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A sob racks my body.
I bury my face in the crook of his shoulder and his arms wrap around me again, holding me close.
“I love you,” I whisper, and it sounds so permanent in the home we’ve built together. So real and so full of promise. “I love you so much. I love June too. I know I’m not her mom, but god, I wish I was. You two have become my entire world, and I don’t want there to ever be a day when you’re not in my life. I’m a better person because of you, Dallas. And if you want to walk away from football, I won’t stop you. I want you to do what makes you happy, because you’ve made me happy for months now, and all I ever want is the same for you. Just please don’t do it for me. This is my problem to solve, and if I have to pick between you and photography, I’m going to pick you every time. I’ll find a new dream, but I’ll never find another you.”
“We’re going to figure this out, baby,” he says, and I look up to find him crying too. “I promise we will.”
His cheeks are wet, and there’s a tear hanging in the corner of his eye. He brings his mouth to mine and kisses me, slow and sweet. I kiss him back, and there’s so much behind the press of my lips.
Thank you.
I’m sorry.
I love you. I love you. I love you.
Forever.
I don’t know how much time passes. I don’t know how long we stay like that, the two of us hidden away from the rest of the world, just that it’s not enough.
“What do we do now?” I ask, and I kiss his bruise. “You have to be at the stadium tomorrow for practice.”
“I have a plan, but I need to talk to—” His phone rings, and he glances at it on the bedside table. “Let me grab that. Just in case.”
“Okay. Yeah.” I sit on the bed and watch him pick it up. “Who is it?”
“Maverick. The exact person I wanted to talk to. Can I?—”
“Answer it,” I say, and I pat the spot next to me. “And put it on speakerphone.”
“Hello?” Dallas answers, and his knee nudges mine as he sits beside me.
“You’re out of your damn mind,” Maverick says, and he follows it up with a laugh. “How come you saved the grand gesture for when I’m on a five-game road trip, you asshole?”
“How do you know what happened?”
“Are you kidding me? It’s all over the internet. You’re trending on social media. Someone captioned the video and said: ‘if our love isn’t like this, I don’t want it.’ I’m not going to lie, I teared up a little.”
“Jesus.” Dallas wipes his eyes and sighs. “I thought Reid would delete the video.”
“Yeah, right. The Titans’ social media accounts have gained over five hundred thousand followers in an hour. You both have gained a lot too. Hi, Maven.”
“Hi, Maverick.” I rest my cheek on Dallas’s shoulder and smile. “Where are you?”
“Fucking Toronto where it’s fucking freezing. I can’t wait to get to the west coast.”
“Says the guy who skates on frozen water for a living,” I whisper, and Dallas grins down at me.
“I heard that.”
“I have to go, Miller, but there’s something I want to talk to you about. Can I call you tomorrow?” Dallas asks.
“Listen, Dal. Maven was going to find out about our feelings for each other eventually. Might as well come clean now,” he says, and he follows it up with a string of curses. “Jesus Christ. I think my balls are going to freeze off.”
“Women everywhere are going to mourn,” I say. “And that’s perfectly fine if you two are in love—as long as we can share custody.”
“Fifty-fifty. You can have him on the weekends. It’s when he does his best work. I’m happy for you two. You know I have your backs, and I’m here if you need anything. I’m sure the timing isn’t ideal, but now you don’t have to hide anymore. You can just be with each other, and that’s pretty fucking cool.”
“Yeah.” Dallas leans in and kisses me. He threads his hand through my hair, and I smile against his mouth. “It is.”
