“My brother’s been asking about you,” he tells Emma.
“Nope. Not happening.” I pull Emma into my chest, her back to my front and rest my chin on top of her head. “She’s taken.”
Case grins. He knows she’s taken. Fucker wanted to get me riled up. Payback’s a bitch, though. I’ll remember this.
“Now that the pissing contest is over, I’ll show you where you’re all going to be.” Aubrey steps in and takes charge. I’m sure she thinks she’s diffusing the situation. It’s not like I’m going to start a fight with my teammates. Although if they were serious, I wouldn’t hesitate. Not when it comes to Emma. I know they’re razzing me to try and ruffle my feathers. It worked.
Bending my head and placing my lips next to her ear, I whisper, “I love you.” I follow it with a kiss to her neck before releasing her and following after Aubrey, Chance, and my teammates.
* * *
It’s been over three hours since I’ve talked to Emma. I’ve seen her, my eyes scanning the crowds looking for her, but as far as getting any time with her, that’s been nil. Bad for me, good for the shelter. The turnout has been incredible and from the looks of the smiling kids’ faces packing animals with them to their cars, a huge success.
“So, Emma.” Case grins when there’s finally a break in the action. We’ve been signing autographs for three solid hours.
I nod. “Emma.”
“I told you we should have put bets on it,” Jack grumbles.
“What are you talking about?”
“You see, QB, we knew you were toast the minute you laid eyes on her. We could all see it. We knew it was just a matter of time before she wore you down.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “You think she wore me down? I wish it were that easy. She fought me every step of the way. As far as me being toast, I’ll admit that. At first I was blowing it off that she turned me down. I was persistent and the more time I spent with her….” My eyes scan until I find her. She’s kneeling next to a little girl who has a kitten in her hands.
“He’s a goner,” Kaden chimes in.
“Yeah,” I agree. No point in denying it. There’s not a damn thing wrong with me being in love. I’m not embarrassed by it. If anything, I want to show her off. She’s incredible.
“Hey, guys,” Chance says, walking up to the tent. “Thanks for being here today. I appreciate your support of Aubs and Em.”
“Does this mean you’re going to take it easy on me at practice next week?” Thomas asks.
“Nope.” Chance chuckles. “Really though, I know we have a game tomorrow and I’m sure this is the last place you want to be today, but we really appreciate you being here. Aubrey and Emma bust their asses for this place. It’s nice to see they’re getting the word out.”
“Like your status didn’t bring any of these people in,” Jack tells him.
“Maybe, but it’s not my name on the backs of all these jerseys.” He nods toward the crowd. “I’m new to the team, and I haven’t played in a long time. Unless they’re a collector of my ass trinkets, it’s all you.”
“W-What?” Case sputters with laughter.
“Oh, let me tell you about the ass trinkets,” Aubrey says, stepping up behind her husband. He wraps her in his arms as she tells us all about it. She has us all rolling with laughter by the time she’s finished. “Anyway.” She grins, clearly proud of herself. “Things are winding down. You guys can head out. Thank you for being here.”
“Wanna grab a beer at Harvey’s?” Case asks our group. Thomas, Kaden, and Jack immediately agree. “Landon?”
“We might catch up with you. I’m going to stick around and see if Emma needs anything.”
Thomas begins to sing “Another One Bites the Dust,” making everyone laugh. “Next thing you know he’s going to be walking down the aisle and having babies like Trent.”
He’s joking, but what he doesn’t realize is the thought of that… it’s not scary. Not even in the slightest. That’s… unexpected, but then again, everything with Emma is new and unexpected. I’m a greedy bastard because I want more of it.
More of her.
Any way I can have her. If that means with a ring on her finger and growing round with my child, I’ll take it. In fact, now the thought is in my head, I can see it clearly. Our future flashes before my eyes. If it plays out anything like my mind has created, I am indeed one lucky bastard.
Chapter 19
Emma
The crowd is electric as we walk into the Trojans stadium. It’s as if the entire building is lit up with the excitement of the fans.
“Damn, I’m glad I left CJ with his aunt Adele. This place is crazy.” Aubrey links her arms through mine as we filter our way through the crowd. “Maybe we should start taking them up on sitting in the box,” she says once we find our seats.
“What? And miss all the action. Pfft.” I wave her off. “This is where it lives.” I give her a cheesy grin.
“Yeah, it meaning the madness.”
“Exactly. It’s exciting and electric. Besides, I like to cheer and scream and I don’t think that would be allowed in the box. Then again, I wouldn’t really know as I’ve never been in there.”
“We should try it at least once,” she counters.
“Fine, we can try it once.” I hold up my index finger for emphasis, making her laugh.
“Excuse me, are you Emma Deaton?” a woman asks from next to me.
“Uh.” I look over my shoulder at Aubrey, then turn back to the woman. “Yes, do I know you?”
“No, but I’m a huge fan of Landon Barker. You’re his girlfriend, right?”
I nod. I didn’t expect this. “That’s what I thought. He can do so much better than you,” she
