Page 32 of The Way Home (Pathfinders Lake Romance #5)

Jeremy

I felt as nervous as I had before my first varsity game as a player, only this time I was the coach.

My first official game and a crowd full of parents who were going to hate me if I screwed this up.

Working with the team had been great. I loved it, and I felt like we’d been connecting well, but why did they have to come with parents? The thought made me shudder.

I woke up this morning with my stomach in knots and my chest tight, but Riley helped me relax in a little pre-work shower session, one where we were on the same side of the curtain.

Though, months later, it still got me hot thinking of when he snuck into the bathroom, hearing him jerk off without seeing him.

Riley surprised me then, and he continues to surprise me now.

We’d reached the point where our current relationship had been going longer than our previous one, and for me this was all new territory.

With other people, I couldn’t fathom how things wouldn’t get boring when I barely could handle sleeping with the same person twice.

Not with Riley. Now, every day was one I looked forward to, and every night was one I craved, even if it was simply sleeping and getting to hold him in my arms.

Riley knew me, too. Oftentimes, it seemed he knew me better than I knew myself.

Whenever I started to get overwhelmed, he was there.

It was comforting to know I didn’t have to face it alone, and he had this natural understanding of what I needed, whether it was exertion through running or sex, or soothing me and helping me breathe.

This morning, Riley opted for the naked, wet exertion variety, which I was a big fan of.

Unfortunately, the high didn’t last as long as I hoped.

I was dressed and getting ready to leave for work, and the nerves were creeping back in.

The game wasn’t until the evening, but I worked at the school during the day as well.

Most of my team were in weight-training classes that I supervised. Riley stopped me before I headed out.

While I donned what had become my traditional uniform of a polo shirt with the school logo and slacks, Riley wore a white lab coat over a T-shirt with Mr. DNA from Jurassic Park.

His black-frame glasses highlighted the golden flecks in his green eyes, and his—wickedly sexy—trimmed beard completed the look. My adorably hot nerd scientist.

Soon after we moved into the cabin, Riley started looking for work around town, not sure what he could do, given his background.

I suggested he apply at the science museum.

His eyes lit up at the idea, and the more he thought about it, the more excited he got.

Riley had been a little uncertain about it after we’d gotten caught making out, but he managed to push through it.

They were impressed by his degrees and experience and hired him on the spot.

Riley absolutely loved it. It wasn’t what he thought he would be doing, but he got to share his passion for science with kids in a way that had been so important to him when he was younger. I loved seeing him happy and loved the stories he came home with.

He straightened the collar of my polo shirt and said, “We have a field trip coming this afternoon, but I promise I’m going to make it for the game.”

“Good. I’m not sure I can do it without you.”

“You can , but you won’t have to. Just remember what you tell the team. It’s not whether you win or lose…”

“It’s how you play the game. Yeah, yeah. Integrity and intention over points on the board. It’s easier to say for someone else.” I grimaced.

“You have done an amazing job. Your kids have worked really hard. Now it’s time to let them play. It’s a game , after all.”

“It’s a game,” I repeated. Acknowledging it didn’t take away from its value, but it was a good reminder. It was hard, but it was also meant to be fun.

“Oh! I got you something for your first big game,” Riley said with a playful expression.

“You did?”

“Yup. Hold on.” He ran to the bedroom that used to hold our bunk beds and now acted as our storage space. When he came back, he was holding a big, flat box.

“What is it?”

Riley shoved the box at me and shifted on his feet excitedly. “Open it.”

I yanked the top off and untucked the tissue paper to reveal a jacket.

I tilted my head and pulled it out of the box.

It had the school colors on it with our mascot on the front, and on the back it said “Coach.” A wide smile stretched across my face as I took it in.

It would have been nice enough if it was just that, but the fact that the letters were all blinged out, covered in crystals was ten times better.

“Riley, this is…”

“A little dramatic?” He prompted with amusement.

“ Ha . Maybe a little, but it's perfect. I love it.” I tried to be as open as appropriate boundaries allowed with the students, recognizing I was in a position to be able to create a safe space and foster an inclusive and supportive environment for them. I wasn't afraid to show off a little bling.

Riley took it from me and helped me put it on. He grabbed the front of it and looked me in the eye. “Now everyone else can see you sparkle the way I do.” He kissed me and sent me to work with a smile, thinking how incredibly lucky I was to have someone who got me and saw me like that.

Of course, the sweet send-off had worn off throughout the day, and now that the game was about to start, my nerves were cranked up even more. I tucked into the windbreaker, which I'd gotten several compliments on, and tried to focus on him.

“Hey, Coach, can I talk to you for a minute?” My quarterback stood in front of me, looking pale. I recognized that look—hell, I probably had a degree of it at the moment, too. First game jitters.

“Sure, Colton, what's up?”

He held his helmet in his hand as he stared at the ground. “I'm not feeling so great. I don't think I can do this.”

Something finally clicked, and I shut down all of my nerves and doubt.

It wasn't about me or how I felt, it was about the kids.

They needed my support. “The lights, the crowd, it's a lot, I get it. This is why we put so much time in practice, though. We do it over and over until it becomes automatic. You know the plays. You know what to do. Trust yourself and focus on the field, not on the stands.”

He nodded slowly. “I know the plays.”

“Damn right, you do. And let me tell you… as scary as the crowd is, when they cheer for you—and they will—it's going to light you up, and make you feel like you can do anything.”

His eyes brightened and the pale tone in his face faded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah. Now let's have a great game.”

“Okay,” Colton smiled and shoved his helmet on.

Seeing the change in him and knowing what I said seemed to help made me feel like I could do anything.

I let go of my own worries and was able to be present for my team.

Turning around, I scanned the stadium, feeling a bit of déjà vu as I remembered doing the same when I had been a player on this very same field.

Still looking for the same guy, only this time when I found him, he didn't look away.

Riley sat in the second row, and he smiled wide when our eyes met. He stood up to show me the hoodie he wore, and a laugh burst out of me, surprising the people around me. It read, “I'm with Coach” in the same blingy style as my jacket.

I loved the hell out of him. I made a heart shape with my hands before blowing him a kiss, and I didn't care that hundreds of people could see it. For my students, what better way for me to show my support than to be visible—sparkly, even—and love out loud?

I won that night. Our team lost, but I won. It was a close game. They fought hard, and at the end of it, they were proud of what they'd done. So was I. I couldn't ask for anything more. Well… I had one thing to ask, but it wasn't with my team.

Floating on cloud nine, I drove home, excited to unwind and share everything with Riley.

I loved knowing I had him to come home to.

He was mine, and I was his. We were both fully in this, but there was a label that had been living in my head since he accidentally said it when we first decided to move in together.

My heart was so full, I couldn’t keep it to myself, and that word sat on my tongue, needing to come out.

My heart did a little flip when I saw his car parked at the cabin.

He left the game earlier than me, knowing I had to wait until all the kids had been picked up.

When I came through the front door, a familiar smell hit me, making my stomach growl.

It was late, but I'd only had a couple protein bars before the game, too anxious for anything else.

Riley greeted me with yet another box. “I thought you might like something special after your big game.”

He opened the lid to display it for me. I breathed in deep. “Holy shit! Sal's cheeseburger pizza. It smells exactly like I remember it.”

“You mean… pungent?” Riley pulled a face.

I pulled the box away from him and whispered, “Shh. Not in front of the baby.”

Riley laughed. “Ridiculous man.”

“Marry me.” It just popped out, but him calling me ridiculous was something I lived for. It reached through time and space to how we were in the past and how we were in the present, and how I hoped it would be in the future.

He snorted. “What? Me, or the pizza?”

“Both could work. Are you interested in a throuple situation?”

Riley rolled those beautiful green eyes of his, and I felt like my heart would explode. I set the pizza box down on the table and grabbed his hands. “ You , Riley Carter. Marry me.”

He locked his gaze on me, studying my face. “Wait. Are you serious?”

“Yes. Fuck, it didn’t happen the way I planned.

I had a whole romantic thing in mind. We would go to the monument, go into the lake to find rocks to put on the monument, leaving our own tribute to the pathfinder and the preacher’s daughter, and then I would get down on one knee and tell you that I loved you and my life is better with you in it, and I want you to be my husband. ”

Riley pursed his lips, looking as if he was trying not to laugh.

I dropped his hands and started pacing in front of him. “Shit! I’m sorry. This is all coming out wrong. I had a plan, but then I saw you in the stands tonight, proudly wearing your hoodie, and now… the pizza… I don’t know, it just bubbled out of me.”

Riley stopped me, his hands resting on my shoulders, keeping me in place. “Shh. Take a breath.” I inhaled deeply and blew it out slowly. “Good. Now, ask me again.”

I tilted my head up to meet his gaze, a smile stretching my lips as I saw the overwhelming affection he had for me. “Will you marry me?”

“Yes.”

It didn’t register that he’d said anything because there was so much in my head I needed to get out.

My chest grew tight, my breath stuck in my throat, and I pushed the words past it before I ran out of air.

“I know it’s fast, but it’s also not, because time…

it’s taken us so long to get here. But I knew I loved you when we first met.

Whether it’s a day or a decade, I would feel the same.

Only, it’s grown, and the longer I’m with you, the more it continues to grow. ”

Riley put a hand on my chest, stopping me.

He deliberately inhaled slowly, waiting for me to do the same.

I closed my eyes and breathed with him as he helped me weather the storm in my head.

Despite the boost I’d gotten at the game, it had been a long, anxious day, and my defenses were down.

Now, I was facing the biggest moment of my life, and thunder cracked in my head.

I focused on the sound of his exhale. He was here.

He was with me. He wasn’t going anywhere. I knew it in the deepest parts of me.

When Riley felt me relax, he caressed my cheek and said softly, “Open your eyes.”

I did and saw a man who held so much love for me it made me want to cry. Already, my eyes grew misty.

Riley held his hand on my cheek and smiled so beautifully. “I said yes.”

“Yes?” I asked, trying to make sure I wasn’t getting ahead of myself.

“Yes, Jem, I’m going to marry you.”

That was it, the final blow. My heart exploded, and I lunged forward, kissing him and pouring everything into him.

Riley clung to me, and I felt his love flowing out of him.

Every moment we spent together, the longing of years spent apart, the past, the present, the future.

The tears that had been building streamed down my face, but I didn’t care, I was too happy.

When I pulled back, I looked at him through blurry eyes. “I’m sorry this wasn’t as romantic as I wanted it to be, but I love you bigger than I did back then, and I promise I will always love you, bigger and bigger every day.”

Riley drew me into his arms, my head nuzzled against his cheek.

“Pizza or monument, it doesn’t matter. It was perfect, because it’s you—it’s us.

I love you bigger, too, Jem. More than I could have ever imagined or dared to hope for.

For so long, I didn’t think I was strong enough, but you gave me strength, and showed me this was worth fighting for.

I promise I will fight for us for the rest of our lives, because it’s worth it. You’re worth it.”

I lifted my head to look at him. “We’ll do it together.”

“Together. Always.”

*Thank you for reading The Way Home.