And oh, what a spectacular figure he was in his uniform, which fit snugly across his fine ass, and the pads on his shoulders and chest, which made him look impossibly huge.
Tara tensed as he took the first snap from center, handing off to one of his receivers, who ran the ball for four yards. She let out a breath when the tacklers ran right past Mick.
Second down, Mick was under center again, and this time took the snap and dashed several steps directly back, stood there and looked for receivers, then shoveled a quick pass to the running back at his left, who ran for a gain of only two yards.
She knew what was coming with third down and four yards to go. First possession of the game was always a big deal, and Arizona would want to make a statement to San Francisco by making sure they didn’t get a first down. Tara could feel the pressure as surely as if she were the one responsible for getting the ball into the hands of a receiver.
Arizona was going to blitz.
Tara gripped the arms of the seat as Mick broke from the huddle and got in the shotgun position, took the snap, and rolled back. The blitz came, and his offensive line held. Mick fired off a long pass toward a receiver downfield.
He caught it! Twenty-two-yard gain.
“Breathe, honey,” Roseanne said, rubbing Tara’s shoulders. “It’s going to be a long game.”
Tara laughed. Then exhaled.
The first quarter was tense, with the Sabers putting seven points on the board in their first possession, and Arizona answering with a touchdown of their own right after. But then things settled down a bit, and by halftime the game was tied ten to ten. In the second half Mick came out and threw completion after completion, and the running game looked solid. The defense held, and the Sabers put points on the board. The game ended up being one-sided, with San Francisco coming out victorious. Being preseason, Mick didn’t play the entire game, so by the end of the third quarter Tara could relax, though she still rooted for the team.
After the game was over and the crowds had filed out of the stadium, the team gathered with wives and families for a barbecue right on the field, something Nathan was very excited about.
Tara was just happy to get the nail-biting tension of the game over with. Now she could relax.
Or so she thought, since they’d no more gotten down to the field when she saw Elizabeth heading her way, though how the woman could maneuver the turf in those four-inch heels was something Tara just couldn’t fathom. Elizabeth clearly did not know the meaning of the word casual. Meanwhile, Tara was quite comfortable in her team jersey, jeans, and tennis shoes, and her lips lifted when she saw Elizabeth’s disapproval.
“Tailgating today, Tara?”
Tara was so glad Nathan had met some of the other players’ kids around his own age and he and Bobby had already run off to hang with them so he didn’t have to put up with Elizabeth’s disdain.
“As a matter of fact, I am. Right now. You seem a little overdressed for it. Be careful you don’t break an ankle sinking into the turf.”
“I can walk just fine. I’m surprised to see you here.”
“Really? Why is that?”
Elizabeth shrugged. “Just figured you’d be out of your league by now. Or Mick would be bored with you. Trust me, honey. It’s only a matter of time. I’ll keep luring him in with beautiful women, and sooner or later he’s going to bite.”
Tara crossed her arms. “If you think he’s that shallow, have fun fishing.”
Tara spotted Mick coming onto the field, so thankfully she moved away from Liz and headed over to him, put her arms around him, and hugged him. “Great game today.”
He grinned. “Not bad. We have some things to work on, but it’s promising.”
“I thought you looked awesome. Your arm is strong, and your pass percentage was top-of-the-line.”
He arched a brow, then kissed the tip of her nose. “Keeping track of my stats now?”
“Only in my head.”
“Where’s Nathan?”
“He’s hanging out with D’Juan and Anthony’s sons. They play football, too, so Nathan and Bobby have made some new friends.”
Mick nodded. “Good. I’m starving. Let’s go find food.”
The barbecue was wonderful, as were the people, who welcomed her as if she and Mick were a permanent couple. Tara couldn’t have asked for a better night for her or for Nathan, though she was still a little worried about Nathan getting attached to everyone.
At this point there was nothing much she could do about it. Her relationship with Mick was either going to work out or it wasn’t, and she couldn’t shield Nathan from the fallout if it didn’t. At this point she had two choices. She could fling herself headlong into whatever she had with Mick and hope for the best, or she could cut and run.
She was scared of option one because the chances of her and Nathan both getting hurt were so great. But option two just wasn’t acceptable to her. Mick was part of her life now, and walking away from him would devastate her.