Silver (35 page)

Life with Pace went on much the same back as it had before. Except now she had really fun study breaks…in Pace’s bedroom. But, despite the fact that they had just gotten back together and were trying to adjust to a new life, Stacia focused her efforts on finishing out her second semester as a journalism major. Her studies still took precedent.

And, after all her hard work, she had passed her sports journalism class with a ninety-nine percent. She had done pretty well in her other classes, too. But she knew that she needed to take her last year of school seriously.

That was why she laughed when she met up with Bryna and Trihn bright and early Saturday morning to watch them graduate without her.

“So, you’re not dropping out of school to become a quarterback’s wife?” Bryna asked. She adjusted the black graduation robe that was definitely not designed with the Vegas heat in mind.

“A different quarterback’s wife,” Trihn added. She tucked her cap under her arm and grinned at Stacia.

“You two are horrible. No! I’m not dropping out. I’m finishing for me, and then I’m getting a job!” Stacia told them. She glanced over her shoulder at Pace, who was standing with his mom, Bryna’s stepdad, the twins, and Zoe. They were all here to see Bryna graduate. “Pace is still…just Pace. He’ll do fine in Oklahoma without me.”

“Good,” Trihn said. “I’m proud of you.”

“Me, too,” Bryna added.

The three girls hugged, and then Stacia found that she was crying.

“Oh my God,” she said softly. “I can’t believe you two are leaving me!”

“We’ll still be around,” Bryna insisted.

Trihn nodded. “Yeah, we’d never really leave you. You’re our best friend.”

“I know. I just…Bri, you’re going to go off and become a famous director. And, Trihn, you will be at fashion week with a boutique on Fifth Avenue in no time. And I’ll just be here…”

“No, you won’t. You’ll be on the sidelines as a reporter, doing exactly what you love, just like the rest of us. It’s just going to take you a little longer to get there,” Bryna said. “And that’s okay.”

“It’s better that you figure it out now and take the time you need to make it right than regret it later,” Trihn added.

Stacia laughed and swiped at her tears. “You’re right. I just can’t believe it’s all over.”

“It’s not over. It’s just begun,” Bryna said. She pulled the girls in for another hug.

Bryna, Trihn, and Stacia had been drawn together the very first week of school their freshman year. A love story in and of itself. An unbreakable friendship. They had endured more than anyone, more than any romantic relationship. They had been there for each other through it all. And, while their story was coming to a close, it wasn’t really the end.

One and a Half Years Later

STACIA STOOD ON THE SIDELINES
for the Oklahoma Tornadoes versus the Jacksonville Jaguars game. She was dressed in a red top under a black blazer with tight black pants. Behind her stood a camera crew, and she held a microphone in her hand. All the while, she got to watch Pace play professional football.

Dream, meet Reality.

She couldn’t even believe that she was standing here in this moment.

After Bryna and Trihn had graduated, they had all moved into full-on wedding mode. They’d had a million last-minute things to do. Even though Bryna had had a wedding planner, she’d used all the help she could get. So, the girls had been on wedding duty.

Pace had gone as Stacia’s date, and that’d seemed to clear the air about their relationship. Things had been sailing pretty smoothly since then. Bryna would still make jokes about Stacia dating her stepbrother, but Stacia totally welcomed them now. It was refreshing and normal.

Even though Pace had moved to Oklahoma shortly afterward, the long distance wasn’t as big of a burden as she had thought. Of course, she would have loved to move in with him and all that right away, but it was kind of refreshing to keep some normal with the new relationship.

She and Whitney had remained roommates for the next year as they both finished up their journalism majors. Whitney ended up behind the scenes with a focus in editorial broadcast. She and Simon had both snagged jobs in Los Angeles and had moved in together after graduation.

Stacia had floundered for a bit as she was searching for jobs. Part of her had wanted to do everything on her own, but the other part of her hadn’t wanted to compromise what she wanted for some shitty job that equated to the Cs she had earned during her first three years in college. So, she had used her connections to get on a short list for an upcoming sideline position at ESPN.

It wasn’t her proudest moment. But, every time she’d stressed about it, she’d just remind herself that it was all who you knew, not what you knew. And if it got her the job, then all the better.

And, anyway, it wasn’t as if her connections could
get
her the job. She’d still needed to impress them. And she had.

She had gotten an A in every single one of her sports classes. Not to mention, cheering at a collegiate level for three years, her father being a coach, her brother being a star collegiate quarterback, and well…her boyfriend being an NFL quarterback…it all helped her. And she’d landed the job.

Pace had moved her out to his house in Oklahoma, but she had to spend much of her time on the road and in the ESPN studios. So, frankly, they saw each other less than they had when she was still in college. It was tough. Something she had only marginally considered. And she understood why a lot of sideline reporters would strive to get a job as an anchor; it had more stability. She couldn’t deny that she loved her job though. The traveling, the excitement, the football.

And, today, of all days, was a special day.

After working nearly an entire season as an NFL sideline reporter, she had finally been scheduled to one of Pace’s games. That meant she had gotten to spend a few days ahead of time with him when he wasn’t practicing. And she would get to see him for a day or two afterward.

Watching him never got old. He was as magnetic as he had been in college. Maybe more so. The way he had changed to play in the NFL really suited him. He was more consistent, and it showed in his fandom.

She still couldn’t get over the sheer number of people who were obsessed with her boyfriend. She had thought it was bad in college, but this was something else entirely. Half of the stadium was filled with people wearing his jerseys, and girls were everywhere.

But he never wavered. Not once. Not ever.

If she had been wary of all of this in college, she had no reason to doubt now. The man he had grown into put the boy he’d been to shame.

“We should get into position,” her cameraman, Chuck, said.

“Yeah, all right.”

But she didn’t budge. She waited another moment as Pace threw a rocket downfield and got the team another first down.

“Stacia,” Chuck groaned, “I know he’s your boyfriend, but…”

“All right, I’m coming. Let’s move.”

She marched down the field and got in position next to Chuck on the sidelines. The game only had a minute left, so she and Chuck strategized their post-game procedures. She turned to face Chuck just as the clock ran out, and she waited until she got her cue.

“Well, that’s the final. It’s mayhem down here with an Oklahoma Tornadoes win of twenty-four to ten over the Jacksonville Jaguars,” she said into the camera.

She talked for another minute before they cut back to the game. That was when Stacia and Chuck hurried into the crowd to get to the Tornadoes’ coach. Chuck caught him shaking hands with the Jaguars’ coach, and then he turned to give another interview.

“Damn,” Stacia muttered. She would have to wait her turn.

That was when she felt a presence next to her.

Pace pulled his helmet off and smiled down at her. “Hey, Pink.”

She blushed at the attention. “Hey. You up for an interview?” she only half-joked.

“With you? Of course.”

“Okay. Here we go,” Stacia said to Chuck.

He counted down, and then they were live.

“This is Stacia Palmer, here with the Tornadoes’ quarterback, Pace Larson. Pace, you had an excellent game tonight.”

“Thank you, Stacia,” he said, smiling down at her.

“Pace, you went thirty for thirty-two with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. How does it feel to beat the Jaguars on their home turf?”

Pace smiled down at Stacia and then said into the camera, “It feels incredible. We’ve been preparing for this game for a long time, and it’s nice when everything works out in your favor.”

“As a young quarterback still finding your place in the league, how do you feel your integration into the Tornadoes lineup has changed their program?”

“When I was drafted to the Tornadoes, I said I wanted to find a home with them, and I’ve done so. We’ve all had to make adjustments, working with new players and a new playbook, but I respect everyone who has given me this chance to help take the Tornadoes into a more competitive spotlight.”

“Excellent,” Stacia said.

“Do you mind if I ask you one question before we go?” Pace asked.

Stacia furrowed her brow and then remembered to smile and just go with it. “Of course.”

Pace dropped down onto one knee right then and there. Stacia’s hand flew to her mouth, and she nearly forgot the microphone in her hand. He pulled a box seemingly out of nowhere. She had no idea where he had been hiding it or if he had gone to get it when she was distracted. Tears welled in her eyes.

“Will you, Stacia Palmer, be my wife?”

“Oh my God,” she gasped. Her eyes stayed glued to his, and for all the world to see, she nodded. “Yes! Oh my God, yes!”

Pace laughed and then stood. He retrieved the ring and then slid it onto the finger on her left hand. It was a gorgeous circular diamond with a halo of diamonds and then a tiny band of diamonds that went all the way around the band. It was stunning. Her hand was shaking as she stared down at it in shock.

“Stacia,” Chuck hissed.

She came out of her trance long enough to realize she was still live. She held her hand up to the camera. “I’m getting married. And that’s all. Back to Mick in the studio.”

Chuck took them off-air, and the anchors were sure to be talking about her engagement on ESPN after that.

Chuck pulled her in for a hug. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you!”

Then, Pace was there, picking her up and twirling her around. “I love you,” he said to her.

“I love you, too.”

He placed her back on her feet.

“I cannot believe you just did that!”

“Proposed?” he asked, as if he were confused.

“On live television!”

He laughed. “What? Did you think you got placed on my game by accident? The studio knew. I cleared it with them.”

“Oh my God, you’re sneaky!”

“Only because I love you so much,” he said before a deep kiss. “And, soon, you’ll be Mrs. Stacia Larson.”

Stacia shook her head, feeling slightly dizzy at the prospect. “That sounds so…amazing. After all this, I’m
still
going to be a quarterback’s wife.”

Pace laughed. “Well, maybe I’m going to be a reporter’s husband.”

Stacia beamed. “I like that even better.”

The End

WRITING
SILVER
WAS A WHIRLWIND
, to say the least. For a few months, I couldn’t get past the first eight chapters because I moved and got horribly sick in the middle of it. Then, inspiration struck, and I wrote the rest of the book in less than a month. I love this book. I’m so proud of Pace and Stacia’s story and how far they have come since
Diamonds
and
Gold.
But I never would have made it without some pretty incredible people.

Rebecca Kimmerling, Katie Pruitt Miller, Polly Matthews, Anjee Sapp, and Lori Francis, for being early readers. My publicist Danielle Sanchez, who knew I could write this book in twenty days and helped every step of the way. My agent, Kimberly Brower, who read this book in five hours because she couldn’t put it down. Thank you for your love of my anti-heros and heroines. Anna Crosswell with Cover Couture, for working on the amazing cover, and Lindee Robinson, for the photography that just
is
Stacia and Pace! Jovana, as always, on the amazing editing and formatting for this book.