Page 66 of Necessary Roughness

“I’ll bend the rules for you. Plus, you’re not an assistant coach anymore.” He made a “go, go” hand motion. “Let’s grab a beer the next time the team’s in Seattle.”

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LATER THAT AFTERNOON, Tanner got out of an Uber in front of his house. Seattle’s weather was a virtual repeat of yesterday’s—impossibly blue sky, translucent clouds, and bright sunshine. He took a deep breath of sun-warmed air and let the sun shine on his face. The decision he thought would be so agonizing was actually easy.

Jordan would continue the work she loved and learning the ropes of a small business owner. He realized that he could have put his foot down and insisted that she move to Atlanta. Relationships were a two-way street. He wanted her to be happy more than he wanted his own happiness. He also wanted to be wherever she was, so this worked out well for everyone.

It wasn’t like he was going back to sitting on his ass all day, either. He’d filled out the paperwork online to the local university to get his fifth year and a teaching certificate while he was flying home. He’d like to try his hand at coaching a high school football team in the Seattle area. The pay was shit (if he didn’t end up volunteering) and he’d be working some long hours, but he knew he could make a difference. He’d also go home every night to Jordan and Sadie.

He tipped the Uber driver and grabbed his rolling suitcases. He could already hear Sadie going nuts at the front door. He checked to make sure the electronic gate had closed and hit the buttons on his phone to open the door. Sadie bounded out, tried to knock him over as usual, and he reached out for the dog.

“Sadie. Girl. Sit. Ah-ah. Sit. Good girl.” He stroked her head. “I missed you too. Where’s Jordan?”

He caught the slightest whiff of her perfume before he heard her voice. “Right here.” She took a few clumsy steps forward and threw herself into his arms. “You’re home.”

“Home to stay,” he said.

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