Moving out of the way, I bumped into Evan as Cooper wrapped his sweaty arms around Kate. She scrunched her nose and froze in his arms. “I did, but now I have Cooper stink all over me.”
“That’s not what you thought last night when—”
“All right,” Evan groaned. “I don’t need to hear about that shit.”
Laughing, I elbowed him in the side. “Neither do I. But I think you do need to take a shower.”
“What? You mean you don’t want to be seen with me like this?” he asked, opening his arms wide. “No worries. You’ll just have to take one, too.”
In one quick movement, he slung one sweaty arm over my shoulders and the other under my legs, lifting me in his arms. He swung me around, laughing the entire time, while I held on for dear life, giggling. Cameras flashed and people cheered. I could only imagine what rumors would be spread after that display. By the time he set me down, I was dizzy and had to hold on to him.
“You better hope I don’t puke on you.”
He guffawed and leaned over, his breath hot against my ear. “You might want to suck it up because you’re about to be on the news.” By the time the world stopped spinning, we were surrounded by reporters and cameras, all wanting a word from the Cougars’ favorite players and their coach. Joel stood by Cooper’s side with a triumphant smile on his face as he spoke into the camera. I, on the other hand, felt like a complete idiot with my mouth hanging down to the ground. The last time I’d been in front of the camera was when I was chased down after Austin was murdered. Everyone wanted to get an inside scoop on what had happened, but I wasn’t ready. Every time I talked about it, the memories came flooding back. What if these reporters find out who I am? Will I have to rehash it all? I didn’t want to relive that horror again, to go into detail about how Austin was beaten to death in an illegal underground MMA ring. Not to mention, there were people who’d paid money to watch him be killed. The whole thing was fucked up. It took months for me to speak even to my sister about it. In order to avoid the press, I’d changed back to my maiden name and left Georgia. I didn’t want to be found.
The moment the lights on the cameras beamed our way, Evan put his arm around my waist, stopping my retreat. “Stay with me, sunshine,” he murmured in my ear. If he only knew how hard it was for me.
The humidity got ten times worse and I broke out in a massive sweat. I recognized the reporter as Mike Weller, the sports anchor for our local news station. Dressed in a Cougars jersey and jeans, he was showing support for his team. He smiled at me, but I breathed a sigh of relief when he held the microphone out to Evan. “Evan Townsend, how does it feel to bring your team to another victory?”
Evan chuckled and waved around at the other players. “It wasn’t just me who brought the win. The guys have worked really hard and it showed out there today.”
“Do you think you have a shot at the Super Bowl?”
“Hell, yeah. We won it once and I know we can do it again.”
Grinning widely, Mike turned to me and I struggled to smile. In my mind, I screamed for him not to talk to me. He must’ve heard it because he didn’t engage. “I see you have a good luck charm with you,” he said, nodding slightly to me. “Your fans might get a little jealous over that, but if she’s what made you tear up the field today, I say keep her close.”
“I would, but it’s all up to her,” Evan replied, winking down at me then turning back to the cameras. “Thanks for coming to the game.”
Mike waved at the camera guy and he lowered it; the interview was over. Thank God. “My pleasure. I wouldn’t miss it. You guys seriously kicked ass last season. This one looks promising as well.” He held out his hand and Evan shook it. “We’ll see you at the next home game.” As soon as he sauntered off, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“You ready to get out of here?” Evan asked.
I nodded. “Very much so.”
He removed his arm from around my waist and Kate grabbed my elbow, pulling me away. “Summer and I will keep each other company while you and Cooper clean up. We’ll meet you in the locker room in a bit.”
The team started to rush off to the locker room, signing autographs along the way. Evan smiled at me before Cooper dragged him into the fray, getting lost in the crowd of excited players. More cameras flashed as Kate and I disappeared off the field and into the stadium. There was a vacant office by the locker room Kate pulled me into and shut the door. We could hear the guys shouting as they rushed past. Thankfully, it was much easier to breathe in the cool, air-conditioned room.
Kate sat down at the desk while I flopped down in the seat in front of it. “Please tell me I’m not going to be on the news.”
She laughed. “Wish I could, but you were seen with Evan. He’s a hot commodity around here. I wouldn’t be surprised if you show up in the newspapers.”
“If I do, I know my family will see it and so will Austin’s,” I groaned.