You Promised Me Forever (Forever Yours #1)(13)

“See ya,” I say softly just as I spot Lena standing in the distance, watching us with a hurt expression on her face.

She leaves before I can say anything.





I am a nervous wreck.

No, seriously, I feel all hopped up on caffeine and I haven’t drunk a drop since this morning’s first and only cup of coffee. Cade has been a perfect gentleman during the entire sometimes-frustrating-because-of-awful-five-o’clock-traffic drive to the stadium, not asking me any questions about my past with Jordan, which I appreciate. He’s accepting of the entire situation, though he did express worry as we approached the will call window.

“You sure those tickets are going to be there for us?”

“Yes,” I say with as much positivity as I can muster. Deep down, I’m scared the lady at the window is going to laugh when I give her my name and tell me, “As if.”

But she doesn’t. I say my name, show her my ID and she hands over an envelope with my name handwritten on it in an unrecognized scrawl. “Go through that entrance,” she tells me, and points toward a gate that has hardly anyone near it but two big burly security guards.

I show one of the burly dudes our tickets and he gives me a skeptical look, even though his eyes are covered by mirrored sunglasses. Cade doesn’t say a thing, and I’m thankful he’s not making a big deal out of this.

But oh my God, it feels like such a big deal. I haven’t seen Jordan in the flesh since we were nineteen. We’re twenty-five now. It’s been six years. Six long years. And though I saw him for a few minutes on that FaceTime call and I see him pretty much every Sunday or when I’m watching ESPN, which is more often than you’d think, it’s not the same as actually being with him.

“Tuttle’s been the quarterback for only two seasons,” Cade says as we make our way to the private suite where we’re going to watch the game. The hallway is mostly empty, and I know we missed the start of the game, which bums me out. “He replaced Drew Callahan when he was picked up.”

“I remember Drew Callahan.” Gorgeous. Excellent QB. “Did the Niners trade him?” I am totally faking. I know exactly what happened. I just don’t want to seem like a total Jordan Tuttle stalker.

“No way. Callahan was amazing,” Cade says wistfully. “Had a couple of injuries and he decided that was enough. He retired early, and now he’s a commentator on the Football Network.”

“That’s awesome,” I murmur as we keep walking, drinking in our surroundings. Our footsteps echo down the hall and I can hear the roar of the stadium crowd in the near distance, the announcer telling them something I can’t quite make out.

“Do you come and watch the games?” Cade asks, sending me a suspicious look.

Right. If I went to the Niner games all the time, I would totally look like a Jordan Tuttle stalker. But luckily enough I can answer…

“No. My dad took us to a couple of the games when they were still at Candlestick Park, but that was forever ago.” Back when he would get free season tickets from one of the guys he worked with who didn’t want to go to the “boring” games. We made a day trip of it, Dad taking us kids while Mom stayed home since there were only four tickets. It was a lot of fun, but we were only able to do it twice.

“That’s cool, that you were able to go to Candlestick,” Cade says. The stadium had been torn down years ago.

“It was a lot of fun,” I agree, feeling nostalgic. Everything about the last few days has me feeling nostalgic, like I’m taking a stroll down memory lane.

“Oh look, here’s the suite,” I say, my voice coming out high pitched. I’m terrified, my hands shaking as Cade pushes the door open for me. I walk in first, gazing around the cavernous room filled with people. There’s a table to the right covered with food, a bar set up to the left with two men serving drinks.

And ahead of us, a giant window that looks out onto the field, stadium seating directly in front of it.

“Wow,” Cade says with a low whistle as we both stop and stare. The first quarter is almost over, and we can see the players out on the field. He’s staring at them in wide-eyed wonder, looking like an excited little boy, and I can’t help but feel the same way.

I’m going to see Jordan tonight. Face to face. In the flesh. We’ll be in the same room. Sharing the same air.

God, I feel a little faint.

“Hello, are you guests with us tonight?” A very tall, very pretty blonde woman stops in front of us, a friendly smile pasted on her face. “May I see your tickets, please?”

“Yes, we are.” I hand the envelope over and the woman checks our tickets, then hands the envelope back over, which I stuff in my purse.

“Perfect. I’m your suite’s 49er Ambassador for the evening, and I’m so happy to have you. As you can see, we have our buffet.” She waves her hand like a game show hostess showing off the prizes. “And there’s plenty to drink, including alcoholic beverages. All of it is complimentary.”

“Thank you. It looks great,” Cade says with an enthusiastic nod.

“Don’t forget to check out the stadium seating so you can watch the game up close. We hope you have a great time,” she says, her smile growing, showing off a straight row of perfect white teeth. “Enjoy your evening!”