Play Me

Once we made our way to the front porch, Josh and I both took a seat. “What’s on your mind?” I asked.

He drew in a deep breath and slowly let it out. “I wanted to apologize for the way I’ve been behaving. I intend on apologizing to Ms. Wales and Coach White when we get back. I know why Coach isn’t starting me, and I’ll earn back the title. I swear I will. I’ll do whatever you think I need to do to get it back. If that means it’s not this year, I’ll work even harder to get it for next year.”

I nodded, taking a drink of my tea. “It means a lot to me to hear you say that. The only thing we want you to do is step up to the plate and be the team leader I know you can be, Josh. Those players see your talent just like Coach and I do. Show them you’re not going to piss it away anymore.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see good things in your future, Josh. It’s not too late.”

He gave me a weak smile. “I hope it’s not.”

I lifted a brow and gave him a stern look.

“I know it’s not too late.”

This time his smile grew bigger, as did mine.

We spent the next hour talking football. It was nice to relax and get to know this side of him even better.

Josh stood and clapped his hands together. “I think I’ll go for a run.”

“I think I’ll join you.”

He laughed.

“Why is that funny?” I asked.

“It’s just, well, I usually run about six miles.”

I curled my lip. “You little prick. You don’t think I can run six miles?”

He shrugged. “You might be able to, but I doubt you could keep up with me.”

Setting the glass of tea on the table, I stood, cracked my neck, and did a few stretches. Pointing to him, I said, “Let’s do this shit.”

Josh grinned from ear to ear. Little did I know that one evening run would turn our entire relationship around. Josh McEvans became more than just another messed-up football player. He became a friend whose friendship I would always treasure.

36

Hunter

Josh dropped out of the pocket and looked for a receiver. I held my breath and waited for him to find the line. The ball left his hand, and suddenly, everything was moving in slow motion. Jackson caught it and ran six yards to score the winning touchdown in the championship game. The players went wild. The crowd erupted with a roar. Turning, I looked up toward the booth where I knew Kendall was with our parents. I smiled even though I couldn’t see her. Life had been crazy the last few months. With both of our mothers planning the wedding and Kendall doing her best to let them take the lead, I couldn’t believe how far we’d come in such a short amount of time.

Facing back out onto the field, I watched as the entire team gathered around Josh. He had earned the right to be starting quarterback and had taken the team to the championship with an almost perfect record. We’d only lost one game, and that was when Josh hadn’t been playing. Once he stepped up to the challenge, he’d lit a fire under the ass of every player and they never looked back. With the team winning the championship, my obligation to the team was now fulfilled. It was a bittersweet ending to this chapter of my life, but I could not wait to start the next chapter.

Josh’s searching gaze found mine through the crowd. He was being interviewed by a local news station. He smiled and I returned the gesture. Neither of us needed to exchange words; we knew what this moment meant. A few players and coaches approached me, and we shook hands before I made my way over to Josh. Once everything had settled down, we stood in front of each other. Neither of us said a word. We didn’t need to. He knew I was proud of him. What I hadn’t realized until that moment was that Josh had helped me move past my own guilt. He’d taught me that some things were simply not in our control and that beating yourself up for those things actually kept you from letting go. Kept you from taking the leap.

“Thank you, Coach.”

My chest felt tight as I reached out and pulled him into a hug. Slapping my hand on his back, I said, “Thank you, Josh.”

When he pulled back, he gave me an incredulous look and asked, “For what, Coach?”

I rested my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “For trusting me.”

His eyes filled with emotion, and he cleared his throat as he replied, “Always.”

Two months later.

“How is she doing?” I asked my mother.

She smiled. “She is floating around on cloud nine.”

“She’s not stressed?”

“No, not at all. She trusted Alli and me to take care of everything, and we did. Kendall walked around this morning, taking it all in, and she loved everything. It all looks beautiful.”

Smiling, I took my mother’s hands. “It is beautiful. Thank you for doing this, Mom. I know it wasn’t easy being so far away and having to fly in to see it through.”

“It was worth it. Wait until you see your bride. She is stunning.”

I sighed. I hadn’t seen Kendall in over twenty-four hours. Not since the rehearsal dinner. It felt like a month.

“Oh, stop that. It’s only been a day since you’ve seen her.”

“A day is too long.”

“That is the response I want to hear.”

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Damien standing there next to my father.

“You ready for this?” Dad asked as he walked up to me and slapped the side of my arm.

“I'm more than ready. I think it’s time to get this show on the road.”

They all laughed. “Well, I’m going to go see my beautiful daughter. I think the wedding planner wants you all outside.”

I nodded, pulled in a deep breath, and tried to push away the sudden nerves.

“Okay, now I’m nervous as fuck,” I mumbled.

My father laughed. “Then it’s a good thing we have just the right person to distract you.”

I glanced to the door and saw Josh standing there. “I guess I’m too late for the bachelor party, right?”

I shook his hand and pulled him in for a quick bro hug.

“It’s good to see you. Keeping that arm protected?”

He nodded. “Yes, sir.”

Standing next to him was Amber. I smiled and leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. “Hey, Amber. It’s good to see you.”

Since the championship, I had stepped down officially and given Mac full control. I had hated not being able to walk into Kendall’s office anytime I wanted, but as she started letting more and more people take control over things with the team, the more she was with me at the ranch. When she needed to fly to Atlanta, we did. We had sold her condo there and bought a house right outside of town for when we were in Atlanta. We had talked about keeping the condo, but with getting married and talking about kids sooner rather than later, we went with the more family-friendly option.

“It’s great to see you, Hunter. I’m going to head on out and take my seat. It looks like things are about to get started.”

Amber reached up and kissed Josh quickly on the lips. He watched her as she walked away and then turned back to me. I lifted a brow, and his cheeks turned a deep red.

“I see things are going well with you two.”

He nodded. “Yes, they’re going really good.”

Slapping his back, I said, “Good. You deserve to find some happiness.”

Josh changed the subject. “Right now, you’re the one finding all the happiness. Come on, let’s get you out there. The wedding planner nearly pulled my arm out of its socket when she saw me and asked me to find you.”

We laughed and made our way to the back of the house. Kendall had wanted something simple. Family and close friends. My sister Charlotte and Kendall’s brother, Ryder, had flown in a few days earlier. It had been amazing having both of our families there. I couldn’t remember laughing as much as I had in the last week.

On my way down the aisle, I stopped a number of times to speak to people. Congratulations were offered as I shook hands, kissed cheeks, and made my way to the end. The arbor at the end of the aisle was decorated in a beautiful fall theme with tiny white lights everywhere. The preacher shook my hand, then Josh’s, and then Ryder’s.

“I’m told we’re about to start.”

My entire body trembled. Not from nerves—although I was nervous as hell—but from excitement. Kendall was finally going to be my wife. I couldn't have wiped the smile off my face if I wanted to.

Next to me, my father stood proudly. I’d asked him to be my best man and he said yes, of course. Josh and Ryder were groomsmen. Everything seemed to be happening at warp speed until I saw her.

Kendall.

She was dressed in the most beautiful wedding gown I had ever seen. My breath actually caught in my throat the moment I saw her. I could see her smile through her veil, and as she got closer, I felt weak in the knees.

“You all right there, son?” my father whispered.

“She’s beautiful.”

“Yes, she is. You’re a lucky man indeed, Hunter,” my father said as Damien stopped, lifted Kendall’s veil, and then whispered something into her ear. Tears filled her eyes, but she blinked them back. Damien turned to face me and placed Kendall’s hand in mine.