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Adalee performs her floor exercise flawlessly. It’s a watered down version but she’s happy with it for now. The doctor, trainer, and her dad want her to come back slowly. She’s graduating in May in only three years. My girlfriend has a brilliant mind and a beautiful body. Her dad told her if she wants to stay for her fourth year and start on her master’s degree, then he will continue to pay for her apartment.
Adalee doesn’t have much time before her bar routine. The coach talks to her, and I see Adalee take a deep breath then lift one hand, indicating she’s ready. I’m holding my breath each time she releases the bar. What if she falls? What if she tears her ACL again? Then I blow out a breath because if she does, I know our love is strong enough and we’ll handle it together.
I don’t know what the skill is called but the crowd gasps as she crosses her hands on the bar and swings two times around before releasing and doing a double layout. Her feet hit the ground at the same time and the smile on her face is as wide as it is beautiful. The crowd goes nuts. The judges give her a 9.94. Her teammates, even Shannon, circle her in jubilation which means the Kentucky Stallions Gymnastics Team win the meet.
We race down to the mat when it’s over, and Joe and I take our girls in our arms and swing them around.
“Babe, you did it!”
“Yep. And it’s all your fault,” she says smiling, and if I look confused, I am.
Ginger chimes in, “Get with it, Transfer. If she wasn’t thinking about you, she wouldn’t have torn her ACL. “
Adalee says, I’ll take it from here, Ging.” She leans her head back to get a better look at me. “If I didn’t tear my ACL, I wouldn’t have been competing on bars. I used to hate the uneven bars, but I learned being graceful doesn’t mean you’re not strong.”
She stops, pressing up on her toes to kiss me. My family surrounds her, hanging on every word.
“So, we would’ve lost if I didn’t tear my ACL. I thought it was the worst thing that happened to me but… it’s why we’re together and why I kickedasson the bars today.”
Everyone laughs because she whispered the word ass.
It makes me think of the change in her since the last week of summer. Adalee had this fortress built around her, thinking it was a show of strength, but when she let me help tear down her walls, there was an elegant, soft, strong woman inside.
* * *
This isthe one day that Adalee had her gymnastics meet on the same day I had an early game, which is why my family decided to have the first official away game pajama party night.
And my family is staying in my house—all of them.
Pearse graduated in December and declared for the draft so Reggie and his family are using his room. Mac’s spending the night at the baseball house after the party so Sarah Jane’s family is sleeping there. My parents are staying in Logan’s room. Archer and Megan are sleeping in the sunroom. Logan’s sleeping on the couch, and I’m giving Harper and Adalee my bed, and I’m sleeping on the floor in my own house.
Adalee follows me to my room. It’s time to change. She flies on to my back, slinging her arms around my neck. “We finally have sixteen hours together.”
“Yeah, and we’ve been invaded,” I say as I flip her off my back and onto the bed. “I wish we could spend the time in bed together, but we have to entertain our families.”
Her hands run through my hair, which is shorter since I shaved it off two months ago. Her eyes tango with mine. She reaches down between us and says, “Quickie?”
Hopping off the bed, I lock the door. I shed my clothes, grab a condom, and begin working on her clothes. Leisurely, I peel her tight tank from her body like I’m opening a box with the perfect bow. When I have her naked, I nip her neck, gently rocking. My body slides through her folds, and I will never tire of this feeling. Our eyes stay locked as I make love to her, slow, easy and quiet.
There’s no dirty talk, just hushed words and muted moans in each other’s ear. Our mouths lock and explore as we hit our climax. But it keeps going like a hot air balloon flying just above the surface. It’s been a week since we’ve held each other skin to skin, and we don’t want to part.
“Thank you,” she says. “I’ve missed this.”
“Me too. Let’s get cleaned up before Harper starts banging on our door.”
She smiles. “Technically, this is her room tonight.”
“Tell me why my parents didn’t get the top floor of the hotel like last time?”
* * *
We havefood and a house full of people in pajamas. The kids play Twister while we eat in our blue and white pajamas Mom had made. The front reads,families stick together. It’s her way of reminding all of us of how proud she is that everyone came together to help Adalee and me when Joe was in the hospital.
They realized in those four days that sometimes, all you need is for your family to show up. I knew they would do anything for me and to help me. I didn’t need their words—I needed their presence.
Now it’s Pictionary time. Teams are divided. Women against men.
Logan draws for our team. He’s awful. He draws so fucking slow. Our times almost up before he finishes his first outline of what looks like a plane. Then he makes a sound while he’s drawing a line down. I yell, “airplane crash!”
