AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It is my great honor to introduce our distinguished guest speaker, Mr. Lincoln Nash. Mr. Nash is the current head coach of the NFL’s Vegas Aces football team as well as a former professional football player, and he is an Ohio State graduate. Mr. Nash is passionate about football, and he is highly respected in his field for his coaching style where he’s known for taking risks on the field. We are honored to have him here today to share some inspiring words with our graduates. Please join me in welcoming Lincoln Nash to the podium.”
The president steps aside as the crowd cheers, and I smile and nod as I move toward the podium. I shake his hand before I take my place, and I glance out at the crowd before I begin. I draw in a breath, and that’s when my eyes land on hers.
She’s in the front row on the side of the stadium in a small press box.
She’s clapping and smiling, and as our eyes meet, a strange sense of calmness washes over me. It centers me in a way I wasn’t expecting.
He’s known for taking risks on the field.
I can do it on the field.
But I don’t do it when it comes to my personal life.
“Good morning, graduates, distinguished faculty and staff, and guests. It is my honor to be here today to celebrate this momentous occasion you’ve all worked so hard for, and I’ll be honest. I wrote an entire speech, but something happened this morning that changed my entire perspective, and rather than give you the speech I wrote from memory, I want to speak from my heart. You’re all at the precipice of the start of your lives, and when I was in your shoes, I was recently drafted into the NFL. I thought I’d play for many years before I retired, but an injury sidelined me, and my life took a different direction. I got into coaching, and I worked my way through the ranks until I landed this new head coaching position. I’m known for taking risks on the field.” I pause, and I glance over at her again. “But in my personal life, I tend to play it safe. I’ve made strategic decisions that have led me to where I am today, and I’m thankful for that. But this morning, someone reminded me that life should be about taking risks. It’s about stepping out of your comfort zone and chasing what you want, no matter how scary it seems. So today I urge you all to take risks. Don’t be afraid to fail, because success isn’t a compilation of your achievements but rather the foundation of the failures you’ve overcome. The biggest risks can lead to our greatest rewards, and don’t let anyone or anything hold you back from reaching for everything you deserve. Congratulations, graduates, and best wishes for a future filled with success.”
My eyes find hers one last time before I step down from the podium to thunderous applause, and she’s swiping away a tear.
My words hit home for her as much as they did for me. Maybe it’s time for the two of us to step out of our comfort zones and take the risk.
Either it’ll lead to a failure that we can add to the foundation of our individual successes…or it’ll lead to the greatest reward of either of our lives.
CHAPTER 14: JOLENE
Was it me?
Was I the person that reminded him life should be about taking risks?
I feel like he arrived at that conclusion himself—maybe because of our conversation.
It wouldn’t just be risky for us to give this another try.
It would have to be a secret. There is literally no other way we could make it work. He’d face the wrath of other members of the press, I’d face the judgment of an entire nation, and together we’d both be betraying our fathers.
It’s stupid to even consider it.
And yet…
The way he makes me feel is the same way I felt when I was fifteen. Those feelings didn’t fade in time. They didn’t dim.
I don’t know him now, but I do know his soul, just as he knows mine. Those imprints don’t change no matter how much time has passed, no matter how much bitterness spans the distance between us.
When he said the bit about not letting anyone hold you back from reaching for everything you deserve…was he talking about our fathers?
Because we are letting them hold us back.
Would my dad understand? I have no idea. Not likely.
Would his? Absolutely not.
Is what we could potentially have together worth risking that?
I don’t have that answer yet.
But I have a feeling that sharing a hotel room with Mr. Nash tonight is going to help me figure it out.
The ceremony ends, and we all disperse. I head back to the area where the press was allowed in to say goodbye to some familiar faces, and that’s when I spot Lincoln.
Others are standing around him, congratulating him on a job well done, and I stand to the side and wait my turn. Eventually the crowd parts, and he spots me.
