Dating Her Brother’s Best Friend (Silver Spoon Single Serve)

8. Jeremy

CHAPTER 8

JEREMY

Taking Caroline to the Houston Riggers game feels like taking a kid to Disneyland for the first time. Her unbridled enthusiasm is infectious while my anxiety is at an all-time high. Today is the day. I’m not going to let anything stop me.

The city buzzes with game-day energy, and as we pull up to the stadium, I can already sense the tide of excitement pulling us in. She’s practically bouncing as I park the beaten-up truck next to a car that costs more than most peoples’ homes. “How did you get such a fancy parking spot?” She glances around.

“I have friends.” I keep my answer vague, knowing she’ll know everything soon. I’m keeping a certain card tucked close to my chest—specifically, the little fact I’m part-owner of the Riggers.

It’s a secret I’ve kept for years, not wanting people to know about my family’s wealth. Sawyer and I keep our assets hidden behind several corporations, so no one really knows our little secret. Head Aviation may look like a small, family-owned company, but it’s actually part of a large network of corporations.

I swore Asa to secrecy years ago when he discovered my little secret. To everyone else, I’m just some guy with an uncanny knack for scoring killer seats at games. The suite I’ve arranged for us today is right alongside the players’ family suite. I’m hoping the setting will offer a perfect backdrop to finally ask Caroline the question that’s been on the tip of my tongue since I met her.

We make our way through the bustling stadium, the roar of the crowd a living creature all its own. Caroline’s hand is in mine, and I can’t help but smile down at her, swept up in the whirlwind of cheers and colorful jerseys.

“This is amazing,” she says, breathless with excitement, as we wait for the elevators leading to the suites. “I can’t believe we get to watch the game from a suite.”

“Anything for you, sweets,” I reply, steering her toward the last suite at the end of the hall. “Besides, I knew you’d love the view.”

Looking out over the field, the view is indeed spectacular. Sunlight catches the green of the turf, and the air is filled with the smell of popcorn and impending victory. Settling into our seats, we’re already theorizing game strategies between snatches of sexual banter. “I love football.” She practically vibrates with excitement as the game gets underway.

It’s all going perfectly until the other suite door swings open, and a bleached blonde I recognize as Yvonne Smith, the quarterback’s wife, swaggers in with a group of friends. Immediately, there’s an unmistakable shift in the atmosphere, unwelcome and hostile. I can feel Caroline stiffen slightly beside me as their conversation drifts our way, abrasive and cutting like jagged glass.

The annoying blonde glances over with daggers shooting from her eyes. “Can you believe they let just anyone into these suites now?” the wife comments, loud enough to cut over the crowd noise. “Really lowers the quality.”

I glance at Caroline, her expression carefully neutral but with a slight edge that I recognize all too well. The fucking bitch in the suite next to us has no idea who she’s pissing off.

“Maybe we should move,” she suggests quietly to me, but I shake my head, unwilling to let anything spoil our day.

The wife’s entourage snickers, and I can feel the rage bubbling up within my soul. Yvonne’s husband is having a crappy season, and she’s taking her unhappiness out on everyone else.

Drawing in a steadying breath, my decision is made. I fish out my phone and text Paxton, my partner in this whole co-owning-the-team endeavor.

Me

Smith’s wife is a bitch.

Pax

What the fuck did she do?

Me

I’ll explain later. I’m going to make an announcement at half-time. Can you make sure what happens in the owner’s suite is broadcast throughout the stadium?

Pax

I take it you’re joining us in the OS?

Me

That’s my plan.

Pax

It’s a good day for it. I’ll set it up. Try not to make the headlines too colorful.

When I arranged to use the empty suite, he informed me he’ll have the who’s who of Hollywood and Silver Spoon Falls as his guests today. It is the perfect day for this.

Me

No promises.

The rest of the first half is the longest goddamn thirty minutes of football I’ve ever endured. Yvonne, the cunt, stopped making her little snide comments once she realized we weren’t going to respond.

As half-time nears, I lean over to Caroline, my voice barely louder than the excitement around us. “Are you ready for your surprise?” I ask, winking conspiratorially.

“Heck yes.” Her eyes widen as she claps her hands together. “I’m always up for surprises.”

I take her hand again and lead her out of the suite and into the private corridor of the stadium. We bypass noisy fans and shuffling crowds, making our way to the elevator for the owner’s suite.

The security guard smiles and opens the elevator for us to step inside. “Good afternoon, Mr. Head.”

“Good afternoon,” I tell him as we step inside.

The elevator doors open inside the owner’s suite. Paxton walks over, greeting us with a broad grin. “Jeremy! I’m glad you finally made an appearance,” he says, gesturing with the broad sweep of an arm like a showman inviting us to a grand spectacle.

“Oh my God. This place is amazing,” Caroline murmurs, taking in the plush seats and high glass windows that offer an unbeatable view of the field. Her appreciation is a balm to my nerves, validating the surprise I’ve been planning for what feels like forever.

Paxton pulls me aside briefly, his demeanor shifting to the business side he maintains so well. “I’ve got a cameraman set up to video everything. It will be broadcast throughout the stadium and on national TV, so make sure this is what you want,” he tells me, his eyes dancing with that mixture of seriousness and mischievousness.

“Never been more so,” I reply, glancing at Caroline, who’s entranced by the other people in the room.

We move to the front of the room, and Paxton tells one of his billionaire friends, “This is my partner and co-owner of the Riggers, Jeremy Head, and his better half, Caroline.”

Caroline’s eyes flicker with surprise as several people turn around to get a look at us. It’s like she’s piecing together a part of my world I’ve kept hidden, but here, in the bright lights and the buzz of the suite, she sees me for all that I am.

With half-time drawing to a close, we find ourselves back near the wide windows where the field sprawls below as the crowd spills back into seats, the hum of returning fans filling the air like a rising tide.

Heart thudding in my chest, I take a deep breath and turn to Caroline. At this moment, surrounded by the emblem of so many shared dreams and ambitions, there’s nothing but clarity and certainty in my mind.

“Caroline,” I say, and she turns fully to me, curiosity igniting her gaze.

The air stalls in my chest as I sink to one knee, the roar of the crowd dimmed to a whisper against the intensity of her gaze.

I pull out the ring, its gleam catching the light and sending prismatic shards shooting around the room. “I’ve loved you since the first moment I laid eyes on you. You own me heart and soul. Will you marry me?”

My sweet girl’s initial shock deepens into happiness, her hands flying to her mouth in a gesture that makes my heart swell three sizes in a single beat.

“Yes!” Her reply is so enthusiastic, so full of happiness, it leaves no room for doubt. Neither does the kiss she gives me after I slip the ring onto her finger and pull her to her feet. Cheers swell around us as others in the owner’s suite celebrate with us.

Walking back into the suite, hand in hand with my newly minted fiancée, feels like kicking down the door to a whole new chapter in our lives. The field spreads out behind the glass, vibrant with all the chaos of the game, yet all I can see is her.

The suite next door is oddly deserted, chairs askew and the air hanging with a soft echo from the earlier chatter. I half-expected Yvonne, the quarterback’s wife, to be holding court with her tight clique, but there’s not a soul in sight. I guess she couldn’t take the heat so she got out of the kitchen.

When Caroline wraps her soft arms around my waist, I forget all about everything except her.