After The Fire (One Pass Away Book 3) (16 page)

“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I can’t think
about food right now. Go and find your women. Take them out. I have to figure
this out by myself.”

Reluctantly, Sean and Logan left. Gaige leaned against the
door, breathing deeply. There was nothing to think about. He knew what needed
to be done. Before he could chicken out, he picked up the hotel phone and
called Violet.

“Hello?” Violet answered on the second ring.

“It’s me.”

“Gaige.” He heard her relieved sigh. “Thank God. I was going
crazy. The internet is filled with crazy people. Did you know that? I’m
canceling my service first thing in the morning.”

“Violet—”

“I’m sorry,” Violet rushed on. “Listen to me. How are you?”

“Fine.”

“Really? You sound exhausted. Have you eaten? Order soup.
Something with lots of meat and vegetables.”

Under different circumstances, Gaige would have found
everyone’s need to feed him amusing. At the moment, he didn’t think he would
ever laugh again.

“I need to talk to you.”

“Okay. Talk.”

“I don’t think you should come to the game.”

“I thought of that. I know the press is bound to dig up the
past, but so what? I don’t care if you don’t.”

“I care.”

“What are you talking about.”

“I don’t want you here, Violet. It would be a mistake.”

There was a long pause. Gaige was grateful he couldn’t see
her eyes. Those big, blue, expressive eyes. He would rather take the coward’s
way out and end it over the phone than see the pain he was causing her.

“Fuck that.”

“What did you say?” He didn’t hear hurt. Her voice was
filled with pure rage.

“You heard me. Blame yourself. I didn’t use that word before
I met you. I don’t know what is going through that beautiful mind of yours,
Gaige Benson, but I can guess.”

“I doubt it.”

“You aren’t anything like your father.”

How Violet hit on the truth, Gaige would never know. But it
didn’t matter. His mind was made up.

“I don’t want you. Is that so hard to understand? Have some
pride. When a man breaks it off, begging is just sad.”

“Begging? Why you—” She took a deep breath and let it out
slowly. “Here’s what is going to happen. I won’t come to the game. That’s up to
you. But if you insist on ending this, you aren’t doing it over the phone. Face
to face, buddy. Win your Super Bowl. Then be a man. If you can look me in the
eyes and tell me you don’t want me, I’ll honor your wishes. You know where to
find me.”

Gaige hung up the phone unsure what had just happened. He
had tried to do the right thing, but Violet wouldn’t let him. The expected hurt
and possible tears hadn’t materialized. She wasn’t crying—she was pissed off.

Reaching up to rub his chin, Gaige grazed his mouth with his
hand. Touching it again, he shook his head in amazement. Son of a bitch. He was
smiling
.

What a woman. She turned his self-pity back on him, not only
refusing to give up on them but lifting his mood at the same time.

Gaige looked at the ceiling and sighed. God, he loved her.
He had to be the luckiest S.O.B. in the world.

The pounding on the door made him jump.

“Gaige,” Riley called out, knocking again “Open up.”

He grabbed the doorknob before she disturbed everyone on the
floor.

“Hello to you too,” Gaige said when she stormed past him.

“I don’t know what you have to smile about. Violet just
texted me.” Riley shoved her phone in his face. “What the hell did you do?”

IT WAS GOOD to have friends. The kind that will kick you in the
ass when you need it. Ones who aren’t afraid to tell you some hard truths—no
matter how difficult they are to hear. Gaige was blessed with not one, but four
such people. Between Sean, Logan, Riley and Claire, they finished the job that
Violet had started. No more self-pity. No worrying about his father or Walter.

Gaige Benson had worked most of his life for this moment. No
one—not even himself—would ruin it.

“Are you certain she’s coming?”

“Ninety-nine point nine percent certain,” Riley told him.
When Sean shot her a look, she shrugged. “I refuse to say it’s set in stone.
Better Gaige knows now that there’s still a slight possibility Violet won’t be
here, rather than finding out during the game.”

“She sounded like she was coming?” Gaige asked, adjusting
his shoulder pads.

Riley had flown to New York on Thursday. Again, it was good
to have friends. She spoke with Violet, explaining everything that had happened
the day before. They went out to dinner. Drank plenty of wine. According to
Riley, Violet was still angry, but she planned on coming to the game.

Riley sighed. “One last time. Violet understands that you
want her here. Though calling her yourself would have been a nice touch.”

“I told you. I did call. When it went straight to voicemail,
I left a message.
I was an idiot. Please come to the game.”

“Short. Sweet. And accurate,” Sean grinned. “What woman
could resist that?”

“Sarcasm? Really? From the man who once broke up with a
woman via e-mail—sent by a teammate?”

“That was completely justified. She—”

“Now is not the time or the place.” Riley gestured to where
they were standing. The noise was deafening, even in the tunnel under the
stadium. In a few minutes, the Knights would run out onto the field and play
the biggest game of their lives. Riley was right. They needed to worry about
the other team—not their love lives.

Gaige took a deep breath, centering his thoughts. Today was
about victory. There was no other option. His last hurrah would be a memorable
one.

When her phone buzzed, Riley checked the screen and grinned.

“Gaige?”

He looked at the text from Claire. It didn’t say much, but
it made his heart soar.

Violet is in the building
.

COMPARED TO THIS, the league championship game had been child’s
play. Violet wondered why they bothered with seats. From the playing of the
Star
Spangled Banner
, everyone stayed on their feet. Violet and her father
included.

“I need to thank your friend for giving me her ticket,”
Alden Reed raised his voice above the crowd.

“You’ll meet her after the game.”

Claire had planned on watching the game with Violet. But on
Friday, Riley surprised her by making her an assistant trainer. It had once
been Claire’s dream—to work for a professional football team. For one day, that
dream would be a reality.

“I don’t know how they can stand it,” Violet said, watching
the activity on the field. “It is taking forever. When will the game finally
start?”

Alden chuckled. “You’ve never paid attention before today.
The hoopla before the game is all part of the process. Pre-game ceremonies
always take a long time.” He patted her hand. “I imagine it’s worse when you
care about one of the players.”

“This means so much to him, Dad. I don’t know what he’ll do
if the Knights lose.”

“Right now, I know that winning seems like the be all and
end all. Gaige’s life won’t be over if he doesn’t win. Besides, with you there
to help him, I know he’ll be just fine.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too.” Alden hugged her close. “By the way, how
would you feel about your old man moving to Seattle?”

“Really?” Violet couldn’t believe her ears. “I thought you
were an entrenched New Yorker. What did you once say? Not even dynamite could
budge you?”

“I didn’t have the incentive I do now.”

“Me?” Violet asked, her head on his shoulder.

“I would like to be there to see my grandchildren grow up.”

“Aren’t you getting a little ahead of things?”

Alden’s blue eyes, so much like hers, crinkled at the
corners. “Am I?”

Violet laughed. “Let’s get through the game. We’ll talk
babies later.”

FOOTBALL WAS A battle. That was how Gaige thought of it. Today,
it felt more like an all-out assault. Winner take all. No mercy. No prisoners.
Baltimore was the enemy, and they wanted the prize just as much as Seattle did.

“What the fuck is Stanhope doing?” Logan demanded.

“He’s doing his best to eliminate me.”

Gaige’s old nemesis was in fine form today. The Baltimore
linebacker used every opportunity to inflict as much damage as possible. An
elbow to the ribs. A knee to his hip. On the last play, Gaige barely moved his
hand in time to prevent Stanhope from making it into a pincushion with his
cleats.

“Coach needs to alert the refs. That guy is out to get you,
and he’s going beyond the average dirty play.”

“Harry let the officials know what’s going on,” Gaige
assured Logan.

Unfortunately, penalizing Stanhope for unnecessary roughness
wouldn’t do Gaige any good if the behemoth had already taken him out of the
game.

“It’s hard enough to score against their defense. We shouldn’t
have to worry about our QB getting his head taken off.”

Gaige agreed, but it was up to him to avoid Stanhope. His
offensive line was one of the best in the game. With their help, he planned on
getting out of Florida in one piece. And with a victory.

“You worry about running the ball. Let me take care of the
rest.”

The third quarter started with the Knights down by four. It
would have been worse, but just before the half, Gaige used his quick feet to
avoid a sack and sent a bullet forty yards to the end zone. Sean stretched out
his body and kept his feet in bounds. Those seven points were a huge boost to
the team’s morale.

Gaige looked down the line at the other Knights. His men. As
the battle ticked down to the final quarter, they were bruised, battered, and
covered with dirt and sweat. They were ready for the next fifteen minutes—ready
for the final push.

Seattle held Baltimore to a field goal on their next
possession. Then the Knights answered with one of their own. The teams were
locked in a stalemate—exchanging points and blows. The pendulum swung toward
the good guys when Sol Fellows knocked the ball loose from the Ravens’ running
back. The big man fell on the fumble.

Gaige pulled on his helmet. He ran onto the field calling
his men into the huddle. The play was a designed call. He would fake a handoff
to Logan then make a quick pass to an open receiver. They had run it a thousand
times to overwhelming success. This time, it didn’t go as planned.

The Baltimore defense had everyone covered. Gaige could
either force the pass, risking an interception, or do what he always did in
these situations. Vamp until Sean broke free of his coverage.

Scrambling to his left, Gaige slipped by the defensive
tackle, pirouetted, before heading to his right. Maybe fifteen seconds passed,
but it felt like twice that. Then he saw it. Sean was wide open near the far
sidelines. Gaige hurled the pass with ease, confident it would find its target.
He waited, following the projection of the ball. Sean raised his arms, ready
for the catch.

Gaige willed the ball into Sean’s hands, but before he could
see if it landed, he was hit by a freight train. The air burst from his lungs as
his body crashed onto the turf followed by three hundred plus pounds of
linebacker.

For a moment, the world went black, but Gaige didn’t pass
out. If he had, he wouldn’t have felt the searing pain across his chest.

“Get off him, you mother fucking son of a bitch.”

Logan and God knew how many of his teammates pulled at Phil
Stanhope, but the Baltimore linebacker held onto Gaige’s jersey, doing his best
to do as much damage as possible.

“Good luck coming back from this, asshole,” Stanhope growled
at Gaige.

The linebacker slammed his fist into Gaige’s rib cage. Stars
burst in front of his eyes. He tried to take a deep breath, but it hurt too
much. Even the smallest inhale sent fire ripping through his body.

It helped when they finally pulled Stanhope off him, but not
much. Gaige knew he had at least one cracked rib. He just prayed that’s all it
was.

As they loaded him onto the stretcher, Logan reached for
Sean.

“Did you make the catch?”

Sean grinned, his smile not quite reaching his eyes. “And
ran for ten bonus yards.”

“Beasley is a good QB,” he said of his back-up. Gaige winced
when he was loaded onto the flatbed trailer. “Help him, Sean. He can lead you
to victory.”

“If it comes to that.” Sean gripped his hand. “We’ll hold
the fort until you get back.”

Gaige nodded. He would be back if it were humanly possible.
However, he knew it would take a minor miracle for him to finish the game.

VIOLET COULDN’T BREATHE. She watched in horror as Gaige was
hit. Held her breath while they took him away, and still, she couldn’t manage
to take any air into her lungs.

“Breathe,” her father ordered, slapping her firmly on the
back.

She gasped, bending over until the lightness left her head.

“He’s injured, Dad.” Violet gripped her father’s hand. “Gaige
never gets hurt.”

“We don’t know yet how bad it is.”

The stands were abuzz with speculation and worry. Even the
Ravens’ fans were angered by the actions of their player. When the head referee
threw Phil Stanhope out of the game, a cheer went up from the crowd.

“Bastard,” her father yelled. “He deserves to be kicked out
of the game for good. In all the years I’ve been watching football, I’ve never
seen such blatant head hunting.

At that point, Violet didn’t care. Ending Stanhope’s career
wouldn’t help Gaige.

“Dr. Reed?”

A young man in an usher’s uniform waved at her from the
aisle.

Puzzled, Violet turned to him. “Yes?”

“Riley Preston asked me to find you and take you to her.”

Violet didn’t hesitate. “Let’s go.”

“THE X-RAYS SHOW a crack in two lower ribs on your right side,”
the team doctor informed Gaige.

“Not a break?”

“No. But the injured ribs are on your throwing side. Even if
we could wrap you up like a mummy, the pain will be excruciating.”

“Are you kidding?” Gaige yelled. He looked at Riley. Then
Claire. “Is he fucking kidding? Get out the industrial strength duct tape. That
shit can fix anything.”

“I know you want to get back out there, but in all good
conscience, I can’t recommend returning to the game.”

“Claire!”

“Get out of my way.” Claire pushed the doctor aside. She
opened her rucksack and began taking out her collection of salves and special
tape.

“Now see here, young woman,” the doctor blustered.

Claire spared the man a single glance. “I would tell you to
stop acting like an old woman, but that would be an insult to old women the
world over.”

“Just who do you think is in charge?”

“Not you,” Riley said, stepping forward. “I don’t have time
to deal with your ego. Gaige trusts Claire and so do I. She’s going to fix him
up so he can finish what he started.” Riley’s eyes narrowed when the doctor was
about to protest. “If I didn’t know better, I would think you were a Ravens’
fan.”

“I—”

Riley didn’t care what he was about to say. She spotted
Violet and rushed across the room.

“How is he?”

“Sore,” Violet led her to where Claire had finished rubbing
her secret recipe balm onto Gaige’s ribcage. “Nothing is broken but not for
want of trying.”

“God that feels good,” Gaige said, his head tipped back.

“Hi.” Violet took the penlight from the table. “Let me see.”

Gaige didn’t say anything as she examined his eyes. Feeling
her touch, seeing her beautiful face, was enough. Violet was here. Between that
and Claire’s magic potions, he felt ready to slay dragons.

“Lift your arms,” Claire told him as she began to wrap his
ribs.

“Am I in your way?” Violet asked.

“Nope.” Claire began to apply the tape. “Gaige, why don’t
you put your hands on Violet’s shoulders. That will give me the room I need.”

Gaige hesitated. “Do you mind?”

“I’d say it’s just what this doctor ordered.” Violet put
aside the light. “No signs of a concussion. Do you have a headache?”

“No.” Gaige kept his eyes glued to her face. It was the best
medicine in the world.

“Good.” Violet nodded. “Here’s the deal. You’re stuck with
me, Gaige Benson. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No.”

“Simple and to the point,” Riley laughed. “Smart man.”

“I love you.” Violet had decided that if she waited for
Gaige, she would be old and gray before she told him how she felt.

“I love you, too. I always have.” Traditionally, this would
be a good time for a kiss, but that would have to wait. “Will you marry me,
Violet?”

Violet’s eyes lit up, a brilliant, shining blue. “Here’s the
deal,” she said again. “I was always rooting for you to win. But if you lost, I
would have been okay with that.”

“Hey,” Riley gasped.

“However,” Violet grinned. “I’ve changed my mind. You will
go out there. And you will win the game.
Then,
I will agree to marry
you.”

“Sounds fair,” Riley said.

Finishing up, Claire nodded.

“And if the game goes a different way?” Not lose. Gaige
refused to speak the L word. He had already pushed his luck to the limit today.
He needed it to hold a bit longer.

“Will it?” Violet raised her eyebrows.