Hard & Deep: A Football Romance

Oliver sighed, gazing into her eyes. “I'm going to tell you exactly what happened that night. You may or may not believe me, but I would never lie to you. I want you to know the truth.”

“Okay,” she said, crossing her arms.

“I went home that night after training,” he said. “I was beyond exhausted and my knee was sore, so I crawled into bed. You and I chatted on the phone for a bit and then I fell asleep right after. I woke up in the middle of the night, and Nikki was in my room.”

Elsie watched him explain the story and it really seemed to her like he was being genuine.

“She and I hadn't done anything at all. I had been sound asleep,” Ollie continued. “She was standing in my doorway when the light from the hallway woke me up. She'd taken that picture of us before I'd awaken. I didn't even know about it at the time.”

“How did she get into your house?” Elsie asked, trying to break the story open.

“She's my manager, she has a key to get in and grab gear or drop off contracts,” he explained. “I didn't know how crazy she was until that night, so I was never worried about her having access to the house. Plus, we work together. Or, well, we did work together. I fired her.”

“I heard,” Elsie said.

“You did?” he asked, hope rising in his voice.

“It was on the radio.” She crossed her arms.

“News travels fast.” Ollie shook his head. “But that's what happened. Nikki has had it out for me ever since we broke up a year ago. I never knew she'd stoop so low, but apparently I shouldn't have put it past her.”

“What about your comments on it?” she asked, her voice nearly breaking. She could believe Nikki would post the picture, but that he would reply? That was the part that hurt so much.

Oliver's eyes were on hers. “As my manager, she had access to my social media accounts. She did that. I don't even know my own password. It's supposed to be just for promotion stuff.”

His eyes remained true as she watched for any sign of a lie. All she could see was a desperate pain that mirrored her own. Elsie believed him. She had to. He was clearly telling the truth.

“So you didn't do anything with her?” Elsie asked. “No kissing, no nothing?”

“Nothing at all,” Ollie said. “I swear on my brother Michael that I did not touch her. And I fired her immediately after I found out about the photo.”

Oh man, so does this make me the one in the wrong for not letting him explain himself before? She asked herself.

“Oliver, I was about to go back to Iowa,” she said, as a few tears trickled down her cheeks. “You have a reputation and I guess I let that cloud my judgment of you.”

“Look, Elsie, I do have a reputation with women,” he said, placing his hands gently onto her shoulders. “But if there's anything to be learned about what happened with Nikki and that stupid photo, it's that most of the time a reputation doesn't mean anything. It's contrived from gossip.”

Elsie held her breath, not wanting to miss a word of what he had to say next. The feel of his hands on her shoulders were the only thing keeping her from floating away.

“Sure, there was a period in my career where I might have used my fame and power to meet women. I was young, though. A different man. I thought that getting drunk and meeting girls was the end that justified the means. But I was wrong, Elsie. When I met you, I learned that there's something in this world that I truly can't live without. Something that transcends the wants and needs of my previous life. It's you. It's you, Elsie. It always has been and it always will be. You're the only thing I need.”

Elsie swallowed and the tears that streamed down her face became ones of joy. Ollie reached forward and gently wiped her cheek with his thumb.

“Do you understand now?” he asked. “I'd do anything for you. I'd go jump off of a building to break my leg, just so that I can go back to Iowa for rehab. I'd go to the end of the world. I'd...”

“Just stop talking,” she said, reaching forward to grab his chest pads.

She pulled him toward her and stood up on her tip toes, bringing her lips to his. The kiss instantly washed away the torment that had been filling her for days. She pressed into him and Ollie held her close. His scent, his touch, his everything. He was all that she needed, too.

After a moment, she slowly broke the kiss, but kept his eyes locked with his. Oliver brought his hands to her cheeks. “Elsie, I love you,” he said, and she watched as his eyes welled up with tears. “I love you so much.”

Elsie felt the world shrink down and once again, the only people in the entire universe were the two of them. Her heart thumped behind her rib cage, reaching toward Oliver. She knew it right then, that this was the man she was meant to be with. Sure, she'd questioned it for a while. But maybe that was what it took for her to see just how much he cared and the lengths he'd go to keep her.

“I love you, too, Oliver Lance,” she whispered.

He leaned and kissed her again. Her heart swelled as the two embraced in the hallway outside of the locker room. It was the perfect moment. The kind of moment that made her realize that all of the trials and tribulations in her life were not in vain and in fact, had a purpose. They'd brought her there.

Elsie felt someone grab her leg and she opened her eyes, pulling away from Ollie. She looked down to see her youngest nephew standing there in his new jersey, wearing an innocent smile.