He erupted. “I don’t need a guarantee! I proved myself a long time ago! There’s not a player in the league who knows more about the game than I do, but she looked at me like I was a no-name parasite. Molly, I understand that you love your sister, but football’s a game about winning, and I have to tell you right now that I’ve lost all respect for her.”

Her legs had regained enough strength for her to stand. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

His expression was a mixture of anger and confusion, as if he couldn’t comprehend how a life made of gold could have developed any tarnish. “She said I could have you or the Stars, but not both. She said if I saw you again, my career with the team was over. If I stayed away, I still had my job.”

Something warm opened up in Molly’s heart. “And you believed her?”

“You’re damn right I believed her! And it’s her loss! I don’t need the Stars. I don’t even want to play for them anymore.”

Her loving, interfering sister … “She was scamming you, Kevin. This whole thing’s a scam.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She wants me to have a Great Love Story like she had with Dan.”

“I saw her face. This wasn’t any scam.”

“She’s very good.”

“You’re not making sense. What do you mean that she wants you to have a love story? I’d already told her I loved you.”

“She’s a romantic. Almost as much as me. An ordinary love story isn’t good enough. She wants me to have something I’ll remember my whole life, something to pull out and examine if you forget to send flowers on our anniversary or get mad because I put a dent in the car.”

“I’m sure you understand what you’re talking about, but I don’t have a clue.”

“If you were a woman you would.”

“Well, excuse me for having a—”

“Words are wonderful, but every once in a while a few women are lucky enough to have something extra, something unforgettable.” This was so basic to her that she had to make him understand. “Don’t you see? Dan saved her life! He was willing to give up everything for her. Because of that, Phoebe always knows she comes first with him—ahead of football, ahead of his ambition, ahead of everything. She wanted me to have the same thing with you, so she convinced you that you had to choose.”

“I’m supposed to believe that she jeopardized the entire team just to force me into making some kind of grand romantic gesture?” He was starting to shout. “I’m supposed to believe this?”