AllFreeNovel
Share Us
That’s what Coach Dixon told me to do, right?
Except by showing up for them, I feel like I’m failing Desiree.
I’m being pulled in two opposite directions, and the worst part is that either way, I potentially upset her father, my coach. If I’m not there for my teammates, I’m not a leader. If I’m not there for his daughter, I’m a disappointment.
I can’t win.
Speaking of not winning, it’s only been a week since the offseason officially started for me, and I’m being pulled so hard in those two directions that I already feel like I could snap.
It doesn’t get better in the following weeks.
In early April, we attend the twenty-week appointment where we decide we want to be surprised when the baby comes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a boy or a girl, though Des is convinced it’s a girl. All that matters is that the baby is healthy, and so far, he or she is growing right on track.
Lincoln fights to keep me with the Aces despite the OC’s protests, and I’m granted a two-year extension worth twenty-eight million before the March deadline. I gladly sign on the dotted line, feeling a load of relief when it comes to finances, and that’s the moment I decide to stop having Ellie line up newappearances for me as I finish out the commitments I’ve already made.
Before I know it, I wake up on the morning of the first event for my foundation. Desiree has been working tirelessly to ensure every last detail is taken care of, and she’s already out of bed and working on details for the day by the time my alarm wakes me up. It was another late night last night, and I really should’ve canceled the appearance since I knew I had to be up early today.
I pull on my running shorts and the T-shirt promoting today’s event, and I head down to the kitchen where I find Desiree mixing up a couple of protein shakes for us.
“Thanks,” I say when she hands mine over, and I bend down for a quick good morning kiss. “What can I do?”
“Nothing. It’s all set.” She chugs down her shake, and then she follows it up with a banana. She sets her hand over her stomach that’s swelling with my baby, and my chest warms. She’s wearing a custom-made maternity shirt withMake a DIFFerenceon the back andI’m doing it for Asheron the front.
Each runner will get a similar shirt—not maternity, obviously—and the front will sayI’m doing it for [blank].Runners will get a set of markers to fill in the blanks.
“How are you feeling?” I ask.
“My back’s a little tight, but overall, I feel okay.” She puts one of her hands on her lower back to massage it, and I set my shake down and bat her hand out of the way to massage her lower back for her. I’ve had enough of these in the training room that I know just how to dig into muscles to give them a little relief.
She leans her head back while I work my magic, and she lets out a soft moan.
“That noise is how you got into this situation in the first place,” I say low and raspy into her ear.
She laughs. “You’re right, and we don’t have time for that this morning. We need to get out the door.”
“Let’s go.”
We head toward the local park she reserved for the event, and vendors are already starting to arrive and set up. Erin gave her two interns to work with, and they’re already there checking in the vendors and getting tables set up.
The bounce houses arrive. The cornhole and croquet tournaments are set up. The deejay starts spinning tunes. The course is marked off by the police department. The food trucks and specialty drink trucks pull in.
The Nash family is here to support me, with Lincoln, Grayson, and Spencer all donating hefty sums. My mom is helping pass out T-shirts while my dad is talking to one of the food truck owners, and all three of my brothers and their wives will be running in the event today.
We invited Tanner and Miller, but they couldn’t make it this weekend. It’s probably for the best since I don’t really want today’s event to be overshadowed by the twins being around their birth father for the first time publicly. As far as I know, they still haven’t met, and word hasn’t hit the media yet, either.
I’m sure it won’t be long.
We’re ready to roll.
I’m nervous, but as runners and their families start to arrive and I greet guests and sign autographs, I discover there is absolutely no reason to be.
Desiree thought of everything, from educational vendors to raffle baskets to games with prizes.
The event is a huge success, and between corporate sponsorships, raffles, donations, and entry fees, we raise just over seventy-five thousand dollars.
Seventy-five thousand dollars.
I’m in awe of this woman.
