Page 25 of The Game Plan

January 25th, 2026

The lightsof Neyland shone brightly over the field of the stadium, the Kings silver crown stark against the green grass.

Sutton tugged her jacket tighter around her as she followed Amy to their seats, a large section for the wives and girlfriends of the players near the field.

“Here they are,” Amy said, motioning to the large group of at least twenty-five women in the section, all decked out in Kings merchandise of all kinds to represent the team.

“These are great seats,” Sutton said as she took hers. She tucked her small purse into her lap, opting for the smaller one for the game instead of her daily bag.

It was also blue, so she was happy it matched the team’s colors since she didn’t have anything else that did.

“Carter made sure to get good ones,” Amy said.

They were in the stands right on the field at the ten-yard line and were able to see all the action.

“Carter paid for all these seats?” Sutton asked, looking around. “That’s generous.”

“Most of the guys pitched in for their significant others, but he paid for those who couldn’t.” She nudged Sutton’s arm. “Reese paid for yours.”

Sutton’s eyes widened. “He did?”

“Do you see them yet, Amy?” Hailey asked, drawing Sutton’s attention away from Amy. She stretched in her seat, trying to get a look at the Kings entrance onto the field.

“The game doesn’t start for another ten minutes,” Nicole commented. She glanced at Sutton. “Do you not have a jersey?”

Sutton shook her head. “I wasn’t sure he’d want me to wear it. We just started dating, so I didn’t want to assume anything.” She looked around and felt a little out of place.

Nicole, Amy, and Hailey all wore jerseys with their guys’ numbers—43, 7, and 18.

“Of course he’d want you to wear it,” Nicole said. “It’s showing support for your man and the team.”

“Sutton Cooke!”

Sutton turned at the sound of her name, watching as a gentleman came down the stand stairs.

“That’s me,” she said. She made her way past Amy to the stairs and met the man. “What can I do for you?”

“Special delivery,” he said, handing her an unwrapped jersey. She shook it out, Reese’s number 37 staring back at her. She turned it around to see his name on the back.

That’s not freaky at all.

A chorus of aww came from the section, and she turned to look at the group, who were all now staring at her.

“Put it on!” Nicole shouted, the rest of the group cheering her on.

She shrugged off her jacket and handed it to Amy, who tossed it into her seat. Sliding it over her head, she straightened it out, looking down at the number.

More cheers erupted from the group as she walked down to re-take her seat.

“Did you guys get it for me?” Sutton asked.

Amy shook her head. “We didn’t.”

“I bet it was Reese,” Hailey said. “That’s even cuter! I wish Eli had done that for me.”

Sutton looked back down at the jersey and ignored the warmth that welled up at the sweet gesture.

“Here they come!”