The whole team - underlined

Epilogue: 𝓗𝓮𝔂, 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓜𝓮

Superbowl Sunday

Gracie used to only come downstairs on Superbowl sunday for the table of snacks, or to watch the halftime performances. Up until now, she never had a reason to watch the last game of the year with her family.

She was looking forward to showing up to his game to show her support.

Since Christmas, Robert had been cheering his son at his next games. He would be in the stands all decked out with Arizona Cardinals spirit.

He put black stripes under his eyes, trading his suit and tie for Cory's jersey and he would wake up the next morning with a lost voice because he screamed at the top of his lungs whenever Cory made a touchdown - encouraging him to do more of his celebratory dance on the field.

Gracie will be right there next to him. Over the months, they've bonded over cheering Cory on. Mr. and Mrs. Walker would come over or her and her parents would come over there and they would jump up, spilling popcorn all over the place and scream, high fiving and copying Cory's dance.

As for There's Only You, Daniella called Gracie to inform her that her editing team was almost done adding the finishing touches to her book. All they needed was her illustrator to design the cover and it was set to be published this summer.

Gracie's parents still didn't know about any of this. As far as they knew, Gracie just went to New York to watch Cory's game. She planned on surprising them, walking into the room with a gift bag that held a physical copy.

When it was time to get ready, Gracie got dressed in his jersey, smeared black paint under her eyes and tied her hair up in a ponytail. Nothing could bring down her mood. She was dancing around her room as Justin Bieber's Justice album was blasting through the speaker.

Her heart was thudding against her ribcage and her smile was so bright, it reached her eyes. Gracie was happy everything worked out and that she could be with Cory.

She didn't know how powerful her emotions could be when she spent those three months without him. With she-who-shall-not-be-named out of the picture, they had a chance. She stood in front of her bathroom mirror to take a picture.

Baby Girl ❤:
Sent 2:16pm

*image attached*

Good luck, baby.

Bf ❤:
Sent 2:18pm

I don't know what I'd do without you.

Not only will Gracie be there, but she's bringing her whole family. Both her brothers, who are super into sports, will most likely cheer the loudest, her sister and brother-in-law, her mom who kept counting the minutes down til the game and her dad who she was the most worried would embarrass her.

Gracie promised herself that her future boyfriend will never meet her father. He had the sense of humor of a one-year-old, but he thought he was the funniest man ever. The bag of snacks that she was bringing to the game was funnier than him.

She kept begging Cory to not make her invite him, but he insisted that she did. 'Just in case we get serious and I need his approval', were his exact words.

Gracie and Cory were only dating. He'd taken her to TopGolf, rock climbing and on his parents' boat at the lake, but they hadn't put a title on their relationship yet.

That was why she was planning on asking him to be her boyfriend after the game. Hopefully, they win so the confetti falling swiftly around them and everyone in the stadium hollering could add to the moment.

Cory woke up early in the morning, refreshed and ready to hit the gym. He'd been receiving text messages from everyone in his family wishing him good luck on the game tonight which was good because he needed it.

He was more anxious than excited. Especially since his dad would be there. He'd been watching his games leading up to this one, but tonight's a bigger deal than the others. He felt like he needed to win or else his dad wouldn't be proud of him.

He poured his nerves about meeting her family into running on the elliptical. Now he knew how Gracie felt when she met his family and he understood the feeling of the knots in the pit of his stomach.

Cory knew he had no reason to be nervous though. Gracie told him that her dad was easy-going, her brothers were chill and her sister was nice and that they should all love him.

When he was done at the gym, his mom texted him a cheering gif. He chuckled as he was typing back on the way to his car. It'd been a tradition that before a game, his mom would send him a gif to get his mind off his nerves, even if it was just for a few moments.

When he got to the stadium, he went straight for the locker room to find the majority of his teammates already there.

When it came time for kickoff, Cory was feeling more confident about winning. He received a text from Gracie and found more motivation to do his best on that field.

When the coach asked him to give the team a motivational speech, he was more than willing to fire them up too. "Alright guys, this is the game we've all been working our asses off for! Every practice, every game has led us to this day, so let's get the fuck out there and show them what we've got! Go Cardinals on 3. 1, 2, 3."

"Go Cardinals!"

Cory led them through the tunnel and once they reached the end, all they heard was the crowd hollering and saw a sea of red and white along the stands. This was what he dreamed of since he was little - going into the Superbowl and making his fans proud.

It was game time.

-

It was tied at 32-32.

All they needed was one touchdown to win.

Gracie was anxiously tapping her hand against her leg until the next play started.

They had the ball and the player was running.

And running.

And running.

He had the ball hugged to his chest while his feet carried him as fast as they could to the end zone.

Gracie was half standing in anticipation. The whole crowd had gone silent waiting for the numbers on the scoreboard to change.

He made it!

The crowd leaped to their feet and screamed at their victory. The stadium was so loud, Gracie was sure to lose her hearing for the next few days, but that didn't bother her. She shared the excitement with everyone else that her soon-to-be-boyfriend and his team won the biggest game of the year.

Even though Cory arranged for all of them to get front seats, the crowd managed to surround them. Gracie held onto her mom's hand and shoved people out of the way until she found him.

The rest of the team were either hugging their children or their moms, sobbing on their shoulders, or they were talking with the Sports Channel reporter shouting out family members that couldn't make it. Some were taking pictures with their girlfriends or wives.

The field was blanketed with white and cardinal red confetti as everyone was holding up the gigantic trophy for the camera crew.

As the other players were passing hugs around to their moms or wives, Cory was weaving through the crowd to look for Gracie.

His eyes were moist from the tears and he was ready to cry into Gracie's shoulder the moment they made contact.

"Cory!"

His pace picked up at the sound of her voice and when he saw her dark eyes and hair, his number on her jersey, she leapt into his arms.

"You did it, baby! I'm so proud of you!"

"That means the world to me. Thank you so much." He kept her in her arms like someone was going to take her away and he was never going to see her again.

Someone tapped his shoulder from behind and when he turned around, he noticed his dad in all Cardinals gear and tears in his eyes.

"I'm proud of you, son." He pulled him in for a tight embrace and patted his back.

Those were the words that Cory had always wanted to hear from his father, but never thought he would. Something clicked when he heard that; he was racked with sobs and hot tears were cascading down his cheeks in great quantities.

From an outsider's perspective, he may look like he was smiling, but the truth was was that his emotions were so overwhelming for him, there was an ache in his chest. It wasn't an ache caused by heartbreak. It was one caused by a father's pride he was begging for years for.

"I should've been supporting you from the beginning. I'm so sorry, son. I'm so sorry." Robert took pride in never shedding a tear, but right now, his cheeks were moist and his eyes were bloodshot red. The guilt of always ignoring his dreams hit him like a ton of bricks.

"My turn." Sydney tore them apart and squeezed her son in her arms. Her eyes were dry, but she was filled with all kinds of emotions. She was the mother of a Superbowl winner and she'll be telling this story until she's old and gray.

Cory pulled himself together as he stepped away from his mom. He wiped the tears away from his eyes with his jersey and gathered Aaron in a big bear hug.

He finished it off with their elaborate handshake he taught him when he was five. Finally, there was Jordan. Cory threw himself in his open arms and they patted each other on the back, deep chuckles escaping their lips. He introduced himself to Gracie's family.

He'd met her mom before, but he shook hands with her dad. She didn't look too much like him; he had a bald head, hazel eyes and a gray beard along his jawline.

The next were her brothers, Brian and Matt. It appeared that they were twins with the same black hair and hazel eyes. They also had the same smile as they were congratulating him.

Then there was her future sister-in-law, Lacey. She had blonde hair that flowed past her shoulders and blue eyes and she was clad in an Arizona Cardinals jersey and ripped jeans. She had a bright smile that reached her eyes as she greeted him.

Finally came her sister, Kristina, and brother-in-law. Gracie told him that her brother-in-law used to play football in college. For the Colorado Buffaloes. At least they already had something in common.

Gracie and her sister look so much alike. Other than the height, they had the same black hair that landed past her shoulders. Kristina had hazel eyes like their dad, and a white smile.

He refocused his attention on Gracie. He wrapped both arms around her waist and pecked her forehead. "I have a question I'd been meaning to ask you."

A frown touched Gracie's lips. Only because she was nervous to make things official between them. This moment had been on her mind all day – for weeks even.

She'd imagine how it would go every night when she closed her eyes to go to sleep and now that she had been practicing reading out loud for a month longer, she was more confident she wouldn't screw it up by messing up her words.

Since the moment was finally there, there was a whole zoo throwing a rager in her stomach. She swallowed a lump in her throat and took deep breaths before saying,

"So do I."

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"Will you be my boyfriend?"

Cory's smile grew wider as he looked down at her. A deep chuckle betrayed his lips as he allowed his arms to snake around her lower back. He didn't know how much time he passed before he finally answered her question with a nod.

His eyes were solely focused on hers. As he waited for her answer, his heart was thudding hard against his chest and he rubbed his shaking hands together. Satisfied with her excited nod, the serious tension between them changed.

He picked her up in his arms and spun her around, her giggles becoming the only thing he heard.

He could finally call her his officially. She could be his girlfriend. He could hold her, kiss her, plan romantic dinner dates. He was going to be reach the impossibly high standards those Wattpad books gave her. Cory was going to be the man she'd always dreamed of.

Cory held her face in his hands and leaned forward until their foreheads were touching.

Gracie was forced to turn away when she heard a voice somewhere in the crowd calling her name. Her eyes followed their direction, but her lips slightly parted when she found Addie holding hands with her boyfriend. She cursed under breath. Gracie was enjoying the moment she was having with Cory, the moment she first started having a boyfriend. The only person that could ruin it just did.

"Hey, Cory? My boyfriend is a huge fan. Can you give him an autograph, please?"

Gracie stopped Cory's hand from accepting the photo and gave Addie a hard stare, her eyes scanning Addie from head to toe. "You don't deserve shit from my boyfriend."

Addie scoffed. She genuinely thought Gracie was joking. Her landed on their fingers that were interlocked and she realized he was actually her boyfriend.

Shit!

She brought her fingers to her lips and started picking on a scab. Addie tore her eyes away from Gracie and turned to Jackson, her boyfriend. His narrowed brown eyes were staring into her as she was debating with herself.

Should she walk away with a smile or get an autograph for her shy boyfriend from his biggest football role model? She knew what she had to do, but whether or not it would work was what had her nervous.

"Gracie, I was only kidding when I said all those things about you. Of course you're not an ugly freak who can't make friends or... are a burden on anyone. Those were all just..." Addie was screwed. Judging by the amused scoff Gracie blew out and the shake of her head, this wasn't going to end well for her.

Cory put the pieces together. He was faced with the Addie. The one that Gracie always complained about and here she was, begging me to do her boyfriend a favor.

He seemed shy though and Cory knew it wouldn't be fair to not give an autograph only because he had a problem with his girlfriend.

He took the photo of himself and borrowed a pen from his mom to sign his name in the bottom corner. I wished them a good evening and I was going to let them walk away before I did something that I regret, but Gracie stopped them.

"You know, Addie, you can cut the crap. You don't need to suddenly be fake nice to me just because my boyfriend is now a Superbowl winner. I don't need fake people like that in my life. I do plan on reporting you to the manager. I'll try to convince her to let you keep your job, but I won't tolerate your juvenile, high school, dramatic crap. The comments have got to stop."

The whole time Gracie was talking, Cory watched her with pride dancing across his features. He acknowledged how much she'd grown from the good girl type to the 'you don't get to walk all over me' attitude.

The last time they spoke about the bullying, she was hesitant on reporting her because of the possibility that Addie would get fired. Now, while she still expressed those concerns, she was still putting her foot down and made it known that she wouldn't tolerate it anymore.

Even Addie was taking aback by Gracie standing up for herself like that. Guilt had its hands clutching her stomach as she remembered every rude comment she said to her. Especially calling her a burden to her parents and insulting her appearance which wasn't unattractive at all.

She was actually really pretty. No makeup was necessary. She weakly nodded her head and guided Jackson out of the stadium.

Cory repositioned his hands on her waist and pulled her closer until their bodies were touching. His hand was cradling his cheek with his thumb lightly caressing her temples.

His body temperature increased into a fever being this close to the girl he'd really liked for months who's now his girl. "I'm so proud of you, baby, for sticking up for yourself. She should never bully you again and if she does..."

"She won't be. I'm pretty confident about that. I saw the sincere remorse in her eyes. I could tell she genuinely felt guilty about that."

A small smile touched his lips, but he didn't want to talk about Addie anymore. Cory leaned in closer until their foreheads were touching once again and their breaths were intermingled with each other. "Hey, it's me."

Gracie smiled when she realized what he was doing.

"Is this Kendall?"

Gracie mimicked a gag at the mention of her name, causing Cory to chuckle.

"Nope. I'm sorry. I think you got the wrong number."

"No, I think I got the right one."

Remembering everything that happened between April 3rd, 2022, and today, the texts, the phone calls, the first time they met in person, the karaoke night, their first kiss outside the diner, Gracie was unbelievably glad he kept texting her.

Before Cory came into her life, it was pretty boring. It mostly consisted of work and laying in bed all night watching the same old YouTube videos.

Now, he inspired her to write a new Wattpad story.

About a girl with a speech condition who fell in love with a football player.

A football player who texted the wrong number at two in the morning.

She'll call it...

Dysarthria.

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[ A/N ] ❀ Proofreading & Editing by Julie_ProofEdit

R.I.P

The fourth wall

THIS MARKS THE END OF THE BOOK!!!

I honestly had the most fun writing this book.

There could be more plot holes or any other errors. Let me know! If you're a big football fan, please leave some tips on how to describe the game.

I hope you liked it

Do you want to see any bonus chapters? Let me know in the comments what else you want to read.