names do you like?”
“Emmett, Troy, William...”
“Football names?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
He shrugs innocently. “I have a bunch more if you hate those. What’s yours?”
I clear my throat as I get a little nervous to tell him. It’s how I’ve been referring to him in my head whenever I’m not referring to him as Jellybean. “Nolan,” I finally say.
He pauses a beat, and he tilts his head like he’s rolling it over. “Like your maiden name?”
I nod.
“Nolan Dalton,” he says, trying it on for size, and my heart races as I wait for his reaction. “Middle name?”
I shrug. “I was thinking James after my dad, but if I get first, you can take middle. Just please not Troy. I may not know much about football, but I was raised in a Bears’ house, not a Cowboys’.”
He still hasn’t reacted to my name other than to repeat it, and his eyes edge to the screen as the game comes back on.
He laughs. “I actually have a middle name in mind, and it isn’t Troy.”
“What is it?”
“Oh shit!” he yells as his eyes widen at the screen, and even though we’re having what I deem a very important conversation, I glance over to see what he’s oh-shitting about.
Someone in a black uniform with red lettering is down, but I can’t tell who it is. A ring of players surrounds him as the trainers rush out.
“Who is it?” I practically screech as I pray it isn’t my brother.
“Tristan.”
I send up a little prayer in my head that he’ll be okay. I know now what it’s like to help a football player heal, and it’s been hard enough helping someone who was nearing the end of his career anyway. I can’t imagine the level of disappointment for a kid in his rookie season to get hurt. I pray that whatever it is won’t keep him down, that he’ll sit out a play or two and then get right back into the game.
That doesn’t happen.
The broadcasters show the replay, and my stomach turns over as I see the angle at which his ankle bends. It’s not natural. It’s not supposed to move like that.
“Fuck,” Luke mutters as he shakes his head.
“How long will that keep him out?” I ask.
“Depends on whether it’s a compound fracture.” We watch as the cart comes out to help haul Tristan off the field. He’s covering his face with a towel, and after they move him onto the cart, he lowers the towel to wave to the crowd and let them know he’ll be okay. His eyes are rimmed in red and the emotion is written all over his face. This is a devastating blow to Tristan and also to the entire Aces’ organization.
“What’s a compound fracture?”
“When the bone breaks the skin,” he says, and I get a little queasy at that description.
We listen to the broadcasters. “The Aces already lost Luke Dalton to a season-ending injury, and it’s looking like Higgins will be out a while, too. You think he’ll be back in time for next season?” one of them asks the other.
“Hard to tell, Al, but I’d guess he’ll be down a few months. I was talking to Mitch Thompson last night and he said Luke Dalton is making great progress. They’re hopeful he’ll be ready at the start of next season, but I gotta tell you, I’ve been hearing rumors about retirement.”
“I wouldn’t blame the guy,” the other broadcaster says. “He’s in his thirties now, he’s been injured twice. That’s a lot to come back from.”
I glance at Luke and wait for the broadcasters to cut to commercial before I ask my question. “Are you going to talk to Coach sometime?”
He shrugs. “I’m on contract through the end of this season. My decision doesn’t matter right now, and I’m not going to burden him when they’re in the middle of playoffs.”
“But you are going to tell him, right?”
He chuckles and he reaches for my hand. He squeezes it. “If you’re worried I’m going to change my mind, I won’t. I’m done playing. Not forever...I mean, I’ll toss the ball around with Nolan, and maybe I’ll coach his peewee league team or middle school or even high school.”
My eyes fill with tears as I gaze at him. “You called him Nolan.”
His eyes twinkle back at me. “That’s his name, isn’t it?”
I can’t help when I attack him with a very aggressive hug.
The future is looking beautifully bright for Luke, Ellie, and Nolan Dalton.
* * *
Thank you for reading Hot Luke and Sexy Ellie’s story! Need more Vegas Aces? Pre-order TRADED, the first book in a hot new season of the VEGAS ACES featuring Jack Dalton, and be sure to grab Luke and Ellie’s bonus epilogue where you can read about Nolan’s entrance into the world, find out his middle name, and watch as the Daltons walk down the aisle...again! Plus two deleted scenes and a hint about what’s next for Jack!
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If you’re looking for more from Lisa Suzanne, check out the MY FAVORITE BAND Boxed Set!
A collection of six full-length, standalone, #1 bestselling rock star romances plus bonus material. Meet My Favorite Band and join the steamy ride as six rock stars navigate fame and love in over 1,000 pages of laughter, angst, and emotions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thank you to my husband for everything you do. The support, encouragement, and love is what makes this possible. Thank you to my kids for nap time and quiet time when mommy gets to write, and thank you to my parents who love hanging out with my babies so I can get some computer time in.
Thank you to Trenda London from It’s Your Story Content Editing, Diane Holtry and Alissa Riker for beta reading, Najla Qamber for the gorgeous cover design, and Katie Harder-Schauer from Proofreading by Katie.
Thank you to Wildfire Marketing, my ARC team, Team LS, and all the bloggers who read, post, and review.
Thank you to you, the reader, for taking time out of your life to spend it with Ellie and Luke. I hope you enjoyed what you read, and I can’t wait for you to read what’s next for Jack Dalton...
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lisa Suzanne is a romance author who resides in Arizona with her husband and two kids. She’s a former high school English teacher and college composition instructor. When she's not chasing or cuddling her kids, she can be found working on her latest book or watching reruns of Friends.
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BOOKS BY LISA SUZANNE
MY FAVORITE BAND STANDALONES
Take My Heart
The Benefits of Bad Decisions
Waking Up Married
Driving Me Crazy
It’s Only Temporary
The Replacement War
A LITTLE LIKE DESTINY SERIES
A Little Like Destiny (Book One)
Only Ever You (Book Two)
Clean Break (Book Three)
THE UNBREAKABLE THREAD DUET
The Power to Break (Book One)
The Power to Break - Audiobook
The Invisible Thread (Book Two)
The Invisible Thread - Audiobook
CLICK HERE FOR MORE