Trevor

Trevor

Two Years Later

The season is about to start, and we are having our friends over for dinner before the craziness of the season begins. I have two more seasons until my contract with the Crusaders is up, and I honestly don’t know if I’ll continue. I love what I do, but during training camp this year my arm started giving me trouble. I’ve been working with Scarlett, but I’ve been in the league for over a decade now. No one can say I haven’t had a wildly successful career.

I’m not sure Slater will ever want to retire. He will probably need another career-ending injury for that to happen. Despite him still being one of the fastest running backs in the league, it doesn’t take away from the dedication he has to his family. Scarlett has been running her own physical therapy practice for about six months now, and they just welcomed baby Jude last May.

Erica was their surrogate, and it ended up turning out amazing for everyone. She had an easy time, hardly any morning sickness or back pain like she had before. The nice thing about it is that Scarlett and Slater were able to be a part of the whole pregnancy. I think Scarlett spent more time at their house than her own, and when Slater wasn’t playing ball, he was right there by her side.

Slater and Scarlett are, unsurprisingly, amazing parents, and Jude has quickly become their entire world. As soon as the kid started walking, Slater was trying to show him plays. It ended in lots of falling which had Scarlett scolding him.

Parenthood wasn’t always in the cards for them, and I think in some way they had accepted that. But as soon as they held him, it was obvious they were always meant to be parents. He’s one lucky kid.

Declan and Vi moved back to Tennessee shortly after our Super Bowl season. They kept their house in Seattle, and they typically spend their summers up here and the rest of the year down there. Their kids are getting so big it’s wild. We all joke that Declan must have a breeding kink because they are pregnant with their fourth child, and when the discussion of more kids comes up, neither of them is opposed to it. Crazy bastards.

Vi’s floral shop is booming in Tennessee. It’s actually doing so well they just opened a second location up here. She’s a regular entrepreneur, and Declan is more than happy to spend all of his time either with the kids or helping support his wife’s dreams. They are literally the definition of couple goals.

Seb and Erica are really enjoying retirement. They travel a lot as a family to all of Erica’s galleries and showings. They are on the move so much they decided to homeschool the girls for a while at least. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tighter knit family than those four.

After the Super Bowl, Seb took all his girls on a tropical vacation to the Bahamas for almost a month. They said it was the best time, and they even ended up buying a condo out there so they could visit often. Family of globetrotters, I swear.

I figured after Sebastian retired, we’d lose contact, at least a little, but honestly, we are closer than we’ve been in years. Maybe it’s because we finally got all of the shit off our chest, maybe it’s the fact that we walked into the literal lion’s den together, and he saved my life in the process. Or maybe it’s the fact that I’m no longer in love with his reason for existence. Could be any number of things.

Seb, Slater, and I actually get together quite a bit. Whether it is to grab a drink or have a barbecue with the families. I love it. It feels amazing to have my friends back, truly. Guess all it takes is to stop being a narcissistic ass.

Erica and I still talk, and she will never not be one of my closest friends, but we definitely keep a healthier separation between us. The same can’t be said for Erica and Sage. They are practically sewn together.

Relief wasn’t even close to the right word to explain the feeling we all experienced when we found out that Alec ended up getting nailed with several unsolved murders and was ultimately served a life sentence without parole. Sage cried for a solid hour, mostly happy tears, but I think a little bit of healing ones as well. I just held her through it, and when she looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and watery cheeks, I knew I would never let anyone or anything put that look on her face again.

I step up behind Sage who is putting the finishing touches on her salmon risotto. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lean down and press a kiss to her neck. She smiles softly before turning to face me.

“If you think loving up on me is going to allow you a chance at the rolls, you’ve got another thing coming, Michaels,” she says as she moves the basket of her fresh baked rolls away.

“Whatever you say, Mrs. Michaels.” I smirk.

“Shhh,” she says as she whips around, pressing her finger against my lips as she lowers her voice.

“We haven’t even told anyone yet.”

“Wasn’t that the whole point of this dinner?” I mock whisper back.

She rolls her eyes at me as she continues working. “Yes, hence why you shouldn’t ruin it, jackass.”

“Love you too, dear.” I chuckle before swatting her ass as I move to the dining table where everyone is sitting.

Sage and I were in Vegas a week ago when we decided on a whim to hit up the Little White Wedding Chapel. I proposed to her over a year ago, and though she said yes, she said she wanted a long engagement. I teased that she wanted that in case something better came along, but when the year mark came along and she still didn’t even want to talk about a date, I started to wonder if maybe I was right.

We were making our way down the strip when she pointed at a white cocktail dress in a window. We went inside, and when she came out, she did a little spin.

“Yep, I think this is it.”

“What? You mean you want it?” I ask as I scroll on my phone.

“Yeah, I think it’s about as good a dress as any to do it in.”

“Do what?” I say with furrowed brows as I look up at her.

“Get married in,” she says flatly like I should be on the same page as her.

My heart thumps in my chest as I quickly stand up from the couch in the shop and make my way toward her. She’s smiling at me. Not her typical mischievous smile, but a sweet one. One that melts my heart and fills me up.

“Are you serious?”

She nods. “Tonight.”

“Tonight? Like right now?”

She shrugs. “Why not?”

The way I fireman-carried her out of the store, tossing down a few hundred dollars to pay for the dress and didn’t stop running until I made it to the Little White Wedding Chapel. It’s been so hard to keep it a secret from everyone since we got back, but we decided what better way to tell everyone than at dinner?

She said that she plans on calling her dad tomorrow and telling him. Their relationship isn’t the best, but it is getting better. They are slowly building something out of what was essentially nothing. Aberton is less of a dick than usual, at least when he’s inside my home, and as long as Sage is happy, I’ll deal with the guy.

I haven’t spoken to my parents much over the years, honestly. Since I fully removed myself from the business, they haven’t made much effort. My mom more so than my dad. That’s why an elopement was so perfect for us. It was just me and her. Small, intimate, and completely unconventional.

After the Super Bowl, Sage and I packed up and moved to Paris for the offseason while she took her culinary classes. I didn’t think it was possible for her to get any more talented but somehow she did. She took both pastry and regular cooking classes, but her heart came back to the love of baking. When we came back for training camp, she decided that’s what she wanted to do.

So, I did what any sensible boyfriend would do, who was completely out of his mind for his woman, and had a couple million in his bank account to burn. I bought her a completely outfitted bakery, built to every request and spec she desired with the request that she make me the first batch of pumpkin cinnamon rolls out of the kitchen, to which she happily agreed.

Despite Sage being an extremely strong and independent woman, she isn’t like some of those who would balk at such a lavish gift. She happily accepted it with a giant thank you in the form of an incredible blow job that was well worth the six-figure investment.

“Do you need help, hun?” Vi asks from the table.

“Yeah, like I’m gonna ask the pregnant lady to help,” Sage scoffs as she walks over the risotto.

When she sets it on the table, Erica’s eyes widen as she leans forward.

“Uh, what the hell is that?” she asks, gesturing to Sage’s ring finger.

The three-carat diamond has been there for long enough to where it would be strange not to see it. Of course, eagle-eye Erica would be the one to notice the newly added band.

Sage glances down at her hand before smiling. I can’t help but grin as I yank her down into my lap and kiss her cheek.

“Uhm, so we kinda got married.” Sage blushes.

“WHAT!” a collective statement shouts from every end of the table.

The kids all cheer in excitement while the adults look at us like we are crazy before they all break out into wide smiles.

“When did this happen?”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I need details, like yesterday!”

I look at my new bride, not able to contain my happiness. I never would have imagined I would find happiness like this in my life. Definitely not with someone like Sage either. She’s crass, sarcastic, snarky, and a huge pain in the ass, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. The only thing we are missing now is a couple of babies, though I haven’t quite talked Sage into it just yet. I’ll give her another year or so to get on the bandwagon.

Maybe.

Glancing around the table, so full of love and laughter, it’s funny to me how we all came to be here right at this moment. We’ve all gone through hell, in our own ways, on our own journeys, and we’ve all seemingly made it out the other side. Life is so unpredictable, but I think that the best parts of life are lived in those unpredictable moments. They’re lived in laundry rooms, small diners, simple family homes in a tight-knit neighborhood or even a packed nightclub. Some of the most important moments are the ones we never see coming.

If there is anything I’ve learned so far in my life, though, it’s that nothing is permanent. Things break. Whether it’s Loyalties, Walls, Hearts or Rules. It’s all about having the right person by your side to help put the pieces back together.