TOUCHDOWN!
Levi lay on the field, arms and legs splayed, and stared at the domed roof. When his teammates would have dogpiled on top, Dylan stopped them, shaking his head.
“Give him a moment,” the tight end said.
A moment. A day. A year. Levi didn’t know how much time would need to pass before everything sank in. Saying a silent prayer to his parents, to the football gods, and most of all, to Piper, he pushed himself to his feet.
When he was hoisted into the air, Levi didn’t feel any pain. High fiving everyone in sight, he lifted his face, grinning as blue and yellow confetti fell from the rafters.
If he lived to be a thousand. If he never played another down of football. No one could take away the memory of what happened here today. Starting quarterback, Levi Reynolds had accomplished what everyone—with exception of his Piper—said couldn’t be done. He led his team to victory.
The Seattle Knights were Super Bowl champions.
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
Hair still slightly damp from his shower, Levi stood behind the podium, ready for his post-Super Bowl victory press conference. Cameras flashed and keyboards clicked.
“Not a bad way to end the season.” A reporter called out. “Right, Levi?”
“I can’t complain,” he said. Everyone laughed as though he gave the wittiest answer in the history of time.
Shaking his head, Levi’s phone buzzed. Seeing Piper’s name, he swiped his finger across the screen and read her text.
“Hey, Mr. MVP. I told you so.”
Levi’s grin didn’t go unnoticed.
“Who sent you the text, Levi,” a columnist for Sports Illustrated wanted to know.
Levi considered the question, unsure of how much he wanted to reveal. He looked at the woman then asked a question he first heard two years earlier.
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
For a moment, the columnist seemed surprised by his response.
“Not really,” she said with a shrug.
Picture Piper, his heart, his love, his life, Levi nodded.
“Yeah,” he said. He laughed. “Neither do I.”
EPILOGUE
▲ ▼ ▲ ▼ ▲
“I HATE WEDDINGS,” Levi said, looking into Piper’s emerald green eyes. “Remind me again why we came?”
“Because you asked me to marry you.” From where they stood, about to walk down the aisle together, she glanced out the door at their friends. “They expected a ceremony. Foolishly, we agreed.”
“Oh, right.” Levi nodded. “This time, we’re the ones getting married. How could I forget?”
Levi’s backyard was decorated in splashes of white and yellow. A canopy of yellow and white roses waited at the end of the flower petal lined walkway. The backdrop of Lake Washington sparkled in the bright May sunlight, the sky a cerulean blue without a cloud in sight
Friends and teammates gathered to watch as Piper and Levi made their relationship permanent. One member of her family—her grandmother—had been invited. The rest wisely took the hint and stayed away.
“Grandma wasn’t happy when I told her we don’t want the money.” Piper adjusted the white rose in the lapel of Levi’s jacket.
“Granny loves me,” Levi said. “After I charmed her at dinner last month, she was ready to sign your inheritance over before dessert was served.”
“About the money.” Looking a bit guilty, Piper cleared her throat. “Would you be angry if we kept a smidgeon?”
“How much?” he asked, curious despite himself.
“Thirty million.”
Levi let out a slow whistle.
“I can’t believe I’m about to marry a woman who calls thirty million dollars a smidgeon.” He shook his head. “We really were raised in different worlds.”
“I didn’t grow up rich,” Piper reminded him. “However, Grandma made a solid argument. When we have a child, we—”
“A child?” Levi asked.
“To begin.” Piper laughed. “I’m no spring chicken, rooster boy. I’d like to be done gestating a whole human being in my womb by the time I’m forty.”
“We better start reproducing—immediately.” Glancing around, Levi considered their options and sighed. “After everyone leaves.”
“Wise choice,” Piper said.
“About the money?” he reminded her. “The paltry thirty million?”
“Or less.”
Piper smoothed one hand down the skirt of her wedding dress—white lace because Levi favored the fabric and color. Levi was dressed in a light gray suit and a pair of oxford dress shoes in a color slightly darker than his suit. Telling him the gesture felt intimate and wifely, Piper insisted on personally knotting his yellow silk tie.
“Explain why you want any amount.” Levi handed Piper her bouquet of yellow roses, dotted here and there with tiny white daisies. “You were adamant about not touching a penny.”
“I realize that money won’t be an issue for our family,” Piper said. “The contract you signed an extension with the Knights to play another three years is very generous.”
Levi nodded, smiling when he thought about how quickly the deal was completed. He proved to everyone that he still had the passion and the ability to play football at an elite level. And now he would. Here. In Seattle.
“With my business booming and my investment savvy, we, and any little one who comes along, will be fine.” Piper smiled. “We talked about setting up a charity. What better way to use the Engels’ fortune that neither of us wants?”
“You’re right.”
“I am?” Piper seemed surprised by his capitulation. She recovered quickly. “Of course, I’m right. Should I ask for more? Forty million? Fifty?”
“Thirty is plenty,” Levi said with a chuckle.
As a string quartet began to play, Levi tucked Piper’s hand into the crook of his arm.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Yes,” Piper nodded. “Are you? No second thoughts? The door is to your right if you want to skip out on me.”
“Where would I go?” he asked, thinking that if he believed in perfect, today would qualify. “When I’m with you, I’m home.”
“Levi.” Eyes wide, Piper touched his cheek. “You’re crying.”
“Guess I had a few tears left in me after all.” He brushed a kiss across her lips. “Let’s go. I can’t wait to become your husband.”
Levi thought about the vows they were about to recite. Love. Honor. Cherish. Forever. With Piper by his side, he couldn’t think of four sweeter
