Page 109 of Lowering His Guard

Brock

Nolan sits down on the bench in the locker room next to me. “Looking forward to your last pre-season game at training camp?”

I shrug. I still love the game. I’m not retiring because I’m tired of it. Or my body is worn out. My gaze briefly drops to his shoulder. He still hasn’t admitted he’s injured. I wonder if this is his last pre-season game at training camp as well.

Tanner plonks down on the other side of me. “Hey! You haven’t finished your eye black. Shall I help?”

“No.”

He ignores me and flourishes his grease stick. “I got this.”

He places the stick on my cheekbone about an inch below my eye and draws a line across the cheek. Except this doesn’t feel like a straight line or thick angular bar.

“What are you doing?”

He widens his eyes. “Helping you. Enjoying our last minutes of our final training camp together.”

Nolan sighs. “You oversold it.”

Fuck. Tanner’s up to something. I growl as I lunge for him. He dances out of my way. “You can’t catch me.”

“I’m faster than you think.” I charge toward him and he ducks behind Raven.

“Holy shit. What did you do?” He points to my face.

“What does it say?” I ask between grit teeth.

“Smil ore. Is it code?”

Tanner peeks around him. “It’s supposed to say ‘smile more’ but Nolan ratted me out before I could finish.”

“I won’t miss you fuckers when I retire,” I mutter as I march back to my locker room to clean my face and re-apply eye black.

Gage sits beside me. “Sorry. I tried to stop him.”

“No one can stop Tanner,” Corbin adds as he joins us.

Coach Knox walks to the center of the locker room and waits until the chatter dies. “Nobody outside this room cares that it's preseason.” He lets the silence hang. “The scoreboard doesn't know it's preseason. The man across from you doesn't know it's preseason. Your habits don't know it's preseason.”

“You don't rise to the occasion. You fall to your habits. Everybody notices touchdowns. They don't notice the block that made it possible. Do it anyway. Because that’s what professionals do.”

He points to me. “You'll get the first half. Then I'm looking at the rookies.”

I shrug. “As long as whoever’s in the game blocks.”

Knox nods before allowing his gaze to sweep the room. “The crowd remembers touchdowns. This team remembers who made them possible.” He motions to the tunnel. “Let's go to work.”

Nolan leads the charge as we jog through the tunnel together. The crowd claps, and kids reach over the railing for high-fives. I usually continue straight past but then I spot Jace. I tap my fist against his. Then May’s.

“Go, giant! Slay the alien! Kick butt. Score the goal. Or whatever it is you do at a football game.”

I chuckle as I jog onto the field. I need to give my pint-sized surfer another football lesson.

My mirth dies when I remember May has something to tell me. Something that scares her. I was tempted to bother her about it yesterday, but I wanted to give her some space. She obviously needed time to get her head straight.

After the game, we’ll talk. I’m not allowing May to keep secrets from me. It’s not how a couple should work. And we are a couple. She’s the woman I love.

I stand on the sideline as I watch the coin toss. Excitement hums through me. I love football. I love the game. I love May and Jace sitting in the stands watching. I resist the urge to look over my shoulder at her.