Page 38 of Season's Schemings
To score.
To lead my team to a win.
To make a certain someone in the crowd proud that she’s wearing my damn name on her back.
* * *
She’s waiting for me when I walk out of the locker room.
And when I say “waiting for me,” I mean that she charges at me like a bull to a red flag as I step into the corridor.
“Seb!” Maddie shrieks. Her arms are outstretched, but when she reaches me, she seems to rethink what she’s doing. Stops about two millimeters short and hesitates, arms windmilling as she attempts to balance from grinding to such an abrupt halt.
Half to stop her from falling, half to make this look like a natural hug between a newlywed couple for everyone else in the vicinity, I tug her towards me and wrap my arms around her tight.
I feel her body tense for a moment, then relax, her hands locking behind my neck.
Around me, the other players are hugging their own wives, kids, girlfriends, and/or parents. And it occurs to me that it’s nice that I have someone here for me, for once.
“Nice goal.” She beams. I scored at the end of the second, and another goal from Aaron at the beginning of the third was enough to earn us the W.
“So you saw me score this time, then?”
“What?”
“Oh, nothing.” I hug her tight for another moment—just long enough that it looks like a loving embrace—and breathe in her cinnamon-vanilla scent before letting go. “You ready to head home?”
“Yup.” She fishes the keys to her old rustbucket Jetta out of her pocket.
As we turn to leave, Aaron looks up from where he’s been practically eating a pretty redhead’s face off and winks at me. “You kids have fun tonight.”
I pointedly look in the direction of his arm candy for the evening. “Likewise.”
“Later, Slater.” He nods at me, then at Maddie. “Later…missy.”
“Missy?” Maddie looks at me with a question in her eyes as I put my arm around her and guide her down the corridor. “Why missy?”
I sigh, debate lying for a moment, but then decide to grab the bull by the horns and go with the truth. We’re stilltechnicallyat work, and so my at-home boundaries of keeping Maddie comfortable don’t have to count here, right? “I’m pretty sure he thinks we’re heading home to have some wild freaky sex.”
“EXCUSE ME?!” Maddie’s face is priceless.
“What?” I blink at my wife innocently. “Isn’t that what married couples do?”
She gives me a little shove. “In your dreams, Slater.”
“In mywildestdreams,” I confirm with a laugh, tousling her hair. “But I would settle for hot chocolate and a movie when we get home, if you’re up for it.”
Usually after evening games that go late like this, I want nothing more than a long, hot shower, my bed, and a baking show in the background as I drift off to sleep. Alone.
But tonight, I’m not feeling my regular routine at all.
Tonight, I’m actually kinda hoping she accepts my request to hang out because I’m in the mood for company.Specificallyhercompany. My wifey not for lifey, so we may as well enjoy spending time together while we’re in this.
I look down at her, waiting for her response, and she surprises me by smirking. “From freaky sex to hot chocolate? Boy, that de-escalated quickly.”
“Disappointed?” I tease. Because that’s all this is gonna be tonight—silly teasing and hanging out.
No thinking about how cute she looks, how good she smells…