Page 82 of Take It on Faith

I heard the lock click as it unlocked and the door swing open. “Okay, open them!” Michael said. I opened my eyes, a smile already on my face.

It disappeared as soon as I looked around.

Instead of what I thought would be rose petals, candles lit all over, and soft music playing in the background, Michael had decked the place out in blue and gold. “What’s all this?” I asked.

“I’ve been moved to the starting lineup,” he said. “I just found out right before I got to the courthouse. Surprise!”

“Wow,” I said, looking around. “That’s great.”

“Yeah!” He finally took a look at my face and his fell. “What’s wrong, babe?”

“Nothing.” I tried, and failed, to bring a smile to my face. “Nothing, I’m just surprised, is all. This is our first night as husband and wife. I was looking for something a little more…romantic.”

“I know, babe, and that will come. But this is what we were hoping for, right?” He took my hands in his. “This was the dream. I was going to play ball and you were gonna work for your mom until you found something more permanent.” He laughed a little. “But I guess your part of the plan has changed a little.”

As much as that stung, it was true. Still, I frowned. “Yeah.” Somehow, even though we had talked about this plan, it didn’t feel right anymore. The realization of what our next year would be like hit me all at once. My married life fantasy faded as it was soon replaced by reality.

The truth of it was that Michael was going to be in his senior year of college. He had been moved to the starting lineup on his team, which meant that he had even more responsibility. Football had to come first. On top of that, he was involved in his family’s retail chain. He was even a manager. We were in different life stages –I was trying to start my career while he was in the midst of following his. How can we truly enjoy our life together if he’s constantly in practice or in games?

“I guess I was just hoping we could have a romantic night tonight,” I said finally.

“We will,” he repeated. “But we have to talk about this first. The season starts in a week.”

“Wow,” I said again. My body started to go numb. “So soon?”

“Yeah, it’s pretty much fall.” Michael frowned again. “This is all stuff we talked about, remember?”

“I remember,” I said faintly. My heart picked up speed and my palms started to sweat. I could feel my vision getting narrow. “It’s so soon. Will you still be home for the wedding?”

“I negotiated that when they asked me to be first string,” he said proudly. “They were thrilled. They said it’s good to have a family man on the team.”

“That’s great.” I tried gulping in some air to no avail. “That’s really great.”

“Babe, maybe you should sit down.” Michael looked at me, worry clouding his hazel eyes. “You don’t look too good.”

“I’m fine.” I took a deep breath, then another. “I’m fine. It’s just a lot all at once.”

“Well, let’s talk about it, then.” He guided me to the couch and tucked me into his side. “What do you want to know?”

“How often will you be on the road?”

“About as often as I was last year, so about half the time.” He stroked my head. I winced as his hands got caught in my curls. “Not much will change in that.”

“And do you travel all over the country?”

“Sure do. But it’ll only be during the season, and it won’t be that often.”

“Half the time is pretty often, Michael.” I couldn’t help thinking how hypocritical it was that he pitched a fit about me traveling with the band for a month when he would be out of state for a lot longer and, if he made it to the NFL, an indeterminate number of years. “How will we have kids if you’re away all the time?”

“I can’t afford to have kids while I’m in my last year of college, babe. But we’ll do it every day I’m home after the season’s over. And then, once they’re born, you’ll be here for them when I get that job as an agent. With your mom’s and Catalina’s help, everything will be fine.” He frowned at me. “I thought that was your dream, to be a stay-at-home mom.”

“I thought so, too,” I murmured. “I guess now, I’ll have to be.”

“I mean, you can still work part-time and stuff,” he said. “Not that you’ll need it. I’ll be making enough to support all of us. I have the money from the family business, and if I invest some of that money, too, then you won’t ever have to work again.”

“Sounds like a dream,” I said faintly. My dream life, once upon a time, or so I thought. “Sounds like our dream.”

“Right?” Michael’s voice rose with excitement. “That’s exactly what I was thinking!” He crushed me in a bear hug. “I knew you’d come around.”

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