EPILOGUE
Lauren
SEVEN MONTHS LATER…
The crowd was deafening as the Wildcats offense rolled back onto the field.
“Please let Graham and Ty win this game,” I whispered to myself, knowing nobody could hear me over the roar in the stadium.
I was a wreck. The score was tied, and there were only a few minutes left on the clock.
I was on my feet with the rest of the crowd, and Kelley was next to me, looking as cold as I felt. Granted, it could have been colder. It was pretty much the average temperature in Denver in January, but after being exposed to the elements for over two hours, I was starting to feel the cold wind.
“I’m freezing my ass off,” Kelley yelled.
I looked at the pretty brunette next to me and smiled. “Welcome to Colorado in the winter,” I told her in a voice loud enough for her to hear as I watched the team set up for the snap.
Kelley swore that she hated football, but I’d watched her during the game, and I’d noticed every time she flinched while she was watching Ty taking a hit.
Something had happened between her and Ty when he’d gone to pick her up during our birthday party months ago, but she’d never told me what happened. She’d told me that Ty wasn’t significant enough to talk about.
Knowing Kelley as well as I did, I instantly knew there was something she wasn’t telling me. But she hadn’t cracked over the months, saying over and over again that Ty didn’t matter.
I was starting to think that she protested way too much for a woman who didn’t care about Graham’s best friend.
As far as I knew, she’d never seen him again outside of the few meetings they’d had at our condo after the birthday party.
What was it about Ty that she disliked so much?
Personally, I adored Ty, so I couldn’t imagine what had fueled Kelley’s irritation with him.
During their brief meetings at the condo, they’d both ignored each other, a fact that hadn’t escaped me or Graham.
I cheered as the running back escaped a tackle and gained more yardage. I’d helped him work on that spin to throw off the other team’s defense, and it had worked.
“Come on, Graham!” a male voice called from the other side of me.
I looked fondly at Jack, who was on the opposite side of me, and my father who was next to him.
We were all here to cheer Graham and the team on.
My heart was in my throat as I watched Ty break away and run down the field. He and Graham were setting up for a long pass, and the clock was ticking down way too fast.
I watched as Graham confidently released the football, and it sailed toward Ty.
“And Miller goes in for the touchdown!” Jack hollered.
They did it. They did it.
There was almost no time left on the clock and Ty had caught Graham’s ball perfectly and fought his way into the end zone.
The Wildcats had won the divisional championship game.
“They’re going to the Super bowl!” I yelled like every other fan in the stadium.
Jack swooped me up and twirled me around. “I knew he could do it,” my brother said excitedly.
Jack was one of Graham’s biggest supporters. I wouldn’t say he and Graham had recovered the friendship they’d had in the past, but I had hope that someday they might. It had been a slow process, but they were closer than they’d been seven months ago, so I had hope.
Even Kelley seemed caught up in the moment, and she hugged me as she bounced up and down.
I’d make her a Wildcats fan eventually. It had been her idea to come to the finals, something she’d never suggested before because she swore she disliked football. But I certainly wouldn’t have known by the look on her face at the moment.
The extra point was made, and the game ended.
The crowd was still rowdy as I said, “We need a warm building and some hot chocolate.”
I’d seen everything I’d wanted to see.
Graham and his offense had gelled, and they’d pulled out the win against a formidable rival team. I swiped a tear from my cheek as I looked out toward the field before I went inside.
I couldn’t see Graham because of the horde of fans that were celebrating.
But I could feel him.
My eyes were on the big screen, and I could see his face turned toward the stands.
I love you, Graham. You’re such an amazing man.
My heart swelled with pride as I saw him finally turn away and address a reporter.
After this game, I knew I wouldn’t see him for several hours. He’d be tied up in statements and interviews. But he’d come home to me, just like he had every single day during the intense months of training camp and the season.
The public could have him for now, but he was coming home to me.
No more uncertainty, and no more doubts. I’d finally gotten out of my own way and recognized the fact that Graham would always be mine, whether he was with me or not.
“You okay?” my dad asked as he put a hand on my shoulder.
I nodded quickly, knowing my father could see my tears. “I’m good. I’m just happy.”
I hugged him to reassure him that I was much better than okay.
“You got yourself a good man, Lauren,” he said as he let me out of a bear hug.
I could see Kelley making her way inside with Jack not far behind her. “He’s had such a long road to get here, Dad. He’s worked so hard.”
If I thought too long about how much Graham had struggled to get his head above water, I knew it would break my heart.
“He’s home now, honey,” my dad pointed out. “And he’s happy. Some people spend a lifetime looking for what he has now. The hard work has all paid off.”
I nodded and smiled as I put my hands in my pockets to get them warm, and then turned toward the heat of the indoors.
We found Jack and Kelley inside, both of them in line to get a warm drink.
Dad and I stopped next to them.
When Kelley had relocated, I’d hoped that Jack and Kelley might hook up, but they’d never shown any interest in being anything more than friends.
We got our hot chocolate and took some available seats in the building to get warm before we made the trek to the car.
I was just sitting down when my cell phone rang. There was no doubt in my mind who it was. Graham called me the minute he could get a second alone, which was usually near the locker room after he’d taken a shower.
A quick glance at my caller ID confirmed my conclusion.
“You were phenomenal,” I said into the phone. “But did you have to keep me in suspense until the last minute?”
“I had no choice,” Graham shot back. “They were a tough team.”
“I’m so happy for you,” I told him as I pulled off the lid on my cup.
“I don’t know if this ever would have happened if it wasn’t for you,” he stated huskily.
“Oh, no. I am not taking any credit. This was all you, Graham. And you earned it.” I hesitated before adding, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, Peanut. I’ll see you soon. Thanks for sticking by me all season.”
“I always will. I knew you’d win today, Graham, do you know how?”
“How?” he asked in that bemused tone that always warmed my heart.
“The same way I knew I’d make it down the black diamond ski run as long as I had you at my side. Being with you has taught me to believe in things I can’t see—I simply know them.” His silence didn’t scare me as it once would have. I understood now that he was often quiet when he was his most emotional. “Give Ty a hug for me.”
“No hugging,” Graham grumbled, but his voice was deeper than normal.
I laughed, delighted that he was still the man I loved, even after becoming part of a championship team.
We hung up after a quick exchange, both of us more than ready to celebrate and to work off steam when he got home later.
Or at least that was Graham’s excuse for turning into an unstoppable, horny male when he finished a game.
I wasn’t sure what drove him every other day because he was pretty much insatiable all the time.
Not that I was about to complain.
I took a sip of my hot drink after I’d dropped my phone back into my pocket. Jack, Kelley, and my dad were in an intense conversation right next to me, but all I could think about was Graham.
I stood up and fumbled to shed my jacket, warmer now that I’d been inside for a half hour. I smiled as I saw my shirt, the one that Graham had given me before training camp had even started.
The Quarterback is Mine.
Maybe I hadn’t quite believed it when I’d gotten the shirt from Graham, but I knew it now. I trusted him more than anybody else in the world, and no matter what our challenges were in the future, the words on the shirt would always be true.
Graham Morgan, QB number twelve, was irrevocably, completely and always would be…mine.
It hadn’t taken a genius to figure out what we meant to each other, but all of my analysis had never worked when it came to Graham. I didn’t need my high IQ or my reasoning ability. I’d just had to follow my heart.
~ The End ~
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