Authors: Aliyah Burke
she slipped into her team jacket.
They walked outside into the pre-dawn. It was cold. Despite it still
being fall, there was a winterlike bite in the air. Inhaling deeply, Kacy
grinned. ―Great football weather.‖ Locking her house, her steps fell easily
beside with the tall man‘s.
Jake opened her door and closed it after she got inside. As he moved
back to his side of the vehicle, Kacy smiled. Today was going to be a great
day.
Today was going to be a shitty day. Ernst knew that the second he
rolled out of bed. The events of last night replayed in his head over and over,
not giving him a moment‘s rest. ―Kacy,‖ he moaned her name to the empti-
ness of his apartment as he moved to his workout room to release his frustra-
tions.
Hours later and standing under the water in his shower, Ernst
washed off the sweat of his extended workout. He had pushed his body
much further and harder than he had ever done before. Nevertheless, he
couldn‘t outrun the image of Kacy‘s dejected body turning away from him.
―I‘m such an idiot. I have no right to tell her what she can and can‘t
do.‖ Smacking his hand against the shower wall, he cursed as pain laced its
way through his wrist.
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Naked, he walked through his apartment, toweling off the hair on his
head. Passing the answering machine, he noticed the light flashing. Eagerly,
he pushed the button, hoping that maybe Kacy had left him a message.
“Hey, Ernst. It’s Scott. We are having a get-together at the house today.
Bring that Kacy of yours so we can get to know her better. Lex won’t take no for an
answer. Be here whenever; we eat about noon.”
That was it. Well, hell. Ernst swore under his breath, something he
realized he was doing more and more of lately—at least when he was away
from Kacy. Ernst headed to his room and began to get dressed. A dark long
sleeve polo shirt went over his head before he tugged a hip hugging pair of
jeans on followed by a pair of socks on his feet.
Glancing at his reflection, he shook his head. Ernst reached for his
watch and put it on before grabbing the towel to hang up in the bathroom. At
the apartment‘s door, he slipped on a pair of tennis shoes. God, he had even
begun to take his shoes off at the door as to not track dirt further into his
place.
Picking up wallet, keys, phone, and pager Ernst left his apartment
and headed for his truck. He waved at some people he passed but kept his
pace quick so he wouldn‘t have to stop and hold a long conversation with
them. It was nine now, so he had some time to kill. He would stop by on the
way and pick something up to take to the gathering. He was determined to
have fun today.
C H A P T E R T W E N T Y - S E V E N
Pulling up to Scott‘s home, Ernst took a deep breath. He was one of
the first to arrive. Getting out, he picked up the bags of drinks he had
stopped to purchase on his way.
Lex opened the door before he got there. ―Hey, Ernst,‖ she said with
a smile. Her brown eyes flickered around him, yet she didn‘t say anything
but, ―Come on in.‖
―Hey, yourself, Lex,‖ he responded as he followed her inside. Habit
made him slip his shoes off by the door an action that Lex silently noticed.
―Let‘s put that in the kitchen. Scott is in there with the babe.‖ She
touched his arm, momentarily halting him. ―It‘s really good to see you,
Ernst.‖
All he did was smile at her.
―Hey, Ernst,‖ Scott‘s deep voice carried to them both. ―Get in here,
man.‖
Setting the bags down on the counter, he helped Lex take the stuff
out of them as Scott walked over to shake his hand. ―Good to see you.‖ His
blue eyes looked between Ernst and the door. ―Where is she?‖
―Jesú, Scott,‖ Lex scolded. ―It‘s none of your business.‖ Shaking her
head over her husband‘s lack of decorum, she began putting finger foods on
trays.
Scott set his son down in the playpen that was in the kitchen and put
his eyes on his friend and teammate. Cornflower blue met artic blue. ―Well?‖
Scott demanded.
Folding the paper sack, Ernst shook his head. ―She‘s not coming.‖ He
leaned on the marbled countertop and stole a cracker, topping it with a piece
of salami and cheese before popping it in his mouth.
―Why not? Is she working?‖ Scott went to the fridge and grabbed
two beers. Handing one to Ernst, he opened the second one for himself.
―No. She is in North Carolina with another man,‖ he ground out
from behind his clenched teeth.
―What?‖ Scott and Lex asked as one.
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Helping himself to a healthy swig of beer, Ernst swallowed it before
he repeated himself. ―She went to North Carolina with another man. Told me
last night.‖
―So you aren‘t a couple anymore?‖ Lex was totally confused.
―According to her, not since I walked out of her house about four
months ago. Right after I told her I loved her.‖
Scott and Lex exchanged glances. ―But now that you‘re back, I don‘t
understand what happened.‖
Ernst looked at the leader of SEAL Team Seventeen. He seemed so
damn happy with Alexis at his side, although he did remember how testy
he‘d been before she was his. ―She saw me when I was out with another
Chief from the base on a double date. She saw that woman kiss me. Later that
night, we were at the same bar and it was like we were strangers. Like I‘d
never loved every inch of her body.‖ He blushed. ―Sorry, Lex.‖
Lex shrugged. ―So she had made this date prior to the two of you be-
ing back together?‖ She asked.
―It doesn‘t matter,‖ he hissed. ―She shouldn‘t be going out with any
man!‖
Scott clamped a hand over his wife‘s mouth. ―Lex, don‘t. Ernst, if she
saw you out with another woman, why wouldn‘t she make a date?‖
―Five!‖ Ernst ranted. ―He was at her house at five this morning to
drive her to North Carolina. And she has the gall to tell me it isn‘t romantic!‖
Tightening his hold on his wife who had begun to spit fire with her
eyes, Scott questioned, ―Don‘t you trust her?‖
―Man, she met him that night in the bar! What am I supposed to
think?‖ Ernst put the bottle back to his lips.
―Oww!‖ Scott‘s voice yelled. ―You bit me, woman!‖
Lex yanked Scott‘s hand from her face. ―Then get your hand off my
mouth! And you, Ernst, you listen. I can‘t believe you think that she is
supposed to forgive seeing you kiss another woman, but you can‘t trust her
enough to let her go on a date she had planned before you showed up at her
door!‖
―She told me she loves me,‖ Ernst interrupted.
―So?‖ Lex snapped. ―I loved this one but still went out on dates.
‘Cause we
weren’t
together.‖ Scott growled low and wrapped his arms
around the love of his life. She patted his arms and focused back on Ernst.
Her voice calm and soothing when she asked, ―Did you keep control of your
emotions or demand she not go?‖
Looking at Lex like she were crazy, Ernst said, ―I demanded!‖
Scott opened his mouth to say something but Lex hushed him. ―So,
after all that talk of wanting to protect her from the man who basically held
her prisoner, you go and do the same thing he did to her. Demand obedience.
Not trusting her.‖
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Aliyah Burke
Moving out of her husband‘s arms, Lex moved around the breakfast
bar and laid her dark hand on Ernst‘s arm. ―Do you really think that Kacy is
the type of woman to sleep around?‖ She cupped his face in a tender,
mothering gesture and smiled gently at him. ―If she loves you and you love
her then don‘t give up.‖ Lex went back to working on the food.
Eating another cracker, Ernst followed her graceful movements.
―How‘d you get to be so smart, Alexis?‖
She winked at him over the food. ―I‘m not. I can just look at it objec-
tively. Look, I don‘t know her. But if I were in her shoes, that is how I would
feel. I would be absolutely crushed that you didn‘t trust me.‖
Ernst nodded. ―So how do I get her back?‖ At the looks they sent him
he amended, ―I told her if I left I wouldn‘t be back.‖
―You have got to stop being so rash,‖ Scott reprimanded.
―You were the same way, Scott, cut him some slack.‖ Lex stuck up
for Ernst.
The doorbell rang halting the conversation for the time. Scott went to
answer it as Ernst stayed and helped Lex.
Soon the place was full of the Megalodon Team and their dates. Ernst
was the only one flying solo. He didn‘t mind; he had made up his mind to do
whatever it took to gain Kacy‘s trust again and marry her.
Lex smiled at him as she moved into the kitchen to grab another plat-
ter of snacks for the table in the living room. ―The game is on, Ernst; why
don‘t you go watch it?‖
The game. He‘d forgotten about that. ―What can I carry?‖ Ernst asked
as he moved beside her. Lex handed him a tray and together they walked
back out to the living room where everyone sat watching the start of the
football game.
Ernst found he was drawn into the game like the majority of people
there. The game was close, both teams doing an amazing job against the
other.
The home crowd was doing an awesome job of being the ―twelfth
man,‖ but it was during the fourth quarter Ernst really started paying
attention to it. He‘d just walked back in from the kitchen with more beers for
people. Remaining standing, he started to take a drink of his new brew, but
instead, he almost dropped the glass bottle.
Kacy was on the screen. The cameras were moving over the crowd
and stopped on her and the people surrounding her. The spark that he loved
so much shone brightly in her copper eyes.
She wore a numbered jersey that was black and blue with the team
logo at the bottom of each sleeve. On each cheek was a painted panther. Blue
and white ribbons were in her hair and she had a team logo towel that she
was whipping around in one hand. In the other was a beer.
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He noticed Jacob beside her similarly decked out in team gear. They
were both yelling and cheering their team. When Kacy looked into the
camera, she held up her index finger, yelling that her team was number one.
There was a woman on her other side and they were giving high-
fives and hugs to fans around. Not for one second did he notice anything
other than pure elation for being at the game. No hidden glances between her
and Jacob.
The camera moved on.
Ernst was glued to the screen from then on. He saw her a few more
times since they were right on the fifty-yard line. Her body was always fully
energetic and getting the crowd into the game right along with her, waving
the towel around, raising her hands to increase the noise from the fans.
The highlight for him was when the man whose number she was
wearing ran out of bounds near her after making a 45-yard punt return. He
jumped up towards Kacy and the ones around her only to give her the ball
and a hug. The blinding smile she gave him made Ernst wish he was there
beside her. All Jacob gave her was a high-five. At that moment, Ernst knew
he had been an idiot and she was one of the most honorable people he knew;
the only difference was he loved her.
Kacy‘s favorite football team won that day and as the commentators
were running over the highlights, Ernst knew his woman was leaving the
stadium with a big grin on her face and a souvenir football given to her by
her favorite player.
Ernst knew his teammates had recognized her in that moment when
the camera hovered on her face. But at the look on his face, for once they
remained polite and left him alone.
Standing with Scott by his truck as he was about to leave, Ernst
wasn‘t the least bit surprised when his superior asked, ―So, what are you
going to do now?‖
Glancing down towards the beach before looking at his friend, Ernst
licked his lips and grinned. ―Humble myself and get my woman back.‖
―About damn time,‖ Scott said as he clapped him on the back before
heading into his house.
Kacy was still smiling as she, Jacob and the group they had met there
made their way out the Bank of America Stadium. Her hands were holding
tightly onto the ball she had.
―Girl, you were so lucky to get that!‖ Jake exclaimed as they moved
with the crowd.
―I know!‖ she responded. ―And a hug! I don‘t think I‘m ever washing
this jersey again!‖
Jake put his dark eyes on the group. ―Dinner?‖
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Everyone agreed and soon they were driving to a restaurant to have
a nice dinner before she and Jake began the drive back. Once it was just the
two of them in his car, Kacy looked over at him. ―Thanks again for bringing
me along. I had a wonderful time.‖
He grinned at her. ―My pleasure, Kacy. I enjoyed having you. I love a
sports fan like you.‖
It was after midnight when Jake pulled into her driveway. Turning
his car off, he set the break and glanced over at Kacy. Her eyes were on the