CHAPTER 36

“We’re dating, yes,” Kendra said into her phone.

“You’re dating an athlete?” her producer asked.

“Yes. Well, we’ve been together for over a month, so we’re not really dating; we’re a couple already. Aspen is my girlfriend.”

“Kendra, with all this HR sexual harassment stuff going on?”

“I can’t control when I meet someone and want to be with them. I’ve reviewed my contract several times, and there’s nothing in there that says I can’t date an athlete I interview when I cover their sport. Aspen is not a network employee, and nothing unethical is happening here. I have no power over her, and she has no power over me.”

“Oh, that’s not true,” Aspen said softly as she kissed up her inner thigh.

Kendra glared at her, and while Aspen didn’t stop her kisses, she did go quiet.

“I know. But it doesn’t look good. People saw you two kissing.”

“So? We’re a couple. We kiss. And she’d just won her match. We didn’t make out or anything. And I’m not here on the network’s dime; I’m here on my time off to be here for my girlfriend’s tournament. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I know. I just…”

“What?” she asked when her producer didn’t finish his sentence.

“Things are crazy here. You know that.”

“I know I’ve never done anything to deserve a call like this on my time off work. I’m not the one who caused the problems for the network.”

“I know that,” he said.

“Am I in any kind of trouble here?” Kendra checked.

Aspen did stop moving then and looked up at her.

“No, you’re not. I was just told to call you to find out what’s going on.”

“And you have. So, can I go back to my vacation now?”

“Sure,” he said. “Sorry. I had to do what the higher-ups asked me to do. I’ll check this awkward-as-hell conversation off my to-do list and tell them that everything’s okay.”

“It is okay. And I get it. I’m sorry they put you in this situation, too.”

They said their goodbyes, and Kendra set her phone down on the bed.

“Are you okay? I knew I shouldn’t have kissed you like that…”

“I’m fine, Aspen.” She cupped her girlfriend’s face in her hands. “I didn’t do anything wrong. The marketing team at the network actually loves this, believe it or not, from what my producer told me before he had to ask all those questions. They love the idea of their sideline reporter being with a very popular athlete leading up to the Olympics. It’s ridiculous. It’s just HR that needed him to talk to me, but I’m not in trouble.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure. Now, will you get up here? You have to leave soon, and I want to make out how we can’t on camera.”

“I was busy,” Aspen said, nodding between Kendra’s legs.

“Later. You have an important match today. Remember, Brazil is fast. They love their tempo. You and DJ either have to play with it or slow them down somehow. Don’t give them any on-two shots unless you can’t avoid it, and take your time with your serve. Use all of it before you hit the ball over the net, if you want.”

“Yes, Coach.” Aspen laughed and moved up her body until she was on top of Kendra. “Do you think we can do it? Qualify tonight?”

Kendra looked at her like that was a silly question and said, “Of course, I do. You’re Aspen Ashley. You’re the best beach player in the world. I can’t wait to watch you kill it out there today.” She kissed Aspen’s nose. “Now, make out with me for five minutes before you have to go.” She wrapped her arms around Aspen’s neck and pulled the woman down into her.

It amazed Kendra that she’d gone so long without feeling this kind of skin-on-skin contact because she loved it so much, having Aspen’s breasts pressed to her own while they moved together or just held on to each other. She wondered why she’d been hiding this whole time but decided not to punish herself for it because that wouldn’t get her anywhere. Minutes later, Aspen got out of bed, and Kendra lay there watching her dress in silence since Aspen needed to get her mind to focus on volleyball now. She watched her pack her bag and tossed on one of Aspen’s T-shirts and a pair of her shorts with nothing else since Kendra still had to shower and would change again before she left anyway. She pulled Aspen into her by the door and hugged her.

“I’ll be there soon. And you’re going to be amazing.”

“Thanks,” Aspen said, then pulled out of the hug and kissed her. “I’ll see you later.”

“In the stands, cheering you on, soon-to-be champ.” Kendra tugged on Aspen’s shirt and pulled her down for another quick kiss.

Then, Aspen was gone, and Kendra needed to get ready to join her.

◆◆◆

Kendra had been nervous yesterday, but today was the final, and they were playing a tougher team, so she was even more nervous right now as she walked into the tunnel with her friends-and-family pass that Aspen had given her. She wanted this for Aspen so much. For DJ, too, of course, but mostly for her girlfriend, who had been trying to get to the Olympic Games probably since she was a zygote. Aspen had told her stories of growing up on the beach, and it had been interesting to hear how similar their upbringings had been. They’d both been beach babies and preferred sand to just about any other surface, not caring about school all that much because they’d always known they’d do something on the beach, if they could, and their parents had supported their dreams, driving them from place to place, event to event, match to match over the years until one of them had to take a diversion from what she’d wanted all along.

As Kendra saw Aspen heading toward her after completing her unofficial warm-up, though, she really did wonder if it was all for a reason. Who knows what might have happened had she ended up playing professionally or even in college, like she’d wanted? She could’ve changed her mind and chosen indoor over beach. So, while Wyatt also knew Aspen a little, it wasn’t nearly as well as she would have had she chosen to go pro on the beach instead of playing indoor volleyball, and it would have likely been the same for Kendra. Hell, it already was for a while. Kendra had interviewed Aspen over and over, but nothing had happened between them.

Nothing had happened until she’d moved in next door. Sure, she’d saved up for years for the house, but she might not have chosen it at all had she played professionally. Back in the day, she and Monica had talked about moving in together in a small house on the beach somewhere or maybe a condo with quick and easy access to the water, but it didn’t need to be LA, specifically. While Kendra’s current house wasn’t far away from the beach, it wasn’t on it, and she might have bought a place on the sand in another life. For the first time, she was grateful that she hadn’t because she didn’t want to risk what she had now.

“Hi,” Aspen said as she approached her. “I don’t have much time, but I wanted a kiss for good luck since it worked yesterday.”

“Hi,” Kendra replied. “Am I your first-choice good-luck kiss supplier?” She wrapped her arms around Aspen’s neck.

“You’re the first and the only, babe.” Aspen kissed her sweetly. “I want this, Kendra,” she added seriously.

“I know you do. Go get it,” Kendra told her and connected their lips once more.

Aspen smiled at her and looked like she wanted to say something else, but she didn’t and hurried back to the court. Kendra moved to the spot in the stands reserved for the players’ family and friends and decided to take a few pictures like she’d done yesterday. Aspen’s parents weren’t big on traveling, missing a lot of her overseas matches, so while Kendra hadn’t met them yet, and they hadn’t talked about when they’d take that step, she thought that she wanted to have some good shots of Aspen and maybe some short videos of her in action to share with them when she did. Kendra smiled then because she knew that would happen. She knew they’d meet each other’s families, and probably not all that long from now, because she wanted to take all of those steps with the woman currently warming up on the sand.

When the match started, Kendra took a deep breath and watched as Aspen and DJ lost the first two points, got a point, lost the next three, and won the next one. DJ seemed nervous, whereas Aspen seemed okay, and Kendra could tell Aspen was trying to calm her down. They caught up eventually before they took the lead by one in the first set, and DJ had the serve on set point. DJ served an easy floater, and the Brazilians were more than ready for it. They got it back over the net, but Aspen was there. A long rally continued, with Aspen running all over the court, digging every ball, until finally, DJ was able to put it away. They’d won the first set.

Kendra could tell they were tired. Brazil liked to run the teams they played around and around, making them tired and slower, all while they increased the tempo of the match, but DJ and Aspen had held their own. When Aspen looked into the stands, Kendra winked at her and pushed her hands down in front of her, reminding Aspen silently to slow things down. Aspen nodded and returned her attention to DJ. A minute later, they were back on the court, and this was it. If they won this, they’d qualify. If not, they’d have to play a third set and win that one.

It was five to three when Kendra really noticed Aspen and DJ slow things down as much as they could. Aspen even passed the ball higher, giving them an extra second or two before DJ set it for her, and Aspen swung. They took as much time to serve as they could and never hit the ball over in two. The Brazilians looked frustrated because it wasn’t their style of play, and that was what Kendra had been hoping for. The more frustrated they got, the more mistakes they made; the harder it would be for them to come back.

Deep in the second set, Aspen had the serve, and they were up by one. She used the harder jump serve and went right down the middle, confusing the other team, whose players then pointed at each other, assuming the other would have gotten it. Up by two, and with eighteen points to the Brazilian’s sixteen, it was getting harder to catch up to Aspen and DJ now, and Kendra loved this. She wanted them to finish their set and match strong because it had been this team that had trash talked her girlfriend before, and while that was sometimes part of sports, it didn’t mean that Kendra had to like it.

Aspen served again to the same spot and with the same amount of heat, earning a second ace because they hadn’t expected her to do that again. Kendra’s favorite, though, was the next serve because the other team had bunched together a bit in the middle in case Aspen served there a third time, so Aspen just went line with her serve and hit it just inbounds for her third ace of the set and fifth of the match in total, which was a great number. They were up twenty to sixteen now, and everyone knew that unless they committed some major mistakes, the US would be taking home the win.

Kendra stood up then, applauding and cheering them on because it was set and match point. Her girlfriend was on fire, and she was going to be an Olympian. Aspen served an easy ball next, keeping it in play and moving to her spot, where she waited. DJ was at the net, and she blocked the hit, but it tipped up into the air out of bounds. Aspen ran for it and got to it in time, passing it up to DJ, who had to tip it over in two. They got back to their ready positions, and the rally continued for a few more plays until Aspen, looking like she was tired of this and wanted it done, swung for the fences on her kill, and the ball landed inbounds – or, at least, it looked like it from Kendra’s perspective. It was called out, but Aspen challenged the call, and after a review, the ref motioned for the USA to get the point. It was over.

“She did it,” Kendra said to herself with tears in her eyes.

She watched Aspen hug DJ in the sand for a while until they both got up and shook hands with everyone. Aspen’s eyes landed on hers then, and Kendra moved to the aisle because she wasn’t in the first row today. Aspen climbed up and hugged her, getting sand all over Kendra’s clothes, but Kendra didn’t care. She held Aspen’s face in her hands and kissed her hard.

“Congratulations, babe! You were so good out there,” she said.

“I love you,” Aspen replied with a wide smile. “I love you.”

Kendra hadn’t expected that, but she smiled back at her girlfriend and let out a little laugh.

“I love you, too.”

Aspen’s smile grew wider, and she kissed Kendra again as if she wanted nothing else in the world but to do that.

“You do, do you?”

“You didn’t know? I thought I made it pretty obvious,” Kendra replied.

“Hey, you should be a coach,” DJ said.

Kendra looked over Aspen’s shoulder and saw her partner standing there, pointing at them.

“What?” Kendra asked with a laugh.

“Kind of busy here, DJ,” Aspen added.

“Your girlfriend should be a coach, Aspen.”

“Well, can she worry about that later, so we can get our medal and celebrate after?” Aspen asked.

“You don’t want me to be a coach?” Kendra teased.

“Wait. Do you want to be a coach?” Aspen asked softly so that no one else could hear, despite there being hundreds of people around them.

“Your coach?”

“What? No way. I want to date you. If we make you our official coach, that could–”

“I get it,” she interjected. “Go get your medals, and we’ll celebrate. I picture a long night ahead for you, Olympic qualifier.”

“God, we did it, didn’t we?” Aspen said.

“You did.” Kendra kissed her on the nose. “And I love you, but go.” She laughed.

Aspen climbed down and hurried over to DJ. She then said something to DJ, and DJ looked back up at Kendra and nodded. Kendra couldn’t tell for sure, but she had a pretty good idea of what Aspen had just told her partner, and she smiled because not only was she in love, but Aspen loved her back.