Dear All Star Player (The Matchmaker Series)

by Tracy Lorraine

  “But—”

  “But nothing. What do I need to do to prove to you this is it? Do I need to…” He drops to his knee and I panic.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Showing you how serious I am.”

  He’s on one knee with my hand in his, love pouring from his eyes. My heart pounds and white noise fills my ears. “No, no, no. This is insane. You can’t do that. Get up.” Pulling at his arm, I make little impact on his huge frame, but he does take pity on me and gets back on his feet.

  “Well, I guess it’s good to know where you stand on the marriage front, then.” He laughs.

  “We’ve been out on three dates, Seth. One of those ended with me walking out on you and another with me leaving you tied to your own bed. I don’t think proposals are necessary quite yet.”

  “I don’t need any more dates, Rose.”

  My hands tremble and my heart races to the point I think I might start hyperventilating at any moment if he continues. He’s so sure of himself right now. So sure of me. How can he be so convinced about us so quickly? I bat down the little voice in my head that screams at me to agree with what he’s telling me because my rational thoughts need to take center stage right now, not my heart.

  “Okay, okay.” Placing my hands on his chest, I look up at him. “I believe you. This is real. Can you now slow down a little, please?”

  “So, no discussion about kids yet, then?”

  “How about a drink? I need a drink.”

  “Sounds good. Then maybe we could practice the kid-making thing again. You know, just in case we need it in the future.”

  Book Nerd 69

  Date night Friday night. I’ll pick you up at 5.30 pm. Wear warm clothes.

  All Star Player xxx

  I recognize the writing the second I pull the envelope from the mailbox. Seth stayed here last night, like he has every night since things suddenly got serious between us a month ago. He never said anything about plans for tonight.

  Smiling to myself, I tuck his letter back into my purse to reread later. Yes, I’ve turned into that sappy kind of girlfriend.

  Things have been beyond incredible between us. I’ve met his friends and former teammates and he’s now been formally introduced to Lacey and Bryony, who spent the entire time drooling over him and trying to get him to introduce them to any of his single friends.

  The second Lacey locks up the shop, I’m racing towards home to get changed. He hasn’t left me a lot of time and it makes me wonder what we could be doing that requires us to be ready so early.

  I pull on a fresh pair of skinny jeans and the Chief’s hoodie Seth got me a couple of weeks ago. I’m just tying my hair up when I hear the front door shut.

  “Are you ready?” he calls through the house. When I emerge from the bedroom, he’s standing in the hallway dressed very much like I am.

  “Oh God. Are we one of those couples?” I look between the two of us until he catches on.

  “Oh! I think it’s cute.”

  “I’ll go change.”

  Just as I turn, his warm fingers wrap around mine. “No, you look perfect.”

  “We look like twins.”

  “So? Everyone will know you belong to me.”

  “Okay, caveman. Whatever you want.”

  “Let’s go, I don’t want to be late.”

  “Late? It’s five-thirty.”

  “Exactly.”

  Grabbing my hat, gloves, and purse from the dresser in the hallway, I follow Seth out. He locks the door behind us and helps me up in to his giant Jeep.

  “Where are we going?”

  “It’s a surprise. Did you have a good day?”

  Our journey is filled with small talk about what we’ve been up to in the few hours since we last saw each other. I keep an eye on where we’re going, but I have no clue where our destination might be. That is, until he turns towards our old high school. “Seth?”

  He ignores my question and continues driving into the parking lot. He must be aware of my increased breathing but he doesn’t acknowledge it. Not until he turns the engine off and turns to me. “We’re going to rewrite some old memories.”

  My eyebrows rise, but he doesn’t elaborate. Instead, he jumps from the car and comes around to help me out.

  “What are you doing?” I ask in a panic when he opens one of the doors to the main buildings and walks inside like it’s an everyday occurrence.

  “It’s fine, come on.”

  Hand in hand, we walk down the hallway, past all the lockers and classrooms I thought were a distant memory. Images of events that took place in this exact hallway play out in my mind. The majority of them I’d rather forget, and many of them involve the man walking beside me.

  “I hate this place,” I mutter as we walk past what was once my senior year locker.

  “I know.”

  “And you brought me here regardless?”

  “I have my reasons.”

  “Want to start explaining them?”

  His lips stay shut as he pulls me into the gym. More memories slam into me, and as I look around the room I see all the kids who used to be here staring at me, wondering why Seth Brady’s holding my hand. All my fears crash into me and I stop. Seth tugs at my arm until he looks back.

  “Shit. Was this a really bad idea?”

  Focusing on his green eyes and the promises he’s made to me, that all of this is the real deal, I push my memories aside and just breathe.

  I am not the Rosie Moore every other student in this school stared and laughed at. I am Rose Moore, an intelligent woman who survived despite their best efforts to break me.

  Once he sees my panic has subsided, Seth continues to guide me to the other side of the vast space. He backs me up against the wall under the basketball hoop and places his palms on my cheeks.

  “Do you know where we are?” he asks after a few seconds of searching my eyes.

  “In…in the gym,” I stutter, unsure where he’s going with this.

  “Yeah, but this exact spot?”

  Glancing up, it’s like it’s that night all over again. The cheers and taunts fill my ears as a teenage Seth stares down at me.

  It’s my nightmare, but I’m awake.

  “It’s where…” I trail off because I can see the pain and regret in his eyes, but I know I need to get this out. “It’s where you stood after being dared to kiss me.” My eyes fill with tears as the emotions from that night flood me.

  “I was such a fucking asshole back then, Rose. My entire life was about living up to my brothers and not allowing anyone to see I was drowning in the classroom. I never should have accepted that dare. I knew it at the time, but I was too weak to do anything but follow.”

  I may have had my concerns at the beginning of this thing between us, but I have no choice but to believe him as he stares down at me, eyes full of regret.

  “I’m so fucking sorry. I intend on spending the rest of my life trying to make it up to you.” My heart pounds as anxiety races through me that he’s about to get down on one knee again. He seems to have this need to go big or go home with his declarations of love. I’d much prefer to take one step at a time. But instead of lowering to the floor, he stays exactly where he is, with his fingers tangled in my hair and staring into my soul.

  “I love you, Rosie Moore.” He doesn’t give me a chance to respond, possibly because he’s scared I won’t return his words. His lips slam down on mine and his body presses me back into the wall.

  When he eventually pulls back, he whispers, “I’m so fucking glad I didn’t kiss you that day. I was too fucking dumb to appreciate what an incredible woman you were.”

  “I was just a girl back then.”

  “Exactly. Now you’re all woman, and you’re all mine.”

  He kisses me again. His tongue sweeps into my mouth and I moan as his hardness presses into my stomach.

  He’s breathless when he pulls back and drops his hands to allow his fingers to tangle with mine.
“Come on. There’s another reason we’re here.”

  “Wait.” Giving his arms a tug, I force him to turn back towards me. Hope is pouring from his eyes. I don’t think he’d ever admit it, but he really needs to hear the words that are on the tip of my tongue.

  “I love you, too, Seth.” The smile that spreads across his face makes me wish we weren’t in our high school gym right now.

  “Fuck.”

  When we eventually leave the solitude of the gym, it’s to the sound of cheering and laughter. I put that together with the fact we’re in a high school on a Friday night and I know exactly why we’re here.

  Seth pulls his cap lower so he won’t be easily spotted and I follow his lead as we head towards the field. What I’m not expecting is for him to walk straight up to Coach Harris and shake his hand, as his players wait for the coin to be tossed. Coach looks exactly the same as I remember; he was old when Seth was on the team, so I can only imagine how old he is now.

  “Seth, I’m so glad you took me up on the offer. It’s good to see you.”

  “You, too, Coach. Do you remember Rosie?”

  Coach squints his eyes at me before nodding, but there’s no reason he’d have any idea who I am. Sports weren’t exactly my speciality and I stayed as far away from the cheer team and the football field as possible. “Looking forward to the game?”

  “Of course. It’ll be like old times.” This is a total lie, but it makes him beam, nonetheless.

  “I’ve reserved you the best seats in the house.” He nods over to the bleachers before calling, “I hope you see something you like, Coach Brady.”

  “Coach Brady?” I ask once we’re settled.

  “I didn’t want to say anything until it was finalized, but Coach got in contact with me a few weeks back. He’s been looking for a replacement, and when he heard I was out of action he came knocking.”

  “I had no idea you wanted to coach.”

  “Neither did I,” he admits. “But it’s perfect, don’t you think?”

  “It’s perfect, Seth. This job’s got your name all over it.”

  We sit back and watch as the game gets going. I’ve no real clue what I’m watching but Seth is soon fully invested. He ducks and dives along with the players and calls out in frustration along with everyone else around us. I can’t help but smile at the passion and determination on his face.

  “What?” he asks when he spots me looking at him.

  “Just enjoying the view.”

  “You never got to see me play, did you?” Disappointment fills his voice.

  “Once,” I admit, and his eyes brighten. “My gran convinced me I had to go to the state final game. “I sat right at the top, up there,” I nod towards the highest point in front of us. I don’t mention I spent almost all the game reading, drowning out the chaos around me with words.

  He smiles before taking my chin in his hand and pressing his lips to mine. “This is perfect.”

  Eighteen Months Later…

  Seth fell into his new role as coach easily. He worked alongside Coach Harris for a few weeks before totally taking over at the beginning of the next semester. He’s a tyrant and works the boys until they’re begging for relief, but they know it’s for their own good. If they want any chance of a scholarship and then being drafted into the NFL, they need to listen to Seth’s every word.

  During his first year, the team finished mid table.

  But that wasn’t enough for Seth. He set out to end this year at the state finals. He was desperate for his boys to experience the starts to their football careers that he did. That isn’t Seth’s only concern where his boys are concerned, though. He makes sure he knows every single thing about each of his players, from their grades to their families and their ambitions. He refuses to allow any of them to struggle and to use their talent on the field as a cover, like he did.

  It seems that Seth isn’t the only one to spend a huge chunk of their time back at high school, because not long after he started he discovered some of his boys’ grades were floundering. So, he brought in a special after-school tutor.

  Me.

  Until those boys have completed homework, increased grades, whatever it needs to be, he will not allow them on the field. His dedication to their success is unwavering, and I’m so damn proud of him.

  I sit and watch with my laptop on my knees as he warms up with the boys, ready for tonight’s big game. It’s the state championship semi-finals. A win tonight will see them through to the finals, the last step to achieving Seth’s goal for his first year as a high school coach.

  He must sense my attention because he stands to full height and turns to look at me. My breath catches, just like it does every time his eyes run the length of me like they are right now in my Bulldogs jersey. He had me a special one printed up with his name on the back—his caveman tendencies know no bounds sometimes. He wanted to show all the single dads who show up to games that I belonged to him. I couldn’t really argue because I kind of like belonging to him.

  Blowing me a kiss, he shouts a demand at the boys and they all take off running.

  “Hey, how’s it going?” He rubs his forearm across his sweaty head before leaning down to kiss me.

  “Good. I think I’m nearly finished.”

  Not long after he accepted the job here, he admitted that while I was at work at the bookstore he was hacking into my laptop and reading everything I’d written over the years. I was mortified to begin with, knowing he’d read some of the steamier scenes, but he was only inspired to try some of them out.

  I couldn’t really complain about that.

  He encouraged me to start looking at doing something with them. It took months, but eventually I polished one up enough to send it to a local publisher. Just as he predicted, they snapped it up and I’m now a published author. I’ve left the bookstore to embark on a full-time career as a writer, but my book remains, sitting on the shelves. I pop in every now and then to make sure they’re all signed, just a little treat for anyone who’s willing to take a chance on me.

  “So, you’re going to let me read it soon, then?”

  “Maybe.”

  “That scene I read over your shoulder the other day was hot. There’s no way I’m not reading this.” My cheeks heat—I wasn’t aware he’d read any of this one.

  “Are the boys ready?” I ask, changing the subject.

  “I hope so because they’ve only got one shot at this.”

  I sit and watch the entire game with my heart in my throat. My nails dig into the plastic beneath me as the time ticks down. The two teams are tied. Everyone around me shouts and screams as the panic starts to really kick in.

  Then we get the ball and it’s like everything slows down as it makes its way down the field.

  The noise that erupts when they take the win in the final seconds of the game is something I’ve never experienced before. The ground shakes beneath my feet. All the boys rush at Seth, and for a second he’s content with their excitement. But it only lasts so long because he’s soon searching me out in the mass of people who are shouting and cheering around me.

  The moment our eyes connect, all the noise and people surrounding me vanish. It’s just him and me.

  Shaking off the boys, he starts walking towards me. I don’t register my legs moving, but I soon realize I’m heading towards him, too. The moment he gets to me, he grabs my hands and drops to one knee.

  Unlike all the other times I’ve thought he was about to do this, I don’t panic or rush to tell him to stop being so stupid.

  This time, I bite down on my bottom lip and wait for what he has to say.

  “Many years ago, when I was celebrating a win, there was only one thing I wanted. More. More wins, more opportunities, more success than my brothers. I didn’t care who I trampled in the process. All I could think about was my dream. Everything’s different now. When I look into my future, there’s only one thing I see. You. I’ve no idea how I was lucky enough to be matched with you, or ho
w I deserved for you to forgive me, let alone love me. My success on the field means nothing to me now, not unless you’re by my side to celebrate with me. “Will you be my end game, Rose? Will you marry me?” He pulls a box from his pocket and reveals the most stunning solitaire engagement ring..

  My chin trembles as I fight to get the word out I’m so desperate to say. “Yes. YES!”

  He’s up off his knee and before I’ve had a chance to register what’s happening, he’s kissing me. I forget we’ve got one hell of an audience and I allow myself to be swept away by him.

  When he pulls back, the cheers are almost as loud as they were for the win. Looking over my shoulder, I see that everyone is looking our way. Heat creeps up my neck as embarrassment flows through me. That is, until I feel Seth grab my hand and I turn to watch him slide the ring onto my finger.

  After dropping a kiss to it, he pulls me to him. “You’re going to be my wife,” he whispers in my ear, as if he can’t believe it.

  “I am. It’s good timing, really, because there’s a fifty-fifty chance I’m growing you a little football player of your own.”

  My words take a few seconds to register, but I know the second they do because his whole body goes rigid.

  Pulling back, he stares at me, waiting for me to tell him I’m joking. There’s been talk of kids ever since we got together but neither of us have been in the right place in our lives and careers to really take it seriously. But it seems the decision was taken out of our hands.

  “You’re pregnant?”

  “I am.”

  “This is the best fucking day ever!” His eyes glisten with unshed tears as he stares at me. Love and happiness pour from them, making me fall for him all over again.

  Wrapping his arms around me, he spins as the boys come over to join in the celebrations and he’s forced to keep his emotions in check.

  The people I spent most of my teen years trying to avoid surround me, but I can’t imagine a better place to be right now. My high school bully has become the love of my life. There’s a perfect romance novel, right there!