After twenty phone interviews and six in-person interviews, I finally found someone to take over most of my work while I was on maternity leave. Chelsea was everything I could have asked for in an administrator. She had plenty of experience working with non-profits, but more importantly, she was dedicated and passionate about her work.

Now, I had a little less than four months to teach her to be me.

With that major task finally taken care of, I started tackling my other to-do’s, starting with the real estate agent. By the time I was ready to leave that night, I’d signed a listing agreement, hired cleaners, and found a storage unit for the things I wasn’t willing to part with. The rest could be moved to the basement of the center.

Knowing Cooper would already be at the stadium with his team, I decided to stop by my house to pack up a few things I didn’t want to get lost. With boxes in hand, I started the process of dismantling my old life. I spent a good two hours taking down photos, wrapping mementos, and reminiscing. It was bittersweet, and there may have been a few tears.

I was just about ready to call it a night when there was a knock at the door. I opened it, expecting to see Tony or maybe even one of my neighbors, but there was a stranger standing there.

“Can I help you?” I asked, wedging my foot behind the door—just in case.

“I saw your house was listed today. I was—”

“You’ll need to talk to the real estate agent,” I said, interrupting him. “We’re not ready to show the place yet, but I’m sure she’ll be happy to give you more details.”

“That’s not why I’m here. My name is Harvey. I work for the Post.”

He handed me a card with his name on it and the title sports reporter. I wrinkled my nose and almost shut the door in his face, but his next words stopped me.

“Can you confirm the trade rumors? Is Cooper Reynolds leaving New York? When I saw your house went on the market this afternoon, I assumed they must be true.”

“Where did you hear that?” I asked, looking down at his card again. Dread welled up from deep inside my chest, and I crossed my arms protectively around my middle.

“I have a source in the owner Charles Cannon’s office. I was told the trade was official. That he’d be starting with Philly tomorrow. How does he feel about leaving New York after all these years? Was the trade due to his injury? Is he fully recovered? Does this have anything to do with his stalled contract negotiations this fall?”

I shook my head as the reporter continued asking questions I had no answers for. I blinked, trying to connect the dots.

Even after all these months, I still didn’t know a lot about baseball. I didn’t understand how this could happen. Cooper couldn’t be leaving. He would have told me. I wouldn’t be hearing it from some reporter. What about our plans? I just put my house on the market. And the baby.

I put a hand over the swell of my stomach and found my voice. “I don’t have any comment. You need to leave.”

The man shook his head and backed away. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. I think he’s getting railroaded. I know this can’t be easy given your situation. Are you planning on going to Philadelphia with him?”

“This is private property. If you don’t leave now, I’m going to call the police.” I was practically shouting at him.

I slammed the door. I knew the tears were just a heartbeat away. Anger and fear flooded my system, paralyzing me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know what to do.

My instincts told me to protect myself—to call the real estate agent and cancel the listing, unpack my boxes, and wish Cooper a nice life. This trade was just the latest example of how unpredictable life with him was going to be. I wasn’t sure I could live like that.

My heart, on the other hand, was breaking. I was building something, something good with Cooper. I couldn’t give that up. But I also had responsibilities and other people that depended on me.

It felt like a no-win situation.

I found my phone and pulled Cooper’s name up. But I was too emotional to have a rational conversation. I would have said or done something we both would have regretted.  So I called Tony instead. He’d been more like a father to me over the years, and right now I could use some fatherly advice.

“What am I supposed to do?” I asked after unloading every heartbreaking detail.

He sighed, and I imagined him rubbing his chin as he thought of the right words to say. “You know I love you like one of my own daughters. You’re an amazing woman and deserve to be happy. Even though I’ve had my doubts, I think Cooper makes you happy.”

“He does, but the center—”

“The center will be fine,” he said, cutting me off. “You don’t have to be here seven days a week. Chelsea is going to be an amazing administrator. She can sit behind that desk and run the day-to-day operations. Your most important job is to be the public face of the shelter. You do a damn fine job of raising money and awareness. And you can do that no matter where you are.”

“Are you telling me to move to Philadelphia?”

“I’m telling you to follow your heart. If that means moving to Philly, then I promise you, we’ll manage. It’s only a couple hours away. You can telecommute and come into the city when you’re really needed.”

I knew I didn’t need his approval but having it made all the difference. It felt like a weight had been lifted and I knew exactly what I wanted to do.

“I love you, Tony.”

“I love you back. Just promise me that you’ll bring that baby around so I can spoil him. He’s my first grandchild after all.”

I hung up and went back to packing. I was still angry at Cooper for not telling me about the trade, and he was going to get an ear full when he got home tonight. But for the first time in our rocky relationship, I felt like this problem—while not ideal—wasn’t going to break us. We’d figure something out. Together.

I’d finished up the last bit of packing I could handle by myself and was resting my aching feet when the front door opened.

Cooper stood there, with Snowball in his arms, looking lost.

“Manny called and told me the story had leaked. He said a reporter was harassing you. I’m sorry you had to find out like that,” he said, putting the puppy down. “They’re waiting until tomorrow to make the official announcement to the press. I thought I had time. I was going to tell you tonight when you got home, but you never showed up.”

“How’d you know I would be here?”

“When you didn’t come home, I called Tony, and he told me where to find you.” He came over and sat down next to me, taking my hand. “I was worried about you.”

“When?” I asked, at last, very quietly. I could hear my voice shaking. “When do you have to leave?”

“In the morning.” Cooper looked utterly defeated. “My first game with Philly will be tomorrow.”

“I don’t understand. You just signed a two-year deal. That’s two years. How can they trade you?”

“All the contract means is I’m guaranteed a job for two years, but not necessarily with New York. Evidently, not everyone in management was happy about the deal. When I got injured, they used that as leverage to push me out.”

I couldn’t believe how calm he was while I felt like the walls were crashing in on me. “How long have you known?” It was the one question I still had. I needed to know that he hadn’t kept this from me. That he wasn’t keeping secrets.

“I found out this morning, right before my therapy appointment.”

“But how long have you known?” I asked, feeling some of my earlier desperation return. “You’ve been talking with Manny every other day for the last month. You knew something. Why didn’t you say anything?”

He winced. Good. I needed to know that he understood how important this was. He needed to be honest and lay it all out on the table if I was going to be able to trust him again.

“I didn’t know before today. I promise. At least, not for sure. Manny had suspected. He’s been pitching the trade to Philadelphia. It’s only an hour and a half away.”

I pulled back my hand and glared at him. “How long?”

“For about a month. But it wasn’t—”

“Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I didn’t want you to worry. Especially over a rumor. You shouldn’t have to worry every time there’s a rumor or speculation in the press.”  He tucked a curl behind my ear. “Philly isn’t that far away.”

“It’s still a different city. Everything in my life is here in New York. Do you know how hard it is going to be to leave New York?”

“I’m not asking you to leave. I promise. We’ll figure something out. We’ll keep the apartment here, and I’ll commute if that’s what it takes. Just give me a chance to—” He stopped mid-sentence and cocked his head. “What do you mean by leave?”

“I hired an administrator today and put the house on the market.” I leaned back and rested my head against his shoulder. “We’ll figure the rest out together.”

"God, I love you," he murmured and kissed me, gently at first. His lips were warm and soft, but demanding. When he pulled back, I was breathless. “We’ll get someplace bigger. With a yard, like you wanted.”

“It doesn’t matter. Anywhere you are is home for me,” I said, kissing him again. “You know, since we’re selling this place, I think we should give the bedroom an encore performance. For old times’ sake.”

“I love the way you think,” he said, scooping me up in his arms and carrying me upstairs.