Power Play (Play Makers Book 4) (53 page)

“There’s an hour right there,” Wyatt
complained. “How about just Bea and Jenny?”

She rolled her eyes, then was distracted
when three black SUVs pulled up in the driveway and a throng of
huge men in suits poured out.

“Is this a raid?” she quipped nervously.

Wyatt was staring too. “Is that Joey
Johnston?”

Murf nodded. “I heard they might show up. A
gang of Rustlers, right?”

“Damn. Come on, Darcie.”

“You and Murf go,” she urged them. “I have
some visiting to do.”

• • •

For the next hour, Wyatt and his new
teammates got acquainted, moving en masse from the driveway to the
back porch, where they descended on the buffet table like
locusts.

Aunt Jenny loved it.

And Darcie loved it too, especially when a
warm voice murmured in her ear, “Hey, honey.”

She whirled to stare up into Sean Decker’s
gorgeous green eyes. “Oh, wow. You’re here.”

“Yeah, Murf told us how much this guy meant
to Wyatt.” He brushed his lips across hers. “How are you holding
up?”

“I’m good. It was sweet of you to come.”

“Anything for you. And for your boyfriend, I
guess, even though I’m pissed you chose him over me.”

She laughed at the twinkle in his eyes. “I
don’t remember getting a choice. Speaking of which, how’s it going
with Kerrie?”

“Good, actually. She promises to file by
next Friday so we can go to Sophie’s wedding. Our first public
appearance, right?”

“It’s perfect.”

“Yeah.” His expression grew troubled. “And
if she doesn’t file by then, I should back away. Right? Because
maybe John’s right. Maybe it’s never going to happen.”

She could barely stand seeing him this way.
Mostly because she could relate. Love was supposed to be
miraculous, not torture.

Still, she said dutifully, “She’s under a
lot of pressure.”

“Thanks for saying that. And the best part
is,
if
she follows through, you can meet her at the wedding.
She’s afraid it will be wall-to-wall Spurlings, so having you and
Wyatt there would mean a lot.”

She gave him a quick hug. “The Spurlings are
part of your life, Sean. Kerrie knows that. And if she loves you,
she’ll deal with it. Plus, I’m not sure we’re going. It’ll be
another tough week for Wyatt.”

“OTAs, right?
That’s
gonna be a
party. These guys thought they’d be in the toilet this year.
Instead, they’ll be in the playoffs. Thanks to the Surgeon.”

She squeezed his hand. “I don’t see Luke
Stoddard in the group, do you?”

“Hell, no. It’ll take more than a funeral to
get
his
head out of his ass. But fuck him if he doesn’t
appreciate what Wyatt brings to the table. It’s gonna be
epic.”
His face brightened. “There’s Coach Spurling and
John. Come on, let’s say hi.”

Wyatt and Murf joined them as well and
Darcie watched as the Spurling men paid their respects.

Then Johnny surprised her by embracing her
tenderly. “We’ve been worried about you, Darce. And Bannerman’s
going nuts.” Looking past her to Wyatt without actually releasing
her, he said, “Bam wanted to be here but his parents are
celebrating their fortieth anniversary, so he and Rachel are in
Baltimore.”

“Darcie and I had our first date at an
anniversary party,” Wyatt told him. “So I approve.”

She beamed at him, pleased he had bought
into Emily’s crackpot theory that the fake date had actually been
their first.

“Erica’s stuck in New York,” Johnny
continued. “But Jake Dublin will catch up with us in a few hours.
He asked me to remind you guys to come to the wedding next
weekend.”

“I appreciate that,” Wyatt said, still
seeming a bit shocked by all the attention.

And apparently there was more to come,
because Darcie could hear tires squealing on the driveway as two
more SUVs pulled up.

“More Rustlers?” she demanded. “How many
are
there?”

“Those look like Jets,” Johnny said with a
chuckle.

She glanced at Wyatt and saw he was actually
shaken that his old teammates had traveled so far on such short
notice.

“Unbelievable,” he murmured.

“You led them to a Super Bowl,” Sean
reminded him. “Guys don’t get over a thing like that. Not
ever.”

Wyatt gave him a grateful look. Then he
touched Darcie’s shoulder, murmured, “Excuse me, everyone,” and
strode over to greet the newcomers.

Chapter Fifteen

She couldn’t remember crying so often in
such a short period of time. Of course, she also laughed way too
much, courtesy of the bawdy humor of Wyatt’s past and current
teammates. They all recognized her from Friday’s press conference,
and some also remembered her earlier appearance with Alexi.

“Leave it to Romanov to find the sexiest
babe for an agent,” one guy joked. Then he blanched and assured
Wyatt, “Just kidding.”

They all laughed, then continued polishing
off the food while Murf and Johnny headed out to the lawn to see if
Danny could really catch any ball thrown. Even by the reigning
Super Bowl champ.

Sean and Darcie went along, and soon Annie
and Gail joined them, looking shy and giggly and completely smitten
with the Lancer heartthrob.

“Hey, girls,” Sean said warmly. “Sorry about
your uncle.”

“Oh, right,” Annie said cheerfully. “It’s
sad. You guys aren’t dating, are you? I mean, you’re dating Uncle
Wyatt, aren’t you, Darce?”

“Sean and I are just friends,” Darcie
assured her, remembering how
she
had reacted the first time
she saw this guy. Then she smiled to see Chrissy strolling over
with her little boy.

You’re officially a chick magnet,
she
told Sean in silent glee.

Aloud she said, “Sean Decker, this is
Wyatt’s cousin Chrissy. And her little cutie Nathan.”

Sean greeted her with the same courtesy he’d
shown the girls, although possibly with a touch more awareness,
leading Annie to tell him, “Aunt Chrissy’s married.”

“Separated,” Chrissy corrected her. Then she
told Sean, “You were so amazing in the Super Bowl. Do you really
like pancakes as much as the announcers say?”

“I like them at lot,” he admitted. “But at
this point, it’s more of a superstition. I won’t play without
pancakes for breakfast. How about you, kid?” he asked Nathan. “You
like pancakes?”

The little boy nodded shyly.

Smiling at Sean’s gracious handling of his
new entourage, Darcie excused herself and wandered back to the
group to find Wyatt. Pulling him aside she murmured, “How are you
doing?”

“The truth? It’s overwhelming. In a great
way, obviously. But I don’t want to neglect you. Because let’s face
it . . .”

“It’s all me?” She sighed. “I love that now.
And . . .” She touched his jaw. “I loved what you
said in the stable yesterday. About that baby girl.”

“I meant it, Darce. I can see her clearly.
And she’s pretty damned cute.”

“What about the boy?” she dared to ask.
“Undersized. Weak. Maybe even sickly.”

Wyatt nodded. “Yeah, I’ve thought about him
too. Because it could happen, right? No resemblance to me, or Matt,
or even Denny. And you know what? I kinda like
that
kid too.
We’ll go to games. He’ll crunch stats the way Murf does. And hell,
if he decides he hates sports, we’ll find something else. He’ll be
my kid.
Your
kid. Our son.” His voice grew hoarse. “I know
what you’re worried about, and it’s cool how you want to protect
our children. But that just makes me even
more
sure we’re
doing the right thing.”

“Hey, Wyatt,” Johnny said from a few feet
away. “Sorry to interrupt, but the guys are still hungry. And they
want to take you out. Dub has a friend with a bar and he’ll meet us
there. What do you say? Would your family be upset if you cut
out?”

Wyatt seemed humbled. “Thanks, but you guys
should go without me.”

“Can’t be done. This is all about you, bro.
We want to toast your uncle, because he sounds like a helluva a
guy. And then we want to roast his nephew.” Johnny’s blue eyes
twinkled. “Sorry, but that’s how it’s done.”

Refusing to cry again, even though this
moment topped them all, Darcie touched Wyatt’s cheek. “Go with your
friends. When you’re done, I’ll be waiting.”

He studied her intently, and she knew what
he was thinking. That there was nothing more important than working
things out, once and for all. So she urged him softly, “I
want
you to go. As long as you come home when you’re
done.”

“Sounds like a helluva deal,” Johnny told
him with a grin.

Sean stepped forward and said in a casual
tone, “I can take Darcie home for you, Wyatt. Then meet you guys at
the bar. I need to talk to her anyway.”

She braced herself for a showdown, Rustler
style, then bit back a laugh when Wyatt shrugged his broad
shoulders and said, “Thanks, Deck. I’d appreciate that.”

Wow . . .

“Great,” Johnny announced. “Murf and Wyatt,
you’re with me and Pop. Deck can use Murf’s car to take Darcie
home.”

Then he glanced at Wyatt as though
remembering there were
two
QBs in this group. “Unless you
have something else in mind, Wyatt.”

“It’s a good plan,” Wyatt told him
evenly.

“Great.” Johnny turned to Darcie and said,
“Get over here.”

She stepped into him for another hug, then
she gave Wyatt a sheepish smile and said, “Do you have a
minute?”

“Yeah. I’ll need your help explaining this
to Aunt Jenny.” To the other QB he added, “Give me five
minutes.”

“Take all the time you want,” Johnny
replied.

Brimming with hope, Darcie pulled Wyatt by
the hand, but away from his family, not toward it. Then she
demanded, “You’re letting me ride alone with Sean Decker? Talk
about a leap of faith.”

“Yeah,” he drawled. “It’s the toughest test
yet. But I’m determined to prove myself. Plus,” he added with a wry
smile, “I hear he’s an okay guy.”

“
You’re
an okay guy,” she murmured,
slipping her hands behind his neck. “But maybe you should remind
Sean whose girl I am, just in case.”

“Great idea.” He kissed her fiercely, then
whispered in her ear, “You
are
my girl.”

“Damn straight,” she told him proudly. “Now
get out of here. I’ll handle things with your aunts. And when
you’re done, I’ll be waiting at home for you.”

• • •

Wyatt pulled up to Darcie’s curb just after
midnight and studied the dimly lit house warily. His teammates—old
and new—had rallied around him. Listened solemnly when he told them
about his childhood Super Bowl parties with Matt Bourne and
Tony.

And then because they were wild at heart,
they had cheered him up with their
own
rowdy stories. Tony
would have
loved
it. And even though Wyatt wasn’t religious,
he firmly believed the old guy had been there in spirit, laughing
along with them, secure in the knowledge that his legacy lived on.
First through Matt. Now through Wyatt.

What a week
 . . .

But this—seeing Darcie—was all that really
mattered. She had forgiven him. No doubt about that. She even
wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. But could he
honestly ask that of her?

And if he couldn’t, what then?

As he noiselessly opened the front door with
the key she had given him, he saw that the illumination came from a
single source—a candle in a hurricane lamp in the middle of the
dining room table with a folded piece of paper propped against
it.

Wary, he crossed to the note and opened it.
It was entitled:
Contract to Never Break Up.
And the text
read:

Whereas the undersigned parties are madly in
love and always will be; and

Whereas they have made the ultimate leap of
faith, asking for trust without earning it, and giving trust
without reservation; and

Whereas they can’t live without each other
so they honestly have no choice, therefore,

They hereby solemnly promise to stay
together forever;

To have children together and love them with
all their hearts and souls;

To trust one another despite any and all
reasons not to, and

To fall in love a little more every day from
now until forever.

She had signed with a flourish, and Wyatt
wanted to do the same, but for a few moments he was too choked up
to do anything but stare.

Then a surge of power—the power she
always
awakened—shot through him and he picked up the pen
and signed his own name beside hers. Then he headed to the bedroom
to seal the most important deal of his life.

Epilogue

They had planned on flying to the wedding,
but the arrival of a cobalt blue Boxster convertible with an
“anonymous” note—
Yours to command forever—
changed Wyatt’s
mind in an instant, so they drove up the coast, spending a romantic
night in Pismo Beach before finishing the drive to the wedding site
above Monterey.

“I still can’t believe we’re wearing
shorts,” Darcie complained as they pulled into a secluded parking
lot a few steps from the beach. “What’s the world coming to?”

“It’s smart,” Wyatt insisted. “Let the
guests be comfortable for once.”

“Who cares about the guests? This is about
the bride,” she teased him. “Let’s hope Sophie’s wearing something
gorgeous.”

She had to admit, Wyatt looked gorgeous too
as he came around to open her door. He had chosen to wear black
cargo shorts and a thin gray T-shirt that made his chest look
ultra-hot, with the words emblazoned across the front proclaiming
the shirt—
and
him—
Property of the LA Rustlers
. And
because Jake and Sophie had insisted on sports-themed tops for all
guests, Darcie had chosen a sturdy Rustlers jersey that hopefully
minimized “the girls.” Because this was Sophie’s day whether the
impish bride wanted to admit it or not.