Page 99 of The Penalty

“Did Dad seem nervous about the game this morning?” Kylie asks me in between cheers from the crowd. She’s come down to visit for the weekend and to watch Tyler’s last game of the season. His team has been doing great. He’s definitely got more work to do with them, but for his first year with a team that had none of his own recruits, he killed it. They’ve won more than anyone expected them to this season, and they have a tendency to make rookie mistakes on the field, but that’s something Tyler is working on.

“No. Not really. He seemed pretty confident they were going to pull off a win.” I look up to the scoreboard and see his team is currently winning by two touchdowns with only four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. “Why? Did he say something to you?”

She shakes her head and tosses a piece of popcorn in her mouth. “Nope. Just wondering.”

Her knees bounce slightly, and I raise an eyebrow at her. “Are you nervous about the game?”

She’s been acting jittery all day, and this is her second box of popcorn, which is a dead giveaway.

“No. I mean. . .” She glances at the scoreboard. “It’s just, like, a close game.”

“It’s not really that close. And based on what I’ve been seeing today, it’s doubtful either team is going to score again.”

“Yeah. Totally.”

She’s definitely acting strange, but I don’t want to pry. If something is going on, I trust that she’ll tell me when she’s ready. Communication has been a huge thing for us over the past four years.

“I’m glad we got our nails done this morning,” she says with one minute left in the game.

“Hmm?” I look down at my freshly done nails. It’s a small luxury I can afford all on my own these days. “Oh, yeah. Mine were looking rough. I’m glad you suggested it.”

She nods and pops another piece of popcorn into her mouth. I have no idea how she’s eating so much of that.

I focus my attention on the field and watch as the clock runs out.

Tyler’s team takes the win, and the players and coaches rush the field in celebration.

Kylie and I stand from our seats and make our way down to the field, just like I do after every game. We squeeze through the crowd until I manage to find Tyler. He’s at the fifty-yard line, and he’s looking directly at me. Almost as if he was waiting on me.

He reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me closer. I realize his entire team has surrounded us in a circle. My eyes dart in every direction, trying to figure out what’s going on.

When my eyes land back on Tyler, my heart starts to race.

“What’s going on?”

He takes both of my hands. “McKenzie. We’ve been through a lot together, but every bad thing we had to endure brought us to this place where we get to be happy like this forever. I want to make forever official.”

I gasp.

“I’ve always told you that I wanted you to be my wife one day. You are the love of my life, my person, my best friend. Please, will you do me the honor of being my wife?”

Tyler gets down on one knee and slips a ring box out of his pocket. The players shift a bit, and a few cheerleaders come into the circle holding posters that say, “Will You Marry Me?” The rest stand shaking their pom-poms.

Tyler opens the ring box. “Will you marry me, baby?”

“Yes, yes! Of course, yes!”

He takes the beautiful ring out and slides it on my finger before he stands and kisses me. Everyone cheers, but I barely hear it.

His wife.

He wants forever with me.

We’ve talked about marriage, of course. But I never knew when it would happen and wasn’t rushing it. Tyler and I are meant to be. I know that in my heart. But that doesn’t mean I’m not happy as hell to be wearing his ring on my finger.

“I love you so much,” I say as the team heads back to the locker room. The cameras are now pushing into our little bubble to get interviews. Thankfully, none of them are too pushy and let us have this moment once they realize what just happened.

“I love you. Meet me in my office?”