Dirty Player - A Football Romance (A Maxwell Family Romance)

by Alycia Taylor

  “Just for a ride,” he said. “It’s a nice afternoon.”

  I smiled. “It sure is. Mom, is that okay?”

  “Of course, it is, my darling. You go and have fun. Just be careful. Dominic, we’ll see you tomorrow again?”

  “You sure will.”

  I made my way outside and climbed on the motorcycle. It had become a familiar place to me now, and as I wrapped my arms around Dominic, I remembered how it had felt the first time we’d done this. Back then there had been so much uncertainty in our lives, but now things were just as they should be. Life was exciting, happy, and wonderful. But most of all, it was normal. Of course, we were celebrities at school for a while after the proposal, but even that was forgotten about over time. Everyone went back to their lives. And, even though we were now engaged, we still stayed in separate dorms and continued as we were before.

  I wondered where we were going now, but I soon figured it out as the scenery became more and more familiar to me. When we stopped, I looked up at smiled.

  “We’re at the motel!”

  He laughed. “We’re staying the night.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. Really. Your mom already knows about it, so this time there will be no freaking out from everyone. This was such a special place for the two of us, but it got ruined at the end. I wanted to come back here to give it good memories again.”

  I smiled. Dominic was a serious guy who thought mostly of football and doing well at school. So it was a surprise to find out that he was also the most romantic person I had ever met. Derek would never have done something like this for me. We held hands and made our way inside. The receptionist smiled when she saw us.

  “You’re back!” she said. She seemed surprised. “People don’t normally come back. That’s one of the reasons why I don’t like my job. People come over for one night, sometimes two or three nights most, and then I never see them again. It’s usually just a stopover for somewhere else. I remember the two of you. You were so in love. And you got me coffee,” she said and looked at Dominic.

  I chuckled. “Yeah, he’s a real charmer. Also, we don’t need fancy hotels just to be together. We like this place.”

  “That’s good to hear. Also, you’re in luck, a fresh batch of muffins arrived about an hour ago.”

  Dominic smiled. “That’s very good to know. We’ll drop off our stuff first.”

  He took the key, and we went to our room. The moment our bags were down, he kissed me and pulled me onto the bed, kissing me, and taking my clothes off. I remembered how the window had been open the last time and how the cold air was coming through and blowing the curtain in. I remembered the way we’d cocooned ourselves in the room, not wanting to go out into the real world. I liked that things were different now. We were together, both here and outside. I liked that he could make love to me without any worry in the world.

  Afterwards, as we lay in bed, with the duvet wrapped around us, I smiled at him.

  “I thought we were just dropping our stuff off,” I said and giggled.

  “There was no way I could have you at this motel and not make love to you first. The coffee and muffins are the reward.”

  I sighed happily. “Oh, I like that. And then after the coffee and muffins, we can work them off by doing it again. Then we can get more muffins and start all over on repeat.”

  “You see,” he said. “That’s why I’m marrying you. You’re smart. Very smart. Okay, I’m going to go and get our reward. You’ve made me hungry.”

  “Thank you. I could get used to this,” I said and smiled.

  He put his clothes on. “I’ll be right back.”

  “Don’t forget to give one to the receptionist,” I yelled.

  “I won’t!”

  I giggled and sank further into the bed while I waited for him. It felt like I was lying in a cloud, that’s how soft the bed was. I was sure that most fancy hotels didn’t offer beds like this one. Although I wondered if I would enjoy the bed as much if I wasn’t with Dominic. My little cloud of happiness. I closed my eyes and almost drifted off, but the smell of coffee woke me up, and when I opened my eyes again, Dominic was standing in front of me. His arms were laden with goods. He handed me a coffee, dropped the bag of muffins onto the bed, and crawled in beside me. I took a sip and sighed.

  “Just as good as I remember,” I said. I reached for the muffins and took a bite. “Yep, this is just as good too. It might even be better. Ah, this is amazing. We should make this a yearly thing.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking. You and me against the world.”

  We spent the rest of the evening eating, drinking, watching TV, and making love. That was what I loved most about this motel. There really wasn’t anything else to do. We were forced to do as little as possible. I had never felt as relaxed in my life, and that night I slept better than I had ever before. I woke up refreshed and ready for the day ahead.

  It was a big day. Today was the day we were going to find out if Dominic was going to be drafted. I saw that he was already awake. He was sitting up, staring ahead at a TV that wasn’t even on. I reached over and took his hand, squeezing it gently.

  “You nervous?” I said.

  He nodded. “I am. I’m not going to lie. This is a huge deal. I’ve been waiting for this day for so long. I’m glad we came here though because if I was at home, I probably wouldn’t have gotten any sleep. I’m glad you were here with me.”

  “So, you slept well?”

  “I did. I woke up about an hour ago, though. I’ve just been sitting here thinking about everything. I can’t believe that today is the day. I’ve been trying not to worry about it, but now I can’t help it. It’s even more nerve-wracking knowing that you’re all going to be there to see what happens. I just hope it’s not bad news. Candice . . . what if I don’t get in?”

  I shrugged. “Then you don’t get in. That doesn’t mean your life is over. Obviously, I think you will, but if you don’t, then you continue to fight for what you want. You have already overcome so many obstacles.”

  He nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good way to think. Well, either way, I have you. Let’s have some coffee before heading out.”

  I kissed him. “My turn to get it. And, Dominic, thank you for this. It was incredible.”

  After a final cup of coffee, we headed back to get ready. He dropped me off at my mother’s where I had a shower and got changed, and then Dominic’s father came to pick us up. Paul looked just as nervous as Dominic had been that morning and I gave him a big hug the moment I saw him to let him know that everything was going to be fine. I was glad that my mother was there to placate him too. The two of them had become such good friends over the past few months. Axel was in the car too, and when we arrived at the venue, Tim and Lily were waiting too. They waved when they saw us.

  Tim and Lily had started going out after their first date together, and since then we’d gone on a few double dates with them. I knew from the moment I saw them together that they were right for each other. Tim was infatuated with Lily and looked at her like he had just won the lottery. They looked very sweet together. It was also very nice for me. I’d arrived at the school with no friends and nobody by my side. But I now had a best friend, a fiancé and a new group of friends because of it. I looked around the room now and smiled. It was good to have all my favorite people in one room together. The only person that was missing was Dominic, who was meeting us there. He wanted to ride over on his motorcycle. He said the bike had a calming effect on him.

  Dominic arrived moments later. He looked nervous despite the bike ride but excited, and after saying hello to everyone, he came to stand next to me to take my hand.

  “Remember, no matter what happens, I’m here for you,” I said. “You’ve worked hard for this, and you deserve it.”

  We waited anxiously for the results to be announced. Dominic squeezed my hand and every now and again he squeezed it so hard I could feel my ring digging into my finger. But I squ
eezed back. I was sure that Dominic was going to get it, but we would never know for certain until we heard his name. The longer we waited, the more nervous I became too. I would be devastated if he didn’t get in. He really deserved it more than anyone else. Tim’s name was the first to get mentioned, and we all clapped and cheered for him. Tim had been certain that he wasn’t going to get in, so it had all come as a big surprise to us. I was glad. I didn’t know much about football, but I did know that he deserved it. I smiled at Lily when I saw a small tear rolling down her face.

  “Dominic Aarons!”

  I looked at Dominic and grinned. I had been so lost in thought that I’d almost stopped listening, but the moment I heard his name I wrapped my arms around him.

  “I knew it!” I said. “I’m so happy for you.”

  A few other teammates got in too, and as we walked out, we were all in a great mood. Coach Bane came bounding up to us and enveloped both Dominic and Tim in a huge hug. I knew he would blame himself if Dominic didn’t get in, and the look of relief on his face was palpable.

  “Let’s go to lunch and celebrate,” Tim said, and we all agreed.

  We found a little café nearby with a table big enough for all of us and ordered a round of champagne despite the early hour. We all stood up one by one to make a speech. When it was my mom’s turn, I was again reminded of how beautiful she was now that she wasn’t riddled with stress. She seemed about ten years younger. She looked around the table.

  “He was eleven when I first met him. Small for his age, which you would never guess from looking at him today. But even then I knew that he was going to turn into a strong and handsome man. At eleven years old, he was the sweetest, kindest, and most determined boy I’d ever seen, with a soft spot for my daughter. And, let’s be honest, none of that has ever changed,” she said, and everyone laughed. “I’m proud of you, Dominic. So, does this mean we can finally start planning the wedding?”

  He laughed and looked at me. “Yes, we sure can.”

  My mother held up her glass in the air, and everyone did the same. “To Dom—” she stopped and corrected herself. “I mean, to Nicky and Candy!”

  Everyone chuckled and cheered. “To Nicky and Candy!”

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  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2018 Alycia Taylor