I didn't ask him any questions on the car ride home. I was worn out from the emotions of the night. And in all truthfulness, maybe I was too stunned by his admission as well.He held my hand the whole ride home. When we got there, he walked me to my door where he kissed me passionately before leaving me on my doorstep wanting more.The fact that he has never been with a woman is intriguing. I also find it really sexy, which is a big surprise. The idea that no woman knows what he feels like, that no other woman knows the faces he makes and the noises he makes… I find it very, very exciting. Now I want to know more about why he's still a virgin, but it's taken me a couple of days to come up with questions. "Have you ever had a blow job?"He turns to glare at me. "Geez, can you say that a little louder as we walk in public?"I give him a flirty smile. "No one heard me. This place is practically empty. Although I'm sure if they knew about how virtuous you are they would be trying to eaves
There are rows and rows of colorful books. And I am so overwhelmed by what we're trying to find. Whose bright idea was it come to a book store to find a birthday present for toddler?Oh, right. Mine.But Quincy seems like the kind of mom who would appreciate the idea of an educational present for her son. And then there's the ice water at the coffee shop here, which you can't get anywhere else. So I'll just push through my frustration.A colorful book with a bright picture of a baby in a swing catches my eye. I pick it up and begin thumbing through it."Hey, babe, what do you think of this?" I show the front to Tiffany as she rounds the corner."What is it?""It's called Peanut's Wish." I flip through some of the pages. "It looks it's about a baby who can't wait to be born, or… I don't know. It sounds weird when I say that. It looks cute though.""Let me see." She takes it out of my hand and begins reading through it. "Aw. This is really cute. Wait." She starts giggling and reading o
"When are you going to visit your parents?" I ask for the second time as we drive toward Quincy's apartment for a barbecue a few days later. I'm so nervous that I keep asking the same questions over and over because I can't seem to retain the answers.Rowen glances over at me and takes my hand. "Next week. And would you stop being so nervous? It's gonna be fun."I try to take a deep breath but I don't feel like I'm getting enough air. "That's easy for you to say. You're not about to put yourself in a room with a few dozen women that want to rip your hair out."He snickers. "Another plus for the beanie." I shoot him a death glare. He squeezes my hand in response. "Tiff, we were invited.""No, you were invited.""And they all know we're together so they know you're coming, too." He pulls my hand up and kisses my palm. The feeling shoots goose pimples up and down my arm. "Besides, Quincy is always nice to you, right?"I shrug. "Quincy is not who I'm worried about. I never slept with her b
"I just don't see how they'll keep him," Sammy says, so I turn my attention back to the conversation in front of me. "They keep getting knocked out of the play offs and his years before retirement are limited. He wants that Super Bowl ring bad.""No way," Christian says. "Do you know how much they pay him? He can buy his own damn ring.""He'll never leave Dallas," I say as Daniel and a man that looks an awfully lot like him come back outside. "He's married with two kids now. His mom is here. I interviewed him last year and there's no way he's leaving.""No shit?" Christian says. "You interviewed Jason Hart? What's he like?"I smile. "He's huge. I mean, humongous. But he is just the nicest guy. Exactly like he was when he was drafted.""Wait," Rowen says. "How do you know what he was like when he was drafted? Weren't you like fifteen when that happened?"I smile with a nod. "Yep. For my birthday that year my mom got us tickets to go see the draft." I look around and see the wide-eyed ex
"Mo boyo!" My dad grabs me in a tight hug as soon as I step through the front door, causing me to drop my bag on the floor. He's never been shy with his affection for me. He offered to pick me up at the airport but I got a rental car instead. Its always a hassle because of my age, but I like the idea of not being dependent on my parents for anything. Call it lingering insecurities from trying to be my own person for so long.I pound him on the back a few times as we embrace. "Good to see you, Da.""I missed you, mac," he says and kisses me on the cheek, pulling away as my mom comes racing over."Rowen! I'm so glad you're here. Take off that darn cap and give me a hug." She snatches my beanie off my head and throws it across the room, then wraps her arms around my waist and I hug her back tightly. My habit of covering up my hair always irritates my mother. I expect I won't see that beanie again until I head back to Houston in four days."Me, too, Mam." I lift my head and take a deep br
"What do you want to know?""So you aren't going to deny that you're seeing her?""Why would I? I like her." He releases me and we move into another stretch. He's helped me do this so many times for so many years, it just comes second nature."I just know ye had some concerns in the beginning because of her lifestyle. I'm curious what's changed.""I'm not sure anything's changed," I say with a strained voice as I deepen my stretch. "I don't like how much she parties. I think she thinks she just has friends with benefits. And I think they treat her like shit and she doesn't even realize it.""But can you handle knowing she does it?""Not does, Da. Did. We had a long discussion about where I stand and how I can't share someone with my teammates. She agrees with me, one hundred percent. When she's single, she likes to go out and have fun. I mean, I guess that's her idea of fun. It's not mine. But when she's in a relationship, she's faithful."I stretch my arms up and lean forward, my dad
Compared to other sports, the off-season for soccer is very, very short. Only a couple months long, depending on a team's playoff schedule. But this past couple of months have been some of the most fun I can remember in a long time.On the party front, things died down a lot. The players who are married with families tend to go on a lot of vacations during the off-season and spend a lot of time at home while they can. And most of the single players head to their home town during that time. It's easier to save money when they're living with their parents and doing their off-season training at a local gym.Rowen, however, stuck around. And I suspect it had to do with me.We spent those months really getting to know each other. We explored tourist spots all over the city. We went to Galveston for a day trip. We did a lot of people watching.We went to almost every museum in Houston including my favorite, the John C. Freeman Weather Museum. There's so much to see and do there, including a
The thought hits me out of nowhere. I knew I liked him. Really, really liked him. It just never occurred to me until now that I love him. But I do. I love him with everything in me."Hey," he says cupping my cheek. "You okay?""Yeah." I shake my head of these new thoughts, not ready to confess my feelings at this point. "Sorry. My thoughts just ran wild for a second."He kisses the top of my head and we make our way into the apartment."Hey, Rookie!" Christian yells as he walks his way towards us, stopping to give Rowen a fist bump and me a hug. We've seen him a few times during the off-season and I know he and Rowen have become friends."How was the trip to Hawaii, man?" Rowen asks.Christian holds a hand over his heart. "It was fucking beautiful. Amazing. Probably the most romantic place I've ever been and I'm not a romantic guy.""I don't believe that," I chide. "I bet you're romantic with the right person.""I was treating my mama to this trip to Hawaii. That's not the time for rom
The snick of the lock unlatching when I wave my key fob in front of the door is the first real sign that life is going back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be after a new little human has come into the world. But as I step through the door and into the newsroom, I realize nothing has changed. The scanners are still squawking. Reporters are still making calls and typing. Televisions still glow with every local station and CNN ready to be monitored. The only difference is the person at the assignment desk."Hi Tom," I greet as I grab a huge stack of mail I'll need to sort through upstairs. There's too much to go through down here."Tiffany." He tips his head at me and goes back to his business. Tom took over for Caleb when he moved upstairs. He's a little older than everyone else in the newsroom. His hair and neatly trimmed beard are almost gray. He's pleasant enough, just sticks to himself. We definitely don't have the same kind of rapport Caleb and I use to have.That also mean
Rowen makes sure we're all settled before kissing me on the top of the head and throwing on his sweats. "What do you want to eat? My mam brought bangers and mash.""I'll leave that for you," I joke, knowing it's his favorite. "But do we still have any of that grilled chicken salad? I don't know why but it sounds really good.""Yep. I'll go grab it for you."The last three months have been an adjustment, but overall, it's gone really well. Cace is a great baby, but I didn't expect anything less with him being Rowen's child. Well, that's not exactly true. A part of me always remembered Ryan is his grandfather, so I know there's some ornery in there waiting to come out. But for the most part, he's very docile. Cries when he's hungry, fusses when he's wet, but otherwise even-tempered. And my in-laws have been wonderful. Sure, the men argue all the time about the safest way to hold the baby or the best cleaning products. Denise and I just laugh at the ridiculousness and let them hash it ou
"Keep doing that," I moan, grabbing Rowen's hair and pulling him closer to my core. His tongue still does magical things to my lady parts and today, he's going to town. Licking, nipping, and sucking as he inserts two fingers inside me, hitting just the right spot. "Oh, that's it. Right there… ohgod…"My orgasm hits me fast and hard, just the way I like it these days. He continues to suck on my clit as the waves overtake me, riding me to that sated feeling I love. But he's not done yet.As soon as I've come back down to earth, he kisses up my body, paying special attention to the scar that now mars my abdomen. When I look at my stomach, I see flabby skin that hasn't tightened up yet and a knife wound. But Rowen tells me it's beautiful. That it's a reminder of the sacrifice I made to give him the best gift he's ever received - our son. Coming from anyone else, I'd say they were full of shit. But coming from Rowen, I know he means every word. Because of it, I still feel beautiful. It al
"I know you'll be here when you can, Mom," I say through FaceTime on my phone. "Really, all we're going to do for the next few weeks is sleep and eat anyway. Maybe bathe."Stroking the top of my son's head, I watch as he suckles on my breast. Yes, the dull pain of breastfeeding is there, but that doesn't take away the surreal feeling of being a new mom. It's amazing."I know." My mom sighs. "I'm just mad at myself. Of all the times to fall down some steps and break an ankle, this is the worst."I giggle lightly. "I still can't believe you did it at the gym.""And right after my kickboxing class too! I had just shown everyone what a badass I am, and three steps took me out.""Any muggers with ill intentions better beware of running into you in a back alley. Unless there are stairs involved." "Well, hopefully in the next few weeks, the doctor will clear me for travel. Then I'll be on the first plane there.""Sounds good to me." Baby Cace squeaks and pulls away from my breast, nuzzling h
The thoughts are overwhelming. I've never been this happy in my life, and I've only seen him for a split second. Lifting my head, I look around trying to catch another glimpse. Apparently, I'm not as subtle as I think I am."Would you like to see your son? You can go over there."Nodding, I stand up and follow the person over to a small table where my son is lying down, clearly unhappy by being poked and prodded. I don't blame him. I wouldn't like if all my glory was on display in front of these strangers either."Can I… can I touch him?" I ask tentatively, not sure what I'm allowed to do right now."Absolutely," the person says. "And talk to him. Babies like familiar voices."Slowly, I get closer, still in awe that I'm looking at my son. My son. It feels like I'm walking through a dream. Reaching down, I touch his tiny hand which immediately stretches and grabs my finger. The contact makes me suck in a breath. He's real. This is real. It's not a dream at all."Hello there, mo mhac. I'
I have dreamed about this day for months. Thought about every scenario on how it could happen. Planned for any situation. Prepared myself in every possible way.Except this one.Not one part of me anticipated I'd be standing in the hallway of the hospital wearing drab green scrubs with a matching surgical cap, waiting to join my wife in an operating room. And yet here I am, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't more nervous than I've ever been in my life.It's not just the operation. Yes, that is my immediate concern. As much as I like Dr. Hermann, he's getting ready to cut Tiffany open and pull our son out through a gaping wound. I'm sure there's more to it than that, but it basically boils down to that, and it's scary. What if he cuts the wrong part and he can't stop the bleeding? What if he accidentally cuts my child? What if she gets a major infection? The horrific possibilities are terrifying.Taking a breath to refocus my thoughts, I try to remember all the positives. Tiffany won't
I can practically feel his surprise when he shifts, situating us face-to-face. Thankfully, my doctor and my father-in-law have started chatting again, so Rowen and I can have some privacy. "Tiffany, this is just a change in the play. You of all people know how easily it can happen. I know this isn't soccer, but it's not that different. We go into every match with a plan, but sometimes it doesn't go like we expected. There's an injury or a new goalie." I smirk at his reference to the issues the team had early in the season. "The objective is always the same, but how we get there doesn't matter as long as we do. It's the same thing here. It doesn't matter how he gets here as much as it matters that it happens safely for both of you."I sniff again, but my tears have all but dried up. "We've been deflected."He nods and smiles at me. "Exactly. It's a change of play. But in the end, when we're holding him and taking care of him, we'll forget about everything except that we won."I chuckle
A low murmuring pulls me from sleep. I know it's only been a couple hours, but I feel so much better than I did. Damn that epidural for being as amazing as everyone said it would be.Peeling my eyes open, I roll slightly onto my back to see Dr. Hermann and Ryan chatting like old friends. A few seconds of eavesdropping and I finally catch the source of their newfound connection - Ireland. Apparently, Dr. Hermann spent a summer backpacking through Europe and caught a couple games when Ryan was in his prime and playing in front of his hometown fans. I'm sure the tales are tall right now, but at least their relaxed chatter means nothing wrong is happening on my side of the room.Glancing around, I finally catch sight of my husband who is sleeping soundly. I'm glad to see him getting some rest. He's been trying so hard to be strong for me. It's not gone unnoticed. But at last count he'd been awake for thirty hours. It was wearing on him."Ah, iníon sa dlí, yer awake."Ryan steps toward me a
Another eight hours. Another one centimeter dilated. Almost. I may be rounding up out of my own feeling of desperation. This entire experience is not at all like I expected. Not that I knew what was supposed to happen. Sure, we'd taken a birthing class one Saturday, but that was months ago when our schedules allowed us both to be there. And it never told us what would happen if Tiffany's body refused to do what it should. At least Tiffany's sleeping now. About four hours after the Pitocin began, she started crying, saying she couldn't do it anymore. She'd been awake for almost twenty-four hours and had been in some form of labor for over half of it. Plus, once the drugs kicked in, her contractions went from being painful to downright excruciating. It didn't take much convincing for her to finally decide to have the epidural. But it did take my Mam physically moving me out of the way to help her through all her fears - fear of a needle in her spine, fear of the drugs hurting the baby,