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He gently wipes my stomach clean, and then he lies beside me and whispers to me about what a perfect day this has been and what a perfect life we will have, and the way he takes care of me feels so romantic even after he jerked off all over my stomach.

God, that was hot.

He is hot. He’s way out of my league, and yet somehow, he chose me. There are times when the doubt creeps in and tells me he’s only with me because he wants to save me, he’s only with me because of our shared history—or whatever other justification I can try to rationalize in my brain.

But the truth of the matter is that he chose me because there’s this mutual understanding between the two of us that connects us down to our very souls, and that’s something nobody else would ever be able to measure up to.

My mom decided to stay in Vegas for the next week, and we stay at the hotel in the honeymoon suite for a few extra nights. We keep Fallon with us for the most part, touring Vegas as he introduces me to my new home during the day and making love to me into the wee hours of the night. My mom takes Fallon for a few hours at a time or sometimes overnight so we can have a little time off to spend as newlyweds, but we only have five official days before he has to leave for training camp.

And those five blissful days pass in the blink of an eye.

He’s gearing up for training camp in between helping me get to know our new town, and in those hours Ellie is training me and getting me up to speed with all things Prince Charming Public Relations. She has an assistant, Leah, who is another football wife. She’s sweet and has already befriended me, and both of them took me to the Complex one morning to introduce me to everyone I need to know.

Mama Mo, the Coach’s wife, is my favorite.

It feels like I have another mom here in Vegas to look after me, and I’m already seeing how much of a family the Vegas Aces really are.

Elizabeth has been amazing with the addition of Fallon to the daily play group she nannies for, and she called me in once when Nolan tripped and skinned his knee to employ my pediatric nursing skills once again.

I loved helping him feel better. I loved wiping away his tears after I put a bandage over his boo boo. I loved being helpful in this place where everyone has been so wonderfully welcoming.

Before I know it, we’re saying goodbye to my mom at the airport as she heads back to Iowa—his parents left a few days ago—and spending Wednesday night back at Luke and Ellie’s house. It’s our last night before training camp begins, the event that kicks off the season for players.

He just gave me my second orgasm of the night, and I’m grateful once again for the privacy separating our room from the sitting room where Fallon sleeps peacefully.

We lie together breathlessly, neither of us moving as we both feel like jello after that intense round.

“Does that get better every time?” he asks, voicing the thoughts in my head.

“I think somehow it does,” I murmur, and he chuckles.

“You sound sleepy.”

I sigh as I stare up at the ceiling. “I guess I just…don’t want this moment to end.”

“I don’t either,” he murmurs. He turns in toward me, but I keep my gaze up at the ceiling as I think about how the next two weeks are going to be so strange without him. And the next six months, really. He’ll be around after the first two weeks in California, but his mind will be on the game.

I’ve never been with him in season, and now we’re married. It’s one adventure after another, that’s for sure.

“I know I need to get up to pee, but I also don’t ever want to move. And I don’t want you to leave tomorrow.” A tear slides from the side of my eye down into my hairline.

Tristan’s fingertips come up to brush the tear away. “It’s only two weeks, and we’ll talk every day,” he promises.

“I know we will.” I want to say more. I want to tell him that it’s harder for the person staying behind. He gets to go off on his football adventure and I’ll be here learning a new city and learning more about my new job and boss and taking care of a newborn all on my own.

It feels like a tremendously overwhelming amount of weight to carry, but I knew what I was getting into with him, and instead of saying any of that, I choose to focus on all the positive in our lives.

After seven long years apart, seven years of heartbreak and darkness, the sun is shining once again. There are rainbows of hope in an endless sky.

“Fallon’s going to miss her daddy,” I whisper.

“I’m going to miss her, too. Both my girls,” he says, and he presses a kiss to my temple. I finally turn to mirror him, and our eyes connect. The heat passes through our locked gaze like always, but the tenderness and pure love there are dominant. “But we’ve got this. Two weeks, and then I’ll be back, and I’ll be whining about how my hamstring is sore and you can put those nursing skills to work and help me get game-ready again.”

I chuckle. “I’ll be waiting.” Anything to get my hands on those sexy hamstrings of his.

We’ve been through a lot, but we’ve made our way to the other side. Now is when we begin our forever. This is where we settle into married life, where we really put the past behind us along with the secrets and the lies and the manipulators.

This is where our happily ever after begins.