Hanson frowned. “What do you mean?”
Lacey sighed. “When I met you, you were the epitome of free. You drank a lot, you slept around, and you did everything a single man should do. I was only there to make sure the rest of the world didn’t punish you for it. My intentions were never to make you stop living your life. I feel like that was what happened when I got pregnant. I was worried that if I took away your dream of having more children, it would be complete. You would officially be trapped in the life you didn’t want.”
Hanson shook his head back and forth while Lacey spoke. He couldn’t believe that she thought, even for a moment, that this wasn’t exactly where he wanted to be. Hanson placed her hands in his and kissed her knuckles.
“I would choose you,” he said. “Every time. I don’t think you realize how much I love you, since that very first day you walked into Coach’s office for our first meeting. I didn’t know anything about you then, and I still wanted to get to know you. And not just in a sexual way. Everything about you intrigues me. I’m not going to give you up for anything, not for a misunderstanding, not for children, not for anything.”
By the time Hanson stopped talking, Lacey was crying. He wiped her tears with his thumb and leaned forward to kiss her. He loved the taste of her. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, exploring her. Her mouth was hot, her tongue soft and swelling around his, the taste of her tears on her lips.
The atmosphere charged around them, and he wanted her. He wanted to be inside of her, to be with his wife. Hanson leaned forward, guiding Lacey onto the couch so that she lay on her back.
He pressed the line of his body against hers, his hand sliding onto her breast. He squeezed her, massaged her, his hands slipping back and forth over the nipple that was already hardening under the material of the shirt.
“Have I told you how fucking hot you look in yoga pants?” Hanson mumbled against her lips.
He didn’t give her a chance to respond. He kissed her again, moving his hand to the bottom of her shirt and tugging it up. He wanted her naked and writhing beneath him.
Lacey lifted a little, helping him get rid of the shirt. In the process, she pulled his shirt off as well. Hanson unclasped the bra and pulled it off her shoulders, dropping it on the floor. He stared at her breasts. He would never get enough of seeing her naked. Lacey was fit and trim, always exercising and keeping in good shape. Even after having a child, her body was magnificent.
They fumbled a little more, and then they were both naked. Hanson worshipped her body with his hands, closing his mouth over her nipple. He sucked on her, flicking his tongue over her nipple and listening to her moan. It was his favorite sound.
Hanson trailed his hand down her body, pushing it between her legs. He found her wet and ready. He pushed his fingers into her slit, finding her clit, and she gasped and squirmed. God, he loved her like this, at the mercy of his fingertips.
Hanson kept his face close to hers, watching her eyes close and her breathing change as he rubbed her. She was spectacular. He worked her out, pushing her closer and closer to her first orgasm. It didn’t take long before she toppled over the edge. She cried out, her body jerking, and it was delicious. Hanson kissed her when she orgasmed, and she cried out into his mouth, her body convulsing against his hand.
Hanson couldn’t take it anymore. He had to be inside of her. He positioned himself over her, and her thighs opened for him. When he positioned himself at her entrance, Lacey drew in her breath in anticipation, and she let it out in a groan when he slid into her.
God, being inside of her was bliss. Lacey and Hanson were both breathing hard. Her body was on fire, and this was exactly what she’d wanted, what she’d needed. They weren’t using protection. She could already be pregnant. But she didn’t care. Right at that moment, the only thing that mattered was Hanson.
He pumped into her, and she cried out and moaned every time his dick slid home. No matter how many times they did it, she would never get used to this. Hanson was fucking good in bed. He’d had a lot of practice before he’d met her, but he’d always told her that she was his final climax. It was a little joke they shared.
Lacey switched off her mind and focused on the sex. She was reaching another orgasm.
Hanson pushed her closer and closer to the edge, his cock stroking her in all the right places. He hovered over her, his muscular body a sight to behold. Because he was a pro football player, his body was always in great shape. Add that to the fantastic guy that he was, and you got the perfect man. Sexy and sweet. Protective and loving. And God, he was loving her just right at the moment.
Hanson kissed Lacey again. He loved kissing her while they were having sex. There was something so sexy about how slack her mouth was, and the little whimpering sounds that came from the back of her throat as he pounded into her. He was getting close to the edge. Usually, he held out much longer, but he hadn’t seen her in two days, their relationship had been a question mark, and being with her again was as much a relief as it was hot.
Lacey orgasmed first, her walls clamping down around Hanson, drawing him in deeper. She cried out and gasped, her breath taken away for a moment as the orgasm shook through her body. It pushed Hanson over the edge, and he came inside of her, emptying himself into her body as she fell apart beneath him.
When they were done, they lay gasping and heaving on the couch, their skins slick with sweat where they touched.
“I love you, Lace,” Hanson said in a breathy voice.
Lacey lifted her head and kissed him. “I love you, too,” she said. “And I want to keep trying for a second child.”
Hanson blinked at her. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to feel like you have to do it so you don’t lose me.”
Lacey shook her head. “I’m going to be terrified. I know that. I can’t make that go away. But I want to try.”
Hanson smiled and kissed her. They could figure this out, Lacey thought. Yes, she was terrified of having a child. Yes, she didn’t know if she would be able to pull it off. But being without Hanson these past two days had showed her what it was like to live without him. It had been different than the weeks that he was away on the road when he had games in other cities. Somehow, it had been a hundred times worse.
Lacey understood what Hanson needed, and she wanted to give it to him. This was what love was about; making sacrifices for each other.
Just then, Lacey’s phone rang. She looked down to see that it was her mom’s number and a video call, so she answered.
“Hi, Mom.”
“Sorry, Liam missed you and wanted to say hi.”
“Hi Mommy!”
Liam’s happy voice boomed over the phone, making both Hanson and Lacey smile like the proud parents there were. As soon as Lacey’s mom’s face had appeared, it was quickly replaced by Liam’s dimpled smiley one.
“Hey little guy!” Lacey called out, at the same time that Brian said, “Hi buddy.”
“I’m havin’ fun with Grandma!” Liam said.
“That’s good,” Lacey said. “We miss you though. We’re going to come pick you up soon and take you to get ice cream.”
“Yum!” Liam said. “Can Grandma come?”
“If she wants to,” Hanson said, laughing.
“How would you like to be a big brother?” Lacey asked Liam.
Hanson smiled at her and reached over to hold her hand, as Liam answered, “Okay!”
The smile on his own face matched his father’s. It was clear that all three of the members of their little family were now ready for a fourth.
Chapter 4 – Brian & Sadie
Sadie hung up the phone and put it on the counter. Excitement brewed in the pit of the stomach. Excitement and a little nervousness. This was exactly what she had been waiting for her whole life. For as long as she could remember, she had wanted to be a cheerleader, a cheerleader coach, or something to do with cheering. It was her passion, and she was good at it.
There had been a time in her lif
e where everything had been unsure. After hitting her head, she had lost five years of life. Five years of memories had been erased, like they had never happened at all. Even then, she had ended up as a cheerleading coach, proving that her passion was not just something in her mind, but something in her heart.
Since then, Sadie had gained back her memories. Now that this opportunity had come her way, she knew exactly what a good thing it was.
Sadie found Brian in the living room, watching a football game on the giant flat screen TV against the wall. Brian played for the Florida Sharks, and he was the star player of the team. He lived and breathed football, and Sadie had grown accustomed to the sound of the game on the television roaring through the house every moment of the day. To her, it was a sign of happiness. These were the times when Brian was in town, not on the road with the team, being the man he was since high school.
“Guess what?” she asked, sitting down next to him.
Brian picked up the remote and muted the sound. No matter how serious he was about football, Sadie never felt like Brian put her second to it. She never had to compete for his attention. He loved the game, but he loved her more.
“I could guess,” he said, grinning. “But I’m sure that I would be wrong.”
Life with Sadie had always been interesting. When she had lost her memory, Brian had thought that he would lose the woman he loved. When he’d run into her at the training center, realizing she was the cheerleading coach for his team, everything had changed. Now, they’d been married for two years, and he couldn’t be happier. He was willing to sacrifice the five years they had lost to her amnesia for the happiness they had now.
“I have just landed my dream job,” Sadie said, grinning.
Brian blinked at her. “What? I didn’t even know you were looking.”
Sadie nodded. “I didn’t want to jinx it by talking about it.”
“A heads up would have been nice, though.” He wasn’t sure how he felt about her applying for jobs without him knowing about it. Yes, she lived a life outside his when he was away for games, but there were some things he deserved to know.
“Aren’t you excited for me?” Sadie asked. “You know this is something important to me. This is an opportunity for me to step up in my career.”
Brian nodded. He knew how important her career was to her. It was just about as important to her as football was to him.
“You know I’m always excited for you,” he said. “So, where’s the job? What is it?”
Brian was sure there were a few places in Miami that would want to take her. Sadie had made a name for herself as a cheerleading coach for the Sharks’ cheering squad. The squad seemed to be excelling since she took over. He could understand that someone would want to hire her and pay her well.
“The position is at the University of Louisville,” Sadie said. “They want me to head their cheerleading team there.”
She watched Brian’s face as the information sank in.
“Louisville, Kentucky?” he asked. He looked incredulous.
Sadie nodded. “College cheering. We could go to all the competitions and probably win some, too. You know they have the best cheerleading team in the States.”
“Yes, you have mentioned that before, but sweetheart, Kentucky?”
Sadie nodded slowly. “I know it will be a change to relocate, but this is the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Brian shook his head. “I can’t just leave the Sharks,” he said. “There isn’t even an NFL team for me to join there in Kentucky. Besides, I have a contract with the Sharks. I can’t just run away.”
“So, what are you saying?” Sadie asked.
Brian sighed. He wished Sadie would have spoken to him about this before applying for any jobs. This was putting him in a terrible predicament. He didn’t like saying “no” to her, and he understood that her job was important to her, but so was his job in Miami. He couldn’t just turn his back on his team and breach his contract. Besides, their whole life was in Miami. It always had been, even when she’d lost her memories.
“Sadie, we can’t just leave here. Surely, you not expecting me to leave my team?”
Sadie kept quiet. It was an answer, but not the one she wanted. Brian shook his head, getting up and walking away from her. He stopped at the far end of the room and started pacing.
“This is important to me, Brian,” she said. “You know how it works with our careers. We have to step up when we get the chance, or we will always stay in the same spot.”
“It’s like that with any career, sweetheart, but we have commitments here.”
“No, you have commitments here,” she said.
Brian blinked. “Excuse me? Is being married to me not a commitment? Is my professional football contract not a commitment? I can’t believe what you’re saying.”
“And I can’t believe you,” Sadie said. “Isn’t a relationship about making sacrifices for each other?”
“You want to talk about sacrifices?” Brian asked.
He was getting angry. Sadie was angry, too. There moods matched each other, and the atmosphere in the room was electric.
“I have sacrificed everything for you,” he said. “I was there when you hit your head, trying to help you remember. I walked away when you asked me to, even though I didn’t want to. When I saw you again, I tried to help you remember without pressuring you into a relationship. I waited five fucking years for you. Tell me, what don’t I understand about sacrifices?”
Sadie folded her arms over her chest, her feet together on the floor.
“That’s not fair,” she said. “You know that it wasn’t my choice. If I could have stopped the amnesia from happening, I would have. This is such a great opportunity. How can pass it up?”
“Easy,” Brian said. “Just say ‘no.’”
Sadie shook her head. She wasn’t going to do that. She wanted that job. She wanted the title of being the coach of one of the best cheerleading teams in the country. She didn’t understand why Brian was being so difficult about this.
Yes, she understood how important his job was to him, but he didn’t seem to understand how many sacrifices she had made for him, too. Maybe she hadn’t given up her career for him or anything, but there were weeks on end when she was without him and where she was lonely. She was married to a man that was away from home more than half of their life. Considering how she felt about him, she saw that as a very big sacrifice.
“What about friends and family?” Brian asked. “We’re just leaving Hanson and Lacey, and Jacob and Kina behind? What about Lauren? She has been the most loyal friend to you. And what about if we start a family? Then we’ll be all alone, without the support network. I’m not even talking about me having to be away from you most of the time because I can’t quit the Sharks.”
Sadie shook her head over and over. There were going around in circles. Why couldn’t Brian understand that this was something she really wanted? Yes, they would have to move. They would have to sacrifice friendships. But it was for something bigger than that. It was for her dream.
“How would you feel if someone told you that you can’t play football?” she asked. “How would you feel if they took your passion away from you? That’s how it feels right now.”
“I understand what you’re saying,” Brian said. “But what you don’t seem to see is that this is exactly what you’re doing. You’re asking me to give up what I love so that you can do what you love. Does that make sense to you?”
“But if it’s the other way around?” she asked.
“I’m not asking you to give up what you love. You’re doing what you love. Why can’t you keep doing what you love right here in Miami like you’ve been doing for the past five years?”
“It’s the best cheerleading team, Brian,” Sadie said. “It would be a huge step up.”
Brian sighed. “And what’s so bad about the team you have now? You were happy about being with them until now, even though they weren’t the best team. Why is
it not enough anymore?”
“Was it enough for you when you were playing college football? Would you have let anyone tell you that being at the bottom was enough when you got the opportunity to go pro?”
Brian closed eyes. Sadie knew she was winning this argument. He had nothing that he could say to that. She was right. He would never have settled for that. How could he expect her to?
“I feel what you’re saying, Sadie, but I’m not doing this. I’m not going to leave the Sharks. I’m not going to move away from Miami and the life we created here. I’m happy for you that you got such a great opportunity. If you still want to take it, be my guest, but I can’t come with you.”
Sadie looked at her husband, mouth slightly open, incredulous. “Are you saying that if I go, you’ll leave me?”
“Technically, you’ll be the one leaving me,” he said.
A storm of emotions swirled around Sadie’s chest. Rage, sorrow, disbelief. How could Brian suggest something like that?
“I thought we would always be together,” she said. “I thought that was what you wanted. Why else would you have fought so hard to be with me?”
“I have fought for you for a very long time. I will keep fighting for you. What bothers me is that you don’t seem to want to fight for me.”
“You can’t say that! You have no idea what demons I battled to be with you. It was harder than you can ever imagine, trusting your word about our love when I couldn’t remember it. I still did. Tell me that’s not fighting for you.”
“And now? You’re willing to throw it all away?”
“I’m not throwing it all away,” she said. “I asked you to come with me. You were the one that said you wouldn’t.”
Brian was all the way on the other side of the room. He had been far away to start off with, but it felt like the distance just kept on growing. He hadn’t moved, but somehow, he was completely unreachable now.
“Let me just get this straight,” Sadie said. “If I decide to take that job, you’re effectively telling me our relationship is over.”
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