The first wave of would-be girls’ soccer fans headed to the stadium. Jocelyn, Gideon and Alan commandeered the front row. The teams lined up for play and Jared scanned the filled bleachers. His gaze caught hers and he nodded thanks. Pointing at him, she mouthed, “Your turn now.” “Trust me,” he mouthed back with a smile that knocked her socks off. Tied at two-all in the second half of the game, during the final minutes, Kylie passed to Tessa Atwater and the Madison Blaze scored, winning the game 3-2. The crowd roared to its feet, hooting and hollering, the Wade clan in the thick of it. Jocelyn let loose with cheers and clapped her hands red. Her heart wept with joy watching the real victory of the day, Kylie smack in the middle of the team hugfest, face flushed with delight. When Kylie ran over to them, Jocelyn grabbed hold and couldn’t let go. “Great game. What you’ve done with those kids is extraordinary,” Gideon said. His voice startled Jocelyn back to reality—one with Jared Wyatt in a tight black T outlining every damn muscle hovering in her face.
