# CHAPTER 6: MOMENT OF TRUTH — THE LAST GAME AND THE FIRST STEP BACK TO HER
Hello everyone, it's me again! How are you all doing? Today I will continue to walk with you and review CHAPTER 6 of "All In With Me"... This is the chapter where Patton James stands at the edge of everything: a broken heart, a final football game, and a decision that will define the rest of his life. So grab a seat, because this one will make your chest ache and your spirit soar.
Our chapter opens in the raw aftermath of Patton leaving Taylor’s apartment. He is amazed he can still walk after being emotionally decimated by the only woman he will ever love. His heart is in shattered pieces, and whether Taylor chooses to believe it or not, hers is too. With no fight left in him, he walks out without knowing if this is the last time he will ever see her again. He is a mess in a drenched suit, but he does not care. There is only one stop he must make before leaving the city.
He goes to Becca’s dorm to say goodbye. Becca is sure Patton will change her mother’s mind about leaving and giving them a second chance, but sadly, Patton feels he did not plead his case hard enough. He does not go into all the painful details, knowing Taylor will fill Becca in when she is ready. Taylor is a private person, and she takes time to process her feelings while shielding her daughter from much of the storm.
The days that follow are packed with training, pre-game interviews, and preparations for the big game. Patton stays under the radar until the owner and general manager ask to meet with him. He almost wants to tell them to forget it and try to win without him, but they surprise him by taking a different approach. They tell him it has been a long road back to the Super Bowl, and they know they could not have done it without him. They praise his recovery and his triumph over impossible odds. They ask him to re-sign, no matter what happens in the game. His contract will be open-ended, and the terms—his terms—will be negotiated to suit his needs. They want him to know where they stand and hope for a mutual decision.
Patton sits there absorbing it all. This is the moment he should feel elation. They are eating crow because they underestimated him. They are backed into a corner. He could ask for almost anything and they would probably give it. Watching them surrender to his demands should bring him pleasure, but it does not. It is quite the opposite. In the end, he knows he is a brand that made them a great deal of money. Talk of retirement is just a well-known play to keep interested parties talking and bring new deals to the table. He has given the NFL eighteen years. He is closing in on his fortieth birthday with the knowledge that no player will break his records anytime soon. It all looks great on paper, but none of it changes the fact that he has lost Taylor and would give anything to have her back.
“Well? What do you say, Patton? Do we have a deal?” the man asks too confidently, believing it is done.
“I’ll let you know,” Patton says, watching their stunned faces. He shows them the door. Although he does not say the words aloud, he already knows his decision. It is clear as day.
In the locker room, Will approaches him. “Hey, man, how you holding up?” The room is quiet, and Will jokes that Patton must have something to do with it. Patton admits he told them he wanted to be alone, and since they are waiting on pins and needles for his answer, they are willing to give him almost anything. Will says he is ready to throw. Denver will not see him coming. It is the day of reckoning, long overdue to reclaim the game they lost.
Patton agrees, but admits he wishes he was not doing it alone. Will reminds him he is not alone—he has Will and the entire team. Patton clarifies he was not talking about the team. Will knows. He did not want to bring up old feelings, especially on a day like this. Patton says it does not matter. Taylor is always with him, and there is nothing he can do to change it. He wants her back, but he does not know how to win her heart again. It was so easy when they first met. She took his breath away, literally stopped his breathing. She stood at that bus stop soaking wet, needing someone to sweep her off her feet, to rescue her and make her feel special. For a time, he was that man. The night back at her apartment, he really thought they reached a turning point, especially after they made love. Then their world shifted, and it was like she was gone and replaced with someone he did not know. Their words to each other were so final. He has never felt so empty inside. Just remembering and replaying it over and over makes him sick to his stomach when he knows he needs to be strong enough to play.
Will tells him it is going to be okay, always is where it matters. Patton is not so sure. He was so wrong, and the thought of moving forward without her is unbearable. He sees it now, crystal clear, and it feels too late. He places his head against the locker and gives in to the pain.
Will steps up and asks Patton to look at him. When Patton does, Will tells him to really listen. Patton is one of the strongest men Will has ever known. There is nothing he cannot conquer once he sets his heart and mind to it. Things may look bad between him and Taylor, and he may feel like shit, but he has to put those feelings aside for now. It is time to go to work. It is what they have been working so hard for. It is time to go out there and show the world that Patton is still here and ready in heart and body to play this game. No matter what happens today, this is his moment to shine. It is the game to end all games, and it is his. Will will have his back, and Patton will have Will’s. No matter what, they cannot take away what Patton has earned by sheer strength and determination. “Let’s get out there and play the game of our life. You and me, one more time?”
“Yeah, one more time,” Patton says, then hugs his friend, silently thanking him for all his support.
Will leaves for the tunnel. Patton pulls out his phone and dials Taylor’s number, not caring if it is a mistake. Her voicemail picks up right away, indicating her phone is off. The line beeps, and Patton speaks.
He tells her he is sure he is the last person she expected to hear from, especially today, but the only thing he wants to be doing right now is talking to her. He tells her he still has so much to say, and he hopes one day he gets the chance. He apologizes for calling her a coward. She is not one for protecting the heart he broke. He was the coward first, the one who could not face the possible truth that after his accident, he may have never played again. Back then, it was hard to admit to himself, let alone to her. They said so many hurtful words that felt like knives piercing his skin. They are better than the two people they were that night at her apartment. He does not want to say anything else to further hurt her, but she was wrong about his heart. His heart does have room for her in it. Whether she believes him or not, he will always love her. He prays that one day he will be able to prove that love to her, because there will never be anyone else for him. His heart is hers, and it will always belong to her.
He ends the call and leaves the quiet room to go out into the stadium and make some noise. Will was right, as he usually is when it comes to Patton and football. Today belongs to Patton, and he will play it with all his heart—the very one that belongs to Taylor Ashby.
He composes himself before joining his teammates and coaches to run out of the tunnel at Hard Rock Stadium. They take a knee as the coach gives an inspiring speech about how hard they have worked to be here together in this moment. They are to go out there and play with the fire that has burned in all of them since day one. Now it is time to show Denver who they are and never let anyone underestimate what they will do today.
Will pulls Patton aside for their signature helmet crush, something they have done throughout the years as their friendship and brotherhood grew. When Will looks into Patton’s eyes, he sees the change in them and the decision Patton has made. Will’s career will go on after today. Patton’s will come to a triumphant finale.
Will pulls him forward and says, “Blaze of glory and on your own terms, right, my brother?”
“You better fucking believe it! Let’s do this... one more time.”
The team waits in the tunnel as the crowd goes wild. Promo music blares through the arena as they are introduced and make their way onto the field. Electricity reverberates through them as they wait for the coin toss. Montgomery will represent them along with the other team captains. This is it.
Patton stands there silently thinking: this is the last game he will ever play, and he feels at peace with his decision. If someone had asked him even three years ago, when his relationship with Taylor began, he would have said no and refused to be questioned again. But this time is different. He feels it in his heart and throughout his soul that he is making the right choice.
After the announcements, it is time to toss the coin. The referee steps forward and introduces the honorary Captain Thomas Williams of the United States Marine Corps, a Medal of Honor recipient for his service during World War II. As per tradition, the Lombardi coin will be used. The Lombardi Trophy is heads, and the 52nd Super Bowl emblem is tails. Captain Williams tosses the coin high, and it lands right in the middle of both teams. Referee Steadman shouts that it is heads. Seattle has won the toss and defers to Denver. With thunderous applause, both teams take their places and begin Super Bowl 52.
Seattle scores early with a touchdown and a perfect extra point. Denver rallies back quickly. The first half becomes a battle, with Patton catching pass after pass from Will, driving further into the end zone to score another 47-yard touchdown. He is on fire, just as he knew he would be. It does not matter that linebackers toss him around like a rag doll during some of the harder plays. Nothing is going to stop him today. Keep them coming, he tells himself, his thoughts relaying back to Will as they run their final play before the halftime show.
The announcer’s voice booms through the stadium as Patton catches another pass, completes a first down, and then catches a big play for third and six. A four-minute rush ends with Patton James catching the touchdown. Seattle has scored again. At halftime, Seattle leads by three touchdowns over the Denver Broncos.
Patton celebrates with Barnes as Will leaps onto his back. Will still has many more games left in his career, but he knows this is Patton’s last game forever. He is making every pass count more than ever before. Of course, it is their secret, and no one seems to have caught on so far.
Toby checks Patton during the break as his ribs throb. The second-to-last hit was rough, his body skidding toward the end zone and plowing into the mob of cameramen on the sidelines. Patton did not care because the touchdown was good and they put more points on the board. They have a nice lead, but there is still a lot of football to play. He does not want to get overconfident, especially with Manning leading the Broncos. Manning is like Brady—never count them out until the last pass is thrown.
It is now or never. The last play of the game. Every part of Patton’s body aches, but he has to be strong for one more play. This is the blaze of glory play that he and Will worked out and got approved by their coach. The coach said it was risky, but there is no way the Broncos can beat them now. This play is about Patton and Patton alone. It is his goodbye to an amazing eighteen-year career.
Third down and one as Phillips makes the play. It is fourth down and the last play of the game. Patton hypes himself up, telling himself to take it to beast mode. Montgomery focuses on him. With just under a minute to go, they are on the 23rd-yard line. Patton looks to Will, who gives him the direction sign. He wants Patton to go in. It is just Patton and Will. Let’s finish this, Patton silently chants.
Thirty-five seconds remain. Patton catches the pass and takes it down the remaining yards to victory. He is toppled by his teammates as the crowd goes wild, confetti raining down on them. It is over. They have just won the Super Bowl. As soon as Patton walks off this field, he can begin his life again—but not alone. It will be with Taylor Ashby. He knows this with every fiber of his being.
They carry Will across the field, and Patton takes a minute to enjoy the moment. Will is his best friend and the best teammate he ever had the pleasure of playing this game with. Will never let him down as they played side by side throughout the years. He got Patton through his darkest days after the accident that nearly ended his career and during the agonizing rehabilitation. And then there was Taylor. Patton was foolish back then and tossed aside the greatest person in his life. Now that this is over, he is going to do everything possible to win her back. He will follow her all around the world if he has to. This time it will be on her terms, just as it was on his to walk away and say goodbye to the game.
“Thank you, Will. I could have never done this without you,” Patton says, exchanging bro hugs. Will jumps up and down in excitement and says, “Damn right, you couldn’t.” Together with the team and the Seahawks organization, they celebrate into the wee hours of the morning.
Later, Patton literally carries Will on his back as Meg follows closely behind. He drops Will onto the bed. Meg thanks him, saying after Will’s brothers and the rest of their huge tribe left, she was about to leave him where he passed out, knowing there was no way she could get him back by herself. They both laugh at the sight of one of the greatest quarterbacks, Patton’s friend, completely toasted. He deserved the celebration. Patton was not the only one tossed around out there. Will got sacked a few times, and on the last hit, the trainers charged the field to check him before deciding whether to keep him in the game. There was no way Will would ever leave the field willingly, so in true Will Montgomery fashion, he persevered and played on.
As Will sleeps peacefully, Meg walks Patton out. “So what happens next for you, Patton?”
“You don’t know?” Patton asks.
“It’s been a crazy two weeks, and my husband has been busy. I guess it’s up to you to catch me up.”
Patton tells her he is going to find Taylor and ask—no—beg for forgiveness, even though she has already given it to him. He still feels he needs to repent for their past. He wants to marry her, Meg, and finally make them a family like he always dreamed of having with her. He needs Taylor in his life, and he cannot spend one more day without her.
“Well, it’s about time. Go get your girl. I hope everything you are hoping for works out, because I know she loves you and has never stopped missing you.”
Patton gives Meg a parting hug, then returns to his hotel room to pack and get a few hours of sleep before his flight back to New York.
Becca calls him with congratulations, telling him she was glued to the television all day watching him play. He asks about her mom. Becca says they talked earlier in the day, and Taylor sounded sad and withdrawn but kept up appearances for her daughter’s sake. Patton assures Becca that it is going to be okay and that he will take care of her mother. He knows she believes him and wishes him well.
He takes his seat in First Class as the cabin doors close, with many people wishing him congratulations. He leans his head back and closes his eyes, dreaming of the reunion that is long overdue.
I’m on my way, baby.
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## Reader’s Impressions & Star Rating
This chapter is a masterclass in emotional contrast. One moment my heart was breaking for Patton as he walked away from Taylor, and the next I was on my feet cheering for him as he left everything on the field. The voicemail he leaves for Taylor is one of the most vulnerable, honest, and devastating moments in the story so far. It answers so much while still leaving the future uncertain. And that final play—the blaze of glory, the secret goodbye to football, the confetti—felt like a perfect sendoff to a legend. Meg’s words, “Go get your girl,” gave me chills. This chapter is a turning point, and I am completely invested in Patton’s mission to win Taylor back.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rating: 4.9 / 5 Stars
## Next Chapter Prediction
Patton is on a plane to New York with one goal: find Taylor and prove his love. I predict the next chapter will deliver the long-awaited reunion—but it will not be easy. Taylor may still be guarding her heart, even after hearing his voicemail or watching him win the Super Bowl. Becca may become the bridge between them, or she may accidentally reveal something that complicates things. I also suspect Taylor has been hiding how deeply she still loves him. The next chapter will likely bring an emotional face-to-face confrontation, tears, forgiveness, and perhaps the beginning of the family Patton dreams of. But knowing this story, there may be one more twist before the happy ending.
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