The Wrong Quarterback (The Wrong Player #1)

Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

PARKER

MONTHS LATER…

“ I ’m going to be sick,” Griffin muttered, hunching over the bench with a green tint to his face.

“Come on, Griffy. Get your shit together. This is what we live for,” said Jace, spreading eye black under his eyes, even though it was dark outside. He claimed that it helped with the glare of the lights.

Whatever worked.

The NCAA Championship. This is why I played. This is why I dripped sweat and blood all over the field all season long.

For games like this.

I was never going to admit it…but I also felt a little sick.

My phone buzzed on the bench next to me, and I grabbed it, hoping for a distraction.

Walker: Good luck out there, little brother.

I frowned.

This was bad luck. I couldn’t go out there with them sending me a…nice text.

Me: Absolutely not. Take that back!

Walker: What?

Me: You can’t go the whole season spotting nonsense and then decide to play it safe for the last game.

Jace fell onto the seat next to me and peered at my phone. “Are my brothers from another mother wishing me good luck?” he asked, his foot tapping up and down furiously.

I was glad to see that he was nervous, too.

Cole: Sorry, just making sure I heard that right, Parkie. You’re saying you want us to insult you? And that’s good luck…

Walker: Well, you actually should be making sure you “read” that right. Unless you have your assistant reading your texts out loud again because you like the sound of her voice.

That definitely called for a … So I typed one out.

Walker: Good one.

Me: Stop being nice.

Cole: I’m flipping you both off right now. Does that help?

Walker: Still have a thing against emojis?

Cole: They’re unnatural.

Walker: …

Cole: I’m going to report you to the Circle of Trust for continual misuse of …

Walker: Well, at least you got the name right this time.

“I should have trademarked that name while I had the chance,” Jace mused—still reading my texts. “Remind me tomorrow, after we win, to apply for Pussy Posse before that gets snatched up too.”

I side-eyed him. “I most certainly will not.”

“Literally any other name would be better than that,” said Matty, coming to sit next to me. He had a rubber band stretched between two fingers, and he was plucking at it, over and over again.

Another nervous teammate for the win.

“Oh really, Matthew. Any name ? Are you sure about that?” Jace asked sarcastically.

I glanced over at Matty. “Seriously, are you sure about that? Why would you want to give him that type of power?”

Matty snarled at us. “Why do we have to have a name at all?”

“Because all the great ones do, Matty-kins. All the great ones do,” Jace said, suddenly very serious.

Matty and I blinked at him, but then my phone buzzed again.

Walker: Alright, how about this…Parker, you fucking suck. Try not to mess it up too bad and embarrass us. Was that good enough?

Jace and Matty both snickered next to me because obviously they were the worst, and both had decided to read my text messages now.

Cole: He’s pouting. I can sense it. Parkie-Poo the pouter.

“Oh, that’s a good one,” said Jace. “I’m going to use that from now on.”

“He will kill you,” said Matty, and I high-fived him, because he was right.

“Noted,” answered Jace with a grin.

Me: That was perfect. Thank you for your donation. Now enjoy watching me kick ass.

Fuck. They were going to be at the game. With Casey. I quickly typed out another text.

Me: Please make sure that Olivia and Casey’s friend are in between you and Casey at all times.

Matty snorted, and I shot him a look.

Me: Actually, take out the please. DO NOT SIT NEXT TO MY GIRL.

“So shouty,” Jace mused, and I held myself back from elbowing him because I was a team player like that.

My phone buzzed again, and I glanced down, expecting it to be something else from my brothers.

But it wasn’t.

It was from my mom.

Mom: Good luck tonight, Parker. I’ll be watching it on TV with some of the nurses.

Another text followed as if that one text wasn’t enough.

Mom: I’m so proud of you.

Football players weren’t supposed to cry before the championship game. But it was all I could do to hold myself back.

Matty clapped me on the back and stood up, so his body was blocking me from most of the players in the locker room. They didn’t need to see their quarterback freaking the fuck out before the game.

I took a few deep breaths and finally typed back.

Me: Thanks, Mom.

After she’d sent me that text that day, she had accepted help. We’d agreed that she needed more than Martha could give her, and a week later we got her into an in-person care center that specialized in therapy and rehabilitation for those suffering from severe depression. She’d been in there for a few months now, and she acted and looked like a completely different person. There was always the chance that she’d relapse, but I was grateful I’d gotten this time with her. And that Casey could see her like this.

I took a few deep breaths, trying to center myself, before I tossed my phone into my locker. Done with distractions and filled with gratefulness that I had the support I did around me.

Matty and Jace both gave me head nods as we grabbed our helmets and got ready to go.

Coach Everett came in then to give us his usual motivational speech, and I stood up from my seat.

LFG.

I’d never heard the stadium this loud. It was hard to think with my ears threatening to burst.

But this was it.

We had four minutes left, we were down by four…and it was fourth down.

I was either going to fucking love the number four after this game…or I was going to hate it until the end of time.

My teammates huddled around me, their faces tight with tension, eyes locked on me, waiting for the call. I could feel everything in their stares, their trust and their desperation. We needed a touchdown to win. A field goal wasn’t enough.

But right now we needed a fucking first down.

I leaned in, keeping my voice calm, steady. “Alright, boys, this is what we play for. We know Oregon’s bringing heat on the blitz, so I need the line to hold strong. We’re gonna wear them down.” The guys nodded, a few grunted, the nerves fading as we found our focus.

“We can fucking do this,” I told them, locking eyes with them all so they could see that I wasn’t just saying it—I believed it.

We broke the huddle and lined up, the clock ticking down. I barked out the cadence, and the ball snapped into my hands. Dropping back, scanning the field, my eyes darting left, then right. I saw Matty slipping through a gap down the middle. I fired the ball, a quick, sharp pass, and he hauled it in, charging forward as he was swarmed by defenders. We picked up twelve yards and moved the chains.

“Atta fucking boy, Matty,” I yelled, and he nodded, his eyes sharp and determined. The clock was still running, and I motioned for everyone to get back in formation.

Three minutes left. The line held firm, and I dropped back, scanning for an opening. I saw Jace sprinting down the sideline, hands up, ready. I launched the ball, a perfect spiral arcing through the air, and he leaped up, snagging it mid-air and coming down just inside the line. Another first down.

Oregon’s defense was fucking relentless, though. They were crowding the line, trying to stop every play before it started, pushing back hard, daring us to run. I called a quick play-action pass to keep them on their toes. We snapped the ball, and I faked the handoff before darting to the right, slipping out of the pocket as the pressure built around me. Jace was open in the flat, but a defender was barreling toward him. I had to move fast.

Two minutes on the clock. I glanced over at the sidelines to catch a glimpse of Casey. She was in the front row, wearing my jersey, gripping onto the railing in front of her with a terrified look on her beautiful face.

I blew her a kiss and then called an audible, adjusting to Oregon’s coverage, and took the snap. The pocket collapsed, and I dodged left, then right, my eyes scanning the field. Finally, I saw my slot receiver, Jordan, cutting across. I lobbed the ball over the defender’s head, and he snagged it, dragging two Oregon defenders for a few extra yards. But he couldn’t make it out of bounds to stop the clock.

Less than a minute. Coach had to call our last timeout. The team huddled around me, breathless, faces slick with sweat. “This is it,” I said, locking eyes with each one of them. “We’ve got this. Focus. Protect the line, keep it tight, and we’re bringing this home.”

We lined up again, every muscle in my body tense, every instinct tuned to the game, the stakes, the clock ticking down. I took the snap and saw a gap open up. No time to think—I darted through it, barreling forward as the defenders closed in. They hit me hard, but I held on to the ball, my eyes fixed on the far side of the Red Zone, just a few yards away now.

Thirty seconds. We lined up one last time, and I felt the weight of everything in that single moment. The snap came, and I took a quick drop back, searching for an opening. Nothing . The pressure was coming fast, collapsing the pocket around me. Fuck . I tucked the ball and ran, pushing through the line, every step taking me closer to the end zone.

Five yards. Three. A defender dove at my legs, but I hurdled over him, stretching out as I crossed the goal line. Touchdown .

We’d fucking won!

Jace reached me first, knocking his helmet against mine hard as he tackled me to the ground. “Fucking hell, QB. You beautiful, beautiful man. You fucking did it!” he crowed. Matty jumped on me next, and my eyes widened—because I might be about to die when more of the team came.

The rest of my teammates did pile on me after that, laughing, cheering, and, in Chappie’s case—crying when he joined the throng of our teammates.

When my oxygen was about gone, they started getting off me. It was complete chaos in the stadium, the fans had started pouring out of the stands.

The energy was infectious, and the crowd was pushing us toward the middle of the field, but I needed to get to the sideline.

I needed to see her .

Pulling off my helmet, I pushed through the swarm of people—my teammates, coaches, and the fans trying to touch me, dodging reporters and cameras as they tried to get interviews. Someone slapped a Championship hat on my head as I moved through the crowd.

“Parker, how does it feel to have just won the championship?” one reporter asked, shoving a microphone into my face as I tried to pass by.

“Awesome,” I yelled, before I ducked under her hand and kept moving.

Finally, I spotted her still in the stands, flanked by Olivia and Nat, and guarded by Walker, Cole, and Olivia’s bodyguards, who were staring daggers at anyone that dared to get too close.

Her starlight eyes were locked on me. I could see the relief, the pride, and something else—something that made my heart race even faster than it had on the field.

I dodged bodies left and right until I finally reached the stands. Without a word, I reached up, grabbed her hand, and pulled her down onto the field.

“Baby,” I murmured, and she jumped into my arms and wrapped her legs around my waist.

I kissed her, hard and fast. I’d been waiting all night for this moment. She melted into me, her arms wrapping around my neck as she kissed me back, the world around us fading into nothing.

The noise of the crowd, the chaos of the celebration—it all disappeared. All that mattered was her.

When we finally pulled apart, she was breathless, her eyes shining with emotion. “You did it,” she whispered, her voice full of awe.

I smiled, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “It was all for you.”

Casey snorted and scrunched her nose at me. “Corny as usual.”

I laughed and leaned in, pressing my forehead to hers. “It’s the truth.”

The moment stretched between us, perfect in every way. But eventually, the world came crashing back, the sound of the crowd and the celebration pulling us back to reality.

I turned, spotting Walker, Olivia, and Cole crawling over the barriers, all of them grinning wide. I raised a hand in acknowledgment, and they all cheered, pumping their fists in the air.

The reporters eventually caught up to me, shoving microphones in my face, asking a million questions at once. I didn’t want to answer them; I didn’t want to be anywhere except with Casey, but I knew I had to say something.

I glanced down at her, squeezing her hand before turning to the cameras. “We worked hard for this,” I said, my voice loud and clear. “We never gave up. This team, this university, we’ve been through it all, and we came out on top. I couldn’t be prouder of my guys.”

The reporters shouted more questions, but I held up my hand.

“Sorry y’all, I have one thing that I need to do before I do any more interviews.”

They watched, shocked, as I fell to one knee and looked up at the love of my life as I took her hand. I’d wanted to do this since almost the moment I’d seen her in class that day. I had just been waiting for her to be ready too.

Casey’s eyes filled with tears as she covered her mouth with one hand in shock.

“Baby,” I began, my voice catching. “I knew, from the second I laid eyes on you, that you were the one. That you were the other half of my soul, that I’d known you in every lifetime before this. That you’d always been mine.”

I pressed a kiss to her hand and took a deep breath.

“There’s not a single thing in this world that I want more than to spend my life with you, to build something amazing, something that’s just ours.” I could feel my chest tightening, my heart racing, but I pushed through. “Casey…marry me. Be my forever, my home, the person I get to wake up to every day for the rest of my life.”

Jace popped up in my peripheral and tossed me the box he’d been in charge of retrieving. “Get it, QB,” he called.

I caught it and opened it, smiling at Casey’s gasp.

It was a really big ring.

I tugged her closer and motioned for her to lean over. “You don’t really have a choice,” I whispered to her, and she scoffed…because she knew I wasn’t joking.

I released her with a big grin. “Baby, will you marry me?” I asked loudly—for propriety’s sake.

She sank down onto the ground in front of me and grabbed my face, kissing me hard before she leaned back, sobbing.

“Yes,” she cried.

I grabbed her hand and slid the ring onto her finger, my hands steady but my heart feeling like it was about to skip out of my chest. And when she kissed me again, tears streaming down her face, it felt like everything—every plan, every dream, every bit of who I was—had finally fallen into place.

CASEY

“That’s it, baby,” Parker growled as he drove into me.

I’d asked him how he wanted to celebrate winning the National Championship.

His answer…

Fucking me on the fifty-yard line at the Tennessee stadium when we got home.

And that’s how I’d found myself on my hands and knees, being railed into oblivion.

“Say it,” he ordered, his fingers digging into my hips as he thrust his dick in and out.

“I love you,” I murmured.

“Again. Keep saying it.” he growled.

And so, I said it over and over again. Parker pushed me further into the ground so that my breasts, covered with nothing but his thin jersey, dragged along the turf, stimulating every nerve ending in my body.

“Parker,” I moaned as he pounded into me.

His hand slapped my ass. “Say it.”

“I love you. I love you. I love you,” I chanted.

“That’s my good girl,” he murmured, leaning over me and biting down softly on the sensitive part of my neck.

“You’re going to come for me, aren’t you, baby? You’re going to choke my big dick.”

“I love you,” I cried, the combination of his dirty words and his cock hitting the perfect spot inside me sending me into a pleasure freefall. I writhed against him, my arms giving out.

He caught me just in time and pulled me up so that we were sitting up and facing Tennessee’s end zone.

“One more time, pretty girl,” he murmured, his finger circling my clit as he continued to push deep inside.

It didn’t take long until my body was on fire again, my whimpers filling the air around us as I squeezed his cock.

I felt his dick jerk inside me, and then he was coming, long streams of his hot seed filling me up until it was running down my legs.

“I love you,” he said, his chest heaving. “I can’t get enough. I want to live inside you.”

My answering giggle morphed into a groan as he slowly pulled out.

“Let’s get your leggings back on, baby. He’s going to come back any minute now.”

He being the grounds manager that had given Parker a key in the first place.

We got our clothes back on, and Parker kissed my ring, like he was reminding himself it was there.

“I love you,” he whispered as we made our way out of the stadium.

A sense of warmth settled deep inside me, a feeling that went beyond love or belonging. It was the quiet peace of no longer feeling alone in the world. Of walking side by side with the person who’d been meant for you.

For the longest time, I thought loneliness was just…inevitable. A constant I would carry in my heart wherever I went.

After losing Ben, and then Gray, with my family splintered in ways I couldn’t fix, I didn’t think I’d ever find that feeling again.

A feeling of completeness, like I’d found my home.

Parker didn’t just see the broken, empty parts of me—he stepped into them, filled them with something I hadn’t realized I needed. He made me feel like my heart could beat steady again, like I could let go of the past and let something new, something real, take root. Parker had become everything I’d thought I’d lost.

He pulled me closer, his heartbeat steady against my cheek. I didn’t have to say a word, didn’t have to explain the way he made all the broken pieces of me feel like they belonged. He already knew. Somehow, he’d known all along.

And maybe that’s what love really was—not just filling a void, but building something beautiful out of the empty places. He’d become my world, my everything, the person who made me feel safe in a way I never thought I’d feel again.

In his arms, I knew I wasn’t alone anymore. And I was ready, achingly ready, to start my happily ever after…with him.