Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115308 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 461(@250wpm)___ 384(@300wpm)
Callan peered at me for a few seconds. A few more and I was out the door. Thankfully, his expression relaxed, and he rounded the table to embrace me, giving me a manly thud on the back. “Congrats. I’m always here for you.”
“I know, bud. Sorry for being a prick and making you worry. I’m all good.”
John was next to embrace me. “Thank the ever-loving gods she loves you back. I was worried you were going to pine your life away.”
Callan huffed. “How the hell did I miss this?”
“Because his pining looks a lot like how he flirts with everyone.”
“Fuck off,” I replied good-naturedly, even as guilt and unease rode my shoulders. It was one thing evading the details with half-truths but another entirely to perpetuate a lie.
And the fact was that Maia wasn’t in love with me.
Not yet, anyway.
Minutes before we left the locker room for the field, Maia texted to let me know she’d arrived. Her presence was like a shot of adrenaline. I went out there with my game face on.
Kingston United might have kicked our arses if I hadn’t had Maia in the back of my mind.
She fired me up.
Our opposition was determined to take us down, and our defense was apparently asleep on the job. There were about twenty goal attempts from Kingston. A few of them went so wide I barely had to bother. The others, I saved like the machine I was. Nothing was getting past me today.
They awarded me Player of the Match.
Caledonia United were into the final.
“Oan yersel!”
The lads smacked me on the back, trying to climb me like a tree, as we strolled into the locker room after the press line. Even having to face tabloid arsehole Craig Bennet as he asked me whether my performance was an attempt to stop the owner killing my contract didn’t bother me. “Nah, mate. I’m just phenomenal at a job I love.” I grinned at him like I didn’t want to punch his scummy wee face and moved on to the next interviewer.
We were all glad to get back to the locker room, though. The gaffer patted my shoulder in a fatherly gesture. “Brilliant, McMillan. Brilliant, lad. More of that in the final, eh, and we might just win this thing.”
I was not averse to a little positive attention, and I was fucking made up that we were in the Cup final, but I also really wanted to see Maia and give her the ring. The nerves wouldn’t abate until I did that and there was no going back on our plan.
Unsurprisingly, I was the first bloke out of the showers and locker room. I said hello to some of the lads’ partners waiting in the family room. Maia stood by herself, looking around, shifting her weight from one leg to the other like she was uncomfortable. I frowned, wondering if anyone had approached to welcome her. It was a damn shame Beth hadn’t been at the game to keep her company.
Maia’s face lit up when she noticed me, and my heart turned over in my chest.
She was so stunning I didn’t think there would ever come a day when she didn’t knock the breath right out of me.
“You owned it, Baird!” Eric’s lass, Katrin, yelled happily from within the circle of her cluster of WAGs (wives and girlfriends).
I gave her a chin lift because I was annoyed Maia was standing on her own. When someone was on their own and you had people around you, it was up to you to make that person feel welcome. Sometimes this crowd was cliquey, and it bugged the shit out of me.
As soon as I reached Maia, I swept her into my arms and she let out a squeak of surprise as I lifted her off her feet.
She laughed softly and embraced me before I lowered her. Maia grinned, those violet eyes shining brightly. “I’m definitely going to call you Bear from now on.”
I wrinkled my brow on an affectionate smile. “Bear?”
“Aye. I swear when you were defending the goal at one point, you looked like a hard-bodied grizzly bear towering over the other players. Then the first thing you do when you see me is bear-hug me.”
I chuckled at the imagery. “I like the addition of hard-bodied.”
She rolled her eyes. “Well, you’re not exactly soft like a bear.”
“No, I am definitely not soft.”
She glanced shyly away. I’d never seen My react shyly to anything I’d said. It was absolutely, incredibly adorable. “Anyway … you were amazing. Congrats on getting into the final. It’s phenomenal.”
“I was showing off for you,” I replied honestly.
Maia shook her head with a laugh like she thought I was teasing.
“Come with me.” I grabbed her hand and led her past everyone, not giving them the time of day. I had a mission to complete.