Instead, I settle for a wide grin and a subtle hand gesture, something just for us. Her answering smile is like sunshine breaking through clouds.
"Hell of a game, Montgomery," Coach barks, clapping me on the shoulder. "NFL scouts are gonna be drooling over that highlight reel."
I nod, trying to focus on his words, but my mind is already racing ahead to later.
"Thanks, Coach," I manage. "Couldn't have done it without the team."
As I jog towards the locker room, the weight of the win settles over me. One step closer to the draft, towards the future I've worked for.
For now, I'll celebrate with the team.
And later, with Madison, I'll find the peace I'm really chasing.
After a quick shower, I’m walking out of the locker room when I feel my phone vibrating. Grinning, I swipe to answer.
“Hey, Mama.” I make my way outside to my truck, tossing my bag in the passenger seat.
“You played a great game, son!” my dad says before my mom can speak.
“You did so well, Jaxon. We are so, so proud of you. How did it feel to play in your new home?”
“It felt pretty good, honestly. I was surprised at how well the team worked together, but it went pretty good.” I pull out of theparking lot and head for the football house, my lips pulling higher as I share the next bit with them. “Madison was there.”
“I knew it!” Mom squeals, “I told your father the second I saw your smile right before the game started that she had to be there! How is she? Are you two back to your old ways?”
I chuckle; she has always loved Madison so much. “Yeah. I think so, at least. We’ve been hanging out a lot the last couple of weeks, and she seems to be relaxing more.”
“I am so, so happy to hear this. You’ll have to bring her to dinner soon.” I hear rustling in the background; she must be moving. “We are so bummed we couldn’t make today’s game, but we will be at the next home one. We’re getting ready to head out to dinner, but we will see you tomorrow. Love you, Jaxon!”
“Love you too.” I end the call right as I’m pulling up to a red light. Looking to my right, I do a double take as I see Madison and Lyla jamming out in Lyla’s car.
Seeing Madison daily takes my breath away, but seeing her completely carefree and happy? That shit right there has my heart sputtering to a rhythm only she owns. I roll my window down and give the horn a small tap. Madison’s head jerks to a stop mid-head bang, and her smile breaks free. Lyla rolls the window down and cuts the volume on the music, and Madison leans over.
“Nice game, Montgomery. Made it look like you knew what you were doing out there,” she says, giving me a playful smirk.
“I’ve done it a time or two. Nice concert, by the way. Loved the show.”
A slight blush tints her cheeks, and Lyla rolls her eyes at her best friend before looking over at me.“You headed to the party?”
“Yeah. I live there, so I don’t really have a plan B.” I chuckle, turning back towards the light that just turned green. “See ya there, ladies.”
I hit the gas, leaving them sitting there. In the rearview mirror, I catch a glimpse of Madison—laughing, back to dancing, completely lost in the beat of the music as we roll towards thehouse. Every second of that carefree joy hits me like a punch to the gut.
Mostly, I miss the days when I was the reason for that smile.
Pulling up to the house, I hop out, grabbing my gear before locking my truck and making a beeline for my room before joining the chaos downstairs.
I catch up with a couple of the guys when I snag a water from one of the coolers.
“Man, that play in the fourth quarter was insane,” one of them says, slapping me on the back. Another chimes in, “Yeah, Montgomery, you were on fire tonight! You think the scouts are gonna lose it?” I grin, nodding, but my mind is already half elsewhere.
Before long, Allie comes barreling up, practically yanking me toward the dance floor. “Hey, super star, come on—dance with me!” she says, whipping her hair right into my face.
I laugh, shaking my head. “Gonna have to pass on that one, but Dennis looks ready.” I nod to my teammate, who’s grinding with two other girls.
My other teammates chuckle, but I can feel the pull of something else urging me to step away. Excusing myself with a quick nod, I slip farther into the backyard.
The scene outside is electric—a sea of people dancing under string lights, the music pulsing as everyone loses themselves in the beat. I lean against the railing, just taking in the views, when my gaze lands on her.
