“You’re not my secret boyfriend anymore,” I whisper when Dylan breaks the kiss.
“You’ve got all my secrets,” he says with a smile. “Now, if you ladies will excuse me, I’ve gotta put in eighty minutes at the office.”
For the first time, I can cheer for him as his partner and not his secret. I’m his. And he’s mine.
Two minutes before halftime, the scores are still locked at 0-0. Each side has been relentless in defense and my stomach has spent more time in my throat than my belly.
Trying to find a weakness, the opposition keep kicking balls up high, swirling bombs, testing Dylan’s courage under the high ball. Loki and Bodhi have my man’s back, shielding him when he’s in the air and giving away the odd penalty when they go too far.
“Come on,” Skye yells, and our captain gets us to engage the crowd. “Two minutes.”
There’s still another half, but I know how important it is to be ahead when going into the sheds.
The Mavericks have defended a full set, and the opposition sends up another predictable bomb.
Except Dylan doesn’t go to catch it. He bats it back into Dawson’s waiting arms. With defenders focused on Dylan, Dawson quickly passes it out to Cooper, who runs through a gap. Cooper attracts three defenders and waits until the last second before flicking the ball back to Dylan.
The crowd surges to its feet. I’m already there. Each cheerleader is focused on the game, screaming out for our team as someone in the crowd beats a drum in time with Dylan’s pace.
The last defender cuts across field, trying to bring Dylan down, launching at Dylan’s legs. Dylan stumbles and slows before regaining his balance. Two players haven’t given up the chase, but Dylan is faster. Twenty meters … fifteen … ten … five. The crowd is screaming and I still.
This is the man I love doing what he loves. I’m struck mute and watch as he slides over the try line—for the first points of the match. All players have their signature post-try celebrations but as his team come in to celebrate, Dylan turns to where I’mstanding, presses two fingers to his heart, lips, and then points to me. Then he does the same towards where Sage and Saxon are sitting. His final kiss is to the sky. His mother. My parents.
The stadium explodes. “He is doing so much more than kiss you tonight,” Kalli says, hugging me.
I lift my pompoms and wave back at him, not because I have to, but because I can.
Because tonight, I’m not his dirty little secret.
Tonight, I’m his girl. And the whole world knows it.
The Mavericks win a nail-biter 10-8 with a late unconverted try.
The cheerleader dressing room is a buzz. It takes almost an hour to shower, get back into civilian clothes, and fight my way out through the press and team staff.
“Emma, wait up.” I turn to see Kenzie running to catch up. “I’m too out of shape to run in heels,” she gasps. “Here, Dylan wants to give you a message.”
Just like that, she pulls a small, folded swan from the pocket of her jacket. I love that we don’t have to hide our relationship in cryptic notes, but I love that he is still writing them even more.
It’s our thing, and I’ve got two dozen more black origami dragons waiting to be written on.
“Well, are you going to read it?” Kenzie seems more excited than I am.
“You’ve already said you love me, so it’s too late to change your mind #13275,” I read the words aloud, my voice shaking just slightly.
My fingers linger on the delicate folds of the paper. One of these days, I’m going to ask Dylan where he got #13275 from. But if that’s the only secret he’s keeping, I can live with it. Only forty-eight hours of living with him and Squid, and I knowmore about the Fleski brothers than I expected. Squid has no filter, and since making Sage laugh so hard that she snorted hot chocolate across the table, he thinks he has to reset the bar.
Kenzie’s smile is genuine. “There’s a driver waiting to take you to McMillan Tower. Dylan will meet you there.”
“McMillan Tower?” I blink, unsure if I heard her right.
She nods, already pulling her phone from her pocket. “Like I said, Dylan will meet you there.”
I freeze. McMillan Tower. That’s where people like me either get hired or fired.
“Go,” Kenzie insists, pushing me back to the changing rooms with a soft nudge. “Trust me, it’s a good thing. And welcome to the Women Who Love Mavericks family. You’ll love my sister—she’s Benz’s partner. Then there is Willow—she is the nicest person you’ll ever meet and is dating the Coach Bronx.”
“What about Randii?” I’m such a fan girl. “Is she back with Dawson?”
