Page 159 of Hometown Halftime

Then I reach the last page, and there we are.

Kinsey and I are standing on the sideline laughing at something during practice while the girls run drills behind us.

The look on my face in the picture completely gives me away.

And right there on the sideline is my everything.

Emotion hits me so hard I have to look away for a second before I completely lose it in front of her.

Quietly, Kinsey says, “Keep going.”

I turn to the last page to see her handwriting on the blank sheet.

Fuck. My eyes start to burn.

Kinsey suddenly looks nervous beside me. “I know it’s kind of cheesy—”

“It’s not cheesy at all.”

My voice comes out rough enough that she stops speaking. I swallow hard before looking back at her.

“It’s perfect. Thank you.”

The smile that spreads across her face nearly kills me.

She presses a quick kiss against my cheek. “Good.”

I stare down at the scrapbook for another second before carefully setting it aside. Then I reach for her gift, and suddenly my pulse pounds. Because I’m afraid that my gift will pale in comparison to hers.

I hand her the small box and she opens it slowly. Inside sits a delicate silver necklace with two tiny charms resting against the velvet. One is a rugby ball, the other is a small mountain.

Her fingertips brush lightly over them before she looks up at me.

“What’s this one for?” she asks softly.

“The rugby ball is obvious.”

A smile pulls at her mouth. “And the mountain?”

I look down at my hands for a second because suddenly this feels terrifying.

“Because now when I look at the mountains, I’ll remember your strength and I’ll remember the day you told me you fell for me.”

I stare at her fingers twisting nervously around the necklace chain before looking back at her face, and the truth hits me so hard I can’t hold on to it anymore.

I shift closer beside her on the couch until our knees press together. “I think I’ve been trying not to say this for weeks,” I admit quietly. “But holding it back is exhausting.”

Kinsey’s breath leaves her lips. And God, the way she’s looking at me right now makes it impossible to hide behind humor or fear anymore.

“You made this town feel different to me,” I say, my voice rough around the emotion climbing higher with every word. “You made me feel different.”

Her fingers tighten around the box in her hands.

“You feel like home to me, Kinsey.”

Then I finally say the thing that’s been living inside me for weeks.

“I’m in love with you.”