Epilogue

Trent

 

 

Opening Day

I’d never felt so nervous in my life. It didn’t matter that I had played in front of thousands of fans… millions if you counted television. Nothing could compare to the surge of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Not even the fact that our first game, as fate would have it, was against the Rockets.

Thankfully, we were up by three at halftime. We all walked into the locker room for the usual pep talk. I spoke to our starting quarterback, Omar Anton out of Dallas, who we drafted in the first round. Despite being a rookie, he handled the first half with the decorum of a veteran. I hoped that had been in part because of my coaching.

My phone chimed with a text I’d been expecting.

Kenzie: We’re on our way.

She knew I wouldn’t reply, but would also see that I read her text. Sending one back could possibly ruin everything. I gave the head coach a nod, he gave me a thumbs-up, and I raced out of the tunnel toward the field.

It felt so strange wearing black slacks, a golf shirt, and a pullover on a football field rather than a uniform. The cheerleaders danced a routine to a blaring country tune, some of the fans milled around, while other sat in their seats enjoying the break in the action.

When I stepped onto the turf, the crowd erupted in chants. It took a minute for me to understand they were saying my last name. The stadium vibrated with the combination of exuberant fans and the music. I acknowledged them with a wave of my hand and jogged toward the end zone. The last time I stepped foot on it with a crowd of people, was the day I met Reese… so to speak.

Back then the seats were mainly filled by Rockets fans. Today, I was happy to report, there were more of our fans filling the stadium. I’d been told by our account executive, our ticket sales had been better than ever before. Reese said it was because of me. Maybe there was a bit of truth to that, but the fact was, the Thunder had an amazing pre-season, and the fans were hyped.

I stepped across the goal line and looked up to where she stood almost nine months ago. Wearing practically the exact same outfit and still looking sexy as hell, Reese stood and stared at me. I blew her a kiss and winked. She laughed, and Kenzie, my partner in crime, led her down the stairs to a waiting security guard, standing by the railing.

Reese leaned on the bar and yelled, “What are you doing?”

“Come here,” I shouted back. She put her hand by her ear. Maybe this hadn’t been such a great idea. Hustling toward her, I raised my arms. Understanding what I wanted, she climbed over, and I helped her down.

“What are you doing?”

Remaining silent, I laced my fingers with hers, and led her back to my spot, and dropped to one knee. Once again, the crowd’s roar amplified. That was when I noticed the team lined up behind me. Not only the Thunder, but the Rockets were also there. Jackson stepped forward and waved his arms, quieting the crowd.

I flicked on my mic pack, and looked into her eyes. “Reese Parker, the day I met you, I was standing right here. I blew you a kiss and you gave me the finger.” She laughed with tears in her eyes. The fans also found it funny as their chuckles rang out. “I think I fell in love with you that day and more every day since. You, Reese Parker, are the smartest, strongest, and most loyal person I know. Nothing in this world would make me happier than you agreeing to be my wife. So, Reese Parker”—I reached into my pocket and presented her with a three-carat diamond ring between my thumb and forefinger—“what do you say? Will you be mine forever?”

She bent down, not paying the ring any attention, and kissed me. The crowd flipped out, the reporters who had gathered took pictures. My family, who came for the game, stood behind Reese.

“Yes, Trent, I will marry you.” Then she lifted her hand and extended her ring finger. Everyone around us laughed as I slid the platinum band on.

I kissed her until the ref blew his whistle. “I need to get back to work.”

“You’re crazy, do you know that?”

“Yeah, crazy in love with you. I told you, one day we’d replace that meme.”

She glanced around at all the camera lenses pointed at us. “Yes, you did. Now go win so we can celebrate tonight.”

“Babe, we’ve already won.”

The End