Page 76 of Fumbling Forward
She crosses to me, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind. “I already know it was the right choice.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” She presses a kiss between my shoulder blades. “This feels right. You feel right. Everything about us feels right, even when it’s messy and complicated and scary.”
I turn in her arms, pulling her close. “It’s going to be messy sometimes. My career’s ending. I don’t know what comes next. And there’s going to be games where I’m frustrated and impossible to live with.”
“I can handle impossible.” She tilts her head back to look at me. “As long as you can handle my stress-cleaning at three in the morning and my tendency to overthink everything.”
“I’ll love your stress-cleaning. And your overthinking.” I kiss her forehead. “I will love all of it, Olivia. Even the parts you think are flaws.”
“Even when I push you away because I’m scared?”
“Especially then. Because it means I get to remind you, I’m not going anywhere.” I cup her face. “I meant what I said earlier. I’m in this for the long haul.”
Tears shimmer in her eyes. “How did I get so lucky?”
“Pretty sure I’m the lucky one.”
The pasta timer beeps. Olivia laughs, wiping her eyes. “Saved by the bell.”
We eat at the kitchen island, talking about logistics. When she’ll start moving her stuff. What furniture we’ll keep. Whether we should turn the spare bedroom into an office for her or keep it as a guest room.
It’s domestic and mundane and absolutely perfect.
After dinner, we end up on the couch, Olivia tucked against my side, my arm around her shoulders. The TV plays something neither of us is watching. We’re just existing together, soaking in the peace after days of chaos.
“I should call Maya,” Olivia murmurs. “She’s probably losing her mind.”
“Do it later. Right now, you’re exactly where you need to be.”
She tilts her head up, studying my face. “What are you thinking about?”
“Honestly? How different my life looks now compared to a month ago.” I brush her hair back. “A month ago, I was just trying to get through my final season. Focused on football and nothing else. And then you showed up at that police station at four in the morning, and everything changed.”
“I was so annoyed with you that night,” she admits. “Thought you were just another player who couldn’t stay out of trouble.”
“I was trouble. Just not the kind you expected.”
“No. You were the kind that made me question every rule I’d set for myself.” She traces patterns on my chest. “The kind that made me want things I thought I couldn’t have.”
“And now?”
“Now I have them. Have you and I’m not letting go.”
I kiss her, slow and deep, pouring everything I feel into it. When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard.
“Bedroom?” she asks.
“You sure? You’ve had a long day.”
“I’m sure.” She stands, taking my hand. “I want to celebrate. With you. Right now.”
I don’t need to be told twice.
We take our time, relearning each other after days of stress and separation. Every touch is deliberate, every kiss a promise. And when we finally come together, it’s not just physical. It’s a claiming. A commitment.
A choice to build something real, no matter what obstacles come our way.
