Page 132 of No Place Like Home

If my injury hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been where I was today.

“How are you feeling, Hardwell?” one of the assistant coaches asked.

“Feels good,” I admitted.

I had worked my ass off, and even though many doubted me, saying that just because I knew how to play, it didn’t mean I could teach, it was fun to prove them wrong. Sure, nepotism had helped me get in, but the rest was all me.

Now we were closer to home than ever before. Head coach to my state's NFL team was a dream come true. I looked to the stands, where I knew my family would be, and immediately found everyone. My parents were in the stands, next to them were Emma with Dex, Freya and Max, Juliet with Rosie and Jake, and their kids peeking through. Then next to them was my wife.

God, she took my breath away. Her dark hair was up in a messy bun, and she wore stuff from my old merchandise. It made me smile. Next to her was my Quinn. I couldn’t believe how grown she was. My baby wasn’t a baby anymore.

“Ready?” they asked me.

My response was to put on my headset. It was game time.

* * *

Jess

We all had a blast at the game. I didn’t have a clue what was going on, but I cheered when everyone else did. At one point, my face was on the screen, along with Quinny's.

I might not have had a clue about football, but I was always down to support my husband. Shit, calling him my husband still made me feel all giddy inside.

After we moved in with him, the first thing he did was have his friend officiate a wedding in his backyard. It was small, intimate, and more like a barbecue, but it was perfect. And for our honeymoon, he took Rosie and me to the Philippines, where I could get some closure.

The attention that came with dating him had been a lot to take in, but he was there reminding me that it would be okay. And because I could admit I loved him now, I knew it would be.

Teaching wasn’t really an option now, and since I had Quinn, I had a new role to fulfill, so I was okay with it. Thanks to Scarlett, I’d started to work for her foundation and helped kids from domestic abuse.

“Come on, boy. Time for bed,” I told Simba.

He no longer whined because he had to stay in a separate room. He was more than used to it now.

I bent down and kissed the top of his fluffy head. “Try not to wake up too early. Daddy is going to be tired.”

He cocked his head, and I knew my boy understood. Whether he followed directions remained to be seen.

Making sure all the lights were off, I went up the stairs to our room. Now that Quincy’s contract was more secure and stable, we’d moved into a penthouse close to the stadium because our house was a few hours away.

Not like any of that really mattered. Not when we were together.

I leaned by the open door as Quincy finished reading to a sleeping Quinn. My husband worked a lot, but he always made sure to dedicate time to our daughter.

He was still in his coaching clothes, and I thought it made him look handsome. He leaned over and kissed Quinn on her forehead.

“Everyone left?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I breathed as he got closer.

He responded with a smile. His arms wrapped around my waist and carried me to our room.

“Congratulations, Coach Hardwell,” I murmured before leaning to kiss his neck.

His arms tightened around me. “You’re going to celebrate with me, Mrs. Hardwell?”

“Always,” I managed to say before he kissed me.

His kiss was possessive. They always were. And I lived for them. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he laid me on the bed.

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