“I told Coach and the AD the night of the meet and greet.”

The enormity of his words hit me. “What? Why? Does this mean you aren’t going to fight?”

He nods. “Yeah.”

I cup his cheek. “What’s going to happen to Raven?”

A hint of sadness crosses his face before he recovers. “I don’t know.”

I kiss him softly on the neck. “I’m sorry I didn’t ask sooner.”

A brief smile flashes. “We had other things going on.”

“Are you okay? I mean, what’s going to happen with football?”

He plays with a piece of my hair and doesn’t answer.

“Maverick? You seem rather calm about all this. This is your career on the line.”

He nods. “I know.”

“So?”

He arches a brow. “Will you still love me if I don’t play in the NFL?”

“Hell yes,” I say.

“That’s the answer I was looking for.” He gives me a lingering kiss, making me grab his shoulders and pull him down until he’s on top of me.

He clasps my hand tight, intertwining our fingers as he looks down at me. “I actually have a plan,” he says.

I wrap my hands around his nape and pull his lips to mine. “Whatever it is, I’m in.”

We kiss more, our hands exploring. I’m so happy to have him back, but I know we need to talk. No matter what, as long as we’re together, we can weather any storm.

Maverick

We’re at a television station and Coach Al and I sit behind a table, the cameras locked and loaded, ready to film. On my right is Delaney, and on the other side of her, slightly off camera, is Raven. A rep from the NCAA is on the other side of Coach, and we’re about to go live on ESPN for an interview about the fighting scandal that’s rocked the college sports world since I came forward and admitted to my involvement.

Fred Moran is the interviewer, and he’s eyeballing me critically. A former linebacker from Ole Miss, he was one of my heroes when I was a kid, and now he’s looking at me like I’ve disappointed him.

I get that, but I’m ready—ready to be true to everyone I care about.

The interview starts with the control room replaying a statement I made at Waylon that was recorded at a press conference put on by the school then released to the media.

“I fully admit to accepting money for fighting a rival football player. I knew this went against NCAA rules of accepting money for gain. I also take full responsibility for deceiving my university, my teammates, and the people I care about, and for this, I’m deeply sorry.”

I didn’t reveal Kai’s name, leaving it up to him and anyone else who’d been involved to come forward. Sure enough, five additional players also made statements after mine.

Even so, I was the big one, the famous player with so much promise, the one who was going to break out of the small town.

I was a disappointment to everyone—everyone except Delaney, Raven, and Ryker, who’ve stood by me the entire time.

The cameraman starts a countdown, signaling that we’re about to go live.

I tense, and Delaney squeezes my hand.

I look down at her, and she gives me a soft smile. “Me and you, He-Man. We got this.”

Fred Moran focuses in on me. He gives me a nod then speaks to the millions of viewers. “As many of you know, Maverick Monroe came forward with a scandal that was hard to believe: a star college football player fighting in a casino for money. That’s right, tonight in the hot seat, we have none other than Maverick himself.”

The camera swings to me, and I nod and straighten my shoulders. I have nothing else to lose.

“Good evening, Fred.” I smile, digging deep for that Maverick charm I used to have. “Before we begin, I’d just like to say I’m a huge fan of you and your career, and I follow this show religiously.” I huff out a laugh. “Especially lately since I seem to be the topic of many of your conversations.”

He smirks. “People aren’t saying very nice things about you.”

I nod. “And I accept that.”

His eyes scrutinize me, noting my hand clasped with Delaney’s. His gaze brushes over Raven, who smiles at him.

He clears his throat. “I was wondering if perhaps you’d like to shed some light on why you risked your career.”

“I didn’t do it for the money. I mean, I did, but it wasn’t for me. It was for my sister.”

He nods, encouraging me to go on.

“In a car accident that took my mom, she suffered a traumatic brain injury, and I’ve been unable to get proper care for her, the kind she needs. My father is an alcoholic and at times is…unable to care for her, and I was often either in class or at practice.”

“He…cooks,” Raven calls out, and the camera swings to her.

Fred smiles. “You’re Raven?”

She nods and plays with her hair, her voice slow but careful as she speaks. “He…takes…care…of…me.”

I give her a soft smile and continue. “As you know, I’m not allowed to work or accept any kind of loan or money from anyone in case it’s construed as bribes for football. I was hoping I could get by until the draft next spring. Unfortunately, I’d already opted out of the draft this year when we realized she needed extra care.”

Fred exhales. “I see. Do you gamble, Mr. Monroe?”

Ah, the crux of the matter.

“I have never gambled, and Leslie Brock has already told the NCAA that.” I go on to tell them the details of the organization, how Leslie’s casino is a legit business and I merely worked as an employee.

“I never placed a bet on myself or a fight or a football team. What I did was fight, that’s it.”

“How much money did you get for the fight?” is Fred’s next question.

“Fifty thousand, and every penny went to the facility to take care of Raven.”

Raven is crying softly, and Delaney hands her a tissue then pats her on the shoulder. They’ve grown close these past few weeks.

Fred nods, a softening to his face. “Is it true that you requested the money you’d already paid to the facility be returned?”

I smile. “Yes. We donated the money to fund an animal shelter in Magnolia. It was Raven’s idea. She’s going to be volunteering there some.”

Raven glows at my words.

Really, that was all Delaney. She sat down with Raven and they talked about what kinds of volunteer work she’d like to do. It was something I’d never thought of, mostly because I’d have to get her there and back.

“And what about your sister? We’ve heard from a close personal source that you don’t have anyone to take care of her.”

“I’m taking care of her,” Delaney says proudly. “She’s my family.”

Love slams into me. What I ever did to deserve her, I don’t know.

What she doesn’t say is that Raven and I have moved in with her, and she’s quit her library job to take care of Raven on the days the nurse can’t come by. Skye said she’d chip in a day a week too.

Fred looks at the viewers. “Well, the question on everyone’s mind is if you’ll be playing for Waylon this year.”

I swallow. “I don’t know. I haven’t been informed yet.”

He nods. “What do you think the ruling will be when it comes to being drafted?”