Page 72 of The Surprise Play (Nolan U Football #3)

ELIZABETH

Okay, so my back is pretty annoyed with me right now.

Waking up with an ache in my spine, I wipe the drool from my mouth, do a slow, painful stretch, then turn to find Wily giving me a sleepy smile. It’s edged with pain, and I stand up, kissing his lips before pulling back to check on him.

“How bad?”

“I’m gonna be okay, Satch.”

I’m not sure I believe him. I’ve never seen him so pale, and his eyes are glassy again.

He rests his hands on my arms, and we share a silent conversation until the curtain swishes back and the nurse comes in to help Wily use the bathroom and freshen up.

I wander down the hall to find the public restroom and relieve myself.

Catching my reflection in the mirror, I grimace at my raccoon eyes and attempt to tidy up my ponytail before heading back to Wily’s room .

He’s just sitting back down, wincing in pain as the nurse lifts his leg, then checks the compression bandage.

“There’s a bit of swelling, but they should still be able to operate.

” The nurse smiles at him. “Morning shift is just going through the debrief, and then it’ll be your turn.

As soon as the changeover has gone through, a new nurse will be back to prep you.

Should be about an hour, okay?” She pats his shoulder, then glances at me. “You two take care.”

“Thank you for all you’ve done.” I smile at her. “And for letting me stay.”

She winks, grinning at me before walking out of the room.

I take a seat in the chair and thread my fingers back through Wily’s.

He’s staring at his knee, his troubled expression doing my heart in.

“Coyote,” I whisper to get his attention, and he looks at me with a sad smile.

“You should get going,” he croaks. “I don’t want you to be late to class, and I’m guessing you want to grab yourself a coffee and some breakfast first, so…”

“I’m not going today.” I leave no room for argument, but he doesn’t even try to convince me otherwise. Yeah, he’s really feeling vulnerable.

For such a tall, strong, positive man, it’s hard to see.

But I’m also honored that he wants me here with him.

I’ve never felt so needed in my life.

The minutes tick by, and we fill them with bursts of conversation. I’m getting hungry, and not having my usual caffeine kick is starting to give me a headache, but if Wily’s not allowed anything, then I can last too .

I’ll eat while he’s in surgery.

A nurse, a doctor, and an anesthetist filter in one after the other, filling out forms, scribbling notes, asking questions, reassuring us with friendly smiles and calm voices. There’s been one more delay, adding an extra hour to Wily’s wait, and I feel so bad for him, but he remains stoic.

In fact, his lips barely twitch, and then they dip into an outright frown when his parents and a girl with long blonde curls walks in.

“They said we could see you before you go in for surgery.” His mom beams at him, having obviously put on her positive face this morning.

But that smile can’t hide the strain in her eyes. The makeup she’s wearing is no doubt covering dark circles. She probably got zero sleep last night, and I get it. She’s worried about her son.

His dad doesn’t look much better. I steal a quick glance at him, wondering how long it will take him to notice me this time.

I’ll no doubt be asked to leave in five, four, three, two?—

“Oh, shithead, what have you done to yourself?” The young woman takes one look at him and shakes her head, while her mother gasps and promptly tells her off for talking to her brother that way.

This must be Wily’s sister, Blake.

I glance at my boyfriend, watching him share a secret smile with his sibling.

Squeezing his fingers under the blanket, I try to catch his eye. I want to share a smile with him, too, but he’s staring at his father, and it’s only then that I realize Mr. Wilson is glaring at me.

I turn to face him, my insides jittering when he crosses his arms and narrows his eyes. “Why are you back here? Wily shouldn’t be thinking about school right now. He’s got enough on his plate!”

“Oh, I’m…”

“She’s not here for school,” Wily clarifies.

“Oh yeah?” His dad frowns. “Why is she here, then?”

“Because I’m his girlfriend.” The words are out of me before I could even think, and I nearly gape in surprise at my boldness but manage to bite my lips together instead, stealing a quick glance at Wily.

Whoops. He probably didn’t want me to just blurt it like that, but… Oh hey, he’s smiling at me. He looks… grateful.

I grin back at him, lost in our silent conversation, until his mother tears us apart.

“His girlfriend? I don’t think so. Wily doesn’t have time for women. He’s focused on his football career right now. He needs to pour all of his energy into getting better, so you, little miss, can just be on your way. This is a family affair.”

Blake winces at her mother’s rudeness, pulling a face behind the woman’s back, which makes my lips twitch.

Her dad snaps his head to look at her and she puts on a sweet smile for him, her entire demeanor changing to that of a perfect angel.

Reaching for her hand, Mr. Wilson pulls his daughter close, wrapping an arm around her shoulders before looking at me.

Shit. Is he about to back up his wife ?

“It’s time to go.” He tips his head toward the door, and my legs are honestly itching to just get up and flee, but Wily’s fingers tighten around mine, and I force myself to stay.

“She’s not going anywhere,” Wily softly informs them. “I need her here.”

“Son—” his dad starts, but he doesn’t get a chance to finish.

“She’s my girlfriend, okay? And she’s been that for a while now.”

“No, she hasn’t.” Mrs. Wilson laughs. “You haven’t said anything about having a girlfriend.”

Wily shuts his eyes with a sigh. “Because I knew if I did, you’d tell me to end it and get all stressed that she’d be distracting me when I was on the field.”

“Well, girls are a distraction,” Mr. Wilson says. “College is not the time to be getting into a serious relationship. You need to focus right now, son.” He points to Wily’s leg. “Look what happens when you don’t stay the course.”

“His injury has nothing to do with our relationship,” I pipe up, once again shocking myself by being so bold.

I glance at Wily, and he nods. “It’s true. She wasn’t even at my practice. In fact, she hasn’t come to any of my practices or my games. Satch is not distracting me.”

“Satch?” Mrs. Wilson’s nose wrinkles. “Your name is Satch? I thought you said it was Elizabeth.”

“Nickname,” I clarify, standing up to smooth down my skirt and extend my hand. “I’m Elizabeth Satchwell.”

No one shakes my hand, but Blake slaps me a little skin, giving me a subtle wink before blinking up at her father. “What, Daddy? ”

He growls in his throat, frowning at Wily before throwing that look at me.

“Don’t look at her like that.” Wily’s voice comes out firm and cutting. “Don’t look at her like she’s not welcome. Or that she’s some problem that has to be solved.”

I swallow, grateful for Wily’s fierce protection of me.

“This is so disappointing,” Mrs. Wilson whispers.

“Mom.” Wily frowns, whipping his head to scowl at her.

“I was talking about your knee. Just this whole situation.” She flicks her hand through the air.

“I just really hope you’re telling the truth when you say she hasn’t been distracting you, because you guys lost the final, and now you’re injured.

Nothing like this has ever happened to you before, and I can only come back to what your father was saying about focus.

We’re talking about your life here, Wily!

You’ve worked so hard to throw it all away now. ” Her eyes glass over.

“I’m not throwing anything away,” Wily croaks, and I can’t stand this.

All I can hope is that they’re just clueless and not intentionally trying to make him feel bad.

“Mr. and Mrs. Wilson.” I grab their attention, swallowing when their laser glares land on me.

“I know how important football is to your family. I know Wily’s your superstar.

” I glance at him and smile before turning back to face the firing squad.

“But I also know that he’s worth more than the game.

His life isn’t over. He’s smart and creative and has the most amazing people skills.

He’s going to do wonderful things, and if that’s football, then awesome.

I will be right there beside him, cheering him on.

But if this doesn’t work out the way you all planned, then I’m not worried about his future.

” I look at him, hoping he doesn’t mind me saying this.

“Whatever happens, he’s going to find something else that will inspire him, and he’s going to be really good at it. ”

He’s staring up at me like he can’t believe what I just said.

But it’s true.

Smiling at him, I throw in a little wink before turning back to his parents and ignoring the itch across my stomach.

Keep going. Wily’s worth itching for.

“This injury won’t stop him, I know that. But I hope it’s also making you all realize that football isn’t the only option. This is an opportunity to see what else might be out there. What other future plans he could make.”

“He will be playing football,” his dad argues. “I’m already working to secure him a spot at a private training camp. You need to stay out of this, young lady.”

“If Wily wants to drop out of college and go to the training camp, then of course I will support that.” My chest spasms at the idea of him leaving so soon, but I keep going, my voice only shaking a little.

“I know how much he wants to play for the NFL. I’m not standing in the way of that, but I’m also aware that he’s more than capable of graduating.

There’s nothing wrong with giving himself a chance to think about what he might want to do after football.

This is a window of opportunity, and you need to stop treating it like a fatal disaster.

Wily’s not dying. He’s not locked in. He’s not running out of time.

He has his whole life ahead of him, and it’s going to be an amazing one. ”

They both gape at me, like how dare I be so bold, but then I notice Blake fighting a grin, and Wily’s fingers brush over mine before wrapping around them.

I turn to check that he’s okay with what I said and am rewarded with a silent “I love you.”

Reading his lips, I mouth back, “You’re fucking amazing.” And then I say aloud, “I love you too.”

His mother gasps, touching her chest, and I glance over to catch his father’s intense stare.

He’s not smiling, but he’s not glaring at me either.

Blake runs her hand down her mother’s arm and gives her wrist a little squeeze. “It’s gonna be okay, Mom. I like this one.”

She winks at me, her smile playful and encouraging.

Oh, thank God.

It’s not the immediately warm reception my parents gave Wily, but with Blake’s help, I might just have a chance at finding a place in this family. Especially if I can make them understand that Wily’s life is not a one-way street but a multilayered pathway.

And we’re going to walk those roads together.