Page 94 of The Surprise Play

“Eye on the ball.” He waggles it in the air, and I do as I’m told. “You’re not afraid of it, okay?”

I nod.

“Say it.”

I whine in my throat, but he repeats himself until I’m forced to mutter, “I’m not afraid of the ball.”

“Now shout it!”

“I’m not afraid of the ball!” I bellow, flinching when the sound echoes back to me, before letting out a surprised laugh.

“Good girl.” He grins before gently passing it my way.

I watch the football, tensing, then pluck it out of the air and pull it to my chest.

“Nice.” He applauds.

And I go still, glancing down at the ball in my hands before suddenly bursting out with a loud laugh. “I caught it!”

“You did.” He gives me two thumbs-up.

“But I… I got it!” I hold the ball up, completely shocked by this miracle… until I fumble the ball in my hand and it lands with a small bounce by my feet.

Quickly scooping it back up, I remind myself to never over-celebrate.

“Okay, now pass it back.” He flicks his fingers at me.

“Um. O…kay.” Biting my lip, I throw it up and cringe as the ball goes wildly out of reach.

Wily stumbles after it and only just manages to get his fingers to it.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize for keeping me on my toes, baby.” He winks at me, and now the wordbabyis buzzing through my system like a sweet kiss.

I’ve never been called that before. I read it all the time in books and see it in movies, and I’ve always thought I wouldn’t like such a childish nickname.

But the way it came out of his mouth just now…

I think I’ve found my new favorite word.

“You ready?” He holds the ball up like a star quarterback, and I raise my hands, preparing for his easy pass.

It sails through the air, not too fast, and I manage to get my hands to it, only to fumble it to the ground.

But he won’t let me give up. “That’s all right. Try again. We’ll get this.”

And so I keep going.

I drop it ten more times… but I also manage to catch it eight.

Eight times!

And not once does he make me feel bad for any fumbles or missed throws.

A couple of times, I managed to aim and pass the ball right to him, and the praise pouring out of his mouth made me feel like I’d just completed a game-winning touchdown.

Seriously.