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My cheeks flush and I dart my gaze around the stadium to hide the giddiness in my belly. Thankfully, Aiden doesn’t continue his probe into what’s happening between us. I don’t even know what we’re doing.
The game begins. Between the buzz of energy from the crowd and the constant fear that Ryker will die if he holds the ball for too long, I don’t understand why people enjoy this. My heart has never worked so hard to keep me breathing.
Ryker’s pummeled and I can’t watch. I cover my eyes with my hands and try to calm my racing heart. “You okay over there?” Addie whispers.
The crowd cheers.
I peep through my fingers and see that Ryker is on his feet. “No.” I blow out a sigh, dropping my hands. “Why does he like playing this game? He’s always seconds away from getting hurt.”
Aiden finds my concern funny. “He gets paid a shitload of money. That’s why.”
“You can’t spend money if you’re dead,” I bite back.
“How about we get drinks?” Addie intercepts, picking up on my distress. I glance to the field and notice that the offense is on the sidelines, so I nod and stand up.
I need a break.
When we reach the top of the stairs, Addie bumps my shoulder with hers. “He’ll be okay. Football’s a tough physical sport, but he knows what he’s doing.”
I guess it’s not any different from swimming in the ocean with sharks. There’s risk there too, and I swim around them like they’re goldfish.
“So, in other news, I searched your mom's name.” My mind immediately switches gears and I wait for her to continue. Her shoulders drop. “I couldn’t find her.” The small part of me holding on to hope that she’s here in the States fizzles out. She must be in France. “But it’s weird she’s not even in the system. Are you sure her maiden name is Rose Burnet?”
“I’m sure. I found an old visa with her name on it.”
“Hmm. I also looked for your father because I figured if I found him, I might locate her that way. But I couldn’t find your father either.”
What? “Maybe he’s been gone too long, he’s no longer in the system,” I guess. “It’s been twenty-four years.” I updated my passport when I graduated college, but as far as I know, my father hasn’t.
She shakes her head. “If he’s ever had a passport, he’d be in the system.”
None of this makes sense. He has a passport. I’ve seen it. People walk around laughing and cheering, but they’re a colorful blur of blue and gold as I think about what Addie is telling me.
Maybe I’m mistaken and my dad wasn’t a US citizen. Could they both be French citizens? I squeeze the bridge of my nose.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help.”
“I don’t know… I’m, I’m so confused,” I stumble over my words. “Are you able to search by a picture?” I pop open my clutch wallet and pull out the only picture I’ve ever seen of my mom. My father erased my mom from our house when she left. He said he didn’t want to relive the betrayal every day by looking at her. But I was a teenager, desperate to have some link to my mom. So, I searched the house until I found something. A box, hidden beneath the boards in the bathroom. It had my birth certificate and our passports, and my mom’s old visa. Which is why I’m certain my father is American. Along with the documents were ten of these pictures. The same one. I had no idea why there were so many, but I stole one and hid it from my dad. We seem like a happy family. I wish I knew what changed and why she left. I hold out the picture. “That’s her.”
Addie stares at the picture. “Is that your father, too?” I nod. “I can try to run it through our facial recognition software and see if I get a hit.”
“Thank you so much, Addie. You have no idea how grateful I am that you’re helping me.”
She softly smiles. “I do. It wasn’t too long ago I found out who my biological father was and I wasn’t even aware was still alive. In my case, I would have rather not known, but that’s a different story for a different time.” She jerks her thumb toward our section as cheers erupt from the field. “Ready to go back?”
I roll my shoulders and puff out a breath of air. “Yes.” Despite the heart attacks, I’ll watch because it’s important to him.
An hour later, I’m on the edge of my seat, my fingers curled around the edge. Thirty seconds on the clock and the score is tied. Ryker’s team has the ball, but it doesn’t look like they’ll be able to score. Aiden says it’s going to be a three and out. I’d ask him what that means, but I can’t peel my focus off of Ryker long enough to ask.
“Looks like they’re going into overtime,” Addie says to my right.
Ten seconds.
My heart races with adrenaline. The ball is hiked and Ryker checks each side, pauses, and then launches it across the field, reminding me of the day he got stung by a stingray. This is a Hail Mary. The perfect spiral soars through the air and we’re all on our feet, the crowd silenced as we hold our breath.
There’s a pack of players from both teams eagerly ready to catch it in the end zone. The ball falls in the middle of the pile. I gasp, searching for who caught it.
Then one of Ryker’s teammates runs out from the pile holding the ball high in the air. The crowd erupts and Addie and I jump in each other’s arms. My gaze searches for Ryker. He runs to his teammate and jumps in his arms in celebration. As soon as his feet touch the ground, he takes off his helmet, runs his hands through his wet hair and looks in my direction. For a moment, the noise is silenced, everything on pause, except our connection. He wags his brows and blows me a kiss. Electricity crackles in the air and just like that, someone presses the play button and reporters flood him all at once to grab his attention.
