False Start: A Fake Dating Sports Romance (Red Zone Rivals)

“You… what?!”

Giana was aghast — and judging by the faces of the rest of my friends on our emergency Zoom call, she wasn’t the only one.

“I’m pretty sure he just said he asked her to marry him,” Holden clarified.

“Without a ring,” Riley added.

“Without a plan, clearly!” Giana interjected. “Kyle — do you not understand what this means, not just for you, but for her? You are a rookie in the NFL. Camp starts in a few days. We already have you lined up for multiple television and podcast interviews.”

“We don’t need to put her in the spotlight,” I said instantly. “At least… not yet.”

“Not yet being the key words,” Giana said. “Because there is absolutely no way she can stay hidden from the media — not unless you plan to lock her in a castle somewhere and never let her see the light of day.”

“How does she feel about it all?” Julep asked gently, her hand wrapped around Holden’s arm in the video frame. “Is she okay with this part of you?”

I swallowed. “We haven’t really discussed it.”

“I can’t believe you proposed in the most un-romantic way,” Giana said. “Without a ring!”

Clay shrugged next to her. “I think it’s kind of romantic,” he argued. “Kyle is her knight in shining armor. Marshall is the dragon with bad breath.”

“Slay that motherfucker!” Leo chimed in, standing up and doing a weird joust with his arm.

Mary tugged him back down into his seat with her lips in a flat line.

“This is serious, guys,” I said, heaving a long breath. “This man is a well-known vet in the area. A doctor. And he’s good at manipulating the system to get what he wants.” I swallowed. “He’s put his hands on her plenty of times without any recourse. But that shit ends now. I will do anything it takes to protect her.” I met their gazes. “Anything.”

There was a long pause, and then Leo folded his hands together, his brows furrowed. “Kyle, I respect that you want to keep her safe. But… is that the only reason you want to marry her?”

“No.”

I said it instantly, as if the fact that he’d even asked it was an insult.

“I just mean, you’ve only known her for… what? A couple months?”

“I’ve known her my whole life,” I argued. “And yes, while we only recently reconnected, I… I can’t explain it.”

“Try,” Zeke said.

And the way he looked at me, the history he and Riley had… I knew he understood before I even said a word.

“Since the day I met her when I was a fifteen-year-old kid, she’s been a part of me. She was just my annoying babysitter at first, but then she was my friend. And back then…” I swallowed. “A friend — a true friend — was impossible to come by. She showed me what it was to have someone care about me. She kept me safe in a time when no one else even realized I was in danger. She made me stronger. She brought out the side of me that could move mountains. And then… I fell in love with her.

“I fell hard, and fast — the way only a teenager can. And I know she fell for me, too. We fell in the way two people do when there’s nothing to lose, when there are no stakes, when it’s all just fun and warmth and of course we love each other. You know?”

They nodded, their gazes solemn.

“And then, our worlds came toppling down.” I didn’t need to elaborate — I’d already filled them in on our past. “But even when she hurt me, even when I thought she’d betrayed me, there was still this part of my heart reserved for her. Hell, maybe it was my entire heart. I never could open up to another woman. I never could let anyone in the way I did with her.”

“Relatable,” Leo murmured, and Mary squeezed his arm with a soft smile.

“When I saw her again earlier this summer… I hated her. At least, I wanted to — but the truth was that as soon as it happened, I was already planning how I could see her again, how I could talk to her, how I could get her to tell me what happened all those years ago.” I tongued my cheek. “I am and always have been hers. And being with her again, fighting through what we’ve had to, surviving what we did… there’s no one in this world I could ever want more than her. There’s no one who could ever make sense. She’s it for me. Period. End of story. She is… everything.”

Giana sniffled, dabbing at the corner of her eyes. “So much better than I love her.”

That made everyone laugh, lightening the mood a bit, and then Holden leaned toward the camera. “Okay, we appreciate you filling us in. And I think it’s safe to say we all understand how love can make us do some drastic things. But… what is it you need from us?”

“I need your help.”

“With what?” Riley asked.

I let out a long, heavy sigh. “Pulling off the proposal of a lifetime.”

Madelyn

Another yawn stretched my mouth wide as Kyle drove us into the city later that night, one hand on the steering wheel and the other gripping the inside of my knee.

“I see you’re so excited for our date,” he mused with an arched brow.

I shook off the yawn. “Sorry. I’ve been so tired the past couple of days.”

“Well, that doesn’t surprise me, considering you’re Super Mom.”

“Hardly,” I said, but my stomach was tied up in knots.

Just like I’d suspected, Marshall hadn’t fought me when I told him Sebastian wanted to be home tonight. All that drunken energy had left him.

But he’d wake up sober, and I knew he wouldn’t forget what he’d threatened. I knew he’d follow through.

I knew I was about to have to fight, whether I felt ready to or not.

My head was still spinning from the morning — from Marshall showing up, Kyle protecting me and my son, Marshall’s threat, Kyle’s proposal…

Literally — a proposal.

That part still didn’t feel real. No matter how many times I’d replayed it — his intent gaze, his hand holding mine, his knee hitting the ground, the words slipping from his lips…

It felt like a dream.

He’d hopped up almost immediately when I’d stared at him in shock, urging me not to answer — not yet. He kissed me hard and promised we’d talk more about it all tonight. Then, he’d followed me to drop Sebastian off at camp, making sure I got to my first house showing okay before we split for the day.

There were no words to explain how safe I felt with him, how whole.

“Well, I’ll do my best not to keep you out too late,” Kyle said.

“No, no,” I assured him, covering his hand on my leg. “We have a babysitter for the night. I’m happy to be here. I can sleep tomorrow.”

Even as I said it, it was through another yawn, which made Kyle chuckle. He folded my hand in his and lifted my knuckles to his lips, kissing them gently.

It was nice being on a date. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been on one. I loved the way Kyle opened my car door for me, how he draped my arm through his and led us into the restaurant where he’d booked us reservations. It was far nicer than anything I’d been to since living in Seattle, the kind of place that had a tasting menu and wine pairing.

We laughed all through it, talking about all the things we missed with each other’s lives. He told me more about his time at North Boston University and I told him about the early years of being Sebastian’s mom, of how my entire world had shifted when he was born.

When we were caught up on the past, the conversation slipped to the future, and though he didn’t bring up the proposal again, it was easy to see that’s where his mind was heading.

“Do you like your job?” he asked over dessert — a delicious key lime and graham cracker creation that made me feel like I was on vacation in Florida.

I shrugged. “It’s not bad. I like the flexibility it gives me.”

“But you don’t love it?”

“It’s far from my dream job, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“What is your dream job?”

I smiled, twirling my fork in the whipped cream on my plate. “To write.”

When I peeked up at him, his smile was genuine and soft, his eyes searching mine.

When the bill was paid and the valet pulled our car around, Kyle held the door for me again, chuckling a little when I slid in with yet another yawn taking over me. I couldn’t help it. Maybe it was all the excitement from the morning, or maybe it was the ridiculous client I’d shown houses to all day who’d been nothing less than a pain in my ass — but I was exhausted.

“I think it’s time we get you home,” Kyle said when he slid into the driver seat.

I could think of many reasons why I was happy about his decision, and none of them had to do with me being ready for bed.

But instead of driving the way toward my house, he took the highway the opposite direction.

“Um… I think you’re lost,” I commented with a grin.

He just smirked. “One quick pit stop.”

Twenty-five minutes later, we pulled up to a gorgeous home on Puget Sound — one I’d shown him just a few days prior. I didn’t need it to be daylight for me to remember how stunning it was — the expansive windows showcasing the breathtaking view of the private beach and the water, the lush garden landscaping, the veranda that transported indoor living space to outdoor seamlessly, the cozy fireplaces, the beautiful pool…

I’d shown it to him even though it didn’t quite meet his requirements, since it didn’t have nearly the number of bedrooms he asked for. But he’d taken it all in in quiet assessment like he really was considering it before telling me it wasn’t the one.

“What are we doing here?” I asked when he parked.

“You’ll see.”

With my hand in his, Kyle walked us around the house to the back gate, surprising me when he knew the code to unlock it.

“Are we trespassing?!” I hissed under my breath.

Kyle arched a brow at me. “I seem to remember a time when that wouldn’t have scared you.”

“We were teenagers! We didn’t have careers and children.”

Somehow, the way he grinned and continued walking made me feel like we were fine, even as my heart raced in my chest in warning. If the owners didn’t know we were here, if we really were trespassing, this would be grounds for me losing my real estate license.

And that somehow calmed my heart.

Because I knew Kyle wouldn’t risk that.

When we rounded past the beautiful garden to where the pool was, I gasped, stopping in my tracks and covering my mouth with both hands.

Soft yellow twinkle lights were strung from end to end, casting the pool in a gorgeous glow. Two bottles of champagne were on ice at the edge of the pool, and various flowers drew a trail from where we stood around every inch of that pool — ending at the champagne.

Lilies, carnations, and peonies.

All my favorites.

A familiar song played from a speaker somewhere, “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith.

The same song that had played from Kyle’s phone all those nights ago, when we were just two stupid kids in love.

As gorgeous as it all was, that wasn’t what made my breath catch.

It was that all around the pool, Kyle’s friends stood in pairs, dressed to the nines with soft smiles on their faces and each of them holding a candle or a card.

“Kyle… what is happening?” I breathed, looking up at him.

He smiled, kissing my hand before letting it go. “Follow the flowers,” he said, and then he walked to stand where the champagne was, folding his hands in front of him.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to cry. I could feel how big this moment was before it even happened.

My feet moved me forward, my brain too sluggish to keep up until I was standing a couple feet in front of Riley and Zeke. Zeke held a candle and wore a comforting grin, and Riley handed me the card in her hands.

On the front, in Kyle’s handwriting, it said I loved you then…

Tears pricked my eyes as I tore the envelope open, and then I laughed, pulling out an old, origami folded note that we’d passed back and forth in high school. The pencil marks on it were faded, but I could still make out the words, from where we just talked about our weekends to where we shamelessly flirted and made promises of making out when we got alone.

It broke my heart as much as it healed me to see that again, to remember what it felt like to be that version of myself with Kyle.

We were so young, so innocent, so hopeful of what the future held.

With encouraging looks from Riley and Zeke, I continued walking along the flower path around the pool, coming to Clay and Giana next. Giana held the candle, her eyes brimmed with tears, and Clay handed me another envelope.

I loved you from afar…

My shaking hands covered my mouth again when I saw what was inside — a flash fiction narrative I’d had published in SmokeLong Quarterly shortly after graduating high school.

He’d read it.

He’d printed it and kept it.

When Giana saw my first tear fall, she broke her composure, shoving the candle into Clay’s hand and wrapping me in a fierce hug. I chuckled and held her to me, the heaviness of this moment settling into my bones.

The song changed as I made my way toward Julep and Holden, and now, it was “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran — another song that played that night all those years ago.

Julep handed me the third envelope.

I loved you when I tried to hate you…

I laughed at that, thumbing the matchbox from Rains where we’d eaten that night I decided to take him on as a client. It felt like just yesterday, and yet like it was years ago, as if we’d lived an entire lifetime already just this summer.

The last envelope was in Leo’s hands, and he crooked a grin at me before handing it over.

And I love you now. Still. Always.

I couldn’t fight back the tears any longer when I opened this one and found a photo of me, Kyle, and Sebastian. It was one Kyle had snapped on his phone when we’d set up the sprinkler in the backyard and made a day of running through it and tossing water balloons at each other. Droplets clouded the camera and smudged our faces, but Sebastian had his arms around my shoulders and the biggest, toothy grin on his face.

We looked like a family.

In so many ways, we already were.

Leo nodded at me when I looked up at him, his gaze shifting to where Kyle waited for me.

My legs felt heavy and sluggish as I walked those final steps, but Kyle stood tall and sure. His fiery blue eyes seared into mine, sealing every promise those envelopes had whispered.

When I reached him, he gathered the envelopes from my hand and set them aside so he could hold onto me properly. Then, he lowered to one knee.

“Madelyn, I knelt before you just like this only hours ago, but it was in haste. It was in desperation to protect you, to assure you that you weren’t alone, to prove that you had me by your side.” He shook his head. “And while all of those things are true, they’re nowhere near the top of my list when it comes to why I want to make you my wife.”

His wife.

I nearly melted right then and there.

“In this life of mine, I have only loved you. Even when I wanted so desperately to hate you, it was impossible. You have known me, the true core of me, since I was just fifteen years old. We grew up together. We grew apart. And somehow, in a crazy turn of events, or maybe… fate,” he said with a wry grin. “The universe brought us together again.”

I sniffed, squeezing his hands where they held mine.

“I love you, Mads,” he breathed, and when his jaw flexed with those words, when emotion made him swallow — it nearly broke me. “God, I love you fiercely. I love you in a way that would kill me if I wasn’t allowed to act out this love every day of my life. I love your passion and your heart. I love your fight. I love your determination. I loved you as a friend, as my first love, as my first… everything. And I love you even more now, as a mom, as a woman who has worn the weight of the world on her shoulders.”

He shook his head, kissing my knuckles.

“But I don’t want you to shoulder that weight alone, anymore. I want to bear it with you. I want your mornings, and your afternoons, and every single night. I want to wake up to your morning breath and fall asleep to the sound of your snores.”

I laughed, swatting at his hand.

“I brought you here because I saw the way you lit up when we toured this house, and I’d be willing to bet my life that it was because you saw what I saw.” He swallowed. “You saw us. You saw our things in this home, saw us playing with Sebastian here, saw us growing old together. I felt it just as much as you did — and it’s what I want. You are what I want.”

He pulled his hands away, reaching into the lapels of his suit jacket to pull out a black velvet box. When he cracked it open, I covered my mouth, sobbing into my hands.

It was the most dainty, beautiful ring — a white gold band with one brilliant cut diamond.

“I meant what I said this morning,” Kyle proclaimed, his shoulders back, eyes on mine. “Marry me, Madelyn. Move in with me. Start a new life with me. I know I come with a lot of fanfare. I can’t promise you won’t want to throttle the paparazzi sometimes, that the media won’t want a piece of you and, yes, a piece of Sebastian, too. But I promise I will protect you from them and only allow as much attention as you want. If you want to watch me play, I’ll have seats for you and Sebastian both. If you never want to step foot in a stadium, then I’ll rush home to you after each and every game.

“And I don’t know what happens next with Marshall, but I know whatever it is, we can face it together. And I can promise you that I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that Sebastian is never taken from you.

“More than anything, I promise to love you. With everything that I am. With every breath I have left. Forever. Because honestly, even if you say no, that’s the only choice for me. You are my only choice.”

Kyle wet his lips, holding his chin high.

“Marry me, Mads.”

I was already nodding. I was already dropping to my knees and wrapping my arms around him so hard I nearly took us both into the pool. I was already claiming his mouth with mine and clutching him to me, so desperate to hold onto this moment forever.

Somewhere in the background, I was aware of his friends cheering, and I knew without him telling me that this was a show of his love, too. He’d never introduced them to another woman, never welcomed another woman into their family. But this was his public declaration not just to me, but to them.

And it was their declaration that I was already a part of their group, that they had our backs, that we would never fight any battles alone.

Kyle stood and swept me up with him, forcing me to break our kiss long enough for him to slide the ring on my finger. But as soon as it was on, my arms were around his neck again, and I climbed into his arms as the cheers around us turned into full-blown hoots and howls.

“I love you, too,” I breathed against his lips. “I have never stopped.”

“It’s me and you now,” he said between kisses. “Me. And you.”

“Me and you,” I echoed.

And somehow, even with Marshall’s threat hanging over our heads, I knew I was safe in Kyle’s arms. I knew we would figure it out. I just knew.

Fireworks went off in my heart, sparking me to life in a way I hadn’t felt in a decade.

All the pain was worth it.

And for the first time I believed myself when I said everything would be okay.