That Girl (That Girl, #1)(56)

Levi finally speaks up, “Go invite your boys, and let’s f*cking eat.”

“Do you need a ride, Oakley?” his dad asks.

“No. I’ll wait for Lincoln. Thanks, though.”

An assistant coach makes one final sweep of the field for players, and Lincoln jogs in with him. I make my way to his truck and expect a longer wait than usual since they did just win the championship. This is my favorite part; I people watch while waiting. I see several familiar season ticket holders walk to their designated parking spot.

A black SUV pulls up next to Elaine. She’s been standing by her car, pacing back and forth while chatting on the phone. Her facial expression surprises me. She’s shockingly happy after being told off by her husband. The window rolls down, and she reaches in to shake hands with someone. If she looked happy before, she’s ecstatic now after making contact. I watch as she passes a check to the hand she just shook. Odd, very odd. My spidey senses go on high alert, and I wrack my mind trying to discover what in the hell just went down.

Flipping through my phone, I smile at the pictures Lincoln’s dad took. Admittedly, my favorite one is the picture where he’s holding me and roaring his victory cry to the heavens. The picture is so powerful and holds so many messages hidden from the naked eye. Lincoln holding his trophy, and me being held by my victor, it’s simply us being us.

Pounding draws my attention, and I spot Lincoln thumping on the hood of truck, smiling like a fool.

“Ready, baby?” he asks.

I hesitate. “No.”

“What?”

Instead of ruining the moment and telling him what I just saw with his mom and how I despise her, I go for his lips. “I need this first.”

“I can handle that,” he says without breaking the kiss.

Before I know it, Lincoln’s covering my body, and clothes start to fly.

“Stop,” I say, pushing away.

“I know. We can’t do anything here. I was waiting for you to stop us. You know I never can,” he replies.

“My place, now. Victory sex and then your parents?” I ask with a raised eyebrow.

We both sit up and adjust our clothing. Lincoln puts on his new hat and plops old reliable on my head.

“Step on it,” I say.

He chuckles. “Let me get my boner down.”

Lincoln’s phone goes off, he answers it, and I sit and listen.

Some of the teammates his mom invited need a ride to her house. He looks at me, and I nod my approval. We both know this means no visit to my place.

“Victory sex after the party,” he says.

“It’s a date,” I reply, quickly shrugging off my disappointment. “Where are they?”

“Right there,” he says, pointing off to the left.

I recognize the two players running our way.

“Hey, does this mean you can stay the night tonight since football is over?”

“It means I can stay every night until next July.”

My heart melts with his words. My skin prickles, and I realize our love is the type that leaves scars. Imprints memories all over your skin. Unforgettable ones. The scars you’re proud to wear. The scars that make you who you are.

“I love you, Lincoln Wilks.”

“Pizza,” he replies.

“Yes, it’s all just pizza.”

As we drive over to his parents’ house, the scene with Elaine in the parking lot replays over and over in my mind. Any way I slice it, I just can’t figure out what the hell it was all about.

“Hey, what’s your dad’s name?”

Lincoln looks momentarily confused. “Larry, why?”

“It dawned on me while I was waiting for you that I have no clue what his name is. You always call him Dad.”

The men continue talking, and I drift off into my happy place of football, sitting next to Lincoln, and thoughts of cotton candy.

Driving up the lane, I see several cars and even more people littering the lawn. Instantly, I spot the black SUV.

“Lincoln, whose car is that?”

“I don’t know. Why?”

I try to sound nonchalant. “Just curious.”

The other men climb out, and I hold Lincoln’s hand, tugging on it for him to stay in the truck with me a bit longer.

“Lincoln, I realized today that I’ve finally become the person I was always meant to be. It’s been an ugly, brutal process, but I’m here. I love you, and I’m so proud of you.”

“I love you, too, baby. Is something else bothering you?”

“I need to tell you something, but I’ve been too scared…”

Lincoln’s door is ripped open, and a group of his teammates grab him and pack him out of the truck. They have him hoisted above their heads, singing their college fight song. Clearly, the timing isn’t right, and I’ll try again in the morning.

I follow the group of men carrying Lincoln. I refuse to get separated from him one more time today. I watch as they toss him into the heated swimming pool off the back patio. Lincoln is a ruthless fighter and takes one of them in with him. Everyone in the backyard goes wild. I notice Elaine standing on the patio with a very smug smile and a glass of wine raised in my direction as if she’s silently toasting me.

“Thank God for iCloud,” Lincoln announces as he jumps out of the pool and raises his phone. He finds me in the crowd and immediately makes his way to me.