Page 45 of Undeniable Love
“My brother works in real estate a bit too. I’ll ask him to…” She gasped because she already knew Tyler had the perfect solution for her.
“Lucy? Are you okay?”
For a moment, she was almost too excited to reply. So many thoughts raced through her head that she wasn’t even sure where to begin. It wasn’t her place to tell anyone about Jax’s camp, so she couldn’t share any details with Maddie.
Yet.
“I remember my brother telling me about a project he was working on that might meet our criteria. I can’t really talk about it, but…give me a week to work out some logistics and then I promise to get back to you. Will that work?”
Laughing, Maddie asked, “Are you kidding me? If you have a potential solution or an idea to launch us in a new direction, I’m all for it! Talk to your brother or whoever you need to talk to and let me know what happens.”
“I will, Maddie! And thank you for including me in this. I kind of love brainstorming about this sort of thing. Even if this doesn’t work out—the project with my brother—I know we’ll figure something out.”
“That’s why you’re the best, Lucy. Thank you! We’ll talk soon! Bye!”
“Bye!”
As soon as she hung up, she reached out to Tyler, but he was busy. They made plans to hang out over the weekend, but she quickly told him what she was thinking and he promised to give it some thought. It was all she could ask for, but secretly she wanted to start making plans now.
“Who says I can’t?” she mumbled as she got her purse and keys and headed toward the front desk and wished Trish a good night.
On the way home, she stopped and picked up some Chinese food and by the time she got home, she already had a proposal ready in her mind. Once she was in the door and had her dinner set up, she grabbed her laptop and began typing. If they could incorporate a state-of-the-art clinic somewhere in Jax’s camp—something that would be open year-round, not only during camp season—Maddie’s company could lease the space and run it. Naturally, Lucy would manage it and be the head therapist, so it was pretty much a win-win situation.
She just hoped Jax would agree to it.
That entire weekend she was in Wichita, they didn’t really finalize anything. He said he hoped she’d consider working with him and his team and she said she was interested, but nothing was written in stone.
Yet.
First, however, she needed to talk to Ty and get his input. Once he was on board—which she knew he would be—they’d both reach out to Jax via a video call to discuss it. In the meantime, she wanted to have everything laid out and planned out, so everyone knew she was serious. And for the first time in a long time, she was actually excited about life.
Warrior stadium roared with anticipation as the last seconds ticked away on the game clock. The score was tied, and the outcome of the game hinged on this last play. Jax scanned the field, his eyes locking onto Declan as he raced down the sideline. With a determined grip on the football, he took the snap and dropped back, feeling the pressure of Dallas’s defense closing in.
As the teams surged forward, Jax launched a perfect spiral through the air, arcing towards the end zone like a guided missile, even as someone hit him hard from behind, causing him to land heavily on his shoulder. As he fell in what felt like slow motion, he kept watching Declan, covered tightly by Travis, as he adjusted his route, his eyes never leaving the ball. In a heart-stopping moment, Declan leaped into the air, his arms stretching upward to catch the ball. The crowd seemed to hold its breath as the ball appeared to hang in midair. And then, with a triumphant roar, Declan’s hands closed around it, securing it against his chest as he crashed to the ground.
Jax’s vision blurred as someone tripped over him and the pain grew more intense, but he couldn’t seem to make himself move. Time seemed to stand still as the referee's arms shot into the air, signaling the touchdown that would clinch the game. The stadium erupted into a deafening roar of cheers and applause as his teammates swarmed Declan, celebrating their victory. As much as he wanted to join in the celebration, he looked up and found a team of medics huddling around him.
Within minutes, he was on his feet and getting loaded onto a waiting injury cart and taken to the team’s emergency room down by the locker room. For the next hour he was examined, x-rayed, and asked about a thousand questions. He was given a shot for the pain, an ice pack was taped to his shoulder, and people were talking around him but not to him until his coach came storming in.
“What happened?”
“That last throw,” Jax told him, holding the pack in place. “I don’t know, I threw and then…I don’t know who tackled me, but it felt like a brick wall and then I landed right on my shoulder. It hurt like a son of a bitch.”
“Why didn’t you immediately come off the field?” Coach demanded.
“It was only a matter of seconds,” he reasoned. “I wanted to make sure Declan caught the ball. I needed to know we won.”
Raking a hand through his hair, Coach Floyd let out a huff of frustration before rounding on the doctor. “What do the x-rays show?”
“We’ll need to do an MRI tomorrow to be safe, but for right now, it looks like an AC joint separation.” The doctor looked at him grimly. “If it doesn’t require surgery, you’re still looking at a two to twelve week recovery. Which means…”
“I’m possibly out for the season,” he murmured. “Shit.”
After that, it all became a blur. Declan and Travis and a handful of his teammates came down, half the coaching staff walked in, along with the medical staff. Everyone was talking, but Jax wasn’t registering anything anyone was saying.
I’m possibly out for the season.
I’m possibly out for the season.