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Lennon
One Year Later
I closed the door and tiptoed down the hall, clutching the monitor in my hand. I watched it the entire way to the living room.
“She’s asleep?” Wes asked.
“For now.” I sighed.
“Come here.” He folded me in his arms as I sank into the couch to join him.
I thought pulling long shifts at the hospital was exhausting, but nothing compared to all-nighters with this little one.
I had gone back to work part-time two weeks ago, and I was still trying to figure out how to balance the sleep deprivation. This was a completely different level. I was sure my patients wouldn’t be interested to know I was running on fumes.
“Let me take that.” Wes wiggled the monitor from my hands. “She’s a pretty cute kid, Doc.”
I smiled. “She is, isn’t she?”
He nodded. “A year ago we were at the Super Bowl and now look at us.”
“Yeah, we have a four-month old who runs our lives.”
Wes laughed. His broad chest shaking as he held me closer.
I traced my fingers over his wide knuckles, drawing strength from his hands. I circled over the Super Bowl ring he wore on his right hand. It was ornate, encrusted with diamonds and the team name with champs engraved under a dark blue stone.
I thought about what Wes had put himself through to get that ring. The lies, the deceit, the injections. The center stone was smooth under my fingertips.
“How upset are you that we’re not in Miami for the game tonight?” I looked into his green eyes, knowing I’d
be able to read anything that wasn’t the full truth.
His fingers laced through the back of my head. “I’m not giving up on another Super Bowl. But, this wasn’t the season.”
I twisted my lips together. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“We made it to the playoffs. Besides, I get to watch the game with you tonight.”
I studied the crease in his brow. I knew I was pushing him. He was upset he wasn’t there. He wanted to defend his championship status. More than anything I think he wanted to prove to both of us he could win without cheating.
But I had come to realize that over the past year. Wes was the kind of man who wanted to win, but something he had changed. The first time he held Charlotte I could see it. He wanted to be a different kind of man. He wanted to be a father she could be proud of. She was his chance to start a new chapter in his life. One that included honesty.
“What time are your parents coming over for the game?” I asked.
It was my idea to invite them. We spent every Sunday together in Wes’s box. It seemed fitting we would watch the Super Bowl together. They couldn’t get enough of Charlotte.
Wes looked at his watch. “We still have two hours.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And the baby’s asleep.”
I was exhausted to the deepest parts of my bones. My muscles were weary. I could barely keep my eyes open. But with one look Wes had awakened every nerve in my body. The hammering in my chest made my breathing quicken.
“But you have to be very quiet, Doc.” He pressed a finger to my lips.
I nodded. “I can do that.”
“Are you sure?” He smiled wickedly. “Because I don’t plan on gentle fucking.”
My knees shook, and there was a quivering in my core that was already spiraling. Yes, that’s what I needed. I needed him to take me to bed and remind me I was his. That despite the whirlwind we had been swept up in this past year, I was still his.
