Chapter 36

Milo

 

 

“You killed it. Good job,” I said to Liza, wrapping my arms around her. “I knew you would. Now, hopefully, we can move on with our lives.”

She was a little shaky as she walked down the long hallway of the sports complex. We were done. She had just given her own public statement about the situation. Things had died down a little, but people were far too curious about her. She said her piece, albeit to a much smaller crowd than I had to face, but it was done.

“Can we go home now?” she asked, exhaustion in her voice.

“Yes,” I said, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her in close. We were going home. Our home, together. I couldn’t be happier.

We had been working around the clock to get the bungalow livable. I had managed to get an electrician and plumber in to get inspections. The pipes needed to be replaced, but it wouldn’t prevent us from living there. The wiring only had to be replaced in the kitchen. There had been more updates needed than we’d originally thought, so good news on the electrical was a huge relief.

“Do you like the color?” I asked Ainsley who was standing in her new room looking around.

“I love it! Purple is my favorite color!”

I picked her up in my arms and hugged her. “Good. Your new dresser will be delivered tomorrow.”

She clapped her hands. “What about my toys?”

“We’ll bring them once we get some more things done. We want it to be perfect for you and Mommy,” I explained. “You have your new toys to keep you busy.

I put her down and together we walked into the kitchen. Liza was unpacking boxes of dishes.

“Mommy, can I have a snack?” Ainsley asked.

“Yep, hold on,” Liza replied, her hands full.

“I can do it.”

I opened the new refrigerator that had been delivered a couple days ago. We had spent the weekend picking out appliances and new furniture. It had been fun, and it was a memory I would treasure, even if Ainsley had gotten a little cranky towards the end of the day.

“Yogurt?” I asked Ainsley who had climbed onto one of the bar stools.

She wrinkled her nose. I went back to browsing. “Carrots? Apples?”

“I want cookies,” she declared.

“No,” Liza interjected.

“Hey, she tried,” I defended.

“She always does.”

I found some string cheese and crackers, which seemed to satisfy her. I sat down and snacked with her while we watched Liza.

“I think you should put labels on all the cupboards, so I know where things are,” I told her, feeling a little overwhelmed.

“You’ll figure it out. Labels would look tacky,” she argued.

Ainsley shrugged her shoulders. She knew I wasn’t going to win.  We both went back to eating our snacks while Liza buzzed around the house. She tried to play it down, but I knew she was excited. Tonight, we were all staying in the house for the first time.

“So, only two more games,” Liza started. “Are you excited for the season to be over?” she asked, as she got to work putting away another box of dishes.

“Yes, kind of. I’ll miss the game, but I’m excited to spend more time here, with my two favorite ladies,” I winked.

“You will definitely have plenty to do to keep you busy around here,” she said, looking around the house.

I followed her gaze. “That’s for sure.”

My phone rang, and I saw it was Coach Summers. We were still waiting to hear back from the owners and the commissioner to see if there would be any action taken against either one of us for the situation.

“I’ve got to take this,” I said, taking a deep breath and heading outside. “Hello?” I answered, practically holding my breath as I waited for the news.

“We’re good,” he said, with a great deal of relief in his own voice.

I exhaled the breath I had been holding and sat down in one of the chairs on the porch, facing the beach. “Good to hear. No action being taken against either of us?”

“Nope. The deal to get you on the team wasn’t completely outrageous and I had been talking about getting you back since the beginning. I think Liza’s statement definitely helped. All in all, I know damn well the owners weren’t going to put up a fuss because of how well the team has been doing.”

I chuckled. “That’s good to know. You won’t face any sanctions?” I asked, genuinely concerned for his career.

“No, but I got my ass chewed. The commissioner has a daughter though. He understood all too well how these things can happen,” he joked.

“Good to hear. I’ll tell Liza the good news. I know she’ll be very relieved.”

“Good, I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, ending the conversation.

I stood there, looking out at the ocean rolling in and out, and smiled. The black cloud that had been hanging over us for the past week had been lifted. We could go on with our lives. Now that there wouldn’t be any action, the story would die. All just in time for Christmas.

I walked back into the house, looked at the two most beautiful girls in the world and grinned. My heart felt so full. I stood there watching mother and daughter chat about nothing in particular as Liza stayed busy in the kitchen. Ainsley’s legs were swinging back and forth on the stool as she chattered away.

That familiar feeling began to bubble to the surface. My vision narrowed, and I could feel blackness at the sides of my vision. My heart began to race, and my breathing was too fast. Not again.

“Relax. Sit down. I’ll get you some water,” Liza was saying. I could feel her hand on my arm as she gently pushed me to one of the dining room chairs. Her hand gently pulled me down until I could feel the hard, sturdy wood beneath my butt.

I sat, doing what I could to slow my breathing.

“Here, drink this, focus on the water,” she said softly.

I focused on the cold glass in my hand and took a small drink of water.

“Sorry,” I croaked out as my vision began to clear and the grip of the panic attack lessened.

“It’s fine. Are you feeling better?”

I nodded. “Yes. Where’s Ainsley?”

“She’s at the bar. She’s fine. I don’t think she even noticed.”

“Thank God.”

I sat there drinking my water and slowing my breathing until I felt almost normal again.

“Milo, we have to address this. Maybe we shouldn’t move in together. It’s too soon,” she said, gently.

I knew she was saying it from a place of love, and I appreciated it, but as much as the idea scared the shit out of me, it also made me very happy. If only I could get my brain to accept that happy part. Instead, every time things were going really well, a panic attack ruined it.

“I’m a mess,” I groaned out. “What the hell is wrong with me?” I whispered, feeling like a complete loser.

She rubbed my back. “You’re putting too much pressure on yourself. We’re moving too fast. I think we should slow down and give you some time to adjust to the idea. I’m keeping my apartment. Ainsley and I will stay there.”

“No!” I said a little too loudly. “That’s not what I want at all.”

“Milo, you might think that, but your subconscious has other ideas. We can still work on building our relationship, but I don’t want to be here and send you into a panic attack every time you see me in the kitchen,” she joked.

I shook my head. “I don’t know what it is. It’s like some switch is flipped whenever I see you in the kitchen looking so damn gorgeous. I must have some repressed memory or something.”

She sighed. “I know you’ve said no before, but I think the only way this is going to work between us is if you see the psychiatrist.”

“I don’t want to see a shrink,” I protested.

“Milo, it doesn’t make you any less of a man. This is you getting some help, so you can be happy in life. I can’t live here if this is going to keep happening. One of these times Ainsley is going to notice.”

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. “Fine,” I mumbled.

“You’ll go?” she asked.

“Yes. If you’ll stay, I’ll go.”

“I will. Let’s make a call and get you right in. You’re the star player. Your mental health is just as important as your physical health,” she said, leaving the table and coming back with her phone.

“By the way, that was your dad on the phone.”

“Oh, what’d he say?”

“Everything is good. Nobody’s in trouble. It’s over.”

I could hear her breath exhale. “Really? It’s about damn time. How long do I have to wear this A on my chest?” she grumbled.

I laughed. “It’ll fade.”

I made the appointment with the shrink. I would go before practice tomorrow. Once he figured just how bad off I was, he said he would set up appointments based on my need. I would probably find myself there every day.

With that out of the way, it was time to get back to work. I got busy painting the living room, while Liza finished setting the kitchen to rights before moving on to the main bathroom. Ainsley meandered about, helping where she could, but stuck to her room most of the time, occupying herself with her iPad.

“Ready for bed?” I yawned, stretching my arms over my head.

“I’m exhausted,” she agreed, standing and rubbing her back. “I hate moving.”

“I’ll give you a massage,” I promised. “I’ll rub out all the aches and pains.”

She smiled. “You damn well better.”

I turned off the lights, and together we headed to our bedroom. I popped my head into Ainsley’s room to make sure she was sound asleep. I planned on making Liza scream in the best way possible and didn’t want her to wake up. I closed the door and headed into the room.

Liza was standing in the center of the room, naked and bathed in moonlight streaming in from the row of windows.

“You’re so beautiful,” I whispered, walking towards her. “I’ve been dying to get my hands on you all day.”

“Lucky for you, I’ve been waiting all day.”

I pulled my shirt over my head and quickly stepped out of my shorts. “I’m going to tease you until you’re begging for mercy.”

Her body shivered and I instantly grew hard. “You promised me a massage,” she whispered.

I nodded. “Yes, I did, and I meant a full body massage. I’m going to rub you from head to toe.”

She crawled onto the bed and laid flat on her belly. “I’m ready.”

I took a few moments to take in the sight of her, willing myself to go slow. It was always a challenge for both of us. The moment our bodies touched, our passion ignited like wildfire. Her passion fed mine and vice versa. It always ended in an explosive orgasm that came too fast. I didn’t mind too much. It just meant I could do her again and again.

I stretched out one hand and ran it up the back of her leg, relishing in the feel of her silky-smooth skin.

“I’m going to make you scream,” I promised, slapping her bare ass.

She gasped. I got right to work, pleasuring her with my hands and mouth until she was screaming into a pillow, begging for more.

By the time I collapsed beside her in our bed, I didn’t have to worry about nightmares and panic attacks waking me up in the middle of the night. I was so tired, I could hardly move. I pulled her body close to mine and embraced the feeling of being with someone—in a family.