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I reach over to grab it.
She leans along with me and glances at the papers. “What’s that?”
“Nothing.”
“It doesn’t look like nothing.” She grabs the stack of papers. Her eyes catch on the title at the top—Release Contract. Then she scans the rest and frowns. “Ry?”
I kiss her neck, pulling her toward me. “I’ve asked to be released from my contract. I’m retiring.” I suck on her earlobe.
She puts her hand on my chest and pushes me back. “No, you aren’t.”
“Yes, I am.” I try to grab the papers while I pull her closer. She isn’t wearing anything under my T-shirt, and with all the friction of our movement, my dick salutes her.
She moves the papers so I can’t get them. “Calista, give me the papers.”
“You’re not retiring. You’re in great shape. You have no reason to retire.”
I stop accosting her neck. “You’re more important than my soccer career. I choose you.”
Her shoulders slump.
“What?” I pull back to look at her.
She’s frowning. “My mom’s words to me just rang too close to home. I hate when they’re right.”
“Talk to me, Calista.”
“It was never a choice. Or at least it shouldn’t have been a choice you had to make.” She holds the papers up, then tears them in half. “You play. I’ll move here. I wasn’t ready before to face being around everything that reminded me of what I lost, but there’s no one I’d rather watch live out my dream more than you. I’ll find a new dream, but…” She pokes me in the chest. “Every off-season, we go home. You do your training there. Agreed?”
I nod. “And when I’m old and washed up, you choose where we live, no complaints from me.”
“Why didn’t we do this years ago?” she asks, sounding a little melancholy.
“Because you’re stubborn.”
Her eyes narrow. “Because we’re stubborn. We’re a team now.”
I chuckle. “Come on then, teammate, I have a few things to show you.” I stand, lifting her with me.
“Coffee!”
I lower her, and she picks up the coffee cup off the table.
Back in the bedroom, I lower her to the bed and get on my knees.
“Calista, thank you.”
“Don’t make me cry again. I was stupid all those years ago. I just couldn’t see past my own pain.” She pauses as though she wants to say more, so I stay quiet. “I might start seeing a therapist to talk about how my injury affected me mentally. I think that could be good for me.”
I squeeze her hand. “I think so too. But I would’ve retired for you.”
A tear falls down her cheek. “I know.”
“I want you to know that before you showed up here, I was coming for you. I just wanted to sign those papers before I hopped on a plane.”
She places her hand on my cheek. I’m suddenly so overwhelmed by my love for this woman that I know what I have to do. I stand and grab the ring out of the drawer.
“Will you marry me?” I hold the ring out to her. “I want to get off the roller coaster and on the merry-go-round.”
