It was five to seven by the time I found my seat, courtside, right beside the Bruin’s bench. Jamie and Desiree, the other two girls who would be shooting during halftime, were already in their chairs, welcoming me with huge smiles. They didn’t look even a fraction as nervous as I felt.
“Hey,” I said, forcing a smile, a little surprised by their warm welcome. Both girls were good friends with Lyla, so we really hadn’t interacted much. They’d never been rude to me or anything. I guess I shouldn’t have assumed they’d dislike me by association.
“Isn’t this great?” Jamie asked, referring to our seats.
“It’s incredible,” I agreed. My heart raced with excitement at the thought of watching Colt play from this close. I just wished it wasn’t overshadowed by the massive case of stage fright I had going on. “You aren’t nervous?”
“Pshh. Nervous?” came Desiree’s voice on the other side of Jamie. “Girl, ain’t none of us gonna make that shot. Just enjoy the royal treatment and stop worrying about it. Half the crowd will be up using the restroom or grabbing snacks anyway.”
God, how I wished I could be as relaxed about the whole thing as she was.
“We had a few drinks to ease the nerves before leaving to come here. Don’t let that bitch fool you,” Jamie laughed, elbowing her friend in the ribs.
“That too,” Desiree agreed, turning her palms up with a shrug. “Desperate times.”
My heart started pounding against my ribcage as the packed house went wild when our guys took their bench. Colt’s eyes found mine before he sat, giving me a sexy wink that sent the butterflies swarming. I missed him to the point that it was painful. He was so close, and I couldn’t do anything more than smile his way.
My eyes welled up when they announced the starters and his name was called. Colt was by far the crowd favorite. Sometimes I forgot what a big deal he was to everyone else because I’d been with him from the start. It was surreal to watch his dreams coming true. I couldn’t have been prouder.
“So, you and Colton haven’t been together very long, right?” Jamie asked as the players went to the court and the centers prepared for the jump.
“We’ve been together our whole lives,” I answered with my eyes still fixed on the game. “But, yeah. We’re a new couple.”
If she said anything else, I didn’t hear it, too engrossed in the action. The Bruins had won the jump and were already down court. With a white-knuckled grip, I bit my bottom lip and tensed as Colton shot an impressive three-pointer to start the game. Nothing but net, and I was up out of my seat, hands cupped around my mouth, screaming like a maniac.
My anxiety over the halftime show was forgotten as adrenaline took over. I loved the fast pace of the game, the way you could be up one minute and down the next. It was an emotional rollercoaster, and it thrilled me just the same.
Before I knew it, the first half had ended. The Bruins over the Wildcats, forty-five to thirty-seven.
While the guys filed out to the locker room, the cheerleaders took the court, performing their halftime routine. I tried really hard to behave like an adult and not sneer at Lyla, but a part of me wished that on one of those basket tosses they would forget to catch her.
“Hey, sexy,” Colton whispered into my ear as the black blindfold came down over my eyes. His breath on my neck made me shiver, and I could smell the deodorant he must’ve just reapplied. I wanted to cry with how badly I needed to be in his arms, and my anxiety had returned tenfold. I was a fucking mess as he led me out onto that court. “Stay here.”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have something really special planned for our halftime show this evening,” Coach Grady announced. “Let’s lend these kids a little moral support, eh?”
Great. If they weren’t all paying attention before, they certainly were now. “Colt,” I whispered, hoping he was still nearby. Fucking crickets.
I heard movement and hushed voices. The crowd was reacting to something, but I had no idea what because I couldn’t see. Oh my God, why wouldn’t they just give me the ball and let me get this over with before I puked?
“Hey,” Jamie said, tapping my shoulder. “It’s just me. There’s been a slight change of plans. I’m just going to untie your blindfold, okay?”
I nodded, unable to speak past the nervous lump in my throat. What the hell was going on?
I blinked a few times once my eyes were uncovered to clear my vision. My whole body started to shake when I saw our parents’ smiling faces staring back at me, our mothers with tears in their eyes. The entire basketball team, the mascots, and the coaches were all on the court with them, standing right behind Colton, who was down on his knee at my feet. Oh my God.
“What are you doing?” I whispered, feeling warm tears trickle down my cheeks because I already knew. There could only be one explanation for the scene laid out before me, and all of my dreams were about to come true. My hands lifted to cover my nose and mouth. I couldn’t breathe.
Colt smiled up at me, his emerald eyes glistening as they fixed on mine. “I love you, Alexis Mack.” His voice sounded through the speaker system, heavy with emotion.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
A chorus of “awes” rang out from the crowd following our exchange.
“I know that we’ve only been a couple for a few months now, but I have been chasing after you for my entire life.” He chuckled. “I’m tired, Allie.” His voice cracked, hitting me right in the heart. “I’m so tired of living with this constant fear that I’m going to end up having to spend the rest of my life without the only person I could ever imagine spending it with.”
My head shook, emotion clogging my throat. At that moment, everyone else in that room disappeared, drowned out by the sound of his beautiful words and the beating of my heart. “Only you,” I rasped as he opened the black box in his hands.
“When I said that I wanted you to be my everything, I meant it. Now I’m asking to make it official. Allie, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember, and I will love you ’til my last breath. Nothing would make me happier than the honor of spending the rest of my life with you as your husband.”
My body shook. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
“Will you marry me?”
“Yes,” I sobbed as he slid the princess cut solitaire onto my trembling finger. “Yes,” I repeated as he lifted to his feet, enveloping me in his arms. “I love you, Colton Fowler. So. Fucking. Much.”
I was brought back to reality by the loud laughter that followed that statement, which quickly morphed into cheers and whistles. Leave it to me to go and forget that the boy was mic’ed.
“I can’t take you anywhere,” Colt joked, bringing his lips to mine, and sealing our engagement with a kiss.
COLTON
IT WAS JANUARY FOURTEENTH, two weeks after our engagement, and six months since the last time we’d hiked up this hill. I’d forgotten all about Allie’s journal entry until the reminder on my phone sounded yesterday. Since then my girl had been trying to convince me not to come up here to read it. Of course, that just made me even more curious.