Have Hope

Epilogue

4 Years Later

Y/N POV

"Say good by to your mommies!" Kelley said, pointing to Alex and I, who were about to leave to drive to the airport and fly to Portugal, the location of our first camp for the 2023 World Cup.

Our daughter, Charlie, had turned one in May this year, and now it was December, just three days after Christmas, and Alex and I were due for the USWNT.

Quite a few players had retired after the 2020 Olympics, including Kelley, who was now married to Hope after my mom proposed last year. The two of them lived permanently in Los Angeles, in the same neighborhood as Sue and Megan, and Ash and Ali, who now have a beautiful daughter named Sloan.

Tobin and Christen would be playing in the World Cup this year, and had plans to retire after it.

I was really afraid that I would lose all of my friends after they retired, but quite the opposite happened; we're still one huge, tight knit family, and we hang out as often as we can in between trainings for family barbecues and pool parties.

Alex and I were currently at Hope and Kelley's house, dropping off Charlie before we left the country. I wished we could take her with us, but Alex and I both agreed that it would be better to wait until the tournament started. For the moment all we would be doing was training for five months, and having Charlie there would just be too much.

So, instead, she would be spending the next five months with her grandmas, which was a hilarious thing to call my mom and Kelley, since neither of them were even 45 yet.

"By Ma-ma!" Charlie squealed, running up to me. I grinned, picking her up and swinging her around, making the little girl laugh.

"By Angel, I'll see you soon, okay? I love you so much, and if you ever want to talk to us, you tell Grandma Kelley to call us, alright?" The brunette nodded aggressively, even though I knew she didn't have a clue in the world as to what I was saying.

"STOP CALLING ME GRANDMA!" Kelley hollered, standing on the doorstep of her house, my mom standing behind her, cracking up.

Alex walked over from where she had been loading her last bag into the trunk of the team van, taking Charlie from my arms before I walked over to my mom.

"I'm not even that old." Kelley huffed, crossing her arms indignantly.

"Keep telling yourself that, babe." Hope laughed.

"Hey! You're older than me! By like six years!"

"That is irrelevant, Kels."

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at the couples antics. "I swear you two are the definition of an old married couple."

They stopped their bickering and glared at me, making me laugh. The two of them looked past me, and I turned, following their gaze to Alex, who was tickling our daughter, causing her to giggle.

"I'm gonna miss her." I mumbled, not knowing how I'd be able to handle five months without her.

"I can't lie to you, it's going to be hard. Leaving for camp without you was always one of the hardest parts of the job." My mom said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "But don't worry, we're going to take great care of her."

I smiled. "I know, I trust you guys. I'm just....It's all happening so fast, you know? I mean 2019 was one thing, but now that I've got a family, and we have a new squad? What if I can't handle it?"

"Y/n, you can handle anything- both you and Alex. The two of you are strong apart, but together you're unstoppable. As long as you two have each other, there is nothing you can't do. Of course that doesn't mean it will be easy, but it will be easier when you have each other." Kelley said wisely.

"Thanks Kelley." I said, smiling at her.

"Hey, that's 'step mom' to you." She joked, making me groan.

"Oh god, not this again. Just because you're technically my step mom, and Alex's step mother-in-law doesn't mean you actually have authority, you know."

She shrugged, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "You can believe that, but don't forget, I am in charge of your child for the next five months, and there is nothing stopping me from inviting Pinoe, Sue, Ash, Ali, and Sloan over for a rager."

Both Hope and I raised our eyebrows incredulously. "Dude, Sloan is like two months old. You're gonna throw a party with a new born?" I questioned.

"Maybe." The freckled woman replied, crossing her arms defensively.

"Alright, you do you, but please for the love of god, watch Pinoe around Charlie. Lord knows she'll start trying to play soccer with her and accidentally drop kick her." I snorted, and the three of us laughed.

"Noted."

I sighed, looking at the time on my phone. "Babe! We have to go!" I called to Alex, who reluctantly walked over to us, obviously not happy about having to leave her daughter.

"Ugh, can't we just tell Jill we're not going?"

I shook my head, taking Charlie from her arms before placing her in my mom's.

"You know we can't. Besides, it's only a few months, and we can call and text everyday. Don't worry, it'll be over before you know it." I assured the forward, who nodding, wrapping her arms around me.

"We've got to get going, though. Don't wanna be late."

I pulled away and we turned to Kelley and Hope, embracing them in hugs as we said goodbye.

"Good luck Y/n, we'll be up as soon as we can. I'm so proud of you." My mom said, side hugging me due to my daughter.

She pulled away and smiled, ruffling my hair.

"I love you."

"I love you too, Mom."

I went over to hug Kelley while Alex hugged Hope.

"I'm gonna miss you dude." The defender said.

"I'm gonna miss you too, Karen. Camp won't be as fun without you there."

"You guys are gonna kick ass this year."

I grinned, clapping her on the back. "I hope so."

"Alright, we've got to go. We love you guys, and we'll call you when we get there!" I said, taking Alex's hand in mine.

We said one last goodbye to Charlie before walking down the path to the curb, where the van was waiting for us.

I squeezed Alex's hand, the diamond on her wedding ring cold against my skin. 

Our eyes met, her blue orbs sparkling in the light of the setting sun.

"You ready Princess?" I asked with a cheeky smile.

My wife brought our intertwined hands to her lips, pressing a kiss against mine.

"Always."