by Melody Anne
“Nah. I’m pretty sure I won,” he said, pulling her into a hug.
She glanced up at him. “How is that?”
“I’ve got a beautiful woman in my arms, and I made it through a game at Cricket Field without succumbing to the curse.” Feeling more alive and optimistic than ever before, he tilted his head impulsively and kissed her. The wolf whistles and cheers from his teammates only encouraged him to deepen the kiss.
“Hey, Gabe,” Lainey said when he finally let her up for air. “How about I take you out to dinner next week as a consolation prize?”
“You know the regular season starts next week, right?”
“I know. But I’m in love with you, too. What do you say, Havelak? Be my boyfriend for more than three weeks?”
It felt like his heart exploded. “For you, anything.”
epilogue
THREE MONTHS INTO THE season, the Falcons were still averaging more than five thousand loyal fans every home game, sticking with them through all the ups and downs of an amazing first season. Lainey was determined to put on a good show for them. That meant not losing to a team wearing black-and-white zebra stripes. They were tied 2–2 with Miami, but there were still fifteen minutes left in the game to turn things around.
She stepped up to the ball at half and glanced back at her teammates while waiting for the ref to blow the whistle. Every one of them wore the same fierce expression on their face. We can do this, she thought as she brushed the loose wisps of hair past her ears.
The whistle blew, and Lainey tapped the ball to Jo. They worked a few rapid-paced give-and-go passes through the midfield until Lainey saw her break. She passed to Alyssa, who could thread the ball through the smallest hole in the defense. Alyssa lobbed it deep to the corner where Jaime, who could smell weakness a mile away, was already dashing ahead for the counterattack. Lainey pushed off on her heels and ran, digging into every reserve of speed and energy in her muscles as she propelled herself forward. The ball sailed in a high cross above the defense at the edge of the box. Almost there . . . Almost.
Unmarked, Lainey sprang into the air for a header, snapping her core muscles to harness the kinetic power of the cross and redirect the ball toward the net.
She landed hard on the ground, scraping her knee and jarring her elbow. She ignored the pain and zeroed in on the location of the ball.
They’d just pulled ahead 3–2.
The crowd’s roars continued until the final whistle blew. The Falcons’ defense held off the brutal stream of offensive attacks by the Zebras to hold on to the lead.
Lainey waved to the crowds a split second before her teammates tackled her in celebration. Together they were unstoppable, and she had no doubt that in another three months they’d be celebrating the inaugural American Women’s Soccer League championship.
The only thing that would make the moment better would be if Gabe had been here to witness it in person. The Surge had a match in Atlanta tomorrow, which meant her boyfriend would be on a flight today. Her boyfriend. God, she loved calling him that. Not that a relationship between two professional athletes was easy. There were a lot of nights where she would give anything to be in his arms, feeling his warm breath against her cheek, rather than hearing his voice through the phone. But all that time apart made their reunions even more special. Maybe she didn’t have it all in life, but it was as damn near close as anyone could ever get.
She lined up with her teammates to shake the Miami players’ hands, then led them on a postgame cooldown run around the field. As soon as she rounded the corner, she stopped dead on the spot and sucked in a breath.
“Ouch,” Jaime said, bumping into her back.
“Gabe’s here,” she whispered. She would recognize his strong shoulders and glacier-blue eyes a mile away, and yet her brain could not compute the image of him leaning against the clear fiberglass rain cover of the players’ bench. He wasn’t supposed to be here.
“And that turned you into a gargoyle?”
“Why is he here?”
“Go ask him, silly.” Jaime shoved her in his direction. “I’ll finish leading the cooldown.”
Lainey broke away from her teammates and jogged to Gabe. His mouth split into a smile that made her heart backflip as she approached. “Aren’t you supposed to be in Atlanta right now?”
“I’d rather be here watching you kick ass.” He pulled her in for a quick but steamy kiss. “Nice goal, by the way.”
“And Coach Heidermann is okay with you missing your flight?”
“He’s letting me catch a later one. He agreed it was more important for you to hear the news from me.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “What?”
“I’m officially retiring at the end of the season. The announcement goes public tomorrow.”
It was as though she’d forgotten how to breathe. She stood there, wrapped in his embrace, and stared at him, too dumbfounded for words. “What are you going to do if you aren’t playing anymore?”
“You’re looking at the new Evergreen High School varsity girls’ soccer coach.” Pride filled his voice. “There was an opening, and it just so happened I’m a pretty good fit for the job. It also means I can run my soccer camps full-time in the summer, maybe even expand them.”
“But—”
He settled a finger over her lips, shushing her. “I know what you’re going to say. This is what I want. I won’t regret it. Being with you made me realize what I really want out of my life. The truth is, my knee isn’t going to hold out for another season, and there is so much more I want to do with my life. I want to end my career on a high note, not like some washed-out has-been. You make me happier than another season with the Surge.”
“But I would never make you choose between me and soccer.”
He kissed her temple. “I know. Go back and finish the rest of your cooldown. Your teammates are waiting for you.”
“A-Are you sure?”
He brushed his lips against hers, spun her around, and sent her off with a pat on the butt. “I’ll be right here when you’re done.”
The postgame wrap-up seemed to drag on forever. And when she’d finally finished up with the press and snuck in a shower, Gabe was waiting for her outside of the locker room.
“Come on, I have one more surprise for you,” he said when she made her way back to him.
“You’ve already given me everything I could ever hope for. What else is there?”
He grabbed her hand and led her toward the interior of Chester Stadium. “You’ll see. I want to give it to you in private. Now, there’s this little matter of a bet we need to settle . . .”
Lainey paused, looking at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
“You won the Battle of the Sexes.” He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his car keys.
Her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Your Porsche? You’re giving it to me? I was never really serious about that bet.”
He shook his head. “I’m not actually giving it to you. Technically, by law in Washington State, a wife is entitled to half her spouse’s property.”
Her heart pounded while her brain tried to process what he just said. He knelt to the ground and reached into his pocket once more, this time producing a ring. “What do you say, Lukas? Will you make me the happiest man on earth?”
The happy tears that had been threatening to spill from the moment she saw him standing on the field finally leaked out. “Yes!”
He jumped up and gave her a sweeping kiss. “You know, I was thinking that since we finished your list, maybe it’s time for us to make a new one. Together.”
“I’d love that.”
He slipped the ring onto her finger. It was elegant and understated, and absolutely perfect. “Good. First stop is Chicago.”
“Why Chicago?”
“Because that’s the first stop on the World Cup trophy tour next December, and I’ve already arranged a private viewing for you so that you finally get your chance to hold the cup.
”
She looked into his beautiful blue eyes and imagined a lifetime of joy, love, and fulfillment. This time, it didn’t feel like some far-off fantasy. “I think you’ve finally convinced me to believe in luck, because I really am the luckiest woman in the world.”
acknowledgments
I am so grateful for everyone who helped make this book a reality. Thank you to my wonderful agent, Rachael Dugas, for believing in this story from the start and for your constant support. I also want to thank my fantastic editor, Marla Daniels, for making this book better than I could ever have imagined. I am so privileged to work with and learn from you. I want to thank my mom for giving me my love of reading and my dad for my love of soccer. Finally, I want to thank my incredible husband for believing in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. You are my rock, my biggest cheerleader, and the person who makes me laugh every day. I couldn’t ask for a better partner in life.
Will Lainey’s snarky-but-lovable cocaptain, Jaime, ever admit that she has a crush on the team’s physiotherapist? Or will she use her undeniable speed to keep running?
Keep reading for a sneak peek at Jaime and Alex’s story in
KEEPING SCORE
Coming November 2016!
1
JAIME CHEN DIDN’T HAVE a good explanation as to why her mind was occupied with dirty thoughts while she stared at Alex Martinez’s butt. Objectively speaking, it was a pretty great ass, but he was her sworn enemy—the man who was hell-bent on seeing her spend the rest of the season riding the bench. And yet, for the last two hours, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he bent and squatted in those stupid black track pants in the dark treatment room of the New York Cougars’ stadium.
It wasn’t just his looks causing these unwelcome thoughts to fill her head. It was the careful way the Seattle Falcons’ physiotherapist tended to each of her teammates like they were the most important person on earth, making her wonder if he would be the same way in bed.
“I know what you’re thinking, Jaime,” Alex said, not bothering to look up from the nasty scrape he was cleaning on Alyssa Adeyemi’s knee.
Jaime straightened in her seat. There was no way he could actually guess that she was wondering whether he had any birthmarks on either of those firm, squeezable cheeks. Nevertheless, a flush of red crept up her neck. “Okay, I confess. I’m having erotic fantasies about my loofah and Tropical Temptations bodywash.”
“Your ankle is swollen like a balloon again. Ice and elevation are essential to your recovery. A shower is not, so keep your butt planted in that chair until I can assess you. Don’t even dream of sneaking out of here before that.”
“Fine.” She huffed, blowing a rogue strand of hair off her face. Maybe a shower wasn’t essential, but she’d be damned if she was going to walk into a postgame meeting with her agent wearing her stinky uniform and sweat-soaked underwear. Unlike some of her teammates, she did not consider the stench of her perspiration to be a badge of honor. The moment the referee blew the final whistle, all she wanted was to scrub off the thin film of dried salt and mud from her skin. But as usual, one man stood in her way.
He turned and stalked toward her, causing her heart to pound harder with every step. It took every ounce of her self-control to not flinch as he grabbed the edges of the chair next to her thighs, forcing her to meet his stern, black eyes. His face was so close, their noses were almost touching. “I’m serious, Jaime. If you leave without a checkup, I will hunt you down and strap you to this table until I’m through with you.”
Well then. That kind of overbearing command shouldn’t have sent ripples of excitement down her spine, but it did. Further proof she was losing her mind. He walked away without giving her a chance to respond.
With dread curdling in her stomach, she watched the long hand on the cracked analog clock on the far wall limp forward another minute. It was now exactly four o’clock. She was supposed to be in Manhattan in thirty minutes, and even after factoring in her penchant for fashionable lateness, that meant she needed to be in a cab in ten. There was no way Alex would be done with the rest of her teammates by then.
Her agent had called this morning and insisted on a meeting after her game today against New York. Face-to-face talks were a rarity and almost always meant bad news. The fact that she hadn’t managed to secure an endorsement deal of any kind in the last three years since she and Jillian had been working together pretty much sealed her fate. Once Alex finally released her from the treatment room, Jaime was going to be dumped by the only person who had believed she could become a star.
She sighed and tapped her fingers along her thighs. “Saving the best for last, Martinez?” She wasn’t one for delaying the inevitable. Her philosophy on bad news was the same as it was for everything else: dive in headfirst.
“Something like that,” he muttered with a roll of athletic tape between his teeth.
“You know, they say delayed gratification can lead to—”
“Don’t even finish that sentence.” He sprayed Alyssa’s knee with iodine before taping a gauze pad on top. Her teammate hissed so loudly from the cold sting that Jaime felt her pain across the room. The man had an endless repertoire of ways to torture them. “Acute injuries get treated first.”
She knew that, and she had no intention of jumping the line. Hell, she didn’t even want to be in the damn line in the first place. Despite Alex’s persistent belief to the contrary, her ankle was just fine, thank you very much. A little bit of pain and swelling was an inevitable part of being a professional athlete.
Okay, maybe a lot of pain and swelling, she corrected herself as a sharp jolt exploded through to her shins. Still, it was all perfectly normal.
She perched forward on her chair and rested her chin in her hands to watch Alex remove the ice pack from Joanna Nelson’s ribs and inspect the bruise underneath.
“Almost done.” Alex walked over to the small sink along the wall to wash his hands. “You’re up next, Chen.”
Relief washed over her. Maybe she would fit everything in after all.
“Cramp! Mother-effing cramp!” Alyssa cried out, clutching her hamstring.
Or maybe not. Jaime sighed as Alex whipped back around and massaged her teammate’s spasming muscles.
She glanced at the door and bit her lip. She really shouldn’t postpone a checkup, but if she left now, she could at least shampoo her hair, maybe even swipe on a quick coat of mascara. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the chance to shower until she was back at the hotel in Newark.
She counted the steps to the door. Seven. She could make that before Alex even knew she was gone. He would be furious if she snuck away.
Then again, he was always in a bad mood.
Her mind made up, she slipped out the door and bolted for the shower, knowing he was going to make her regret this decision later.
JAIME’S ENTIRE BODY HUMMED with energy as she stepped out of the cab. Life as a professional soccer player gave her lots of opportunity to travel, but she rarely saw the outside of the stadiums and three-star hotel rooms. Games on the East Coast were tightly bundled into long road trips to save on flight costs, and as much as she loved being with her teammates, the endless hours on the bus and excessive togetherness started to wear on her after a while. This latest road trip was the worst yet. The Falcons were only two games into a six-game, twenty-day trip. A few hours of soaking up the big city was exactly what she needed to rejuvenate her before two more weeks of traveling up and down the coast.
The restaurant that her agent, Jillian Nichols, had recommended looked exactly as she imagined a New York City bistro to be: dozens of mismatched square tables squeezed into a thin slice of space, and servers with chic bow ties flitting about at the speed of light. Her agent was waiting for her in the far corner of the room next to the floor-to-ceiling window. They greeted with a quick hug over the table.
Jaime sat down, laced her fingers on top of the table, and arched her brow. “Finally had enough of working pro bono for me?�
�� She wanted to get the bad news out of the way. Afterward, they could at least enjoy a nice meal together without the pressure of disappointment weighing on them.
“Nah, charity cases are good for my reputation. Besides, I like the challenge. But first things first, I’m sorry I couldn’t make the game today. However, you are going to like my excuse for not being there.” Straight down to business, as always. The woman, who was barely older than Jaime’s twenty-five years, carried herself with a sophistication Jaime could never imagine attaining. But one thing they had in common was their tenacity to go for what they wanted. Jillian was the only agent who’d even considered taking Jaime on as a client, and she fought ruthlessly for her, like it was a personal mission to prove all the other sports agents out there wrong.
“Let me guess, having to choose between rooting for me or for your city is like being forced to choose which of your children you love more?”
Jillian sipped her water, but she couldn’t keep the smile from creasing her eyes. “There’s a reason I never plan on having kids of my own. But this is better. Much better.”
“An endorsement deal?” Endorsements were the ticket to financial security for an athlete, but more than that, they were the ultimate marker of success. The biggest damn pat on the head from the rest of the world she could ever hope for. Plus, Jaime flat-out needed the money. Canadian players like her just didn’t get the attention, or the endorsements, like the other players in the league. The fact that she wasn’t tall and blond knocked her down a few rungs in the popularity contest.
“No.” Jillian’s sharp blond bob was cut at the perfect angle for accentuating a decisive headshake. “Those would be a lot easier to get if you were still a track star.”
It was the never-ending conversation between them. Jaime had reached a moderate level of success as a sprinter, medaling in the 4 x 100 meter relay at the last Olympics, but she wasn’t a track star. Never had been. Her heart lay in soccer. When the opportunity to play professionally arose, she made the decision to quit track altogether. It hadn’t been an easy choice, but it wasn’t as hard as she expected, either. She loved soccer and loved being part of a team. The Falcons were everything she’d dreamed of. These girls were the family she never had.