Page 93 of The Long Game

Chapter Twenty-Five

Seven Months Later…

Lexi

It’s the last night of the lake house trip. Luca and Brielle announced earlier that they’re pregnant, although it was very new and that they wouldn’t be sharing news with anyone outside of the family for several more weeks.

We were all a little surprised since it took them years to conceive Bronx. It was great news to hear she was already pregnant again.

Of course, that started up the group pegging us with baby questions which we declined to give any preconceived notions of when that would be. When Tucker was pushed on the issue he said:

“I’ll be the only one waking Lexi up for a midnight feeding for some time.”

The questions stopped quickly after. Luca looked like he might be physically unwell after that.

Our life was on track. Even though Luca and Tucker hadn’t made it to the Super Bowl last season, they had a huge year for their first year together. Tucker’s knee was improving but it was something he was still working on making stronger.

He spent most of his off-season helping fill in where he could at Desh’s gyms in Chicago while Desh went to Florida to open a new gym.

With another huge explosion of new members starting to flood in, Tucker was a huge help. They’d even begun discussing a partnership opening more gyms after he retired from the NFL. Tucker is really excited about this new potential venture post-football career and I’m proud of him for finding something else he’s passionate about.

Tonight, at the lake house, was the first night I woke up in the middle of the night like I used to. But tonight was different than the ones before. I was waking up from the excitement of the future, not nervous.

Before, I would sneak out to the deck and worry about the things coming my way with the new school year, or the new responsibilities with a project or promotion at work. This time, I woke up to bask in the moon light and think of how far Tucker and I had come since the younger years we spent here together. Everything worked out the way it was meant to, and my life is blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

I have my dream job, my dream man, my childhood dream house, and a family most people only dream of having.

I have nothing to be worried for.

I quietly and carefully slip out of bed. Tucker isn’t cradling me like he usually does. His nightmares haven’t returned since the first night we agreed to date after the Chicago blizzard. The nightmares had stopped. But he still often holds me at night to remind himself when he wakes in the middle of the night that we have finally made it back to one another.

It’s pitch dark and I can’t see Tucker in the dark. I quietly go down the stairs. Tonight, I decide to walk out to the dock. I walk through the living room, slipping on my flip flops and heading for the French glass doors. When I get there, something catches my eye.

The dock is lit with tea candles all the way to the end and the beach has lanterns forming a path.

At the end, a tall broad-shouldered man stands facing the lake with his hands in his pockets. He doesn’t see me yet, but I already know who it is. I’d know that silhouette anywhere.

Just before I get to the dock, Tucker turns to face me. His gorgeous smile is full and as bright as I’d ever seen it.

“How did you know I’d come out here?” I ask.

“You know how you always wondered how I just knew when you were stirring at night when you’d come out and sit on the deck?”

“Yeah.”

“I decided to test the theory I’ve been working on,” He smiles.

“Oh yeah?” I say as I finally reach him on the dock. “What’s that.”

“We were always connected that way. I thought you’d sense I had something on my mind this time.”

I hadn’t thought about it. It was weird for it to be the first time I had woken up without a worry. Instead, I woke because I was blissfully happy? That has never happened before.

“What do you have on your mind?”

“I’m glad you asked,” Tucker says as he pulls a box out of his pocket and gets down on one knee.

“Tucker!” I gasp.

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