The Endgame (Atlanta Lightning 1)

It wasn’t until I checked out and walked away that I realized I’d said his name. He hadn’t given it to me, but I’d used it. I hoped like hell he hadn’t noticed.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Anson

The next few days were crazy. The city of Atlanta put together a parade to celebrate. We’d had another press conference, and my agent had contracts for me to review for new endorsement opportunities—companies fighting to lock Super Bowl champions into a deal. I spent the whole time flying. I had my first ring, my first motherfucking Super Bowl championship. I still couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe that my hard work and dedication had finally paid off in such a big way. How was this my life?

The only downside was I hadn’t been able to speak to West much. He was in session all week, and I had a million and one things going on. I hardly had enough time to breathe, but we had made time for a couple of short chats, and we texted every day.

I wanted to see him, to celebrate with him. We had so much to talk about, so much to do, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit winning the championship made me even more nervous to be with him. It was a sharp reminder of what I had to lose. One ring wouldn’t be enough for me, and I only had one year left on my contract. What the hell would I do if someone found out about us and I lost it all?

But now that I had him in my life, how could I walk away? I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to lose West or football, which was shitty to feel. I hated being weak.

It was Saturday before I had any downtime. Darren’s family was having a party at their place to celebrate the win. Mom, Elias, and Carly were there, and Mia too, of course. She and I were chatting in the living room, each of us with a beer in our hands.

“You and D only have a year left on your contracts. The Lightning are going to fight tooth and nail to keep you, especially if you lock down another win next year. You’re both coming into some big paychecks.”

Mia was good at talking business. She loved football as much as we did. If I hadn’t been with my agent from the start, I would want someone like her in my corner.

“Next year is already ours,” I said, confidence in my voice. Now that I’d tasted Super Bowl success, I didn’t want to lose it.

“Spoken like a true athlete.”

We both laughed.

“We should grab a drink sometime to celebrate,” she said, which made my gut tighten. We were friends, and we’d gone out before, but I knew how she felt about me, and it was different now because of West. I’d never wanted her that way and never would, but it still made me shift in discomfort.

Luckily, before I had the chance to answer, Elias, Carly, and Darren made their way over to us.

“Are you hitting on my friend again, big sister?” Darren asked, putting an arm around me. Mia gave him the finger.

“Stop fucking with my game, D.” She winked at me so I knew she was kidding.

“Oh, I didn’t know you two were…” Carly began.

“We’re friends,” I said. “Darren just has a big fucking mouth.”

He tried to get me into a headlock, and we wrestled around, the group laughing at us.

When we calmed down, Elias said, “You know what? It’s been so busy, I forgot to tell you something really crazy that happened.”

“What is it, dork?” I ruffled his hair, and he jerked his head back.

“Don’t make me kick your ass like Darren did.”

“Hey, fuck off. I can take you both.”

Carly and Mia rolled their eyes at us.

“So, the night of the Super Bowl, I’d just come back to the hotel.” Elias had left the party early. “My key wouldn’t work, so I went to the front desk, and this guy was there, wearing your jersey. I heard the clerk say his name, and it was a senator from California.”

My beer dropped out of my hand and hit the carpet, but fortunately, the bottle was empty and didn’t break. “He was there?” jumped out of my mouth before I could think better of it. I stood there like an idiot staring at Elias. Shit. The bottle. I bent down to pick it up. West had been there? He’d gone to Dallas to watch me play?

“Well, yeah, I just said he was in front of me in line.” Elias gave me a strange look. “The weird thing is, I looked him up to see if he’s originally from Georgia, but he’s not. He’s from North Carolina. Guess he’s a fan of yours. It’s probably the political junkie in me, but I thought it was fucking wild that a United States senator came to watch you guys play, and that he was wearing your jersey, even though his home team was in the game. That’s crazy shit.”