Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90290 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
“I agree. There is interest from other teams. One being there.”
I run my hand through my hair. “Here, or near Beaumont. Peyton wants to move home.”
“What about her job?”
“She’s upset with the situation and is seriously considering staying home after the baby is born. Neither of us want to hire a nanny, and honestly, she doesn’t need to work. Or she could open her own business and become a freelance analyst doing what she does for the Pioneers for anyone in the league. Peyton isn’t worried about finding work.”
“I didn’t know congratulations were in order,” he says.
“They’re not. Yet. We’ll know tomorrow.”
“All right, let me get to work on some stuff. Do you want to leak this to the media?”
“Nah. If they draft the way I expect them to, the media will run with it.”
“Roger that.” Alan hangs up and I stand there looking out the window. I hear Peyton behind me before I feel her wrapping her arms around my waist. Her head rests on the middle of my back. Well lower back because she’s so damn short compared to me. I wouldn’t want her any other way.
I rest my hand over the top of hers and sigh.
“It’s going to be okay,” she says as she squeezes me tightly. “No matter what, everything will work out.”
“You have a lot of faith in people.”
“Just you,” she says as she maneuvers her way under my arm. I look down at her and close my eyes as her fingers trail lightly over my face and through my hair. “They don’t deserve you.”
“Or you.” I pull her to me, cradling her against my chest and resting my chin on top of her head.
“Can I be real for a moment?” She leans back as much as she can without me letting go. We look into each other’s eyes for a moment before either of us speak again.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“What if you finish out your contract and retire?”
My eyes widen.
“Hear me out,” she says as she once again traces her fingertips over my face, staying near my forehead. “Each time you get tackled or sacked I fear the worst. Sometimes, you stay down longer than I expect, and the team docs have to go out and see you. Yes, I know sometimes you do it because you’re giving your O-line a break, but other times, I worry. What if something happens to you or this?” She runs her hand over my hair, her nails dragging against my scalp. I know she’s talking about my brain. “You have a lot to live for especially once we get pregnant. I know I speak for our future children here, but we’d really like for you to stick around for a long time.”
“I hear you, Peyton.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Tell me this. What would I do in retirement?” I’m not yet thirty and she wants me to retire. It’s not unheard of, but not necessarily the standard. Although, by thirty-five I could see it.
“Coach with Nick. He’s back to coaching baseball and he’ll be the head coach for football. You know he’d bring you on as an assistant without hesitation and then turn it over to you. Train Mack. Get him ready for college. There are endless opportunities. Hell, most retired athletes open gyms and run clinics. If we go back to Beaumont, you could open a facility. Give the kids of Beaumont a place to play basketball, add batting cages, artificial turf, and a roller rink.”
“A roller rink?”
Peyton shrugs. “I’ve always wanted to learn how to roller skate or even ice skate. We didn’t have a place like that growing up. If we did, maybe you would’ve stayed out of trouble.”
My eyes widen at her statement. “I was never in trouble.”
“And I’m still a virgin,” she says sarcastically.
“Well, we both know that’s not true,” Noah says with a smirk.
She pinches me, then laughs. “Whatever you decide, I'll support you.”
“And you? What are you thinking?”
Peyton shrugs. “Depending on the test, we’ll see. I know I’m young, but being married to you and possibly being pregnant with our first and maybe only child . . .” She pauses and places her hand over her lower stomach. “Right now, I can’t imagine leaving him or her for hours on end. I know our moms will be there to help, but I really want to be a hands-on mother.”
I kiss her forehead and pull her into my arms. “Like you, I’m in your corner. Whatever you want to do, we’ll do.”
“Like get a dog?”
I lean back and look at her warily. “A dog?”
She nods and bites her lower lip. “I really like Beau and I think I’d like to get one. We didn’t have a pet growing up and I’ve always wanted one.”
“All right. Want to go to the shelter?”
“Wow, if I knew it would be that easy, I’d have asked ages ago.”