24: ZENON: 14 Months Later

"Go! Go, baby, go!" one of the mothers in the stands screams just as the seven-year-old little boy kicks the ball into the goal.

"Keep your eye on the ball!" I call out to Jeremiah.

When the ball hits the back of the goal, all the parents in the stand to my left stand and shout. A sea of yellow t-shirts storms the field to either high-five, hug, or kiss their little ones.

"Wait, parents!" I shout as they approach the two groups.

The parents stop when I blow the whistle and hold my hands out. The little ones are easier to coach than the adults are to train. The adults seem to struggle with remembering the rules of the game on and off-field and need constant reminders.

"Great job, guys!" I say, giving both teams high-fives as I walk through the line that they've formed.

Once I've finished, the kids high-five the player opposite them on the opposing team. Once they've finished, the parents collect their little ones and take them off to the sidelines to get some refreshments.

When everyone is finished, I gather players, coaches, and parents from both teams to go over some reminders, such as practices, rules, refreshments, etiquette, and next weekend's game.

We have recreational, academy, and select soccer leagues now to ensure that children at every level can participate. This morning's group was the rec group. Our academy and select leagues will play at a different field this afternoon.

This will be my first weekend not overseeing their games, as I have something special planned for Dani and me. Marc Summers is one of our coaches, and he's overseeing those games with another coach that I've hired, Martin Strickland.

After the conclusion of my speech, the parents gather their chairs, coolers, bags, and their children and pack them away in their separate vehicles.

My coaches grab their gear and head out, as well.

I start at one end of the field collecting the remaining equipment, and Dani works on the other end of the field. Slowly, we move to one another before we meet midfield.

"Tired?" she asks.

"Yeah," I say, wiping sweat from my forehead with my forearm.

"I've got something that's going to be very refreshing for you," she says, dropping the items that she's collected at her feet.

"Oh, yeah? What would that be?"

"We've got to keep it PG," she says teasingly as she licks her lips.

"You've already got me thinking X-rated thoughts," I share.

"Mm, I like that," I groan, pulling her against me.

"You're hard."

"And you're wet," I say, pulling her cap off her head and smoothing her damp hair away from her forehead.

I press a kiss on her forehead.

"Mm, for all that hot, sexy talk you were just doing, I thought I would get a sultrier kiss than that."

"You're the one that said that we have to keep it PG," I tease her, biting the side of her neck.

"I did. Maybe you can show me what you're working with inside of the SUV. We don't have to worry about any of the little kids and their parents doing a drive-by while you attack me on the field," she laughs.

I cover her mouth with mine, swallowing her laugh and her subsequent groan. The kiss isn't anything that I would want the little ones to see. My hands are on her ass, and my tongue is definitely capturing hers.

When we pull back from the kiss, I tell her, "Now I can show you a thing or two in the SUV."

She snatches her items from the ground and takes off running, leading me back to where our SUV is parked.

When we arrive at the back of our SUV, I drop my bags onto the ground. Dani unlocks the doors, and we begin storing our bags inside.

"Now, you want to take me on the back seat or what?"

Laughing, I say, "How about we hop in the car and head over to the island?"

"Oh, I didn't realize that you wanted to go there this weekend."

"Yeah, it's been a month since we were last there. I just want to get away for a while."

"Okay," she says, shrugging and hopping into the passenger seat.

The drive takes less than twenty minutes, and once we're there, we both decide to shower before sex. We'd been in the warm autumn sun all morning, and we'd run several errands before then.

Although our sweat has dried up, the scent of the sun and old sweat clings to us, making us feel not so fresh.

"Lift your hair, baby," I tell her as I kiss her neck.

The shower water pelts us from every side, and the steam is filling the bathroom.

Dani lifts her hair onto her head as I wash her neck and back. When my hands drop to her ass, I drop the loofah from my hand and grab two handfuls of her ass.

"That is not washing, sir," she says, spinning around in my arms.

"I've washed you already."

"Yeah, but you know I like washing my body at least twice," she mutters against my lips.

"Mm," I moan, sucking on her bottom lip.

The conversation is cut off by the succulent kiss that we share.

"I'm so proud of you."

"For what?" she asks.

"Last weekend. When we visited your cousin Shep's house for his wife Mak's birthday, there was liquor all around, and you did so damn wonderfully well. I remember when you once would leave an event that was serving alcohol."

Dani loops her arms around my neck and stares into my eyes.

"I couldn't keep running from the temptation, baby. And I couldn't make others feel uncomfortable in my presence because I couldn't make the right decision due to my addiction."

"It can't be easy."

"It's not, but it's, as they say, one day at a time. I've been clean and sober for one year and seven months. Each day is a new battle with a new commitment to live right. At first, I was leaning on you."

"But now you've learned to lean on yourself," I say.

"Right. And while I don't pin everything on my new show, I know that I have to live the way that I'm telling these girls to live. I have to be that example, and so many people are still watching me."

"Yes, but you're not buckling under the pressure."

She slowly trails a finger through my hair and says, "I can't. I'm just me. I'm not trying to be anyone's definition of who they think I should be. If I don't meet their standards, oh well."

"God, I love you, woman!" I groan, lifting her as she wraps her legs around me.

My hands spread her wide, and I lift her just a bit higher. She sinks down onto me, and I close my eyes with a satisfied groan.

I think about our plans for this evening, and I think about how long we've been tied to one another in one way or another. Through the years, both of our lives have been marked by pain because of our self-destructive tendencies, and the pain that we failed to deal with.

I want that to end today. Both Dani and I have been attending counseling for the last eight months, and it has proved beneficial.

Thanks to her sister-in-law, MJ, we have been meeting with this wonderful lady named Claire, who lives over on Kiawah Island. We visit her once every other week, and she has been a godsend to us.

"I love you, Dani."

"I love you, too, Z," she purrs through her orgasm.

My body tightens as I take everything that she wants to offer me. I fill her up, and she gives me more than I could ever imagine.

When she releases, I release with her, and the bathroom is filled with our moans.

***

"I'm hungry," Dani says sweetly once I return to the cottage.

We spent the afternoon watching TV, I gave her a back massage, we ate lunch, and then took a nap.

I lied and told her that I was running an errand to one of the local stores and that I would be right back.

"Come on, let's grab something to eat," I say, reaching for her hand.

I pull her off the couch and lead her out of the house. When we pass the vehicles and begin heading down to the beach, she says, "I thought that we were going to get something to eat."

"We are."

"On the beach?"

"Yes."

"Is there a party happening tonight?"

"No, there's not."

"Then how are you going to feed me on the beach?"

"Trust me," I tell her as I continue to lead the way.

"Is it a surprise?" she asks. "You know that I don't like surprises."

"Baby, just trust me," I say, even as my gut tightens.

She doesn't like surprises, but I know that stems from the not-so-good surprises that occurred to her through her earlier years.

We walk a little further to the edge of our private strip in the opposite direction of the public part of the beach.

"Dinner by the water," Dani gasps when we come upon the table with the candlelight setting.

I woke up from my nap before Dani, and I'd sneaked down here and set up a few things, but I finished it all when I told her that I had an errand to run.

A white, linen-covered table with a single candle sits near the water. The plates are covered, and the champagne chills on ice. Two long-stemmed, wine glasses are turned upside down on the table.

I pull a chair out for her, and she takes a seat.

"You are so sweet and romantic, Z," she gushes.

"I'm not all that. I just love my woman and want to do things that make you happy."

"You make me happy, Z."

I remove the lid from her plate, and she squeals and claps when she sees shrimp and grits, one of her favorite foods.

"Oh, my gosh! How did you know?"

"Onyx told me."

Laughing, she picks up her fork and digs in. She releases a moan before she covers her mouth as she chews and mumbles, "I'm sorry."

When she finishes, I grab her hand, and we say a small prayer. We eat and enjoy our meal as we listen to the waves crash against the shore and then watch the sunset.

"It's the simple things in life that make life worth living. What you've done tonight makes all the difference in my little world."

"I'm glad because every time I wake up beside you, Dani, you make a difference in my world."

"I love you," she says.

"I love you more."

"How long had you planned all of this?"

"For a while. About three weeks now."

"Wow. Three weeks of planning a nice dinner," she says thoughtfully.

I stand and reach for her hand as I lead her further down the beach, closer to the public section of the beach.

"Z," she moans when we come to a large heart drawn in the sand.

In the center of the heart are the words, "I love you, Dani. Will you marry me?"

Releasing her hand, I step into the heart and kneel beside the question mark where a little box sits.

Picking the box up and opening it, I look up at Danica.

"Dani, you spent a lifetime building an image that most women aspire to. While the world saw how beautiful and flawless you were on the outside, I saw how beautiful and flawless you were on the inside. Your imperfections, your flaws, your challenges, and your struggles have all made me love you more. It's because of your imperfections that my heart knows that it's found its way home. I need you in my life, not just today, next month, or even the next lifetime. I need you always and forever, Dani. Would you marry me?"

Tears are streaming down her eyes, and she bobs her head as she runs to me. She throws herself against me, and I brace for impact. Standing, I wrap her in my arms, and she kisses me solidly.

When she pulls back, her face is wet with tears, and she says, "Yes, Z. Yes, I'll marry you."

The road hasn't been easy for the two of us, and we're so far away from where we started, but we're right where we need to be.