The Girl Next Door
Chapter 52

The spiral I throw lands perfectly in Colton's hands. Whatever problem he had been struggling with earlier in the season seems to have worked itself out.

Thank f**k, because that's the last thing we need right now. We have four games under our belt and eight more to go. It's still early, but we have an undefeated record.

When Coach blows his whistle, signaling the end of practice, I unsnap the chin strap and pull off my helmet, letting it dangle from my fingers. Colton jogs toward me, meeting me as we head off the field. Grinning from ear-to-ear, he holds out his hand for a fist bump.

"Looking good out there," I tell him. "Nice to see you got your groove back."

"Damn right I did, baby!" He flashes a grin as relief oozes from every pore of his body. "And not a moment too soon with the Alabama game coming up."

Already I know it'll be a tough one. Both mentally and physically. We're neck and neck with Alabama. After next Saturday, one of us will be first in the conference, and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it's us.

I'm glad Colton finally got his head out of his a*s and into the game. I don't know what's changed, and I don't particularly give a crap. All I care about is that he's squared away. Seems ironic that as soon as Colton manages to pull it together, my s**t falls apart. Although, I'll be damned if I let it mess with my game.

I keep telling myself that maybe, in the long run, it's better this way. For a long time, I thought Mia was the one. Turns out that's not the case. The b***h of it is everything had been going so well. I'd really hoped...

I shut down that line of thinking before it can spread like a contagious virus and infect my bloodstream.

Colton rams his elbow into my side, and I glare. "What the f**k, dude?"

He lifts his chin toward the bleachers. "What's Mia doing here?"

Huh?

My gaze sweeps over the stands before landing on her dark head in the second row.

"I don't know," I mutter, trying to ignore the way my heart lurches at the sight of her.

"Guess you're gonna replace out," he says.

When she realizes I'm staring, she rises to her feet before moving down the cement stairs and stepping onto the track that circles the field.

Once we pull up to her, Colton stops and grins like a Cheshire cat. "Hey, Mia. Wasn't expecting to see you here."

The way his voice simmers with humor makes me want to knock him upside the head.

She smiles, but it's not a full-blown one that reaches her eyes. There's a wariness holding her back. "Hi."

Silence falls over us before she clears her throat. "Beck, do you have a moment to talk?"

You know what?

I don't need this bullshit right now.

Not with the upcoming games.

Not with the NFL Scouting Combine and Draft.

For years, I let this girl mess with my head, and I can't afford to do it any longer.

I always thought there might be a chance for us, but I was wrong. It took me awhile, but I finally got it through my thick head.

We weren't meant to be.

End of story.

That being said, do I have more time to waste on Mia Stanbury?

Hell, no.

"Sure."

Goddamn it.

Colton grins before taking off. "All right, bro, I'll see you in the locker room." And then he's jogging to catch up with Devon Baker. They disappear through the tunnel and into the stadium.

The team walks past, and a few guys slap me on the back as they head to the locker room. There's a lot of laughter and good-natured ribbing. Now that practice is over, everyone has perked up. Sweat runs down the back of my neck before getting absorbed into the material of my jersey. I'm exhausted from two hours of drills. All I want to do is get out of these pads and hit the showers.

I squint against the sun as it dips behind the stadium. "What did you want to talk about?"

Mia wrings her hands as her gaze flits around the field. She looks like she's being devoured by nerves. Part of me wants to reach out and put her at ease, but I refrain from touching her. Instead, I keep my arms locked at my sides. She made it perfectly clear the last time we spoke that she wants nothing to do with me.

So, as hard as it is, I wait.

Her anxiety continues to ratchet up as her tongue darts out to smudge her lips. I stare at her perfect cupid's bow of a mouth, unable to stop myself from tracking the movement. My d**k twitches against my jock, and I shift impatiently, wanting to get this over with. Why the hell is she here when all she's done is avoid me for the last couple of days?

I almost laugh. What the hell am I talking about?

Mia has spent most of her life trying to evade me. I should be used to it by now. After what we shared, I thought everything had changed.

Guess I was wrong.

It isn't the first time, and it won't be the last.

"I'm sorry, Beck," she blurts. "I owe you an apology."

My gaze jerks from her mouth to her eyes. Out of everything she could have said, that's the one thing I wasn't expecting. "What are you apologizing for?"

She sucks in a deep breath before steadily releasing it back into the atmosphere. "I should have believed you about Dr. Hayes."

I tilt my head and narrow my eyes. "What makes you so sure I wasn't lying?"

The question gives her pause, and her knuckles turn bone white as she locks her fingers together. "I spoke with her, and she admitted to hitting on you."

Well, color me surprised.

When I remain silent, Mia continues in a rush, "I walked in on a situation and jumped to the wrong conclusion instead of giving you a chance to explain, and for that, I'm sorry."

A thick lump of emotion settles in the middle of my throat. "Not only did you accuse me of screwing around with my professor, but you thought I was cheating on you. When I tried to explain, you shut me down and walked away." I step closer so she has to crane her neck to hold my stare. "You should have known better, Mia."

"I know," she whispers, her breath escaping in harsh pants, "I'm so sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"Ever hear the expression-too little, too late?" I continue to push into her personal space until we're so close that the tips of her breasts press against my chest pads.

"Yes." Her face falls as she nods. "Even if you can't forgive me, I needed to apologize for hurting you."

When she tries to retreat, I drop my hands onto her shoulders to keep her in place. My face hovers inches from hers.

"So that's it?" I pause. "All I get is a lame apology for breaking my heart?"

Her dark eyes fill with tears. "I don't know what else to say other than I'm sorry."

"Maybe you should start by telling me that you love me."

She blinks in confusion before her eyes widen. "What?"

I lower my mouth until it can ghost over hers. Goddamn, but I've missed her kisses. Actually, I've missed everything about this girl. The last couple of days have sucked. "Tell me that you love me." When a whimper slides from her mouth, my c**k stirs.

"I love you, Beck." Her attention stays focused on me. "Even when I didn't want to, I did."

Emotion explodes in my chest. "Say it again," I demand, needing to hear those three little words.

She smiles, and the tension haunting her eyes dissipates. "I love you."

As soon as my lips settle on hers, she opens until my tongue can slip into her mouth as I wrap her up in my arms. I pull away long enough to mutter, "Know what you're going to do next?"

A bemused expression settles on her face as she shakes her head.

"Unblock me."

Laughter bursts from her as she presses her forehead against my chest. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Damn right, you shouldn't have," I grunt.

"It will never happen again."

"I'm going to hold you to that promise." I press another quick kiss against her. "Looks like you have a long night ahead of you."

She pops a brow. "And why is that?"

"Make-up s*x." A grin curls its way around the edges of my lips. "And lots of it."

Silent laughter shakes her shoulders. "Is that so?"

"Yup." Before she can say anything else, I bend down, wrap my arms around her thighs and hoist her over my shoulder. She lands against me with a squeal before grabbing hold of my jersey as she dangles upside down. I reposition my hands, sliding one to her a*s and the other around her legs to hold her in place.

Thankfully, this time, she's not wearing a thong. No one gets to see the goods except me.

"Beck!" she shrieks. "What are you doing?"

"That should be obvious. I'm taking you home where you can apologize in the privacy of my bedroom." The thought has my c**k stiffening right up. "I hope you don't have plans for the rest of the night because you'll be otherwise engaged."

"Please tell me that you're going to shower," she laughs, "because you kind of stink."

She's right, I smell terrible. That's what a couple of hours of practice will get you. Man sweat, baby.

But now that she's mentioned it...

"That can be part of the making up you owe me. What do you think about that?"

"Only that I love you, Beckett Hollingsworth."

I squeeze her a*s as we walk through the tunnel. "Right back at you, babe."

****

Three and a half years later...

"Mia Hollingsworth," the Dean of the Law School announces as she walks across the stage in her cap and gown.

I jump to my feet and stick my fingers between my lips, whistling like crazy. Mia grins as her gaze seeks mine out in the thick crowd of observers. "Way to go, Mia!" I holler at the top of my lungs. I don't give a rat's a's if she's embarrassed. She worked damn hard for this moment, and I want everyone and their mother to know how proud I am of her.

Speaking of mothers...

I wrap my arm around Julia and give her a squeeze as we share a grin. My parents occupy the seats next to her. On my left is Mia's father, Dan, and his wife, Mandi.

When Mia told me that she planned on inviting both of her parents to the graduation ceremony, I thought she was nuts. Or maybe drunk. She insisted everyone was in a better place now. Considering that a fight has yet to break out, she might be right. Three years seems to have mellowed Julia's bitterness toward her ex-husband.

And his home-wrecking new wife.

I won't lie, the first year was a rough one. Dan ended up paying through the nose in order to expedite the divorce proceedings. It turns out Mandi was preggers.

Yeah...

That news went over like a lead balloon with his daughter. And who can blame her for that? There was a long stretch of time where they didn't talk. It's only been within the last year that Mia reached out and rekindled their relationship. It's been slow going. We're talking baby steps. But they seem to be on the right path.

I glance at my mother-in-law. I'm happy to report that she's doing much better. With the settlement from Dan, she went back to school for interior design and is working full-time at a design house. Once the divorce proceedings were underway, she began therapy and is now in a more Zen place.

Believe it or not, Julia has even dipped her toe in the dating pond.

And the guy she's seeing?

Has absolutely nothing to do with finance.

For today, everyone has put their differences aside, and we're all getting along like one big dysfunctional family. If we're lucky, all these good vibes will last throughout lunch. No one wants to ruin this day for Mia.

Dad is working on opening another law office in San Francisco since that's where I was drafted as their backup quarterback. First-round, baby. Don't worry, I worked my way up to starting QB after my rookie season.

As soon as the commencement ceremony ends and the auditorium empties, we all head outside to wait for my wife.

Yup, you heard that right.

After a year of dating, I proposed and put a ring on it. Then, before Mia's third year of law school, we got hitched. And it's been wedded bliss ever since.

Just kidding. Nothing is perfect, but it's pretty damn close. I can't imagine my life without this woman filling it.

I search through the sea of faces until I replace my wife. The moment she sees me, a huge grin breaks out across her face, and she runs, hurtling herself into my arms. When I swing her around, she giggles before pressing her lips against mine. "Congrats, babe, you're officially a lawyer!"

Her face lights up with joy. It's the best damn expression. One I'll never tire of.

Sure, maybe it took us a while to get our s**t together, but it happened. And what I mean by that is-I chased her until I wore her down, and she finally had no other choice but to give in and marry me.

That's a joke. The Grinders R Us visit aside, we all know I didn't stalk her...right?

Right?

Moving on. No matter how it worked out, Mia Stanbury-AKA Mia Hollingsworth-is officially mine, and I don't have any plans to let her go. If I'm doing my job right as a husband, she'll have me locked in for the long haul as well.

"I love you, Beck," she whispers before pressing her lips against mine.

I squeeze her to me and hold her close. "Right back at you, babe." The End