Page 32 of Playing for Keeps
Hannah’s parents took a little to get used to our relationship, but we were pleasantly surprised by how accepting they were. While in the hospital, Coach Marshall visited, not as my coach, but her father. We had a long conversation about how things unfolded, the way I not only lied to him but also got his daughter too. He explained that his rule of her being off-limits was more to protect her from the heartbreak he had seen players cause over his career. He wanted more for her, and though he respected each player, he didn’t want a public life for his daughter.
I understood where he came from and agreed with him. I wouldn’t want my daughter to date a player for the same reasons. It took all day, and I apologized more than a dozen times, but Coach Marshall and I came to terms with where our lives were joined. He had even given his word he wouldn’t be much harder on me the following season, a promise I joked I’d need in writing. Everything had changed, and yet, it was a rainy night in the apartment, my world truly came into focus, and I knew the path I was destined to walk. The path I had been led to.
I stepped slowly out of the bedroom, the smell of dinner Hannah cooked filling the penthouse. Only a few lights lit up the kitchen. The rest of the house, with a dim glow from candles and a flicker of lightning every other second, mixed with the downpour just outside, created a relaxed atmosphere. Musicplayed softly: "Bound to You" by Christina Aguilera. Hannah had a thing for love ballads, especially from movies. My gaze lingered on her as she moved behind the counter, dressed in one of my jerseys and a pair of black shorts.
I watched her as though she were a mirage, some illusion which was untouchable. Yet, she wasn’t. She was there, real, mine. I’d had to work hard for everything in my life, unable to breathe and allow the chips to fall where they may. I thought I knew where my life was headed, where it would go, and what I was put on this Earth to do, then I met her. She changed everything. She made me see the path I was on was only so I could get to her. Until her, I was moving through life blinded. Football was my life.
With a slight limp, I made my way across the room, her gaze finally lifted to meet mine as I moved around the counter. Her smile could light up the darkest of rooms. Did she know how much I loved her? How devoted I was to her? I risked everything to be with her, and still, it didn’t seem like enough to have her with me.
“You, okay?” She asked with a caring tone.
I nodded.
“Dinner is nearly done.” She said with a tilt of her head. “Cameron?”
I reached around her, flipping off the stove, my hand lifting to her waist. Her fingers caressed the side of my face, resting around the sides of my neck, our eyes connected in a loving stare. She leaned down and kissed me softly, stepping forward, forcing me back gently. Her arms dropped, her hand with a grip on mine. With a slow stride, always careful with me after my injury, she walked me to the couch. Waiting until I sat down, she grabbed the remote to the stereo, dropping it as "When I Look at You" by Miley Cyrus started to play.
Her movements were slow, gentle, as she pulled down her shorts and stepped from them. She pulled my jersey from over her head and stood before me bare, beautiful. Hannah was the most breathtaking creature I’d ever seen. Her curves, the softness of her skin, the way her dark hair lay loose over her tanned skin. She was my definition of perfection, heaven, like a dream. She leaned forward and grabbed my sweatpants, pulling them from my body as I lifted slightly.
With a soft movement onto me, she rested her hands on my shoulder and positioned herself so as not to cause me any discomfort, as if she could. We stared lovingly into one another’s eyes for what felt like eternity when she reached between us, gripped my manhood, and rolled her hips, allowing me to slide smoothly into her. My eyes closed only briefly from the warmth of her surrounding me. Her palm returned to my shoulder as she started to move with a gentle and slow sway. I slid deeper inside the harder I grew, her walls molded tightly around me, my fingers closed around her hips, gripping with a lift of my pelvis. She leaned forward; our foreheads pressed against one another as we made love. Hannah was my world, my path. I wanted to touch her, have her in my arms, forever.
“You ready for this?” Easton asked as I finished my therapy session, with him standing in the doorway. I nodded my head, exhaling as I stood from the table. It had been a month since my night with Hannah in the penthouse, and I was done waiting. I knew what I wanted. I moved to my brother, half-expecting him to try to talk me out of my decision, and was surprised when he patted me on the shoulder and grinned.
“You make the calls?” I asked.
“Everything is ready.” I grew nervous, my hands shaking a little. I had played this moment out in my mind more than adozen times over the last month, yet nothing had prepared me for how it would feel.
“Let’s go,” I said, Easton with another pat on my shoulder, stepping from the doorway.
We made our way to the waiting room, where Hannah and Marty waited, Marty with a knowing smile, only to confirm Easton hadn’t kept the secret I asked him to. My focus shifted to Hannah as she approached us, taking my hand, our fingers interlocking. “Everything good?” she asked lovingly.
“Perfect,” I replied.
We made our way through the lobby, where hospital staff lined up to watch us as we passed. I knew my plan would draw attention inside, though I had hoped for a little more discretion. With Easton and Marty behind us, we walked through the automatic doors, Hannah with a gasp at the collection of reporters and cameras. Lights flashed, questions were yelled in our direction, my hand gripping her tightly, letting her know I was there, and she was safe. We looked at one another. I offered her a short smile when I saw Coach Marshall and his wife walk from the crowd. Hannah looked confused, then looked over to them, before turning back to me as a reporter yelled out a question.
“Cameron, are you ready to get back to training for the next season?” I licked my lips and looked at the man.
“I’ve been ready to get back to training,” I replied.
“How is your healing going? Will you be ready?” Another yelled.
“I’m ready now.” I joked. “My doctors are impressed by my healing, the progress I’ve made in such a quick time.” I continued, looking over at Hannah with a smile. “I’ve had great support.”
“Is this your new lady?” The same reporter yelled.
I nodded my head, still looking at Hannah. “Yeah,” I replied, turning my attention toward them all. “This is the love of my life, Hannah Marshall.” Even in the daylight, the flashes from the camera were overwhelming, and another reporter yelled another question.
“Marshall. As in Coach Marshall?”
I nodded once more, turning my attention toward the coach, then back to the reporter. “Yeah, Coach’s daughter,” I answered. “Though I’m hoping she’ll be referred to as something else soon.” I released Hannah’s hand and turned toward my brother, grabbing a small box he pulled out of his pocket. Licking my lips, I nervously grinned at Hannah, my eyes returning to her.
“Cameron.” She whispered, her voice shaky.
I smiled and opened the box. Hannah gasped as she looked at the diamond ring inside. Her teary eyes returned to me as I spoke. “You captivated me the second I saw you on that balcony, and you’ve held me under a spell since then.” I chuckled, as did she. “I’ve never believed in love at first sight, until that night. I love you, Hannah Marshall, and if you’d do me the honor of becoming my wife, I’ll make sure you never question it for the rest of my life.”
Tears fell down Hannah’s cheeks as she looked into my eyes, until with a nod she said the word I wanted. “Yes.” Sliding the ring onto her finger, I tossed the box to my brother before wrapping my arms around her, pulling her in for a kiss. There was a mixture of applause, yells of questions, and the flashes of cameras, yet Hannah was all I took in.
CHAPTER 29
