Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Zak
I've spent so many years traveling to away games on coach buses just like this one, to the point that the smell calms something in me the second I step on board. Game days have their own rhythm, and for away games, the bus ride is part of it.
Normally, I like the routine of it all.
Today, I hate being this far from home.
Home.
A word that doesn't quite exist in our world right now, and that's exactly why I can't relax into the bus ride like normal.
Mia's apartment is the closest we have to a functional home right now, but we all know it's only a temporary solution.
She tried to offer to suck it up and stay at our house so we'd all have more space, but none of us could bear to let her do that.
She's too uncomfortable in the house we had built before we knew her.
The new place is ours on paper, and we've managed to jumpstart some renovations to help turn the Franklin Senior Living Center into our future home, but it isn't truly home until we get the zoning fixed.
The last thing we need is for the pack to get in trouble for illegally occupying a commercial building without a license to operate the residential spaces.
I'm sure the news would have a field day with that. We'd have to give Mia's twin brother an exclusive interview and hope he could help with efficient damage control.
None of us would want to be under a microscope like that when all we want is to finish up our season and get some time to bond as a pack in peace.
So we're in limbo.
Which would be easier to deal with if Mia seemed anything close to okay.
She hasn't been okay for days. Not since Spencer signed on the dotted line, officially making the building of her dreams our property.
I may not know her as well yet as I someday hope to, but I know enough to notice the small changes in her.
The hesitation to say goodbye when we've dropped her off at her office before heading to the stadium for practice the past few days.
Her extra-tight grip as she cuddles close at bedtime, seeking an extra layer of comfort that she didn't seem to need before.
She's been restless in her sleep, too. Waking one or two of us up occasionally. Last night, Spencer and I looked at each other from opposite sides of the bed, sharing the same worried look.
We're all worried about her.
Even Freddie has been gentler with her than usual. More careful in his good-natured teasing.
I glance across the aisle to where Freddie is asleep with his head cushioned by a hoodie and leaning against the window.
Simon's head rests on the otherwise empty seat beside him.
He swore he wasn't tired when we were climbing on the bus, but then quickly stole my hoodie to use as a pillow and passed out ten minutes later.
Spencer is beside me, his elbow propped up against the window so he can rest his head on his hand. His other hand holds a tablet, and he's staring down at game footage as if he hasn't already memorized all of our opponents' weaknesses.
I know better.
He might be staring down at the game footage, but his mind is a million miles away.
Spencer has made a career out of being the calmest guy in any room. Steady. Controlled. Team captain in every possible way. Most people think nothing ever rattles him.
But he's holding himself too still.
That's his tell.
He's usually always slightly in motion, his way of keeping his eyes out at all times. Making sure he misses nothing. Now, though, he just stares down at that tablet. Completely lost to the rest of the world.
I nudge him with my elbow, and he glances over at me with a small, distracted smile.
"Hey," he says.
"Hey." I nod my head at the tablet. "You feel good about facing them?"
"Of course."
We're heavily favored to win today's game. There's already been talk from the coaches about trying to give the second-string quarterback some game time today.
Spencer angles in his seat to face me more, shutting off the screen on the tablet. "You get any sleep last night?"
"Some." It was hard to fall back asleep with Mia sleeping so restlessly beside me.
The shadows under his eyes tell the same story. He still shoots me a disappointed look.
I shrug. "I slept enough to do my job on the field today."
"You know that's not what I'm worried about."
"I know."
And I really do. He cares more about my well-being than the game, at the end of the day.
The bus rumbles beneath us as we pull onto the highway. Today's game is a couple of hours away by bus, not quite far enough away to justify flying. We pass trees and an endless expanse of gray sky. There's a whole lot of nothing between us and the city we're headed to.
I lower my voice. "I keep thinking about that city hall meeting tonight."
Spencer's jaw tightens. "Me too."
Our best shot at speeding things along with the new place. Rufus made it clear that our celebrity in the city could potentially help rush the rezoning process. Fair? No. But I would do all kinds of unfair things to make our omega's dreams come true.
Why couldn't the city hall meeting be on a different night when we don't have a game?
"Is there any chance we could get back in time for the meeting?"
Spencer doesn't look hopeful. "We do have an early kickoff, and Rufus pulled me aside before we left Monday to let me know the meetings usually drag on.
If everything goes perfectly, maybe we'd find a way to beat the clock.
But between the game and the drive back...
" He shakes his head once. "It'd be tight in the best-case scenario. "
Tight isn't good enough.
Not for something as important as this.
I stare at the back of the seat in front of us and try to gather the words to tell Spencer what I've been thinking about since I first laid eyes on Mia wearing my coat.
A coat I still haven't taken back because the way she cuddles it close is so damn sweet.
I put it on for a while every few days to keep my scent strong for her.
With a deep breath, I finally admit out loud, "I'm starting to think my days of prioritizing football might be over."
Spencer reaches over to put a hand on my knee. "Zak..."
"I mean it."
"Because of Mia?"
"Because of everything." I scrub a hand over my face.
"I've had a great career. Better than most. Longer than most, too.
" I swallow hard. "But we've got an early retirement clause in our contracts for a reason.
And lately, I'm thinking I might be ready to use it after this season ends.
I could spend more time at home with Mia when you and Freddie are traveling with the team.
I keep thinking about how much easier that could make the future look. "
Spencer doesn't interrupt.
That's one of the things I love about him. He patiently waits for my words to come.
I keep going. "She obviously wants lots of kids.
Think about how much easier that could be if I were a stay-at-home dad.
She could continue doing the work she loves without changing much unless she wants to.
And she wouldn't have to be alone or adjust her life constantly to work around football. There would be balance."
His expression softens. There's a sadness behind his eyes.
"I've been thinking about those things, too," he says.
I blink. "You have?"
"Zak." His mouth quirks with light humor. "I'm not made of stone."
"No, but sometimes you do a good job cosplaying like you are," I tease.
That gets more of a smile out of him.
Then he sobers again. "I've been thinking a lot about how football fits in now that our pack dynamic is changing. Now that we've found Mia." He glances out the window for a moment. "I didn't expect things to change this fast after looking and not finding the right omega for so long."
We sit with that for a second, the bus leaning me toward Spencer as we drive around a long curve in the road.
A voice from across the aisle says, "Well, this is a lot of emotion for Simon to witness."
Freddie is awake.
Of course he is.
His eyes are still half-lidded with sleep, hair sticking up in the back, and a seam line indented in his cheek from lying against my hoodie. He looks like he woke up and instantly went to eavesdropping.
I sigh. "How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough to know you two were having a secret feelings summit without me." He sits up straighter and squints at us accusingly. "Rude."
Spencer pinches the bridge of his nose. "Go back to sleep."
"No way." Freddie leans across the aisle, voice dropping dramatically. "Are we all quitting football? Are we buying Mia a third house? Are we faking our deaths and opening a bait shop?"
"A bait shop?" I repeat.
He shrugs. "I don't know what your retirement fantasies look like. I'm afraid of fish, but I'm willing to face my fears for the good of the pack."
How did I not know he was afraid of fish? I can't tell if he's even serious.
Before I can respond, Coach Lamb comes walking down the aisle from his seat a few rows ahead. He looks warily between the three of us.
"If you three are plotting anything illegal back here, at least wait until after kickoff."
A few guys nearby snicker.
Coach points to the seat that Simon's head is occupying, and Freddie scurries to draw the head into his lap to open up the seat. Coach sits down and leans across the aisle toward Spencer and me.
"Everything okay?"
"Yes, sir," Spencer answers instantly.
Coach lifts one eyebrow, looking very doubtful. "You know I have superhuman hearing. I don't think any of the other coaches could hear that conversation, but I heard some bits and pieces." He lowers his voice. "Am I losing two of my best players when this season ends?"
"I'm not quite ready to be done," Spencer admits.
At the same time, I answer with a resounding, "Yes."
It would be a lie to pretend I don't already feel like my decision has been made.
"Any chance you'll take this one with you?" he asks, pointing his thumb in Freddie's direction.
I shake my head immediately. Freddie really needs something to keep him busy. If it wasn't Simon the Sloth, I don't know what we would find for him to do. All I know is he can't stay home twiddling his thumbs for too long, or he somehow manages to get extra weird.
"Are you talking about me?" Freddie tries to lean closer to hear Coach's low voice, but he backs off when Coach shoots him a quick glare for getting too close to his personal space.
Coach looks at us again. "What was that stuff about a meeting?"
We tell him about the whole ordeal. The horrible introduction between Mia and our current house.
The cramped situation at her apartment. Our house hunting success has left us in limbo because of zoning issues.
The city hall meeting that could speed up the fate of our new home, but we have basically no chance of getting back on time for.
He listens intently.
When we're finished, he's quiet for several agonizing seconds.
Coach Lamb is like a father figure to us. His approval is important, and I know he always has the best wisdom to share.
Finally, he says, "You always have to know what really matters."
Spencer sits up straighter beside me, and I mirror him.
Coach looks toward the front of the bus with an unfocused gaze, his mind somewhere else entirely.
"When I go home to my pack, football stays where it belongs.
On the field." He looks at us again, his eyes sharper.
"This game will take everything you let it take.
If you don't know where the line is, it'll draw it for you. "
My chest clenches.
That's exactly what I've been afraid of.
Coach continues in a quiet voice, "To be entrusted with an omega by fate is the ultimate honor. It's not a responsibility to be taken lightly. If you've got someone depending on you to build them a safe place in this world, then you'd better act like it."
I swallow hard.
Tension radiates off of Spencer's body, warming my own flesh.
"That doesn't mean you stop doing your job." Coach grunts. "Just means you do your job knowing why you're doing it, and what's waiting for you at home when you're done."
The words land exactly as he intends.
I nod, completely understanding where he's coming from. Nothing is a competition between choosing football or Mia. We play football, and then we go home to Mia. Football's place in our lives is on the field.
For now.
For one last season.
I know in my heart it's the right choice for me.
The line I want to draw for myself.
Spencer releases a long breath. "We appreciate the advice, Coach.
But I still don't know how to solve the problem of having an omega close to going into heat, while the remodel for her dream nest is basically finished, but completely unusable until the city gives us the okay to actually occupy the building. "
Spencer paid the contractors to work double-time in the hopes of pulling off a miracle.
Coach offers a sly smile. "Well, I might just know the owner of a professional football team who happens to have a friend with a helicopter in the city we're playing in this evening."
"Really?" My heart still in my chest.
Spencer inhales a sharp breath. "Would Kane be willing to do us that kind of favor? It's not like he owes us anything."
"After last week's win?" Coach's smile widens. "He was willing to offer to bribe the helicopter's pilot to land directly on the field to pick you up if necessary."
"What?" Spencer whispers.
"I texted to let him know I thought you three might need alternate arrangements home after tonight's game," Coach explains.
"Kane might be a bit of an enigma, not coming around much, but he loves this team.
Even that damn Simon the Sloth mascot." He glances over his shoulder toward Freddie, who's still straining to hear as much as he can without getting too close to Coach.
I can't believe this. "You're serious?" I ask because it sounds too good to be true.
Coach Lamb nods. "The helicopter will be waiting at a nearby airfield for you.
And if we happen to be dominating the score of the game after halftime...
Who am I to say what a star quarterback, tight end, and mascot might need to handle in the locker room while some of the rookies get some playing time? "
Saying thank you doesn't even begin to feel like enough.
My mind is spinning at a hundred miles an hour as I look over at Spencer.
He looks as lost in disbelief as I feel.
But I can also see the stirring behind his eyes as he mentally sorts the logistics of getting back in time for the city hall meeting, and doing everything we can to secure an emergency-speed rezoning.
With fate and Coach Lamb on our side, we're about to make our omega's dreams come true.