“Vaughn!”
Grant shook his head and looked toward the sound of the voice calling his name. Coach was looking at him with a frown. “Are you good to go back out?”
Knowing that Em was here, his body coursed with a new rush of adrenaline. “Absolutely.”
“Good. I’m taking Barros out for a break, and I want you to take his spot.”
Grant hopped over the board as Barros came back in through the small door that opened to the field. Once he was out there, he sprinted toward the ball and got possession. He drove it down the field toward the other team’s goal, took a shot...goal!
The arena erupted into loud cheers, and his teammates all came running over to him. They took turns smacking his back, patting his head, and clapping. Even Finn’s frown appeared less severe as he congratulated Grant on the goal.
But all of that meant nothing. He wanted to see Em cheer. Unfortunately, he’d lost her in the sea of fans.
Emmeline
Grant had scored after being on the field for less than a minute.
He’d run out there, stolen the ball from the other team, and made a goal. She wasn’t as close to the field as usual, but from her spot high in the stands she’d seen the entire thing clearly—just like she’d seen him and Frida talking only moments before he’d been put in.
Did Frida think that if she kept her face turned toward the game, that Em wouldn’t be able to see what was going on? Her best friend had talked to Grant for several minutes, and when he returned to his spot, his head had immediately turned to where she was sitting.
Well, he knows I’m here now. No sense in hiding in the nosebleeds anymore.
While everyone was standing and cheering for Grant’s impressive goal, Em shuffled around other fans to the stairs. She walked down toward the box seats and pulled the ticket with her usual seat from her purse. When she gave it to the guard manning the exclusive section, he put the wristband on her and let her pass.
She kept her eyes trained on Frida, and away from the players, and she found her spot. “Hey.”
Frida’s eyes widened before she pulled Em in for a hug. “You decided to come down after all.”
Em squeezed her back. When she pulled away, she shook her head. “Well, since someone decided to rat me out.”
Miriam, who had been standing there when Em first arrived, mumbled something about needing to set up the swag table and walked off.
Frida shrugged. “I couldn’t help it. I know you said he broke things off and it’s for the best, but he was acting so sad. He kept looking over here, and I know it wasn’t for me—as pretty as I may be.”
Em let out a small laugh at Frida’s joke but immediately sobered. She could relate to Grant looking for her. She kept looking down at the home bench, and it wasn’t for the rest of the players.
“Is there something you’re not telling me?” Frida asked when Em didn’t say anything.
“No, why?”
Frida’s face scrunched up. “It’s just he didn’t act like a guy who didn’t want to be with you. He looked like he was the one who had his heart broken.”
“I didn’t call things off, if that’s what you’re implying.”
If Grant had wanted to make things official, she would have broken her stupid rule and done it gladly. “He said he was going back to Kansas City when the season was over, and that he didn’t want to do a long-distance thing.”
Frida shook her head. “In a weird way, I understand why he did it.”
Em shot her a look.
Frida lifted her hands. “I said I understood why, not that I was happy about it. I know you liked him—still like him. Maybe he regrets how things ended.”
Em wasn’t sure what to think about her best friend’s musings. Maybe he regretted it, but that didn’t change that it had happened. Grant had shown that he wasn’t willing to put in the effort to have a relationship with her. He was just another guy who found her unworthy.
Why did she only fall for the terrible guys? She wasn’t sure, but she didn’t want to think about it anymore. It was too painful.
“I don’t know, but I don’t want to talk about Grant anymore. I came tonight to watch the game, support my brother, and that’s it.”
“Fair enough. I’ll shut up unless one of our players scores,” Frida said before turning her attention to the game.
Watching Grant out there was harder than Em realized it would be, and she was thankful for Frida’s uncharacteristic strength. Her best friend didn’t talk about Grant for the remainder of the game—even when he scored another goal. Frida cheered without nudging Em or wiggling her eyebrows or making jokes.
The final buzzer rang, and the Storm won the game with a three-point lead. Fans cheered as the players celebrated on the field. Another win meant they still got to enjoy their spot at the top of the Eastern Conference. If they could keep up the good work, they would get to go to the playoffs.
The Storm had never made it to the playoffs, and Em knew that Finn had to be excited, along with the rest of the team. It had to be especially exciting for Grant considering it was his first year playing.
Em allowed her eyes to search out Grant in the crowd in front of her. He was talking to other players, but his head turned toward her just as soon as her eyes landed on him—as if he knew she was looking at him.
Her breath caught in her chest when his blue eyes found hers. They didn’t leave her face as he pushed his way through the other players and walked toward her. With every step
