Knot So Lucky (Destination Love, #1)(70)

I exit the cart, and as soon as we walk out onto the field, my ovaries fucking explode.

Crew is running around shirtless, with a kid tucked under one arm and a ball held above his head in the other. A band of what looks like ten-year-olds are right on his heels, screaming and yelling before he spikes the ball and yells, “Touchdown.”

I laugh.

He’s adorable. This whole thing is fucking adorable. Maybe I really do just throw it all away. Who needs dreams and accomplishments? Why am I being so this century?

There might be something to the whole barefoot and pregnant road. I laugh to myself because I swear in another life… God.

I’m halfway to the grass when I hear TJ yell, “Crew, your girl is here.”

Your girl? Yeah, I’m gonna dine out on that one for weeks.

But all of a sudden, my feet falter, and I stop in my place because tiny head after tiny head turns in my direction. A hundred little sets of eyes on me. It would be a horror movie if it wasn’t so cute. All these little people, staring at me like they’re so excited I’m here.

Crew lifts both arms in the air and bellows, “Wild Card.”

And like a slow clap in an eighties film, my nickname is chanted, loudly, making the smile on my face permanent and my laughter never-ending.

He strolls over to me and smiles down.

“I’d kiss you, but they’d all cringe to death, and the papers would say I did inappropriate things in front of children.”

“You already did that…”

His forehead wrinkles in question, so I finish off my joke. “We let TJ and Nate watch.”

He chuckles, lifting my hand and pressing a kiss to the top before stepping away, letting his voice carry as he leaves, step by step, his eyes on me.

“Thanks for coming…I put you over in the shade because I know how you feel about the sun.” I’m smiling, watching him walk backward and biting my lip. “If you need anything, ask Matt, and make sure you stay out of the splash zone.”

“The splash zone?” I yell back, but it’s too late.

Before I can duck, water balloons begin flying through the air.

Holy shit.

I squeal, not knowing where to run and somehow, by the grace of god, actually catch one that was launched at me.

I’m staring at it, looking around as Crew yells, “Throw it.”

So, I do. And before I know it, I’m running around a football field, laughing and screaming, occasionally being hoisted up and manhandled by my husband as pandemonium erupts around us.

It’s perfect. And that scares me to death. Because I’m not ready for perfect. I don’t have room in my life. It’s still a mess over here…a work in progress. I’m not ready for company.

But that doesn’t change the fact that I’m falling for him, for real, at the wrong time. And I need to let the right guy get away.





I’ve been watching for about an hour, drying off. Even though that took about thirteen seconds in this heat. But either way, I’ve been sitting in my designated seat, watching them play. Sometimes they run routes, and other times, Nate gathers a bunch of kids to show them how to position themselves on the field.

From the looks of it, TJ’s job is just to pick people up and throw them around, making prepubescent shrieks sound off around the field, accompanied by “Me next.”

“This is a good thing he does,” I breathe out, really watching and letting it all sink in.

Before that thought can get any deeper, someone sits down next to me, nabbing my attention. I look to my side, a dark-haired woman with a friendly face staring back, albeit one I don’t know.

“Hi,” I offer, wondering who the fuck she is.

“Hi, Eleanor.” Knows my name, has to be press. “Rosanna Marquez. I work for the Review-Journal, a newspaper here in Las Vegas. I was just here asking some questions about the kids’ annual field day. We like to get the kids’ take on what they like and what they don’t, and we grab some quotes from the guys. I saw you sitting up here and—”

I smile before cutting in and finishing her sentence.

“And you thought you could get an exclusive from the new and possibly na?ve-to-your-tricks wifey?”

“Something like that.” She grins, and I don’t fault her.

But that doesn’t mean I’m stupid enough to answer. “Pass.”

“Look,” she presses. “You don’t have to tell me anything about your wedding. How about you tell me what you think about today? It’s a pretty cool thing he does here. A quote from you could get it on the front page.”

“Bullshit.” I chuckle.

She shrugs. “It was worth a shot. One quote, come on, for the sisterhood.”

I scoff, grinning. “Wow, you are good.”

My eyes are on him, watching as he smiles, noticing I follow suit. And when he laughs, my shoulders shake quietly. I open my mouth, even though I know I shouldn’t, but a piece of me wants us tied somewhere tangible. Like the paper.

I’ll buy a hundred copies and keep them, just so I can tell my kids that I was once married to Crew Matthews until I fell madly in love with their father and he stole me away.

It’ll only be a little white lie, but my time here will live on.

“I think today is just another example of how life will surprise you when you least expect it. Everyone knows him as their favorite QB or maybe as that jock who does those commercials. But he has so much more to offer outside of that. Crew really is the guy everyone should want to grow up and be like. He was meant to be that dude on the Wheaties box.” I glance at her and smile. “Do they even make that cereal anymore?”