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I step behind my wife and wrap her in my arms. “This past week sucked. Sitting in those sessions with the rookies, learning the ropes. But I was present, and I think Logan saw that. I answered a lot of questions.”
“I get that, but they shouldn’t make you feel like you have to be there. This is your down time. You should be recovering and taking care of your body. I know it’s just meetings right now and when you move outside, you won’t take contact, but still . . .”
“What are you afraid of?”
“The team breaking your heart,” she says as she continues to look out the window. It wasn’t the answer I expected from her. I thought she’d say something about me missing an appointment, which would never happen.
I pull her tightly to my chest and rest my chin on the top of her head. We stare out the window, with Stevie Nicks sitting at our feet. Poor girl can’t see past the balcony wall, but that doesn’t seem to faze her.
Do I tell my wife my heart’s already breaking? That I feel like I’ve invested my life with this team, building connections, and working toward another championship, only for them to turn away from me? And for what? It’s not like I’ve sat on the sidelines with injuries.
“Regardless, I think the apartment isn’t the smartest for Stevie Nicks. You saw her when she had the accident. She cowered and hid in the corner. I don’t want her to feel like that.”
“I wanted to cry,” Peyton says as she looks down at her, and then cocks her head to see me. “We’ll figure it out.”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “I suspect you want to stay here, but I worry about you feeling stranded.”
“It’s not like I can’t drive.”
Laughter rolls through me. Peyton jabs her elbow into my ribs, forcing me to step away from her. “You crack me up.”
She rolls her eyes and reaches for the dog leash. “My faithful companion and I are going for a walk.”
“She does pretty well off leash.”
“I know, but there are people out there, plus it’s windy, which means the waves are rougher. I don’t want anything to happen.”
Peyton slips Stevie Nicks into her harness and then clips the leash on. I follow them out of the house and pause when we reach the steps leading to the beach.
“I assume you want me to come with you.”
It’s like time stands still. Peyton turns her head and her hair fans out. She greets me with a smile and my breathing hitches. She’s all mine, and we’re living this amazing life together. Peyton doesn’t care what I do for work, as long as I’m happy.
“What?”
“Nothing,” I say, shaking my head slightly. “Nothing at all.” I place my hand on the small of her back and nudge her toward the stairs.
As soon as we reach the sand, Stevie Nicks spins in a circle and barks at us. “She wants to run.”
“What if someone tries to take her?”
“No one will take her, babe. She won’t go far. We’ve worked a lot on it.” I crouch down and tell Stevie Nicks to sit. She does and eyes me expectantly with her big brown eyes. “You’re free,” I tell her as I unclip her. Still, she sits and waits for my hand command. Once I give it, she runs, turns, and runs back, with her tongue hanging from her mouth.
Peyton and I walk, and thankfully our pup stays in front of us. The few times she circles us, we watch her like a hawk. We head as far as the coastline allows until we run into a rocky outcrop and then turn around. Stevie Nicks remains by our side the whole time, being the goodest little girl.
After two hours of walking idly along the surf, we head toward our house. When we reach our patio, I veer off and start the outdoor fire.
“What do you want for dinner?” Peyton asks.
“Let’s do pasta. It’ll be quick and then we can sit out here and watch the sunset.”
She nods and leaves the dog with me. I sit down, and before I can tell Stevie Nicks no, she hops onto my lap with her wet paws and sandy bottom.
“I probably should’ve taken you to the shower before I sat down.” I run my fingers through her wiry hair, loving the feel. If Peyton stays behind while I return to Portland, she’ll be able to take the pup to the groomers for a haircut.
When Peyton returns, Quinn and Nola are with her. Stevie Nicks jumps down to visit her friends, giving me a chance to brush the dirt off my lap.
“Hey, man!” Quinn and I bro hug. And then I give Nola a hug. “You guys staying for dinner?”
