by Alice Ward
“Thanks for the rescue,” I muttered under my breath.
“If we were anywhere else, I’d have knocked that bastard’s teeth in,” he whispered as we stepped back into the crowd. “And I meant what I said. If that asshole bothers you again, I’ll make sure he regrets it for the rest of his life. Are you sure you’re okay? He didn’t hurt you? Where were the girls?”
We eased against the back wall unnoticed, the crowd’s attention still on the rest of the team.
“They went to the bathroom. Melissa’s probably touching up her makeup before her on camera stuff. I had to drag Ben out before he made a scene, but I’m fine. I’m better than fine. I’m sorry I was such a bitch this morning. Thanks for having my back.”
Ethan let out a soft sigh. “Don’t call yourself a bitch. I’m the one who overreacted. You’ve been amazing these past few weeks, Em. You have every right to be upset at me for pushing myself when you’re the one who has to take care of me if I get hurt. I guess it’s just taking me a little time to adjust to having someone to be accountable to. I promise to do better next time.”
“Me too,” I agreed, curling into his side. We held each other for a few long moments and Ethan cleared his throat.
“You know Ben’s full of shit, right? About the girls in every city, I mean. I know plenty of players like that. But I’m not one of them.”
“I never, for a second, thought you were,” I assured him.
“I love you, Emily,” he whispered. “This may not be the best place to say that for the first time. But I can’t not say it for a second longer. I have fallen completely, desperately in love with you.”
I felt as if my heart would soar out of my chest. I opened my mouth to tell him I felt the same, and my friends chose the exact wrong time to reappear.
“Hey,” Melissa beamed. “Are they about to wrap up?”
Ethan nodded at her with a reluctant smile. “Yes. As soon as D’Angelo’s finished speaking, we’ll be ready to move outside.”
The playground had been transformed into a training field, and the players were going to teach the kids some of their practice drills.
“Why don’t Ethan and I head out there and double check that everything’s set up?” I suggested.
“Sounds good,” Ethan agreed. “We’ll see you two outside.”
We slipped away from them before they had a chance to protest. Ethan turned down the hallway toward the double glass doors, but I pulled him into the empty gymnasium and planted a firm, passionate kiss on his lips. I pulled away and stared into his eyes.
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER SIX
“These are fantastic seats,” Claudia gushed. “I’ve always loved football, but I’ve never been to a professional game. I never imagined my first time would be in a VIP box on Thanksgiving!”
“This is quite the spread,” Uncle Walt agreed, filling his plate with smoked salmon from the buffet line.
I stood in front of the crepe station, waiting for my breakfast. We had half an hour until kick-off, and I was anxious to get back to our box. I knew Victor and Martha were nearby, and the last thing my nerves needed was a run in with Ethan’s disapproving parents.
“I can’t believe Melissa would rather be on the field,” Linda commented. She covered her French toast and sausage with a heavy layer of maple syrup and grabbed a handful of napkins.
“I’d trade places with her in a heartbeat, if I didn’t prefer the company up here,” Henry told her with a love struck smile.
Everyone I care about is happy right now. Uncle Walt has finally found a wonderful woman. Linda and Henry are on their way to happily ever after. Melissa’s career has finally taken the turn she’s been waiting for. God, please let us stay this way forever. And keep Ethan safe while he’s on the field.
The chef topped my blueberry crepes with whipped crème and passed me the plate. I tossed on a few slices of crisp bacon and glanced around the buffet line before leading everyone back to our box. We sank down into the comfortable, overstuffed leather furniture while our private bartender took our drink orders. Normally, I’d never have alcohol so early in the day. But it was a holiday, and I needed something stronger than food to calm my nerves. We all ordered blood orange mimosas and turned our attention to the field.
“I’m sure Ethan will be just fine,” Claudia assured me. “His bones have healed. He’s a strong guy.”
“I hope so.” My stomach twisted in anxiety.
The bartender passed out our drinks and we ate in silence until our plates were clean. A cocktail waitress popped into the box and cleared our dishes just as the head announcer welcomed everyone to the stadium. We moved to the stadium seats directly in front of our window and watched Ethan walk to the middle of the field for the coin toss. He lost, and I prayed it wasn’t an omen for the rest of the game. The Stallions were playing Dallas, Ethan’s old team, and I knew he’d take a loss as a personal failure.
My prayers were futile. The Dallas offense ran roughshod over the Stallion’s defensive line and scored their first touchdown just three plays into the game. Their defense was even more formidable. They held Ethan to just four yards before taking possession of the ball for the second time.
“I’m sure it’s just a rough start, Emily,” Walt assured me. “Ethan needs a few plays to get back in the swing of things. He’ll settle in and start kicking ass in no time.”
Ethan’s next toss landed in the arms of a Dallas lineman, who turned around and ran in for a sixty-yard touchdown.
“You were saying?” I asked with a defeated sigh.
I signaled the bartender for a refill and asked him to keep them coming.
Remember what Melissa said… there’s no telling how many cameras are pointed at me right now. I can’t overreact to anything that happens on the field.
I straightened my shoulders and smoothed the front of my pink and silver Stallion’s jersey. The bartender brought me my drink, and I watched the rest of the first half without really paying attention to what was happening. When the teams filed off of the field, I finally glanced at the scoreboard. Dallas was leading by three touchdowns.
Cheerleaders from both teams danced across the field and I rose to my feet. “I’m getting more food. Does anyone want anything?”
“I’d take one of those salt bagels with some lox and cream cheese,” Walt called after me.
“I’ll come with you,” Linda insisted and linked her arm through mine as we stepped into the vast hallway. “It sort of looked like you zoned out in there,” she observed under her breath.
“I feel stuck,” I confessed. “I know people are watching me watch Ethan. I’m afraid to react to what’s happening on the field, so I stopped paying attention.”
“It’s not that bad, Emily,” she assured me. “I mean, no one likes to lose. But it’s not the end of the world.”
“To Ethan it is. The Stallions lost every game they played without him. He feels like their losing streak is his fault and he’s determined to turn the season around. I think he also feels the need to prove himself to his old teammates. If they don’t come back in the second half, Ethan will be devastated.”
“It won’t be the first time he’s lost a game,” she reminded me. “And lucky for him, he has a hot, sexy girlfriend to make him feel better.”
I blushed and turned my attention to the buffet line. While my uncle’s bagel toasted, I loaded my plate with eggs Benedict and fresh fruit.
“You really are nervous,” Linda observed. “I’ve never seen you eat like this.”
“You should probably fix another plate too. Something tells me Thanksgiving at Ethan’s might be canceled,” I warned.
Linda took my advice and filled another plate. We returned to the box just as the halftime performance was wrapping up.
“Here you go,” I sang, forcing myself to sound cheerful as I passed Uncle Walt his plate. “I went ahead and grabbed a little of everything, in case anyone else gets hungry during the second half.” I
pointed to the overwhelming selection on the dish.
“Good thinking ahead, kiddo,” he replied. He popped a grape into his mouth and put an arm around me. “I was just telling Claudia that I’m sure the team is going to come back strong in the second half.”
“I think we should stop talking before we put some sort of jinx on the rest of the game.” I stared at my plate, wondering if my stomach would protest more food.
“Since when are you superstitious?” he asked, an eyebrow cocked in curiosity.
“Since I’m going to have a city full of people insisting I’m bad luck if this game doesn’t end well,” I answered dryly.
“Don’t let the talk get to you, sweetheart.” He squeezed my shoulder but didn’t say another word about the game.
The second half wasn’t as bad as the first; it was worse. Ethan threw interception after interception. By the beginning of the fourth quarter, the announcers were wondering out loud if his concussion had caused him to forget he no longer played for Dallas. The Stallions lost the game by their widest margin of the season and trooped off the field in defeat.
“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” Uncle Walt offered, his arm still around my shoulders.
I was crushed by the loss but relieved that the game was finally over. I took a deep breath and rose to my feet.
“It’s okay. Like you said earlier, it will just take him some time to fall back into the swing of things. Why don’t you guys head home and relax for an hour or so, and then head to Ethan’s house? I’m going to try to slip into the locker room and make sure he’s feeling okay.”
“Are you sure he’ll still be up for company?” Claudia asked.
“No,” I confessed. “But I’m hoping for the best.”
“Just let us know, sweetheart. If Ethan needs some alone time, we can move dinner to my place,” Uncle Walt insisted.
“Sure,” I agreed and headed out of the box. “Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I left the VIP box and rode an elevator down to the ground floor of the stadium. As Melissa had predicted, most people in the crowd looked at me like a pariah. I drew stares, sneers, and even a few verbal insults, but I didn’t care. I needed to make sure Ethan was alright. I found Melissa a few feet away from the locker room entrance.
“Hey, Em. Rough game, huh?” she greeted me with a frown.
“That’s an understatement. Have you seen Ethan?”
“I think he’s still out on the field talking to the national networks. He already gave me a soundbite. I’m waiting for Coach Shields, and then I’m getting out of here. Do you think we’re still on for dinner?”
“You probably have a better idea about that than I do. How’s he taking this?”
“He’s pissed off,” Melissa answered, her voice blunt.
“Everyone else is going home. I’ll see what Ethan wants to do and get back to you.”
The coach emerged from the locker room with three assistants following at his heels. “Alright, Melissa. Let’s get this over with. I have tapes to watch.”
He continued down the hallway without slowing down and Melissa took off after him, waving goodbye over her shoulder. I walked through the wide tunnel and out onto the field.
I spotted Ethan on the sidelines, just as Melissa told me I would. But he wasn’t talking to any reporters. From where I stood, it didn’t look like he was doing much talking at all. Ethan sat on a white plastic folding chair with a busty blonde Dallas cheerleader in his lap.
What the fuck is going on?
I stepped back into the darkness of the tunnel and kept my eyes on Ethan. From a distance, I could make out that the woman was stroking his face. He kept shaking his head, but I couldn’t see his expression so I had no idea what was happening. I stood there watching them for what seemed like hours. Finally, the blonde untangled herself from my boyfriend and returned to the rest of her squad. Ethan stood and started to cross the field, and I stepped back out of the tunnel. Relief filled his face when he saw me.
“Thank God. Seeing you is the only thing that could possibly make me feel better right now.” He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. “I played terrible. I’m sorry you had to sit through that.” He kissed the top of my head, careful not to drip any sweat on me. He smelled like dirt, salt, and fresh sod.
“How are you feeling?” I asked. “Physically, I mean.”
“I’m fine,” he assured me. “But I’m ready to get the hell out of here. Just let me pop into the locker room and pull off these pads. I’ll shower at home. Did you tell everyone to just head to the house?”
“I wasn’t sure if you were still in the mood for company,” I explained, following him back down the tunnel.
“It’s Thanksgiving. And it’s our first holiday together. I don’t want a shitty game to ruin the rest of the day.” He kissed my forehead. “I love you, Em. Wait here. I’ll be right back.”
He disappeared into the locker room and I slid down onto a bench. I sent a group text telling everyone that dinner was still on, then pretended to be enthralled by my phone to avoid the stares of the fans around me.
Ethan never mentioned being involved with one of the Dallas cheerleaders. But it’s not like I didn’t know what I was signing up for. What I almost walked up on had to have been innocent. He’s too at ease to be up to something.
I realized that was the same lie I told myself when Ben started acting strange. But I also knew that Ethan was nothing like Ben. We hadn’t gone into much detail with each other when it came to our histories with other people. But Ethan had acknowledged that he’d taken advantage of no strings attached sex when the opportunity presented itself. I wasn’t a complete stranger to one-night stands, so I wasn’t exactly in a place to judge.
Maybe she’s just an old friend. Maybe they used to hook up. All that matters is that Ethan and I are together now. I know he’s devastated. But he’s setting his pain aside to make this a special holiday for me. The least I can do is give him the benefit of the doubt with the blonde.
Ethan stepped out of the locker room in his game pants and a white sleeveless t-shirt. He held his gym bag in one hand and reached for me with the other.
“Ready to go home?”
I nodded and stepped into his embrace. “Yes. Let’s go home.”
***
Ethan did a fantastic job of pretending that nothing was wrong while my friends and family were over for Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone silently agreed that we’d had more than enough football for the day, so we turned the television to a Friends marathon while we moved around the kitchen.
Ethan’s house still had its original floorplan, which was the opposite of open concept. Fortunately, the kitchen had been made with a staff in mind, so there was plenty of room for a large table and a wall mounted TV.
I’d cheated and ordered the turkey from a local deli, but Melissa and I were making all of the sides from scratch. Linda kept the cocktails flowing, and everyone relaxed, played cards, and studied the renovation plans Ethan had finalized during his injury. Conversation flowed smoothly and before I realized it, it was well past sundown. Linda and Henry left to get in line for the Black Friday sales; everyone else slowly followed, finally leaving Ethan and me alone. That’s when I realized he wasn’t as okay as he’d been letting on.
“I’m going to watch film,” he told me, padding toward his office. “I’ll be at it all night. You may as well just go home.”
“Are you sure?” I called after him. “Like you said earlier, it’s our first holiday together.”
“Yes,” he said, his back still turned to me. “It’s our first holiday together, and we spent it together. And now I need to stay up all night to catch up on what I should have been focusing on all along. The team is having a losing season. If we don’t turn things around, the playoffs are out of the question. I don’t mean to be an asshole, Emily. But I’ve really got to get some work done.”
“And you want me to leave?” I pressed with a
hurt frown.
“No, I don’t want you to leave. But right now, I can’t afford the distraction of having you here.”
Images of the blonde flashed through my head, but I decided not to confront him with my suspicions. I wanted to learn more about her, about them, on my own before I asked him any questions.
“Fine, I’ll go. Linda and I have that early education workshop in Salem this weekend,” I reminded him. “We’re leaving late tomorrow night and we’ll be home early Sunday. I’ll call you when I get back to town.”
I wanted Ethan to argue and insist that we had to see each other before I left. But he didn’t. Instead, he gave me a quick, emotionless peck and told me to have a good time. I left the house feeling more defeated than Ethan had looked after the game.
Ethan’s mood didn’t seem to improve at all over the weekend. I texted him between classes and seminars, and he always sent a quick, polite reply. But I felt a strange distance growing between us, and I wasn’t sure how to handle it. On Saturday night, I told Linda what I’d seen after the Thanksgiving game. She immediately packed our things, checked out of our hotel room, and drove me back to Portland. She spent the trip alternating between assuring me that everything would be okay and vowing to castrate Ethan if he turned out to be a cheater.
I spent the trip googling the cheerleader on my tablet. Her name was Susannah Cross. She was just nineteen years old. Ethan’s last year with Dallas had been her first. Other than that, I wasn’t really able to find much information about her. When Linda pulled up outside my apartment, I was sure we’d made a huge mistake coming home early.
“If I show up unannounced at Ethan’s, he’ll feel like I don’t trust him,” I insisted, my fingers twisting in my lap.
“Emily, I really doubt there’s ever been anything between Ethan and Susannah,” she assured me again. “I mean, he’s ten years older than her. It’s one thing to like your women young. But that young is just one step above pedophile. I think there’s something else behind Ethan’s attitude. And I think the sooner you talk it out, the better.”