That damn Ravie is a slick bitch.
Big Quad and I followed Mr. Ertz to a half-circle table for three with a spectacular view of the lush, green soccer field. I removed my leather bomber jacket, revealing my long-sleeve Viper Drachenberg jersey, and hung it on the back of my chair before Mr. Ertz pulled it out for me. I sat down, whispered my thanks, and smiled at him.
“A server will be here to take care of you shortly,” he told us and walked away.
Big Quad sat down in the chair across from me and grinned like he’d just won the Super Bowl. “He called me Mr. Jackson .”
I laughed along with my friend, but our little moment of humor was cut short when Mr. Ertz returned to the table with an extremely tall, middle-aged, bald man with steel grey eyes that reminded me of Hayden’s. Big Quad stood, and I pushed my chair back to do the same, but Mr. Ertz shook his head and placed his hand on my shoulder, stopping me from doing so.
“Colonel Hale Ellis, meet Ms. Natalie Taylor, your son’s surprise guest of honor this evening.”
“Hot damn! That son of mine is one lucky guy. You are absolutely breathtaking, Natalie.”
How could I not smile at that? “Thank you. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Colonel Ellis.” I offered him my hand and blushed when he kissed the back of it.
Big Quad and the colonel introduced themselves to each other and exchanged greetings before they sat down at the table with me. My head started spinning as I began to digest everything that had unfolded in my life since yesterday when I saw Hayden on TV. It all seemed so surreal. I was an entire continent away from where my career demanded I should be, but I didn’t care because my heart had led me here. I belonged in Munich at this moment in time for my man.
I held on to that thought even as a cute female server with freckles and a pixie haircut approached our table to take our beverage and appetizer orders. As usual, whenever we dined alone, Big Quad ordered for me because he knew me so well. I was too engrossed in the action on the soccer field, hoping to see Hayden at any moment, to give a damn about food or drinks. I wanted to see my Mr. Love.
All of a sudden, it felt like an earthquake had hit the stadium as the Bayern Munich team emerged from the tunnel with “The Baller’s Creed” blasting in the background. I was blown away to hear me singing my famous hook behind Yohumba’s rap lyrics as Hayden’s team ran out on the soccer field. The fans were vibing and singing along with the music word for word. The loud sound of hand claps and cheers mixed with the music was deafening. I stood with everyone else and applauded the Bayern Munich team when the players started warming up. The arena shook again but harder this time, and the boom of the pumped-up crowd, shouting and clapping swelled.
“Viper! Viper! Viper!” it seemed everyone in attendance was chanting feverishly.
I looked at Big Quad who was all into the hype. He and Colonel Ellis laughed and high fived each other and then resumed pumping their fists in the air and shouting the name that Hayden was known by in the soccer world.
My heart danced energetically in my chest when I finally saw his fine, super sexy self jog coolly out onto the field. He waved and blew kisses in all directions of the arena, causing the fans to boost their enthusiasm up to a brand-new level that I didn’t even think was possible. Hayden’s fans were going crazy. Their love for him was unbelievable. I looked at the television monitors mounted on the walls—one in each of the four corners inside the sky box—for up-close images of the packed arena. I was deeply moved by children wearing Hayden’s jersey and chanting his name loud and with lots of passion. Some women were crying and waving pictures of him in the air. I became so overwhelmed with emotion to the point that I was forced to retake my seat.
He’s like a god to his fans!
“They love him to death,” Colonel Ellis said close to my ear before sitting down next to me. “He loves them too and appreciates their support. For ten years, this has been Hayden’s world and the most important thing in his life. He has loved soccer…football more than anything else since he was a little boy. But recently, I think he found a greater love.”
The way the colonel’s eyes bore into mine gave me goose bumps. He was talking about me . He believed that Hayden loved me more than soccer. I didn’t know if he was okay with his son making me a priority over the sport that had made him a superstar or not, but I needed clarity on the matter.
“I love Hayden too, Colonel Ellis. If I had to choose between my career and him right now, he’d win hands down without hesitation.”
The colonel laughed and placed his hand on top of mine as it rested on the table. “He told his mother and me the same thing about you yesterday, and we believed him. You make him happy, Natalie, and that’s all that matters to Didrika and me.”
“Whew!” I fanned my face with my hand. “I’m glad to know that. I thought you were about to tell me to get lost so your son could continue his career without any distractions from me.”
“To the contrary, Natalie. You’re the right kind of distraction. Hayden’s mother thinks you’ve brought balance to his life. Plus she wants lots of grandbabies, pretty ones just like you.”
I laughed nervously to make up for my loss of words. The colonel and his wife already had me down the aisle, barefoot and pregnant with Hayden’s baby. I was honored that they wanted me to be a part of their family one day. The idea of becoming Hayden’s wife and the mother of his children was better than any fairytale. I held on to that thought until the arena’s announcer began to introduce the starting players for each team. Of course, Hayden received more boisterous cheers and rounds of applause than any other player. Overall, his team got lots of love from the crowd while the opposing team, Eintracht Braunschweig, almost got booed off the field.
After the kick off, the intense action began. My eyes remained fixated on Hayden the entire time. He was playing hard, and I could tell he was in a zone. Every time the ball was in his possession, his dad stood up and coached him softly as if he could actually hear him. Big Quad seemed to be enjoying the food and German beer more than the game, which was cool with me. I was too hyper to eat. And my nervous energy spiked to the stars when Hayden scored the first goal of the game.
“Yesss! Yesss!” I screamed and jumped out of my seat. I didn’t realize I was dancing and carrying on like a cheerleader until other fans in the sky box started pointing and taking pictures of me. I cut my dance routine short, sat my ass back down, and focused on Hayden again.
Maybe it was my imagination, but there was a slight limp in his walk in favor of his right leg. Was his left leg hurting? The instant the question formed in my head, Hayden grimaced and grabbed his left knee. Seconds later, he fell forward on the ground.
My heart paused along with the earth’s rotation on its axis when Hayden went down. I couldn’t breathe or move or even think straight. I just stood there trembling and watching as his coaches, the referees, and a medic tended to him. The sudden hush all over the arena was loud.
“Get up, Hayden!” his daddy shouted through cupped hands. “Get up!”
Big Quad wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “He’s gonna be okay, Eesh, so chill.”
Mr. Ertz rushed over to the colonel and me with a look of pure horror on his pale face. He didn’t say a single word to either of us, though. We all stood speechless, watching Hayden roll from side to side in the grass, holding his knee. The man who I believed was the head coach made a hand gesture to someone behind him. Three men wearing blue uniforms rushed out on the field, rolling a stretcher. That’s when I lost my shit.
“Oh my God! He must be hurt bad! Oh my God!” I wiped my face with both hands. “This isn’t good, y’all. It’s not good at all. Oh Lord!”
“One of us needs to go down there and accompany him in the ambulance to the hospital,” Mr. Ertz said with his eyes darting back and forth between Colonel Ellis’ face and mine.
“Natalie should go,” the colonel said. “Take her down there, Selig. Hurry! Her friend and I will meet her at the hospital.�
�
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Hayden
“Uggghhh,” I growled through the excruciating pain, on the verge of tears.
I felt my body being lifted from the ground as my back pressed against the thin mattress on the gurney. I looked up and saw thousands of fans standing, clapping their hands, and cheering me off the field. My image on countless posters was lifted high in the air. The howl of the crowd gave me hope. I could feel the sincere sentiments of well wishes floating my way even through the most terrible pain I’d ever experienced.
“Raise my head,” I begged one of the medics in German. “Please raise my head. I need to wave to them so they’ll know I’m okay. Raise my goddamn head!”
As soon as the fans saw my face, the arena erupted with more energetic applause and loud chants.
“Viper! Viper! Viper! Viper! Viper!”
I waved and blew as many kisses as I could before the severity of the pain overtook me. “Thank you. You can lower me now.”
I expected Selig and Papa to appear any second now. My mom hated crowded settings, preferring to watch me play on TV instead. She was in Frankfurt with Aunt Gerda, no doubt crying her eyes out. I hoped they had seen me wave to the crowd. Perhaps, the simple gesture would put them at ease until I could speak to them.
As they rolled me toward the tunnel, the chants of the fans began to fade. The game had to go on without me. I had played my best in spite of my tender ligament, which I’d heard snap the instant I kicked the ball into the goal. And the sharp sting that came along with it was unbearable. How I’d managed to walk as far as I had after the kick was nothing short of a miracle.
In the midst of the dissipating chants of Viper, I heard a familiar feminine voice call my birth name. It was weird how pain and emotions could affect the mind. I was experiencing a severe ache and I missed Natalie to no end. The combination was causing me to hear her voice ringing in my ears. I threw my forearm over my eyes and imagined her beautiful face. No matter what measures I’d have to take, I would travel to Atlanta to be with her as soon as the doctors repaired my leg. Until I could visit her, I would continue to replay every minute we’d spent together in Blue Ridge in my memory as often as I could. Those visions had helped me maintain my sanity since we had been apart, and I needed them more now than ever before. As her face flashed in my mind, I heard her voice again.
“Hayden! Hayden, I’m here! Hayden!”
“Let her through! She has clearance! Move out of the way!”
I tried to sit up when I heard Selig’s voice, but the shock from my mounting pain and fatigue held me hostage. For the first time in many years, I began to cry silently with my forearm still covering my eyes. But no matter how awful I felt physically, I was born again emotionally because Natalie was near. I felt her presence in my soul. It wasn’t my imagination. My love was here.
“Hayden, I’m here, baby.” She rested her head on my chest when the gurney stopped rolling. I ran my fingers through her hair. “You’re going to be okay because I’ll be right here to take care of you. I don’t care how long it takes. I’m going to stay with you.”
I didn’t give a fuck if the whole world saw me crying. When Natalie lifted her head from my chest to look into my eyes, I reached up with both hands, pulled her face down to mine, and kissed her lips passionately with tears pouring heavily down my face. “I…I love you s-so…so much,” I whispered against her lips.
“I love you too.”
“Okay, Ms. Taylor, you need to step aside, so they can take him to the hospital.”
“No, Selig! I want her with me! I need her!”
“Of course, sir. She will ride in the ambulance with you, but they need to get you inside first. That won’t be possible until she steps aside and allow them to roll you away.”
Natalie backed away from me slowly, and I immediately missed her warmth and her scent. As the medics rushed me past her and Selig, I twisted and turned my head because I didn’t want her out of my sight. There had been too much time and space between us since we’d left Blue Ridge. I didn’t want to spend another second without her. Thankfully, she walked fast behind the gurney, maintaining our closeness.
“Zyeshia, are you Viper’s mystery girlfriend?”
“Why did you come to see Viper play today? Are you the American singer he’s romantically involved with?”
“How long have you and Viper been together, Zyeshia?”
I regretted how the media pounced on her as soon as she stepped outside the arena. Selig fought them off as best as he could, but they were relentless. Cameras—video and standard—were all over her like fucking predators. And they knew exactly who she was. They were addressing her by her stage name. God, I felt sorry for her. Fortunately, it only took a moment or two for the medics to lift the gurney and slide it into the back of the ambulance.
“Natalie! Natalie!” I reached out to her.
“I’m right here, Hayden.”
Selig and another man, a spectator, helped her inside the ambulance. Once the door closed, the driver sped away from the arena with his emergency siren wailing. Natalie leaned over and kissed my lips.
I smiled through my agony. “Zyeshia has lots of German fans, eh?”
“Maybe. But she’s with her number one fan right now.”
She kissed me again and at that moment, I knew everything was going to be just fine.
It took me a few attempts before I was able to lift my heavy eyelids, but I eventually opened my eyes. I smiled when I was greeted by a mass of curls covering the head resting on my right pec. The sweet scent of coconut filled my nostrils. I appreciated the feel of the warm body nestled next to me in my hospital bed. It was the best remedy for my injured knee, which now felt numb and heavy underneath a tight bandage.
I curled my arm around my soul mate and caressed her back. This was how I wanted to wake up every morning for the rest of my life—with Natalie lying next to me. I could do without the injured leg, of course, but I wanted to face each future sunrise with her in my arms.
The sound of the door creaking open stole my attention away from the sleeping love of my life. I tried to greet Selig when he tiptoed quietly into my room and closed the door behind him, but my cotton mouth and scratchy throat worked against me. He made soft steps over to my hospital bed and looked down at me with genuine concern in his eyes.
“How are you, sir?” he asked softly.
I coughed and swallowed to clear my throat. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Dr. Dorfman, the orthopedic surgeon, assured Ms. Taylor, your father, and me that he has successfully repaired the rip in your left anterior cruciate ligament and reinforced all of the cartilage in the joint. After twelve weeks of intense physical therapy, you should be as good as new, sir. I foresee an awesome comeback for you next football season.”
“We’ll have to wait and see what my wife thinks about that.”
“Do I hear wedding bells, sir?”
“Hell yeah. As soon as I’m able to stand up on crutches, I’m going to marry this woman.” I kissed the top of Natalie’s head.
“I’m sure your mother and aunt will be thrilled to death about that. By the way, I called and spoke to both women immediately after your surgery. I told them everything the doctor said and guaranteed them you were being taken good care of.”
“Where is my father?”
“I had your driver take him back to the estate after he spoke with Dr. Dorfman. He was exhausted. Your driver also took Ms. Taylor’s friend, Mr. Jackson, to Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Kempinski. That’s where they stayed last night.”
“Who the hell is Mr. Jackson ?”
Selig chuckled, but I had definitely missed the joke. “Ms. Taylor couldn’t very well travel from Atlanta to Munich alone, sir. So, her bodyguard accompanied her on the spur-of-the-moment trip.”
“Spur-of-the-moment, eh?”
Selig nodded with a knowing smile on his face and mischief in his eyes.
“Go ahead and tel
l me the story before you burst.”
“It was the interview, sir. Ms. Taylor and her personal assistant, Mrs. Walden, saw your impromptu interview after practice yesterday on American television. She heard every word you said about her. It became quite clear to her that the kiss from Ms. Göbel was nothing more than a childish stunt.”
“So, Natalie traveled here to watch me play and spend time with me.”
“Exactly, sir. With a little bit of help from two very efficient personal assistants, I must add.”
“Please tell me how you and Natalie’s assistant pulled this surprise trip off.”
“Mrs. Walden contacted me via email after referencing the message I’d sent Ms. Taylor, regarding her flight information for the second of January.”
I nodded. “Yeah, the flight she refused to take.”
“That’s the one.” Selig’s face lit up with a smile. “But she readily boarded an evening flight to Munich yesterday, sir. In fact, she and her bodyguard traveled all night long to be here for your football game. That’s why she’s so exhausted and is able to sleep through our conversation.”
I squeezed Natalie tighter in my arms while thanking God for directing her to the Blue Ridge Mountains for the holidays so she and I could meet. I would forever believe that divine intervention had brought us together. And anything God had put together would last until the end of time.
Atlanta, Georgia
Eight days later…
“Just give me two more steps and an about face, Mr. Ellis. Then I’ll let you sit for a few minutes and drink some water before you walk the bars in the opposite direction. We’ll do flex weights after that. Can you do that for me?”
“Yeah.”
“You’re coming along quite well, sir,” Selig said, wiping my face with a towel.
“Thanks.”
Assad, my cruel task master of a physical therapist, placed a metal stool at the backs of my knees, and I readily eased down on it with care. Ravie and Selig had secured his services prior to me arriving in Atlanta. They had sworn to Natalie, my parents, and me that he was the best physical therapist in the city and surrounding areas. His résumé was impressive, I had to admit. He had singlehandedly rehabilitated dozens of professional athletes from all sports back to performance condition over his sixteen-year career. Hell, returning to the football field was the furthest thing from my mind right now, though. I just wanted to be able to stand up long enough to get married without falling on my face and enjoy a very short first dance with Natalie as husband and wife at our wedding next month. We had set the date for the nuptials three nights ago after I’d proposed on our last night at my estate in Munich.
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