Our little girls, Riley and Savannah, are parked on the bed, grinning up at their mother. Riley is three, and Savannah is eighteen months, and they are a handful. But along with their mother, these three women are my heart. They are my world. And so, when Morgan got her big break, it made sense for me to step away from coaching for a little while to take care of my girls. I’m now a stay-at-home dad, and Morgan will be fulfilling her dream of having her own sports talk show.

She gives me a shaky smile. “I wish I felt better about this, babe.”

I take her by the shoulders and give her a soft kiss. “This is the culmination of all your hard work. This is your dream. It’s what you’ve always wanted to do,” I tell her with a quiet laugh. “I remember hearing you talk about having your own sports show back in college.”

“I’m just … I’m scared,” she says. “What if I fail? What if I get in front of the cameras and absolutely fall apart?”

“You’re not going to fall apart. And do you know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Because nobody is more prepared to do this job than you are,” I tell her. “You have been working hard and training for this your entire life.”

She takes my hands in hers, and I notice they’re trembling. In all the years I’ve known Morgan, I have never seen her this rattled before. I’ve never seen her doubt herself. She’s one of the most self-assured and fearless people I know. Always has been. Seeing her this shaken is strange to me. It’s a completely new side of her. It hasn’t happened very often in our relationship, but this is one of those times when she needs me to be strong for her. When she needs me to be her rock.

“Babe, this is your chance to grab hold of your dream. Not everybody gets that chance?—”

“But I’ve got you and the girls,” she says. “I’m living my dream.”

“This is all just one part of your dream. Having your own show is what you’ve been dreaming about your entire life,” I tell her. “Don’t let your fear make you miss out on it. The girls and I aren’t going anywhere. I’m going to be home with them. Now is your time.”

A small, sad look crosses her face. “You’re giving up your dream for mine.”

I shake my head. “I’ve lived my dream for a lot of years. I’ve done everything I wanted to do. I’m good,” I tell her. “Staying home with these two rugrats—that’s my dream. Seeing you succeed and achieve everything you’ve always wanted is my dream. I want this for you. It’s your time, Morgan. Grab your brass ring and run with it.”

She turns her bright blue eyes to mine, and they’re filled with a thousand emotions. They shimmer with tears, and she gently lays a hand on my cheek.

“You really are the sweetest,” she says with a warm smile. “How did I ever get so lucky?”

“I ask myself that same question every day.”

She slaps my arm playfully, which gets the girls laughing like it’s the funniest thing they’ve ever seen. I pull Morgan into my arms, slipping them around her waist, and hold her tight. She stares up at me, a smile on her full lips. I just look into her eyes, letting her feel my strength, my belief in her. And slowly, her trembling fades. The fear drains from her eyes, and I see that confidence I’ve always seen in her.

“There’s my girl,” I say.

“Thanks to you. You give me strength.”

“Always.”

I honestly never knew life could be so good. I’ve got the woman of my dreams and two little girls who have taken my heart. Every day is better than the last, and even now, years after we first got together, Morgan is still teaching me things about myself I never knew. She’s still opening doors inside of me I never knew existed.

Thanks to this amazing woman in my arms, I see the world differently. I see myself differently. And I wake up every single day with a sense of joy that was uncommon in my life before her. I wake up every single day excited to see what it holds for me. For us.

“I love you, Mr. Hooper,” she says.

“And I love you back, baby girl.” I give her a gentle kiss. “Now, go do your thing. You’ve got this. And I’ve got you. Always and forever.”

Her smile is radiant, and her eyes gleam with joyful tears. “Always and forever.”

The End