Page 99 of All For You

“Nah. We’re all coming,” Otis said. “We’re going to make sure you do this right.” For once—the absolute wrong time—he and Lashana were in agreement.

“No, keep playing,” I insisted.

Now, Lizzy was running around the end of the pitch. All the nerves in my body screamed,She’s getting farther away!No time to argue with the kids.

Panic pumped furiously through my legs, and I pounded across the pitch faster than I’d ever run. I needed to be close to her, see her, talk to her. Now.

I could hear the kids behind me. I turned as I ran. Both teams were behind me and the coaches too. Usually, I would have been mortified that I was racing so desperately to Lizzy with an audience, but right now, I couldn’t give a shit.

My legs pushed hard, my breath came deeper.

Why was I running so fast?

I ran faster.

My chest burned, sore and spiking, and my brain raced as fast as my pounding legs. I worried she felt I’d overstepped, even if I’d had the best intentions. Shit. I should have told her the specifics of what I was planning. Worked with her, instead of trying to solve her problems on my own. I needed to apologize for how I’d dealt with things and explain. And…I’d kill Seb if he fucked this up.

I focused on reaching her. I could vaguely hear the kids cry out, complaining about the pace.

I waved as my legs ate up the turf. “Lizzy, I’m here,” I called out.

She turned toward me. She put a hand over her eyes again. Then she took off, running to me. Her legs were a blur, her hair flying, both of us running toward each other now.

And then.Thenshe was a couple of steps away. She stopped. I slowed my pace toward her but kept going until we were acouple of feet from each other, puffing. I could hear the kids behind me swearing and the deputy coaches telling them off for cursing.

“Darcy.” She slumped over, hands on her knees, visibly trying to catch her breath. “Oh, Darcy. I know what you’ve done for Jane. I don’t know how to thank you.”

She’d come to thank me.Onlythank me? Not yell at me for keeping her in the dark?

I drank in this woman I didn’t deserve, her face shining with a sheen of sweat, the wind in her hair, still trying to collect herself, the most wonderful sight in the world. How could I have only known her for a matter of weeks and already feel so much for her? Life-and-death, Lizzy had told me. When you were in love, it felt like life-and-death. I knew what she meant to me‚ but did she feel the same?

The thought of her rejection felt unbearable.

“I remember her from the show. I was hoping it was her,” Lashana said behind me.

Girls’ voices murmured, agreeing.

“She’s very pretty,” another girl said.

“Nice too. Very polite, she’s thanking him,” Otis chimed in.

Lizzy looked at them and smiled. Even though I was annoyed the kids were listening in, Lizzy’s smile made me grin. Hard.

“Hello there,” she said to all the people behind me.

“This is my team,” I said, motioning behind me. “And the coaches. And the other team.”

She peered around me. “Nice to meet you all.”

“Hello, miss,” they chorused, and I turned around. The other coaches waved to her, wheezing and clutching their chests, leaning over their knees.

I turned back to her and pulled at my shirt, damp with sweat. She was so close. My aching palms longed to reach out and slide over her shoulders and pull her into me where she belonged.

My chest went up and down, but not from the running. She deserved a man who could be better.

“Lizzy, I’m sorry for not including you in my plans. I’m used to operating on my own. That’s why I acted that way. I’ll try to be better. I want to be better for you.”

She put a hand on her heart, visibly touched. “I appreciate your saying this. Darcy, I can’t imagine what going to your old friend cost you. It must have brought up so many awful feelings. That was a lot to go through. Thank you so much for what you’ve done—the whole family thanks you. Yes, I need you to trust me and talk to me. Yesterday morning when I told you about Jane, I thought you were utterly embarrassed by my family again. I thought you didn’t want to have anything more to do with me. For us to work, we need to start communicating better. It’s going to be hard—we live far apart, and we haven’t known each other long—but I’m willing to try if you are.”