Page 53 of The Way Home
“Damn right, you do. And let me tell you… as scary as the crowd is, when they cheer for you—and they will—it's going to light you up, and make you feel like you can do anything.”
His eyes brightened and the pale tone in his face faded. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. Now let's have a great game.”
“Okay,” Colton smiled and shoved his helmet on.
Seeing the change in him and knowing what I said seemed to help mademefeel like I could do anything. I let go of my own worries and was able to be present for my team. Turning around, I scanned the stadium, feeling a bit of déjà vu as I remembered doing the same when I had been a player on this very same field. Still looking for the same guy, only this time when I found him, he didn't look away.
Riley sat in the second row, and he smiled wide when our eyes met. He stood up to show me the hoodie he wore, and a laugh burst out of me, surprising the people around me. It read, “I'm with Coach” in the same blingy style as my jacket.
I loved the hell out of him. I made a heart shape with my hands before blowing him a kiss, and I didn't care that hundreds of people could see it. For my students, what better way for me to show my support than to be visible—sparkly, even—and love out loud?
I won that night. Our team lost, but I won. It was a close game. They fought hard, and at the end of it, they were proud of what they'd done. So was I. I couldn't ask for anything more. Well… I had one thing to ask, but it wasn't with my team.
Floating on cloud nine, I drove home, excited to unwind and share everything with Riley. I loved knowing I had him to come home to. He was mine, and I was his. We were both fully in this,but there was a label that had been living in my head since he accidentally said it when we first decided to move in together. My heart was so full, I couldn’t keep it to myself, and that word sat on my tongue, needing to come out.
My heart did a little flip when I saw his car parked at the cabin. He left the game earlier than me, knowing I had to wait until all the kids had been picked up. When I came through the front door, a familiar smell hit me, making my stomach growl. It was late, but I'd only had a couple protein bars before the game, too anxious for anything else.
Riley greeted me with yet another box. “I thought you might like something special after your big game.”
He opened the lid to display it for me. I breathed in deep. “Holy shit! Sal's cheeseburger pizza. It smells exactly like I remember it.”
“You mean… pungent?” Riley pulled a face.
I pulled the box away from him and whispered, “Shh. Not in front of the baby.”
Riley laughed. “Ridiculous man.”
“Marry me.” It just popped out, but him calling me ridiculous was something I lived for. It reached through time and space to how we were in the past and how we were in the present, and how I hoped it would be in the future.
He snorted. “What? Me, or the pizza?”
“Both could work. Are you interested in a throuple situation?”
Riley rolled those beautiful green eyes of his, and I felt like my heart would explode. I set the pizza box down on the table and grabbed his hands. “You, Riley Carter. Marry me.”
He locked his gaze on me, studying my face. “Wait. Are you serious?”
“Yes. Fuck, it didn’t happen the way I planned. I had a whole romantic thing in mind. We would go to the monument, go into the lake to find rocks to put on the monument, leaving our owntribute to the pathfinder and the preacher’s daughter, and then I would get down on one knee and tell you that I loved you and my life is better with you in it, and I want you to be my husband.”
Riley pursed his lips, looking as if he was trying not to laugh.
I dropped his hands and started pacing in front of him. “Shit! I’m sorry. This is all coming out wrong. I had a plan, but then I saw you in the stands tonight, proudly wearing your hoodie, and now… the pizza… I don’t know, it just bubbled out of me.”
Riley stopped me, his hands resting on my shoulders, keeping me in place. “Shh. Take a breath.” I inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. “Good. Now, ask me again.”
I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, a smile stretching my lips as I saw the overwhelming affection he had for me. “Will you marry me?”
“Yes.”
It didn’t register that he’d said anything because there was so much in my head I needed to get out. My chest grew tight, my breath stuck in my throat, and I pushed the words past it before I ran out of air. “I know it’s fast, but it’s also not, because time… it’s taken us so long to get here. But I knew I loved you when we first met. Whether it’s a day or a decade, I would feel the same. Only, it’s grown, and the longer I’m with you, the more it continues to grow.”
Riley put a hand on my chest, stopping me. He deliberately inhaled slowly, waiting for me to do the same. I closed my eyes and breathed with him as he helped me weather the storm in my head. Despite the boost I’d gotten at the game, it had been a long, anxious day, and my defenses were down. Now, I was facing the biggest moment of my life, and thunder cracked in my head. I focused on the sound of his exhale. He was here. He was with me. He wasn’t going anywhere. I knew it in the deepest parts of me.
When Riley felt me relax, he caressed my cheek and said softly, “Open your eyes.”
I did and saw a man who held so much love for me it made me want to cry. Already, my eyes grew misty.
