Chapter 27
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
MADLY
Four months later
WESTON
The night before our first game of the season, I stretch out on the bed and pick up my phone to call Sadie. Even though I live close to the stadium, we’re required to stay in a hotel by ourselves the night before a game, whether it’s a home game or an away game.
I went through withdrawals from Sadie and Caleb when I started training camp, but that was easier than this because I still went home to the two of them every night.
I was raw for a few weeks after I shared my feelings for Sadie with the guys, but it was also a relief to get it off of my chest, and it opened my eyes to how deep my feelings really went. It’s only gotten harder to not cross any boundaries, to not let her see how she affects me, to not look at her too long, to not kiss her…damn, I deserve a gold medal for all my restraint.
We’ve gotten so much closer to each other than we were all those months ago. Not only are we in the trenches together with raising Caleb—never has it been more obvious than when he was sick for the first time. We were exhausted and Sadie didn’t complain once about any of it. She tirelessly took care of him, rarely taking a break even when I tried to make her rest. She cried when she heard his awful cough, and I don’t think she’d ever been more beautiful to me than in that moment. But her walls have come down with me too, not just when it comes to Caleb.
We discuss everything and she makes me laugh all the time.
She’s the first person I want to tell anything, and the last voice I want to hear every night. I feel like part of me is missing whenever we’re apart.
She’s my best friend, and I’m madly in love with her.
It’s going to be really hard to be away from her.
I FaceTimed earlier when Caleb was still up and that was fun. He says Dada and Mama now and gog for Felicity’s dog Chewy. At first I could tell it concerned Sadie that he called her Mama. She said she’d read that that’s a word that babies just start out saying.
“I didn’t tell him to call me that,” she said.
But her mom said something that put her at ease about it.
“You’re the mama he knows, Sade, and Sasha would want him to have a mama on this earth. When he’s old enough you can tell him all about her, but you’re right here, and you’re the one who’s loving him like a mother would.”
Sadie stopped repeating, “Sadie, Sadie, Sadie” to him and let him call her Mama.
I check the time again and FaceTime her. Caleb should be in bed by now and if he’s not yet, she’ll call me back.
“Hey,” she says, grinning.
She’s in a tank top and has her hair piled up in a messy bun, face clear of makeup. I love her like this. I love her dressed up. I love her however I see her.
“Hey. How’s it going?”
“It’s been a good night. Caleb went down easy. He did ask for Dada when it was time for stories. I don’t do the sounds of the wild things as good as you.”
I laugh and nod. “Yeah, I’ve heard you. Your roar is pretty weak.”
She laughs and I just stare at her for a moment.
“I miss you guys,” I say. “I don’t like not being there for his bedtime.”
“We miss you too. The FaceTime helped. He liked seeing your face.”
I want to ask her if she misses me, but I don’t.
“I liked seeing your faces too. Have you talked to Felicity yet? Are they coming by the house before the game?”
“Yes. She called right before you actually. We’re going in one car, my parents too. They were worried they’d get lost trying to find the family parking lot.” She laughs.
“Nice.” I grin.
“You ready for the game?” she asks.
“I am. The team is looking great, feeling strong. Hopefully we crush tomorrow.”
“You will. We’ll be cheering you on. You’ll probably be able to hear my dad from the field.”
I grin. “I want to hear you .”
Her cheeks flush and she presses her lips to the side. “I might do some cheering too.”
“You better.”
We look at each other for a minute, and it’s nice to have an excuse to look at her and not worry that I’m gonna get caught staring.
“You’ll meet me in the family area afterward?” I ask.
“Yeah, we’ll come say hey and then probably hurry out so Felicity and Sutton can drop us off and get back to Landmark Mountain.”
“You’re not riding back with me?”
Her full lips part for a second and her head tilts slightly.
“Well, I wasn’t sure if you go party after a game or what.”
I snort. “Uh, no. I’ll be wired, especially if we win, but I’m coming home. Did you not hear me say I miss you guys?”
She tries to hold back her smile, but it doesn’t work. “Okay. Well, yeah, I guess we can ride home with you then. If my parents did too, that would save Felicity and Sutton some time.”
“I’ll try to get off the field as soon as I can, but it’ll still be a little wait. Then I’ll shower, and I’m all yours.”
Her cheeks flush and she nods. Her teeth press against her lower lip for a second and I stare as her full lip pops back out. My dick swells in my shorts and I grip it tight to try to contain it, but it feels too good, especially when she’s looking at me with those huge eyes and full lips.
One eyebrow lifts and her lips pucker slightly. “You okay?”
“Me? I’m good.”
“Your cheeks look a little flushed. Is it hot in the hotel?”
I let go of my dick and nod. “Yes. It’s definitely hot in here.”
She adjusts the phone and shifts on the bed, enough for me to see that her nipples are straining against her tank. A small groan comes out of me and she lifts the phone back to where it was.
“I’ll let you get some sleep,” I tell her. “Call me if you need anything. I hate that I have to stay in a hotel when I’m so close to home. But if anything comes up, I want to know about it.”
She smiles. “We’ll be fine. Don’t worry.”
I smile back at her. “Sweet dreams, Chapman.”
“Sweet dreams, Shaw.”
“Oh, I already know I’m going to have the sweetest dreams.”
She licks her lips and smiles again. My hand is back on my dick when we say goodnight, and I barely even give myself three long strokes before I’m coming.