Page 81 of Penalty Kick

“That does not sound crazy. Because I love you too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Excitement rushed through Talia, her body vibrating from all the adrenaline pumping through her. She couldn’t remember a time where she had been this worked up, feeling like she was going to explode if she didn’t get to share this news. She wanted to scream it from the rooftops. That was, after she told Dash.

Power walking across the parking lot of the Atlanta Rising training center, she tried to remain calm, telling herself that all-out sprinting was uncalled for. She was a grown-up. A confident, independent adult. Acting like a small child rushing down the stairs to see what Santa brought was more than a little inappropriate. Even if it was exactly what she wanted to do.

It was a weird time of day at the training center—late enough in the day that most of the first team was gone, unless they had stayed back for physio or an extra workout, but still early enough that the youth teams that would also use the facility and fields weren’t around yet. The building was always eerily quiet as the staff caught up on paperwork or sat in meetings, taking advantage of the downtime. Dash had told her this morning as he kissed her goodbye that he planned on spending some time in the weight room between his training session and the Unified practice, making it easy to know where to find him.

Glancing at her phone as she flung open the door, the cool air hitting her like a wall, she confirmed what she already knew. Her players wouldn’t be here for at least two hours, giving her plenty of time to give Dash the news and then celebrate with the man she loved.

Loved.

The realization while in Phoenix that she loved Dash had caught her off guard. Falling for him had never been her intention. Nonetheless, that was exactly what she had done. It had been impossible not to—especially once she’d gotten to know who he really was. Discovered that sweet, loving, patient man underneath that cocky persona of his.

Rounding the corner, she made her way into the weight room, spotting Dash immediately. Her eyes landed on his chiseled form as he moved up and down on the leg press machine. His perfectly tanned skin glistened with sweat, making him look good enough to eat. Every inch of him was sexy, there was no doubt about that, but Talia stopped in her tracks, gaze glued to his thighs as they flexed. It made sense in her head that as a soccer player he had strong legs, as he did spend most of his career running in some way or another. But there was just something about his quads that got her all hot and bothered. Not that she was ever going to admit that out loud. Of all the parts of his body to be attracted to, the thigh was a little weird. Then again, Dash’s thighs were…

“Hola Bonita,” Dash greeted, knocking her out of her thoughts. “I did not hear you come in.”

“Hi!” she exclaimed, her excitement bubbling back up to the top. Bouncing up and down, she could barely contain herself. “Guess what! Guess what! Guess what!”

Dash sat up, dismounting from the leg press. His movements were easy and smooth, like a gazelle. Talia’s mouth watered as he closed the gap between them, the excitement coursing through her body mixing with lust. No one else in the world had ever had this kind of effect on her, and she was sure no one else ever would. Dash understood her, saw her, and that was part of what made everything between them so strong.

“What?” he asked with a laugh.

“I said guess!”

“Talia, you look like you could explode at any moment,” he replied, his hands finding her hips. “You should just tell me before whatever it is consumes you.”

“I got in! I was accepted into the Renaye program!” Letting out a squeal, she threw her arms around Dash, squeezing him tight. He stumbled backwards as he caught her, his arms enveloping her.

“Congratulations!”

He lifted her off the ground, spinning her around like a merry-go-round, the laughter filling the weight room. Talia held on tighter, burying her face in the crook of his neck. She felt as light as air, like nothing in the entire world could go wrong. Her whole life was starting to take shape, everything lining up perfect. Work, school, Dash. All of it was perfect.

“That is the special degree program, yes?” Dash asked, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips, lowering her back to the ground. His voice was teasing, making her insides tingle. “I did not miss something else that we should be this happy about?”

“Sure is! I have officially been accepted to the concurrent undergraduate/master’s program for speech pathology! Now I will graduate in three years with both degrees. Tennessee Wilkes, who is one of the adjunct professors in the department, pulled me aside after class today to let me know that all my credits from ASU transferred, and that the department was impressed with my reports from the classes I audited in the spring and my grades from over the summer, plus with my work with the Unified team, and they were really excited to offer me a spot in the program!”

“Adjunct professor?”

“She teaches only part-time because she has her own speech therapy practice working with school-aged kids. It’s one of the reasons I was so excited about this program, because we actually get to do hands-on learning with some of her clients.”

“That is very exciting. I am incredibly proud of you. I always knew you would get in.”

“You did not,” she said, giving him a playful shove. Dash stumbled backward, a look of mock horror at her gesture on his face. “There was no way to know. I wasn’t even sure I would fully qualify since my credits transferring was still up in the air.”

“I did. Because you are the most amazing woman I know. Just ask any of our kids.”

Our kids…

Talia knew he meant the Unified players. Still, her heart couldn’t help but beat a little faster at the thought of her and Dash having kids. It wasn’t something she wanted for a very long time—too many other things she wanted way before that. The words still resonated with her. Made her think of their future—together—and she couldn't hold back her smile. She liked the thought of a forever with Dash way more than she wanted to admit to.

“What is that look for?” he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“Nothing. There’s no look.”

“Oh, there is a look. One that very much makes me want to know what is going on in that beautiful mind of yours.”