The Freshman (College Years 1)

When I pull away from him to look at his face, he’s grinning. His helmet is long gone, and his hair is a sweaty mess, dark clumps of it clinging to his forehead. His uniform is filthy. They played hard tonight. Tony caught a touchdown in the third quarter. He also had possession of the ball a lot, gaining plenty of yardage. His stats are stellar. He’s most likely going to start next season, his coaches informed him a few weeks ago.

And he’s only a freshman.

“I’m so proud of you,” I murmur as I stare into his eyes. I’m overwhelmed with pride and happiness. This is a good night. One of the best nights.

And we’ve had a lot of them lately.

“Thanks.” He dips his head, his mouth barely touching mine. “Love you.”

“I love you too,” I say before he really kisses me.

Right there, out on the field, in front of everyone. Guess I don’t mind public displays of affection anymore.

We said our first “I love you” to each other over Christmas. It felt right. From the start, being with Tony has always felt right. Who cares about our fathers’ hatred for each other? What does it matter that I’m two years older than him? That shouldn’t even be an issue. All I care about is Tony. And he only cares about me.

That’s the most important thing of all.

Ash Davis is nearby, holding his fiancée Autumn as he talks to someone from the NFL Network. He asked her to marry him at Christmas, and of course, she said yes. He’s sure to get drafted. It’s a big deal, winning this bowl. Being on this team. Tony has told me more than once while they were in the playoffs that he couldn’t believe his luck.

But I know the truth. It’s not all luck. The team is just that good, and Tony is a huge contributor to their overall talent and skill.

“My mom is here. She flew in this morning to watch the game,” Tony says when we finally end our kiss. “I just saw her on the field. She told me she’s proud of me.”

I can hear the emotion crackle in his voice and I hug him tight, overwhelmed. They’ve been trying to piece their relationship back together, thanks to Tony reaching out to her on Thanksgiving. He told her he was grateful she was his mom, and he wished they could spend more time together, and she agreed. They’ve been working on that, and it’s been a beautiful thing to witness.

We even spent Christmas with her, and we had a lot of fun. His mom went all out. The house was beautifully decorated, with a massive Christmas tree in the living room, filling the entire space with the delicious scent of fresh pine. It snowed the few days we spent there, and Tony took me all over his hometown, showing me where he went to school, where they used to hang out and party.

He even took me to the Callahan’s house, which was kind of a trip. We were supposed to visit them for Thanksgiving, but I ended up going to my dad’s after all. I really only went to spend time with Palmer. Not one of the Channing family’s most memorable holiday moments, that’s for sure.

When Tony and I showed up at the Callahan house, I realized quick every single Callahan is beautiful. Like, no joke. Plus, they were the most down to earth people I’ve ever met, and Drew Callahan has ten times more money than my dad, who’s a pretentious asshole.

Oh shit. Speaking of pretentious assholes…

I see Anthony Sorrento Senior approaching us, Helena holding onto his arm as she manages the field in her sky high stilettos. I almost roll my eyes at the sight of them, but I restrain myself.

Barely.

“Tony,” his father says smoothly.

We both turn to look at them. I can barely hold back the sneer that forms on my face when my gaze lands on Helena. We haven’t spoken since the Thanksgiving incident. Tony didn’t spend the holiday with them. He told Helena via text to go fuck herself.

Proud moment right there. He didn’t back down even an inch when it came to her. And Tony is the nicest guy I’ve ever met. Just don’t come for him, like Helena did.

She never brought up anything to Tony’s father either. Her threats were all empty. Pointless. We know what she was trying to gain, but her method was weak. I’m guessing this marriage won’t last long. Knowing Tony’s father and his past, I’d say it was doomed to fail from the start.

But maybe that’s

just me being a pessimist. People can change, right? I mean…

Look at Tony and me.

“Hey, Dad,” Tony says weakly, his expression hopeful. My heart aches, only because I know that despite everything, deep down Tony just wants his father’s approval.

“You played well tonight,” Anthony says as he glances around the giant stadium before his gaze returns to Tony’s. “Congratulations on the win.”

Tony grins, his arm tightening around my shoulders as he tugs me closer. “Thank you. I didn’t know you were coming to the game.”

“I was able to get some time away from work. It’s not every day your only son plays in a bowl game in Las Vegas,” his father says, sounding boastful.