"I trust you." He regarded me silently for a moment. "I'm guessing that you heard about Zeke and Juliet. I hope that's not going to be a problem."
"Not for me, sir," I assured him. “I wish them every happiness. Zeke’s a good man, a good friend. I hope that he and Juliet can be happy. I don't have any bad feelings at all."
"I didn't think so.” Coach finished his coffee and set down his cup with a clatter. Pushing back his chair, he stood up. “All right, then." He offered me his hand again. “If it’s possible, we'd like to know your answer by next week so that we can wrap that into your announcement. It'll make it a little less bitter, a little sweeter if we can tell them that we’re keeping you as part of the family."
"I should be able to tell you within a day or two, sir." I stood up, too. “And Coach, sir, thank you again for this opportunity –"
"Don't thank me, Spencer. Just make me proud." With one more clipped nod, the man was out the door. I knew that too much emotion made him uncomfortable. But he was a good man, a good coach, and I was genuinely excited about the prospect of working with him.
I hoped Alison would be excited, too.
* * *
"Hey, you’re home." From her spot on the couch, where she lay with her feet up, Alison called to me. “You're just in time to see my new trick."
"New trick?" I perched on the tiny bit of sofa that was available alongside her hip. "Okay. Dazzle me."
She grinned up at me and suddenly, it was hard to breathe. It happened like this all too often now. We'd be doing something completely mundane, completely ordinary, and I looked at Alison and just felt like I might die if I couldn't touch her.
I swallowed hard and tried to play it cool. I was still doing my best to follow my mother's advice, to show Alison in very real and tangible ways that love could be trusted – specifically, thatmylove could be trusted. But it was slow going, and sometimes, I wondered if she was getting the message. If she even wanted to see it.
She was talking now, and with no little difficulty, I brought my attention back to her.
"Look. Watch.” She was holding a glass of water in her hand, and biting her lip, she balanced it on her huge baby bump. I watched silently, my smile growing as I felt her excitement. Within a few seconds, the water began to jiggle and dance as the baby kicked.
Alison laughed in delight. "It's so cool. It doesn't matter where I put it on my stomach. She finds it and gives it a good punt." She cast me a sideways glance. “You know, maybe she's going to be a football player, too. Like her daddy. Isn't there a college team that has a woman kicker?"
"Or maybeheis going to play soccer," I countered. "Or maybe she's… a salsa dancer,” I decided. “Whatever the case, I like your new trick. Very impressive.”
"Thanks." She picked up her water and took a sip. "So how was the meeting with your coach?"
I rested one hand on the back of the couch to balance myself over Alison's body, putting us in an oddly intimate position, our faces close together. "It was actually very interesting. Very positive,” I elaborated. "He offered me a job. On the coaching staff."
Alison's eyes went wide. "Seriously?" she asked. "Oh, well, Noah! That's awesome. Do you think you want to take it?"
I nodded slowly. “I think I do, but I wanted to talk to you first. How would you feel about me taking that job?”
She narrowed her eyes, and I knew she was considering it. "Would it be a lot of hours?" she asked. "And what about travel?"
"Hours would be more intense in the late summer and fall, possibly into the winter, depending on postseason play. They’d be more regular in the spring and summer. And as far as travel, it would be about the same as when I was a player, probably. Occasional away games that would take me out of town probably on average, a weekend or two a month during the regular season. But," I added as a thought occurred to me. "As a coach, I'd be able to have my family travel with me."
Alison studied me. I couldn't read the expression on her face. I hoped it was positive.
"So . . . you're saying you'd want to take the baby with you on some of these away games?" She sounded dubious.
"Not just the baby," I corrected her. “Both of you. And I know that it couldn't be all the time, and I know that you might not want to fly around the country with a newborn, but it's just an option for some trips, at least."
"All right. That's good to know." She was biting her bottom lip again. "I think it's a wonderful opportunity, Noah. This would let you stay in the game without getting hurt again. I think you should go for it.”
"Really?" I questioned her. "The thing is, I wouldn’t have to start until I was ready. I could tell them that I can't start working until… well, you know, later. Because we decided that I would stay home with the baby when you first went back to work."
"We can talk about that.” Alison shrugged. “We'll work it out.”
I leaned closer, ducking my head so that I could see into her eyes. When she didn't meet mine, I used two fingers to gently lift her chin.
"Hey," I said softly. "Are you sure you're really okay with this? Because if you're not, I'll tell them no. Maybe something else is going to come along that will work better for us."
"I'm sure," she murmured. "I'm really happy for you, Noah."
