“Sounds like a plan.”
Piper closed her eyes, snuggled next to Levi, and listened to the blissful sound of nothing.
“Levi?”
“Hm?” his voice sounded peaceful and relaxed.
“If the Knights win the rest of their games, you’ll go to the playoffs. Right?”
“Doubtful,” Levi said, obviously amused.
“But possible?” she asked. “Mathematically, the team is still alive.”
“Mathematically?” Levi shrugged. “Sure. Even if we lose one game and end the season at 9-7, we might squeak in. But—”
“You can lose a game?” Piper a quick calculation in her head and liked the odds. “Even better.”
“Don’t be disappointed when the Knights season ends without a trip to the playoffs.”
Piper smiled. Levi might have his doubts, but not her. She had the equation etched into her brain. Sports were part skill and part luck, but if there was one thing she believed in—besides her Levi—it was the absolute power of math.
CHAPTER TWENTY
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“HOLY SHIT. HOLY shit. Holy shit.”
“Shh,” Levi cautioned Dylan afraid his friend might jump out of his skin at any second. “Look at the clock. Until the fucking thing hits zero, don’t even breathe.”
“Thirty seconds left. Up by ten points.” Dylan gripped the facemask of his helmet until his knuckles turned white. “Holy shit, Levi. We’re going to the playoffs.”
As his teammates jumped and screamed and hollered around him, Levi waited until the final gun sounded before he let himself celebrate. He wasn’t superstitious, exactly. At least no more than your average athlete.
But Levi didn’t believe in tempting fate. He refused to spit in the face of the football gods, the ones who so graciously sat on his shoulder while he led his team to the postseason.
As Levi ran across the field to shake the opposing quarterback’s hand, he promised himself to never take his success for granted. He was given a gift when the Knights named him as their starter. Every moment since then had been a living dream. Levi had one more wish—he’d worked hard and figured he had the right.
If I am dreaming, he thought, hoping someone was still listening, don’t wake me up until after the Knights go all the way.
Levi waited for the crack of doom, the signal he’d pushed his luck too far. But all he heard was the sound of his fellow players, the crowd in the stadium, and the city of Seattle going wild with joyous excitement.
The Knights, and Levi, were headed to the playoffs. He grinned as a Gatorade coated Coach McClain wrapped him up in the best bearhug ever.
While pandemonium reigned around him, Levi thought of Piper. She never lost faith in him. And, she was due a huge, I told you so. Fine with him. He couldn’t wait.
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“I REFUSE,” PIPER said, shaking her head.
“Come on,” Levi urged. ‘You earned the right.”
They were in Levi’s bed. Hours after the celebrations had died down and the post-game interviews were over—after making love to Piper—he was still too jacked up on adrenaline and an otherworldly sense of disbelief to settle down into something as mundane as sleep.
A bit of verbal sparring with Piper seemed like a good way to burn off the last of his endless energy.
“Say, I told you so,” Levi said. “Please. I won’t be able to relax until you do.”
“My maturity level has progressed beyond the juvenile need to gloat about how right I was.” With a superior smirk, Piper shrugged. “As long as you know the truth, I’m satisfied.”
“Party pooper.” Levi sighed. Then, he grinned. “We did lose one game. The second to last. I thought you might cry.”
“Me? You were the one who beat yourself up for a week.” Piper let out a huff of disgust. “Everyone agreed that the loss wasn’t your fault. You played like a lion. A gladiator. A Superhero.”
“You’re reaching, just a bit,” Levi told her with a humble sigh. But knowing how his woman felt about him, inside, he grinned from ear to ear.
“No, I’m not.” Turning serious, Piper cupped his face between her hands and looked straight into his eyes. “I’m proud of you, Levi Reynolds. Darcy and Mac gave you a chance to start. But you’re the one who ran with the ball—so to speak.”
“Good football analogy,” Levi said, wondering as his heart overflowed if he could take much more.
“The math was always on your side,” Piper told him with a satisfied sigh. “How could you lose?”
Levi knew Piper would be horrified, but he didn’t care about the math. The fact that she was with him through everything was what mattered. She saw him past the aches, the pains, and the self-doubt. Her support never wavered even when he thought he might.
On the outside, Piper looked delicate, almost fragile. Levi knew better. She was strong, through and through. His rock and his biggest cheerleader.
Could the power of love work miracles? Levi didn’t know. But when a woman as amazing as Piper gifted you with her heart, he was ready to believe.
Levi yawned. At last, his eyes grew heavy. He slid deeper into the bed, pulling Piper close and tucking the covers around her shoulders. Tomorrow, he would meet with Coach McClain and the rest of the staff to begin their postseason strategy sessions.
Monday would be all about watching tape and breaking down the strengths and weaknesses of their next opponent. Because the Knights were a wild card team, they had to play all their games on the road. And unlike the division winners who were rewarded with a first-week bye, a trip to the Super Bowl meant winning three games instead of the preferred two.
“I won’t have time for much of anything but football,” Levi warned Piper. “Until we lo—”
Piper covered his mouth with hers, using the best method Levi could imagine, stopping him from uttering any negative thoughts. She didn’t want to hear him think about losing let alone say the word out loud. Positive thoughts only, she insisted.
Levi cupped the back of Piper’s
