I’m just joking with you.”

I quickly looked at her before focusing on the traffic-riddled street. She was still biting her bottom lip, trying to hide the worry in her face. Unfortunately, she couldn’t hide anything from me. It was a consequence from watching her all those years when we were ‘just friends.’ Sometimes, I felt like I knew her better than she knew herself. “If fans seeing you there isn’t worrying you, then what’s wrong?”

She looked down, rubbing her belly and offered me a small smile. “I don’t know. I think maybe I’m just a little nervous about seeing everyone.”

“Why? You saw Reign last month, you talk to Hayden almost daily and Thea’s always messaging you.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s just a lot has happened since I’ve seen their faces, and I don’t know how I’m going to keep this thing under wraps.”

I rested my hand over the one on her stomach and looked at her proudly. “You’re right. A lot has happened. The best thing besides marrying you in Vegas happened.”

She gave me a knowing smile. Pregnant with my child. After so many years of trying, we were finally going to be parents, and I couldn’t wait to see Britt as a mom. She’d flourish in the role, just like she did everything. “We could tell everyone tonight if you wanted?”

She batted my hand off hers and pointed toward the street. The light had turned green, and it was only a matter of seconds before someone laid on their horn. Not that it would help—we weren’t going anywhere fast. Super Bowl traffic was even worse than usual, which was saying something. Honestly, we could probably walk to the stadium quicker than this.

“No. It’s too early and we haven’t told our family. Besides, it’s Tanner and Devin’s night. I’m not going to ruin it by making it about me.”

“Ruin it? How could our baby girl ruin anything? It’s not like people aren’t expecting it. We’ve been married for five years now, trying for three.”

She looked over at me with her chin dipped. “Married still feels pretty strong since neither one of us can remember it.”

I shrugged, still rolling the car along the way the parking lot. “I remember it. It’s banked with all of the best decisions of my life. It’s right up there with the day I saw you across the fire freshman year and just had to talk to you. It didn’t matter that Olana had wheedled her way into my life. The only girl I saw after that was you.”

She dropped her head to the floor, and I immediately regretted bringing up my ex. Thing is, in my brain, Britt and Olana don’t even orbit the same solar system. Britt’s the whole damn galaxy—funny, sharp, completely out of my league. And yet somehow, despite being the hottest woman I’ve ever touched without needing a signed permission slip, she still gets weird about Olana. Which is ironic, because back in college, I only dated Olana because I genuinely believed I’d never land a bombshell like Britt. And now here I am, eating my words. And apparently, my foot.

As we rolled to another stop, I slipped my hand over hers. “We may have agreed to put the wedding plans on hold while we focus on IVF, but that doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten. You’re still getting the full fairy-tale—dress, aisle, brothers ugly-crying in the front row. I want to give you everything, always.”

She smirked and pointed to her belly. “Well, unless we rush it, it’ll be a shotgun wedding. And I don’t think I can waddle down the aisle in heels.”

“That’s not what I was thinking,”

I said, shifting gears—literally and emotionally. She turned her head, brow lifted, waiting for more. As we reached the gates, I grabbed the VIP parking pass from the console and tossed it onto the dash for scanning.

“Oh, and what were you thinking, Mr. Mathieson?”

she asked, teasingly.

“Well, Mrs. Mathieson,”

I said, matching her tone, “I was thinking we wait until after she’s born. Then, we do a vow renewal. Something special. Something she can be part of.”

“As what? A flower girl? She’d have to be walking for that. When on earth are you planning this for?”

“August 28th when she’s three-years-old,”

I said without losing a beat because I’d done the math months ago.

“That’s oddly specific.”

The gatekeeper saw my pass and directed me to the right when all the other cars were going left. It was nice that Tanner and Devin had decided to get a family box together and invite us all to be there. Super bowl tickets aren’t cheap, and I was almost certain they had to drop a million each to get it, but I wasn’t complaining.

“August 28th is our ten-year anniversary.”

I rolled my Land Rover into a parking space, and although it was nice, it couldn’t compete with the Lamborghinis and the McClaren’s parked close by. I didn’t care. We didn’t need to be flashy about our wealth because the most important things we had were each other.

“No, it’s not. We got married July 12th. As sweet as that sounds, if we wanted a vow renewal on our tenth anniversary, we’d have to wait until she’s five for that.”

I chuckled as I turned off the engine and turned to look at her. “That’s not the anniversary I’m marking. August 28th, Freshman Year was the day my life changed because it was the day I met you. Just one look at you, and I knew I was never going to be the same. Still can’t believe my opening line was about our s’mores being stuck together. Little did you know, you’d be stuck with me. We may not have had the most conventional starts, but damn, I’m so happy I kissed you at Dev’s wedding.”

“I’m happy I married you at Reign’s wedding.”

“Do you want to know the other day I’m happy for?”

She raised a brow. “October 12th.”

“Is that date supposed to have some kind of importance to me?”

“It should,”

I said, unable to hide my grin because the memory of that night was seared into my brain. “It’s the day I learned your vibrator is my friend, not my enemy.”

Oh, the number of toys I’d hacked into since that day was obscene. What could I say? Britt enjoyed it and I enjoyed watching her.

Her jaw dropped, her face flushing red as she slapped me playfully across the chest. “Matty! We’re in the parking lot.”

“In our car with the windows up. No one heard.”

She looked around, noting all the people and slumped in her seat. “Still. Some people can lip read, you know.”

She shook her head. “I also can’t believe that’s one of the most important dates to you.”

“Babe. I’ll be eighty in a rocking chair still thinking about that moment.”

“Pervert.”

I pulled into a parking space and as I turned the engine off; I glanced over at my wife and offered her my hand. Her lashes fluttered down, and she studied my palm for a second before she dropped her hand in mine. Her engagement ring sparkled in the light, and I couldn’t help myself. I lifted her hands to my lips, kissing every single knuckle, then the rock itself.

“I love every single thing about you. There is no other person I’d rather be sharing my life with than you.”

I flicked my gaze to her belly. She was only sixteen weeks pregnant; her food babies were bigger than the little peanut inside her right now, but I couldn’t wait to see that change. “And our baby, of course. I will do everything I can to protect the two of you.”

Her eyes glistened, her smile filled with happiness as she leaned over the console and kissed me. As we sat in the car, ready to go to a football game, I looked into my wife’s eyes and smiled. Life couldn’t get better than this.

“Are you ready to see our old friends?”

“More than ever.”

The security guard checked our passes one last time, his eyes lingering just a second too long on Britt. I couldn't blame him. She had that effect on people. Radiant, stunning, and somehow even more beautiful with the secret glow of early pregnancy.

“You're all set, Mr. and Mrs. Mathieson,”

he said, stepping aside to let us through.

I placed my hand on the small of Britt's back as we navigated the winding corridors of the stadium. Screens mounted on the walls showed pundits already dissecting every possible angle of the upcoming matchup. The electric pre-game buzz filled the air and I was excited for Devin and Tanner.

“Weird, isn't it?”

I said as we stepped into the elevator. “Watching our friends play on the biggest stage in football when it feels like just yesterday you were coming over and visiting us when we lived in Aiden’s house.”

Britt smiled, leaning against me. “Remember that Halloween party I went to with Adam?”

“How could I forget? That catsuit. That ponytail. Fuck, I wanted you so badly back then.”

“Same,”

she said softly. “Don’t you ever wish we’d talked about things between us sooner?”

“No. We wouldn’t be together without everything that happened between us. With Adam, with Olana. We were tested as friends before we ever had the privilege of being lovers, and that fact makes me appreciate you so much more.”

I leaned in and kissed her in what was supposed to be a soft, tender moment, but Britt had other plans. Her hands clasped my jaw before she threaded her fingers through my hair, pulling me deep so she was all the way at the back of the elevator.

My hands landed on the elevator wall. “What’s this for?”

I muttered against her mouth, not stopping her.

She dragged her lips to my jaw. “Since we were walking down memory lane, I thought I’d just remind you what happened last time we were in an elevator rooting for Devin.”

My thoughts immediately turned to their wedding… our wedding. The night that changed everything. “We barely made it to the bedroom.”

“I want you.”

She tugged me down so our forehead touched, looking at me with a pained expression.

I smirked. “Seriously? You’ve been insatiable lately.”

“You think I don’ know that? These hormones are killing me.”

Her hand was already at my waistband, tugging at the button.

“We can’t do this in here,”

I said, grabbing her wrist before she could go any further. I was already getting hard at the mere idea of taking her up against the wall. “We’ll get kicked out.”

She jutted her bottom lip out in a perfect pout. “But you said I looked hot in this.”

She looked down to her red Crossbills jersey.

“You do,”

I growled. “Which is exactly why I can’t let you jump me in an elevator.”

She whined, dragging her hands slowly down my chest, her fingers grazing a spot she knew made me twitch. “Fine.”

I kissed her again, slower this time, letting I linger just a little. “I promise,”

I said, voice low and rough against her ear, “tonight, when we’re back home, I’m going to lay you down and eat you until you’re dripping down your thighs.”

She sucked in a breath.

“And then I’m going to do it again,” I added.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and she immediately pushed me away, and with her cheeks flushed, she smoothed down her jersey pretending she hadn’t just asked to get railed six floors up from the field.

A middle-aged usher who was about to step into the elevator stopped himself when he locked eyes with us.

“Going down?”

he asked with a raised brow.

“No, uh, up,”

Britt replied.

He stepped back, letting the doors shut. She glanced at me, her eyes sparkling. “You better not fall asleep after the game.”

I smirked. “After what you just pulled? I won’t even sit down.”

The elevator dinged, opening to the exclusive level housing the private boxes. The hallway was all gleaming wood and plush carpet, dotted with well-dressed people holding champagne flutes.

“There they are,”

Britt said, nodding toward a couple standing outside one of the suites.

Adam and Hayden turned at the sound of our approach, their faces lighting up with recognition. Adam looked good. He was more relaxed than I'd seen him in years, the haunted look he'd carried after his injury finally faded from his eyes. Hayden, as always, was the picture of quiet grace beside him.

“Well, well, well. Look who finally made it!”

Adam called out, breaking into a wide grin. He pulled me into one of those half-hugs, half-handshakes that guys do when they haven't seen each other in too long.

“Traffic was a nightmare,”

I explained, watching as Britt embraced Hayden warmly. “We should've just taken the Chally helicopter like I suggested.”

Britt rolled her eyes. “I’m here on personal business today, Matty. They don’t just loan that thing out.”

“Don’t need to loan it out. I could just hack their systems and rearrange the flights.”

Brit turned to Hayden. “He’s joking. Mostly.”

“No, he's not,”

Hayden laughed. “Have you met your husband? He'd do anything to make you happy.”

“Damn right. Life's too short for traffic,”

I said, grinning.

We stepped into the suite, and I let out a low whistle the second I saw the 50 yard line with our floor-to-ceiling view. There was a full bar with a spread of food that would put most five-star restaurants to shame.

“So this is how the other half lives,”

I joked, knowing full well we were all part of that 'other half' now, in one way or another. It still felt surreal sometimes.

“Where is everyone?”

Britt asked, glancing around the sparsely populated suite. “I thought we were meeting the whole crew up here?”

Adam chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. “Well, Devin and Tanner are down with the team, obviously. Aster’s working tonight and Reign's wrangling the kids with Chloe and Devin's mom. They should be up any minute.”

“What about the others? Aiden and Alyssa? Thea and Jackson?”

Britt asked.

“Thea and Jackson are down in the press area,”

Adam explained. “Something about filming pre-game content for their channel.”

“And Aiden and Alyssa...”

Hayden trailed off, her lips twitching.

“Bathroom,”

Adam finished with a pointed look. “For the last twenty minutes.”

“They're having sex in the bathroom?”

Britt asked, her voice rising an octave before she caught herself and lowered it to a conspiratorial whisper. “At the Super Bowl? With everyone around?”

“It's Aiden,”

all three of us said in perfect unison, then burst out laughing.

“Some things never change,”

I added, shaking my head. “Remember when we caught them in the equipment shed during graduation rehearsal?”

“Or in the janitor's closet during Aiden’s final game,”

Adam added.

Britt turned to me. “Do you think I should go and help Thea and Jackson? I know she’s in talks with Chally and I’ve done the circuit before. I could help. The Super Bowl is an insane place to audition your show.”

I placed my hands gently on her shoulders. “B, it's your day off. Your first in weeks. You don't need to be everything to everyone all the time.”

She looked up at me, those beautiful eyes of hers softening. “But if they need help—”

“Then they'll ask,”

I said firmly. “Trust me, Thea's got this. She's interviewed plenty of quarterbacks before. She can handle this. You need to relax.”

My gaze drifted down to her stomach.

Adam looked between us curiously. “Everything okay?”

“Perfect,”

Britt answered quickly. Too quickly. But she recovered with a smile, moving her hand casually away from being anywhere near her stomach. “Just taking in the moment. It's not every day you get to see your college friends play in the Super Bowl.”

“Hey, Britt,”

Hayden said, “would you mind helping me grab some drinks from the bar? I'm dying for something that isn't hotel coffee.”

Britt nodded, following Hayden to the other side of the suite. I watched them go, a small part of me wondering if Hayden suspected anything. Britt and I had gotten pretty good at keeping secrets, though. Three years of unsuccessful fertility treatments had taught us that much.

“So,”

Adam said, clapping me on the shoulder, “how've you been, man? Still tearing up the tech world?”

I tore my eyes away from Britt and focused on Adam. “Something like that. The new security algorithm's been keeping me busy. But enough about me, congratulations on the new job at Rome U! Offensive coordinator is a big deal.”

Adam ducked his head, a flush creeping up his neck. “Thanks, man. It's... it's a good gig.”

“Good? It's fantastic. You're coaching at one of the top programs in the country. That's huge.”

He shrugged, looking almost embarrassed by the praise. “It's not the NFL, but—”

“But nothing,”

I cut him off. “You're doing what you love, making a difference with those kids. I saw what you did with that high school team in Charlotte. State champions, right?”

“Yeah,”

he admitted, a small smile finally breaking through. “Those kids worked their asses off.”

“And now you get to do it at the college level. Seriously, man, you should be proud. You've built an amazing life.”

Adam glanced across the suite to where Hayden was laughing with Britt. “I got lucky,”

he said softly.

“How's Autumn doing?”

I asked. “Must be getting big now.”

Adam's expression softened slightly, a small smile spreading across his face.

“She's incredible. Four going on forty, I swear. Smart as a whip, just like her mom.”

His eyes brightened with pride. “The other day, she corrected my blocking scheme diagram. Told me I'd drawn it wrong.”

He laughed, and I caught the quick blink that suggested maybe his eyes had gotten just a little misty. Nothing dramatic, just the subtle tell of a proud dad. “She's something else.”

I was about to respond when the suite door opened, and in sauntered Aiden with Alyssa close behind. His hair was slightly disheveled, and her lipstick was noticeably touched up—freshly applied but not quite even. Subtle, they were not.

“Well, well, look who finally decided to join us,”

I mumbled to Adam. “Get lost on your way to the suite?”

I asked Aiden.

Aiden's face remained perfectly neutral as he adjusted his cuffs. “Had to make a call. Very important business. You wouldn't understand, Mathieson.”

“A call,”

Adam repeated, not even trying to hide his disbelief. “In the bathroom. For twenty minutes.”

Alyssa's cheeks flushed pink as she smoothed down her dress. “We were, um, having an argument about the layout of one of our new projects.”

“Oh, I bet you were,”

I laughed.

Before Aiden could respond with what would undoubtedly be an even more ridiculous excuse, the suite door burst open again. A small hurricane of children came barreling in, followed by an exhausted-looking Reign, Chloe, and Devin's mom.

“Uncle Matty!”

Delaney’s voice rang out as she spotted me. She sprinted across the suite and launched herself at me with the confidence of a child who knew she'd always be caught.

I scooped her up, spinning her around. “There's my joint-favorite niece! Look at you. Did you grow a foot since Christmas?”

She giggled, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Only like two inches. Daddy measured us last week.”

I set her down as the rest of the Walker brood swarmed around us. Jace and Kyle were already racing around the suite, while Georgia tugged at Adam's sleeve, demanding to know where Autumn was. Cole hung back a bit, trying to look cool even though I could tell he was bursting with excitement.

“Sorry about the chaos,”

Reign said, looking like she hadn't slept in days but somehow still radiant. “They've been eating sugar since dawn. We’ll take them out to visit the mascots once the crowds have died down in the family area soon.”

“I told you those donuts were a mistake,”

Chloe added, dropping into the nearest chair.

I laughed, watching as the kids explored every inch of the suite. “Nah, they're perfect. It wouldn't be a real reunion without the Walker tornado.”

Britt returned with Hayden, both of them holding drinks. I noticed Britt had what looked like sparkling water, though she'd positioned it casually in a champagne flute. Smart move.

“Alright, everyone grab a seat!”

Reign called out, somehow managing to corral five energetic children toward the front row of seats. “The teams will be coming out for warmups soon.”

As we settled in, I wrapped my arm around Britt's shoulders, pulling her close. She looked up at me, eyes dancing with a question.

“Hayden suspect anything?”

I whispered.

She shook her head. “No one knows. Our secret's still safe.”

She leaned her head against my shoulder, a small smile playing on her lips. “Good. I want to wait until we're past the first trimester. After everything we've been through...”

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the familiar scent of her shampoo. “I love you, you know that?”

“I know,”

she murmured. “I love you too.”

On the field below, the first players were emerging for warmups. The crowd roared as Devin jogged out, and our entire suite erupted in cheers. Delaney and Georgia pressed their faces against the glass, waving frantically even though there was no way he could see them from this distance.

“There he is,”

Britt said, her voice soft with affection. “Our friend the superstar.”

I thought about how far we'd all come from those days at Covey U. The unexpected twists and turns that led us here, to this moment. Devin about to play in the Super Bowl. Tanner right alongside him. Thea building her media empire. Adam finding his purpose beyond the field. Aiden still being Aiden, apparently.

And us. Me and Britt. Married, successful, and now, finally, starting the family we'd dreamed of.

“You know what's funny?”

I said, watching as more players filtered onto the field. “When we all met, I never would have predicted any of this. Not in a million years.”

Britt looked up at me, her eyes soft. “What would you have predicted?”

I thought for a moment. “Honestly? I just wanted to date the pretty girl I met at the bonfire. Everything else was a bonus.”

She laughed, leaning up to press a quick kiss to my lips. “Well, for what it's worth, I'm glad we're here. All of us. Together.”

“Me too, B,”

I said, pulling her closer as the stadium lights dimmed for the pre-game show. “Me too.”