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I take her hand and bring it to my lips, kissing it. “Is this really what you want? Because I’ve been thinking, too. I’ve got all the money we’ll ever need. I can retire and move here.”
She smiles at me, tenderness shining in her eyes. “I love you for that. It means so much. But if we do it this way, nobody has to give anything up. You don’t really want to retire, do you? You’re only thirty, Erik.”
I hesitate. “I wasn’t planning on it, but if it’s that or you…I choose you.”
She leans over to kiss me. “I love you so much, Erik, and I don’t want you to have to choose. I can be at a lot of your home games. I know Kelly will help me with the kids when I need it. And half the season, you’ll be on the road anyway. I really think we can do this.”
“Yeah,” I say, nodding as I look over her schedule again. “I think we can, too.”
She gives a little cheer of excitement. “God, I’m so happy. And I hope you don’t mind, but I’m planning to order pizza for dinner. I was too focused on making this schedule to cook.”
“Pizza sounds great.” I pat her thigh under the table. “I’m down for this plan, but I do have one condition.”
“What?”
“I want you to quit your job at Fox Foods and let me help support you financially. When the kids are at school, I want you to be able to pursue a career you love. You can enroll in college courses or take some certification classes. Then, when the kids come home from school, you get to spend time with them.”
I watch her expression and I can see that she’s taking my offer seriously. “That would allow us to travel to Chicago to see you more often. We could visit every time the kids have a long weekend without activities. If you’re there, I mean.”
“I’m buying you a new car, too. For all that road tripping you’ll be doing.”
“My car’s just fine.”
“That’s part of helping to support you.”
Allie scrunches up her face in frustration. “I don’t want to look like your…” She looks over her shoulder to see if the kids are close by and then lowers her voice, “…ho.”
I laugh loud and hard at that and say, “Who cares what anyone says? We’re together, and that means I get to take care of you. I’m not negotiating this with you.”
“Oh, really?” She raises her brows in challenge and I wink at her.
“Really. You better get used to it.”
“Nothing fancy, though, okay? Just a sensible sedan that’s good in the snow.”
“You’ll find out what you’re getting when it shows up in your driveway.”
She rolls her eyes, still smiling, and takes her paper schedule back. “I need to update the schedule so we can see what it looks like if I’m not working.”
I gently pull the highlighter from her hand and set it down, my eyes on her. “We can update it later. Let’s relax and enjoy our evening with the kids, okay?”
She nods and smiles while biting down on her lip. I lean over and kiss her just as Max walks into the kitchen.
“Get a room,” he mutters.
Allie gives him a stern look. “Is that how we greet guests?”
“Sorry. Hello, Erik, how was your day?”
“Hey Max, how’s it going?”
“Okay.” He laughs lightly. “I spent the whole day moving cinderblocks on the farm I work at, and I don’t think I’ll be able to move tomorrow.”
“You look like you got some sun.”
“Yeah, and I drank about a gallon of water because all I did was sweat, but the work helps keep me in shape over the summer so I’m more prepared for football training. I don’t think I’ve ever been as hungry as I am right now.”
“I’ll order the pizza right now,” Allie says.
“Hey, let me do it,” I offer. “Just tell me what you guys want.”
“I can eat a whole large pizza myself, please,” Max says.
“Where’s your favorite place to get pizza?” I ask him.
“Gas N’ Go has the best pizza in town. I know that seems weird since it’s a gas station, but that’s small-town life.”
“Nah, I get it. I lived here for four years. Gas N’ Go it is.”
“We have to go pick it up if we order from there, though,” Allie says. “The Italian place will deliver.”
“I don’t mind picking it up,” I say. “What do you guys want?”
“Max and I both like everything on our pizza,” Allie says. “The girls usually share a cheese pizza. Let me see if they want garlic twists.”
“Hazel, Vi!” she calls up the stairs. “Do you want garlic twists from Gas N’ Go or just cheese pizza?”
“Vi’s not here,” Hazel says. “I’ll just have pizza.”
“I thought you and Vi were coming home from the pool together,” Allie says.
