All That Remains Page 19

  Her hand brushes the naked skin of his torso as they look at each other. Her nails teasing up and down his side completely turning him on.

  “I get what you’re saying, but I want you to know I am yours.” He tries to disagree and she presses her finger to his lips. “Shhh. I am yours, West. I’ve only ever been yours and I will always be yours. You’re my anchor. Even in the bad times, when you were gone and I wanted to dissolve into a puddle of nothing because you’d left me alone… no, don’t look so sad,” she urges when her words tear at his soul. “You were my anchor. I used the thought of you to pull me up. Every hard moment in physical therapy, every sad song, and sappy romantic movie, everything that reminded me of you only gave me motivation. I was going to show you I could be okay again.”

  “Baby, you are more than okay and I don’t know what I did to deserve you. But I’ll be damned if I’m letting you go now.”

  “It’ll be a cold day in hell before you lose me again, Spike.”

  Gripping his side, Jules rolls to her back and pulls him on top of her. Their mouths meet and sparks fly as they both give everything they have to one another. No more fear, no more doubts. This is right. This is meant to be. They are made for each other.

  Twenty-Nine

  Jules

  “You’re not peeking are you?” West asks for the tenth time in thirty minutes since they left the restaurant.

  It’s the Saturday night after West’s last regular season game and all of the girls, including Cassie, and even Jeff were able to make it to watch since it was a late one and A&M had played at eleven that day. No one discusses the fact that Austin didn’t come. Jules feels guilty, wondering if the news that she and West are back together has bothered him more than he is willing to admit. She’s barely seen him over the past few weeks and West said he’s been staying in the dorms so he hasn’t had time with him either.

  They went for a victory celebration dinner at a local burger joint afterwards and cut up for over an hour before everyone claimed fatigue and left to head back to A&M. Jules was staying with West at his house for the night.

  After they’d hugged their friends goodbye and jumped in his truck, West had turned to her with that little half grin of his.

  “Do you trust me?” he’d asked and she’d immediately become suspicious.

  “Yee-es.”

  “I have a surprise for you, but you have to put this on.” He produced a red bandanna and handed it to her.

  “Around my neck? Are we into robbery now? Are times that desperate, Twelve?”

  “No, smart alec. Over your eyes, like a blindfold.”

  “Oh. Duh.” Jules grins and feels a little blonde at the moment. She ties the cloth around her face and sighs as he tells her not to peek.

  It’s been thirty minutes since they left the parking lot of the restaurant and she is thoroughly confused about where they are going or what they might be doing. Her birthday is in two days and she assumes the secrecy has something to do with that, but it’s likely after midnight at this point and she can’t imagine what he has planned.

  The car pulls to a stop and she hears West turn the engine off. Through the fabric covering her eyes she can barely make out the glow of the interior lights as he opens and closes his door.

  “Stay there and I’ll come around,” he warns and shuts the door.

  She waits impatiently, listening for him, before he opens the door and lifts her down from the truck.

  “Walk or carry?”

  “Excuse me?” she asks, confused.

  “Do you want to walk, blindfolded? Or do you want me to carry you?” West explains, his fingers weaving into hers and giving her a tight squeeze.

  “How treacherous is the territory? I mean, am I likely to kill myself walking?”

  West laughs and bumps into Jules side before she feels his arms go under her knees and around her back; suddenly she is being lifted into his arms and carried. Her arms go around his neck as she complains about his giving her a choice and then making the decision for her.

  “Sorry, Buff, I wanted to carry you,” he replies, kissing her cheek.

  “Where in the world are we?” she asks as she listens to the surroundings in an attempt to hear something.

  She hears the loud roar of a motorcycle engine in the distance, but no voices, no other cars. So they’re somewhere more secluded. However, the air is silent, no bugs chirping, no sticks or leaves popping or cracking as West walks; this makes her rule out the woods or a field.

  “Okay,” he finally says after he’s walked around for a good five minutes. He sets her down, her boots sinking into the soft ground and her hand goes to remove the blindfold. “No! Not yet!” he yells, grabbing her arm.

  “West!”

  “Patience, girl, patience.” He pauses and she bites her tongue. “Okay, now.”

  He yanks the blindfold up from her head and she blinks her eyes as they automatically start watering from being covered. When they adjust to her surroundings, she is completely thrown for a loop and then utterly overwhelmed.

  They’re standing back in Freemont’s football stadium in the dark, except for lanterns that are spread out before them on each ten-yard marker lighting the field in a romantic glow. Those and the parking lights outside of the small stadium are the only lights around.

  “Oh my… West!” She fumbles with words, her free hand pressing against her chest while he holds her other one tightly. “Are you… no, are we going to get in trouble for being here?”

  “No, I’ve got it covered.”

  “It’s beautiful. The way the lights glow on the grass.”

  “I know it’s not A&M’s field and maybe I can make that happen next year, but -”

  “A&M?” she gasps and then breaks into histerical laughter grabbing him and hugging him tightly. “My bucket list!”

  “I can’t believe you did this. It is so perfect.” She feels like a little kid as she takes a few steps onto the field clapping her hands and leaving West behind.

  The lights are set up closer towards the center of the field instead of on the sideline and it reminds her of a runway for a plane as she steps onto the turf at the twenty yard line. Turning, West is slowly following her and she stops walking. “Wait, how in the world did you set this up?”

  He smiles wide, lifting his hand and pointing into the dark corner of the far end of the field. “I may have a little help from my friends,” he confesses and Jules laughs when she spots the movement of people.

  Katie, Mindy, Jess, and Cassie emerge from the darkness along with Jeff and Carson, both of them tossing footballs in the air as they walk onto the field.

  “What do you say, cheerleader? How about a little four on four?”

  Jules looks at the huge cheesy grin plastered on West’s face and can’t help but run into his arms and kiss him.

  “Game on, Twelve.”

  * * *

  They decide to play boys against girls, and even with a one player advantage it really is no match. At five-six, Jess is the tallest of the girls and, despite all their years of watching football, none of them can stop the guys when West throws rockets across the field to Carson and Jeff.

  “Dude! I’ve missed this.” Jeff shouts at West as he hauls another ball in for a touchdown. The guys’ high-five each other, hooting and hollering, as Jules and Katie fall to the ground, exhausted at trying to cover Jeff.

  “New rule!” Mindy calls out, pushing into Carson as he taunts her. “No more throwing.”

  “What? No throwing!” Jeff and Carson argue and Jess and Cassie join Mindy in the argument.

  “Come on, this is way unfair.”

  Jules is lying on the ground looking up at the clear night sky when West’s hand comes into view. Reaching up, she lets him pull her to her feet and into a tight hug.

  “You done, princess?” he teases as he kisses the tip of her nose and she shakes her head ruefully as he lets her go.

  “Ok, new plan. Touch football. No passes, no hard t
ackles, but you can do a shovel pass.” West calls out as they regroup in the center of the field.

  “Shovel pass?” Cassie, the only football rookie on the field, asks. The guys snicker and Katie knocks Jeff in the gut.

  “It’s like an underhand toss,” West explains as he steps back and demonstrates, passing to the ball to Jules. They throw out a few more rules and break.

  The girls huddle and Jess decides to take charge. “Okay, ladies. We’ve got this now. Mindy cover Carson, Katie, you get Jeff. Jules and I will center and snap it to Cassie.” She looks at Cassie whose eyes bulge. “You then pass it to whichever one of us isn’t covered and we’ll go from there.”

  “We’ll go from there? That’s your game plan?” asks Katie.

  “We’ve moved the ball five yards in ten plays. Yes, if we can actually get it to an open player then ‘we’ll go from there.’”

  “Come on girls, the night’s not getting any younger.” Jeff taunts.

  They line up, Mindy and Katie across from Carson and Jeff, West directly center across from Jules and Jess, and Cassie lined up behind them. Jess snaps the ball to Cassie and they all start moving. West runs for Jules, immediately covering her as if they are playing basketball, so she can’t break away.

  “Ahhh, you butt,” she says as she tries to outwit him and get around his large body.

  Her eyes dart to her left where, somehow, Katie and Jeff have ended up tangled together on the ground and to her right where she sees Cassie throw a little underhand pass to Jess - who is wide open. When she passes the line of scrimmage, Carson shouts out as Mindy trips him and throws herself into his body knocking him off course. The stadium echoes with the sound of laughter as Jess runs and the guys try to detangle themselves from the girls to go after her.

  West’s trick to keep Jules occupied backfires on him as he tries to turn away and she blocks his path. It’s either steamroll her or give up and Jules banks on him being a gentlemen.

  She underestimates him.

  Laughing at her as she counters his steps, he turns and runs backwards before cutting back up the field and Jules can’t catch up. He is fast and soon he’s tackling Jess softly to the ground.

  “Not fair!” Jules complains, running up behind him. “Your Coach would kill you if he saw you backpedaling like that.”

  “Only if I had the ball,” he points out as he helps Jess up. “Plus, it’s only back if you don’t make the play and, as you saw, I made the play. Sorry, baby.” He winks and ruffles her hair as he lines up with the guys again.

  Using a few dirty tricks, tripping, holding, and sexual innuendos included, the girls are able to take few more snaps and move the ball to the twenty yard line. They’re now eying a touchdown and, as they huddle, they strategize for one last big play.

  “Quarterback sneak?” Jules suggests and Katie nods.

  “Football For Dummies, please.” Cassie reminds them and they explain.

  Getting into formation with Cassie snapping to Jules and the other three covering the guys, Jules shouts playfully, mocking West’s audible, “Hut, fifteen, Pizza, twenty-four, chocolate, twelve!”

  Cassie snaps the ball and Jules runs to the left and makes a break for the goal line as the girls do everything in their power to stop the guys. Carson breaks free of Mindy and tries to catch her, but it’s too late and she crosses the line as his hand skims the fabric of her shirt causing the girls to scream for joy.

  “Yes!” Jules hollers, spiking the ball and dancing as the guys watch and clap reluctantly.

  “We actually scored?” Cassie asks as they dance in circles, hugging like little girls.

  “We did,” Jules confirms hugging her football-hopeless friend. Her eyes connect with West’s over Cassie’s shoulder and she smiles at him as he looks on.

  Then she is reminded of her bucket list and her ramblings from once upon a time and she steps away, leans back, and wobbles.

  “Ow, ow,” West cat calls as she lifts her arms and shakes her hips with all she’s got.

  Katie joins in, followed by the others, and soon they’re all singing ‘wobble baby, wobble baby, wobble baby, wobble’, dancing and laughing.

  “Water break!” Katie announces and the touchdown celebration ends.

  “Another item’s off the list, huh?” West asks as he joins Jules and pulls her into his side.

  She stops, letting their friends and family go ahead of them, and wraps her arms around him. “Thank you for this.” He shakes his head and she forges on. “No, don’t shake me off. I know game days are exhausting for you and I know you’d probably rather have me all to yourself, but this…” She looks around again and sentimental tears flood her eyes. “This is amazing and I love you for it.”

  “First, there is nothing I’d rather do than put a smile on your face, Buff, tired or not. Second, I’m gonna have you alone all night and into the day tomorrow, so you might say I’m pretty pleased I get to have my cake and eat it, too. And last, but not least, we aren’t done here.”

  “We’re not?”

  “You scored yourself a touchdown, cheerleader, now do you think you can kick an extra point?” he challenges her, pointing at the uprights.

  “Ummm, I took off my boots, remember?” she reminds him, lifting her barefoot in the air.

  “Well, go put them back on and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

  Jules complies, stopping to grab a water bottle as she fetches her boots, and returns to West’s side near the five-yard hashtag.

  “Five?” she asks with a frown, dropping to the turf to slide on her socks and boots. Extra points are typically kicked from the ten-yard line.

  “I figured I’d make it a little easier. It’s not as easy as it looks, babe.” He laughs at her as he waves Jeff over. “Hey, Jeff, come hold for me.”

  Jules cracks open her water bottle and watches as Jeff spots the ball and West attempts a goal. He takes his time meticulously stepping back six steps and then three to the side before he moves forward and kicks the ball. It sails in a pretty little spiral up and over the goal post; West raises his arms in the typical referee signal.

  “Ace.” Jeff shouts, jogging to get the ball.

  “Damn, you’re such a show off, little brother.”

  West and Jules both turn to find Austin coming across the field, his hands in his pockets. West grins and meets his brother half way and they hug, slapping each other on the backs. She sees Austin say something to West before they part and Austin walks to Jules side. West hangs back for a moment, allowing them time to speak.

  “Hey,” says Austin.

  “Hey, yourself. I’m glad you’re here.” She looks him over before adding honestly, “I’ve missed you.”

  She’s not sure how that will go over with West, but she can’t deny she’s missed Austin’s friendship. He stares back at her in silence only breaking when Jeff makes his way back.

  “Hey, man,” he nods to Austin and looks at West. “Dude, the ball sailed. Maybe you should walk on as special teams?”

  “Are you crazy? They are going to be begging him to play QB,” Jules argues, giving Jeff a dirty look.

  “That’s my cheerleader,” West laughs, rejoining the group

  “Rutledge boys at A&M, it’s tradition.” Carson chimes in as he joins the group and punches Austin in the arm. “Sup, brah.”

  Jules rolls her eyes as Austin punches back and the guys all start rough housing and talking smack.

  “I thought I was getting a lesson here?” she finally asks, throwing herself in the middle of their pile.

  The girls walk up and Katie grabs the back of Jeff’s shirt and pulls him back. “Hey, I want one, too.”

  “Well, West is the only one who can kick so he can play tutor.”

  “Really?” asks Mindy as she reaches their group with Cassie in tow. “Baby, you can’t make a field goal?” She looks at Carson and he groans.

  “Baby, field goals are typically kicked from thirty yards or further. So, no. I can’t. I don�
�t even think West can make that distance. Extra-point kicks are easier -”

  “And no, he can’t make those kicks, either.” Austin interrupts, looking at Mindy with a laugh.

  “Neither can you, you shit.” Carson throws back at him, but Austin doesn’t notice.

  His laughter dies the moment he looks Mindy’s way and he’s frozen, his face clearly surprised.

  “Hey,” he says and all eyes follow his. He is staring at Cassie, who is chewing on the side of her lip

  “Hi. What are you doing here?” she asks.

  “What am I doing here? I’m West’s brother. What are you doing here?”

  “Wait! Have you two not met? Seriously?” Jess asks, looking between Austin and Cassie.

  “I never introduced you two.” Jules offers, stepping to Austin’s side. She looks at Cassie, “You were never around. Cassie, this is Austin. Austin this is Cassie, Jess’ roommate.”

  “Cassie,” he repeats and his lips form into a smile.

  “Yeah,” she says shortly with a smile of her own and Jules can feel the tension in the air. Evidently, the others can too because Katie grabs Jeff and pushes Jess away.

  “Come on, West, show us how to kick. Mindy? Carson?” she calls and everyone walks away slowly.

  “Did you come to play ball?” Cassie asks Austin.

  “Yeah, I did. I had some other things going on earlier, but I hated to miss West’s big surprise for Jules so I took a chance.” He looks at Jules. “Sorry, I couldn’t be here earlier.”

  She shakes her head. “You two have obviously met before, you seem surprised to see each other.”

  “Cassie,” Austin says, putting emphasis on her name, “and I have met, at the library. Although I didn’t know her name and so I had no idea she was your roommate. Small world.

  “That it is,” Jules agrees.

  “Yep. Excuse me, I’m gonna go learn to kick that ball.” Cassie says, giving Jules an apologetic smile. She leaves without glancing at Austin again and the moment she is out of hearing range Jules jumps on him.