“Well, I proposed to him,” I said. “I finally took the plunge.”

Andy’s voice resonated through the phone. “You what? Dude, you can’t be proposing when you are this close to getting back in with the agents, the PR team, the coaches…”

Andy was starting to get on my nerves. Unbeknownst to him, I was meeting with Holloway today. I didn’t need his petty advice any longer. “Andy, cut the crap. I know it was you who leaked the photos. It was you causing all of the scandals in the press. It was you,” I said.

All I wanted was for him to admit it. Kristoff and I had moved past it with excellent speed and clarity, but I still needed to hear him apologize. If he couldn’t, it was time to hang up the phone.

“I’ve told you a million times, buddy. I don’t know who leaked those photos, but I’m on the hunt. I’m not giving up,” he said.

I walked to my car and stepped inside. I turned the key in the ignition and reversed out of my driveway, fast. “I’m giving you the chance to come clean. Most players wouldn’t go that easy on their old manager. Trust me. I could make a scandal out of you too, Andy,” I said.

I went a little too far with the last comment, but I was done with the lies, the drama, and the deceit. “You sound tired,” Andy said. “You’ve got the baby coming. There is a lot on your mind. Why don’t we talk when you’re a little more clear hea—” Click.

I hung up and threw my cell phone behind me, somewhere in the backseat. I had no time for people like him. I could control my own life now, thank you very much.

As soon as I got to the stadium, I knew I made the right choice. Holloway was standing with a team of representatives, as well as a young man that seemed far too young to be a rep or a scout.

I scanned the kid up and down. He was a new player, and I was going to have to compete against him. Oh, shit.

“Addison Matthews! The star player. Number twenty-three,” Holloway said, cupping his hand around his mouth for added effect. “We’re positively thrilled to have you here today, man. Seriously. This is going to be great.”

The summer breeze felt good today. The weather wasn’t too hot. Most importantly, I felt strong. I had been working out at home, and I finally felt back at my peek.

I hugged Holloway and extended a hand to the other gentleman beside him. “It’s a pleasure,” I said.

Then, I turned to the kid, who was probably about twenty-two. Now that I was close to him, I recognized him more clearly. He was the rising star everyone was talking about.

“I’m a huge fan, Mr. Matthews,” he said. “I practically grew up watching you play.”

The men smiled politely. One of the representatives said, “He’s the new you.”

Holloway shot him a worried glance, but I played it cool. “Is that so?” I smiled and shook the kid’s hand.

I felt worried and a tad bit jealous, though if anyone were to ask, I’d never have admitted it. It was the first time being back in a long time, and I felt small.

“You’re Loke Robeck. Yeah, I’ve seen you play before. You’re terrific,” I said.

“Why don’t we head on the field? We can throw the ball around a little. You can show these guys what you got, Addison,” Holloway said.

“As if we all weren’t watching the 2016 Super Bowl,” one of the reps said. The rest laughed because they knew how well I played on that day. It was one of the best games in football history.

This was just another show to give to the men in suits. They knew who I was, but these kinds of things excited them. They saw dollar signs in their eyes, and as long as they didn’t mess with me, I was completely okay with that.

We walked through the empty hallways of the stadium. I relished in the moment. “It’s been a long time since I’ve walked these halls,” I said, taking in the surroundings. “I’ve played so many games here.”

“It must feel good to be back,” Holloway said.

I let out a laugh. “You have no idea, man. It feels like heaven,” I said. I just hoped my arm still worked under pressure.

Through the locker rooms and onto the massive field, I felt my confidence trickle back, minute by minute. Once that Loke kid slammed the ball into my chest, it was game on. This was my second chance to prove myself.

Holloway blew his whistle. “Go long,” I said, darting back.

Suddenly, I felt like I was transported back into the past. I was on the field. I bit down hard against my mouth guard. I shot my arm back and barreled the football into the air. I watched as it landed perfectly in his arms.

“Holy moly! Hail Mary, full of grace, hallelujah! Addison Matthews has won the Super Bowl!” I could hear the announcers perfectly in my head. I was back, and I was ready.

But we were simply warming up. Loke tossed the ball back to me with ease. “Not too bad, Addison!” Holloway yelled. “Let’s try some plays with the guys here. I’m not going to risk going against you again,” he said.

“Shit, man. Don’t make me feel bad again,” I said, shaking my head. Holloway laughed. It was good to see him on his feet again. Even if he wasn’t playing, he was still involved.

The reps were old football players from before my time. I knew who they all were, but they weren’t exactly a challenge. To be fair, they still gave me a run for my money.

I brought some of the guys on my side into a huddle. I went over the play that Holloway gave me. “Alright, we’re going to do a draw,” I said, looking into Loke’s eyes. “We’ll fake them out, and I’ll hand you the pigskin. You’ll run it in.”

“You got it, brother,” Loke said.

The players got into position. I pictured the lights shining down on us, with thousands of screaming fans surrounding us. I could smell the warm popcorn, hot dogs, and beer. I was there.

“Hut, hut! Hike!”

The football came into my hands. I dropped back and eyed the rep who created the fake out. Then, just as I shot my arm back, I handed the ball to Loke, who subsequently ran into the end zone.

We went over a lot of plays that day, and I remembered every single one of them. How could I forget?

When the sun turned a bit too bright for our taste, we packed it in. Holloway looked like he was in good spirits, and I was pretty sure I was a shoe-in to get traded onto a good team.

“So, you were impressed?” I asked, only slightly kidding around.

Holloway and the reps were overwhelming me with compliments. Once the older guys left, I wanted to know the real deal. “So, what’s the deal? This was fun and all, but they know my skill level,” I said.

“Look, man. It all depends on you. How did you feel out there today?” Holloway asked.

I still had the football in my hands. “All of this feels natural. I want to play again, man. Seriously. But there are conditions I want to outline,” I said.

“A bonus?” Holloway asked. “Because I can get that done if that’s what you need me to do.”

“We can talk about the pay and all of that later. Right now, I’m focused on what my requirements are. I don’t want to have to be forced to do twenty ads in a day, you know? And I don’t want to work with people like Andy. I want a good team around me, with decent people involved,” I said.

I made my claim. The league wanted me back because they knew I could bring the heat. But I was only going to join up if they could match my offer.

Holloway leaned on his left foot, balancing his body. I worried that he still felt pain, but I didn’t bring it up. “Let me get this straight. You want me to go into negotiations for you for a better contract?” he asked.

I laughed and pondered the thought. “Well, it doesn’t have to be you,” I said. “But you got it right. I’m a whole different man now. I’m about to be a father. I’ve got new priorities.”

“That’s it? Addison, I got you. Whatever you need. We’ll find you the right people. Let’s get you back onto the field,” Holloway said.

I felt grateful and excited, but no contracts had been signed, and I knew that sometimes these things didn’t pan out. Once Holloway left, Loke stuck around. “Hey, Addison. I’m sorry to bug you, but I had a good time today,” he said.

“Yeah, me too, actually,” I muttered.

I thought I would be competing against him, but he was just along for the ride. Loke reminded me of me when I first got into the business. He was young and impressionable, but he was hungry to play. That mattered to me.

“I have a lot of respect for you. I honestly watched about every game you played in the past,” Loke said. “I have no idea if we’ll get drafted to the same team, but if we do, I hope you can mentor me. I’ll really listen.”

I thought about my mentor. He was the man who tried to violate me. It was emotional to think about, but a whole new generation of athletes was getting signed, and they didn’t play that way.

I high-fived him and smiled. “I’d be glad to toss the ball around whenever you want. Give me a call sometime. We’ll practice,” I said.

Loke took my number and clenched his fist. “Thanks, brother. Oh, and congrats on the pregnancy. That fucking rules,” he said.

“Thanks, Loke.”

I closed my car door and leaned the leather seats back. I stared at the car ceiling and embraced the day. “YES!” I screamed, punching my fist in the air. “Hell yes!”

It felt like a moment of victory. I had the most handsome boyfriend in the whole fucking world. He actually wanted to marry me. We had a baby coming, and Holloway said I was a natural pick for the league. I felt on top of the world.

I peeled out of the parking lot. I drove a little too fast home, and I ran through the front door, screaming my ass off. I ran into our bedroom and dove into bed, next to Kristoff who had just woken up.

“What are you doing? Why are you screaming?” Kristoff asked.

“Gosh, I wish I could open a bottle of champagne with you right now, but it’s okay! We have some sparkling apple cider in the fridge!” I ran back into the kitchen, grabbed the cider, and poured two glasses, spilling everywhere.

“Addison! What the hell is going on? Why are we celebrating?” Kristoff smiled, but he was full of tired confusion.

“I want to make a toast to our future,” I said. “And to having lots of sex, and lots of babies.”

“Okay,” Kristoff muttered, clinking his glass against mine. We both took small sips. “Are you going to tell me what’s going on or not? I’m sleepy, and my stomach is the size of a watermelon. Don’t mess with me, Addison.”

“Omega, I think I got it,” I said. “They were impressed by these skills.”

I jumped out of bed and flexed my muscles, jokingly. “Oh my God!” Kristoff exclaimed. He ran over and curled his hands around my biceps. “Is this true? You’re going to play again?”

“Well, no contracts were signed, but I think it’s a sure deal. I shouldn’t be celebrating so hard, but it just felt so good to toss the ol’ pigskin around, you know? I felt so completely in my element. All of the roaring fans, the smells, the emotions… it was all inside of me again,” I said.

I felt like a little boy in a toy shop. I probably sounded like a total dolt, but it was exciting! I hadn’t done something like that for so long. Hell, there was a period when I refused to even look at a football.

“You’re so handsome. And capable. And strong. And hardworking,” Kristoff said. “Should I keep going with the compliments?”

I blushed and kissed him for a very long time. I placed my hands on his stomach and lowered my body down. I kissed the growing baby bump and leaned my head against it to hear him kicking around.

“He’s excited too,” I said.

The excitement soon turned into a deep connection with Kristoff and our baby. “Listen. You can hear him,” I whispered.

Sure enough, there were some faint sloshing noises and kicks. They were short, but still present. “Welcome to my world, alpha,” Kristoff said.

I exhaled, feeling satisfied. “Okay. I think I’m content now. I don’t even need to play a single game. I got it all out of my system,” I said.

Kristoff pet the side of my hair lovingly. I stood up and gently kissed him one more time. “I’m so excited for everything, my love. I have a real hunger for life now, and I know that once our child is born, our home is going to be perfect,” I said.

I got the type of feeling you get when you see a crush for the first time. I felt… elated. Kristoff sat on the edge of the bed. He looked exhausted, but his smile was through the roof.

We had designated the guest room as Ainsley’s room, but we planned to keep him in here for a long while. We both wanted to be close to him when he came, and we knew it would make it a little easier to check up on him.

These days, the whole house was decorated with wallpaper that fit our new lifestyle. We weren’t parents yet, but we were ready for it. Frankly, we were prepared for anything that came our way.

“It’s weird. I’m not even nervous anymore. I’m just counting down the days until Ainsley Matthews comes into this world,” Kristoff said, staring off into the blue wallpaper.

I thought back on that fateful night when Kristoff came over to my parents’ home. We rolled in the grass and looked at the stars. We made love all night long. Life felt so far away from that time now, but I still felt nostalgic for it.

“I was nervous before we decided to have him,” I admitted. “But once you accepted me back into your arms, I knew things would be okay. Nothing was as hard as finding you again. Nothing.”

Kristoff ran his hands through his hair and blushed. “I’ve been reading your letters,” he said.

That time, I felt embarrassed. I hadn’t read those notes in a long time. “Gosh. I hope I didn’t say too many stupid things in them,” I said.

“Addison, they’re beautiful. I mean it. Each letter has something incredible packed into it. It’s like I get to live those years out with you this time,” he said.

“Well, I loved you a lot,” I said.

Kristoff sat up higher on the bed and picked up the letters. “There were so many nights I’d stay up worrying about you. I didn’t want to care, but I did. I felt like you had so much going on in your life,” he said.

I shrugged. “I had enough, I suppose. Practicing was easy, though,” I said.

He held up one letter in particular. It was the last letter. I could tell because it was crinkled around the edges. That was a letter I had read a million times over.

In the past, I’d stay up reading it, while bawling my eyes out. I had decided to say goodbye to my best friend, my omega, and my one true love. It devastated me.

Seeing it in his hands brought deep-rooted memories into my head. “I hate that letter,” I said.

“No! It’s beautiful,” Kristoff said.

“How? It was my goodbye letter. I was heartbroken that this was over. It was the moment when I finally gave up,” I said. None of that was beautiful to me. It was wretched.

“It was the first moment I could give you a second chance. It’s the reason we’re here today,” he said.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“After that, you went on to win a bunch of games, super bowls, and all that other sports crap. Cut to the future, and you injured Holloway. Your parents called me, and the rest is history,” Kristoff said.

Kristoff, of course, hit the nail on its head. It all came down to that moment. After I finished that letter, I graduated college. I got drafted onto a pro team. I made history.

To me, that was a minor success set behind a significant failure. I gave up love for fame and self-gratitude. It didn’t feel like anything to brag about. But if Kristoff thought of it as something of beauty, I was all for it.

“I guess it is kind of beautiful,” I said.

“It is.” Kristoff held his glass of champagne high into the air.

“I’ll cheers to that,” I said.