Chapter 37

K ing smiled at the fan section that Lila, Knight, Wren, and Lila's family had created. It was the last game of their fall season, and the Alexanders were repping in head-to-toe Bradley U soccer gear. Even Wren had made a point to dress in school colors, which meant more to King than he could actually verbalize. In the weeks she'd been home, he'd gotten to know her on a whole new level and had been able to see how good she was for Knight. He sometimes felt the need to pinch himself because he'd never imagined living a life filled with so much love. A life filled with… family .

Notably absent was King's mother, who still wasn't speaking to him. And though Solomon wasn't visible from the field, King had the feeling that he was lurking somewhere in the wings, ready to pounce. But for the first time ever, that prospect didn't faze him at all. He had found his own family, and their ties were thicker than any blood connection could ever be. Because they'd chosen each other.

King dribbled the ball around a defender and sliced it over to Will, who was waiting at the wing. Will headed it towards the goal, and the ball slipped past the keeper, cementing their lead by another goal. They fist bumped as they ran back to prepare for the opposing team to kick off.

The rest of the game flew by, and King managed to score a goal in the second half, much to the delight of Lila's brothers, who started a chant and the wave in their section of seats. He gave them a couple of claps above his head in salute as he ran past, and Lance and Landon acted like it was the best thing they'd ever seen.

As soon as the referee's whistle signaled the end of the game, he made a beeline over to his woman. She jumped over the cement barrier, and he caught her in his arms as she attack-hugged him and then wrapped her legs around his waist. Then he kissed the shit out of her, to the supreme delight of their small audience. "Love you, La."

"Love you, my King."

Just as he was prepared to take her mouth again, the sound of a clearing throat interrupted them. Coach Klopp stood there, looking as grumpy as ever, even though everybody knew he was secretly a teddy bear inside.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I need you in the locker room right now, Spencer."

King nodded and set Lila down before lifting her back up and over the cement partition. "See you soon?"

Lila nodded and pecked him on the mouth quickly. "We'll wait here."

King followed his coach into the locker room, where most of his other teammates had gathered. But, instead of stopping, they walked straight through to Klopp's office, where his coach motioned for him to sit down.

"Good work out there, son," Coach Klopp remarked gruffly. "I just wanted you to know that I've been contacted by scouts from Europe, notably from La Liga and the Premier League. They've got their eyes on you."

"That's… Wow" was all King managed to say.

"I'm not surprised. You're probably the best forward I've ever worked with. I know that MLS has been following you too. But I think you should sincerely consider playing abroad. You're definitely talented enough to be competitive, even if you are getting a later start than some of the European players."

"I appreciate the advice, Coach," King said, his mind reeling. Playing soccer professionally at all would be a dream. But in Europe? It would be phenomenal.

What about Lila?

He knew he couldn't expect her to follow him wherever he went; she had plans too. But the thought of them being separated for any amount of time made his chest tighten. Luckily, they still had months to figure things out. Hell, he still had half of a season to play. But this information definitely changed things.

Thanking his coach, King grabbed a quick shower and then headed out to greet Lila and her family. Knight and Wren had gone ahead to grab a table at the local pizza place, where they'd all decided to eat afterwards.

King exited the tunnel and headed towards Lila and her family, where he was met with a chorus of cheers and even some hugs from the two youngest. Their exuberance was something he was still getting used to, but he didn't hate it.

The heightened energy continued throughout dinner, as Lila's brothers did their best to each eat an entire large pizza. Leo succeeded, but he looked a little green afterwards. Wren and Lila were talking about baby names, and Knight was always making some kind of contact with Wren, whether it was an arm over the back of her chair or a hand on her knee. King was surprised how well his best friend had settled into the role of boyfriend and father-to-be. If anything, he seemed even calmer. Happier. More whole.

Wren had, for all intents and purposes, moved in, so Lila and Wren were finally able to be roommates, even if it was in a slightly different way than they'd always envisioned. More often than not, King and Knight would arrive home from practice and find them curled up on the couch watching their favorite shows and snacking on their special mix of buttered popcorn and peanut butter M&Ms.

When dinner was over and they'd said their goodbyes to Lila's family, King drove up to the overlook. As if sensing he needed her close, Lila climbed over from her seat and straddled King's lap.

"What did Coach say?" Lila asked while running her fingers through his waves.

"He thinks I have a shot at playing in Europe."

Her fingers halted suddenly, elation readily visible on her face. "King! That's incredible!" Her hands moved down to shake his shoulders as she peered down at his face and her expression sobered. "Or maybe it's not so great?"

King sighed deeply as he traced a hand up her side. "It's great. A dream, actually. I never thought that playing over there would be a possibility. Hell, I thought playing professionally here would be a stretch."

"So what's going on in that big, beautiful brain of yours, then?"

King squeezed her side and leaned forward to kiss her softly. "You." Her brow wrinkled and his chest squeezed. "I don't want to leave you, and I don't expect you to drop your life and come with me. I don't want to take you away from your family and from Wren and Knight. Fuck, I feel like we just found each other again. I don't want to lose this. You're more important to me than a game."

Lila pressed her forehead against his, her scent flooding over him like a wave. "I love my family, and I love Wren and Knight. But…" She cupped his face with her hands. "I love you the most. You're the most important person in my life."

"But law school…"

"Might be something that I still want to pursue. But honestly? I am graduating college in three years instead of four. I'm kind of burned out. I can afford to take some time to figure out what I really want to do and not what I've put pressure on myself to do just because it fits some prescribed path I envisioned years ago."

She lowered her face to his as she started to make little movements back and forth over his lap. "There are really amazing law schools in Europe, you know. I wouldn't be mad about channeling Amal Clooney and going the international law route. After a bit of a break, of course."

When her tongue grazed his bottom lip, he couldn't help but bite it.

"I fucking love you." He gripped her hair loosely at the base of her skull and pulled so that her neck was exposed to him.

"Same," she hummed as he kissed and sucked and bit the length of her throat. "We're in this together. We'll figure things out together. Endgame, remember?"

"Endgame," King hissed as she freed him from his pants and started stroking him. After some surprisingly dexterous maneuvering, Lila extracted herself from her jeans and then lowered herself onto King's throbbing cock.

They didn't talk again for a good, long while.