The Love We Deny ✔️ [COMPLETED]

Epilogue

"How are you feeling today?" I asked already feeling the jitters. It was two in the afternoon and Kyle and I were cuddled on the couch watching an episode of Friends. A failed distraction attempt if you ask me.

"Like a rookie," he answered as he placed his arm around my shoulder pulling me closer to him. He placed a soft kiss on my forehead while I chuckled at his answer.

"We both know you're anything but a rookie," I answered confidently. He was probably one of the most experienced players on the team as it is.

"Yeah but I've been out for so long. I feel like today is going to be the deciding factor in my career," he admitted.

I shifted around on the couch the face him, before gently stroking his stubble.

"I know babe, but you've already done the hard parts, you already did the largest chunk of the work. Enjoy the moment, it's the prize for your hard work and you should see it as a celebration. Plus the whole team has your back." I argued.

After the accident Kyle had a hard time, he fell into depression and tried to push me away. It wasn't until he decided to give his career another go that things started to take a turn for the better. Despite doctors and coaches saying he wouldn't be able to play anymore, Kyle pushed on. He exercised every day, made motions recommended by doctors, and simply kept believing he would make it back to the field.

Two years ago, while Kyle was in rehab, the Beacon had taken the opportunity to trade him to the New York Bears. At the time it had been a hard blow to swallow and had nearly made him give up on his comeback. If his team didn't support him or believe in him then why should he, he had spat at me.

In the end, I was a firm believer that everything in life happened for a reason. I was right. The Bears had been incredibly supportive of his rehab, he had even become friends with the team without even having stepped foot in the stadium. How?

Well, members would show up randomly and provide support and help for his rehab. These men he had barely known and only seen across the field were more helpful and morally supportive than the team he had played with for years.

"Yeah Donovan offered to run the ball with me before the game today," he admitted as a smile grew on his face. Donovan was the Bear's quarterback and a close friend of ours since we got here.

"I thought Coach said to rest until warmups," I teased raising my eyebrows at him.

"What coach doesn't know won't hurt him," he chuckled "Plus you're one to talk, didn't Mr. Pearson tell you to take a few days off?" he countered. Fair point, my boss had seen me working a few late nights and told me to take a few days off to compensate. Too bad, I actually loved my work at Pearson & Co.

Over the last three years, I was at J&Co Sandra had started to trust me more and even took me under her wing. She made plans with the HR department to finance my Master's degree and accommodated my schedule to be able to handle both. I graduated with my Master's in Management with stellar scores. When it was time for me to leave she provided me with a stellar reference letter as well as a few contacts in New York. As I thought of her again I smiled genuinely, turns out she hadn't been so bad after all.

My boss at Pearson and Co was sweet and funny, he was also easy going and let me work remotely when I wanted. All in all, as long as I provided the results, I was free to work how I wanted.

My thoughts were cut short when Kyle pushed me down on my back and kissed my lips. As his lips moved against mine, I could feel the shiver run down my body. Even after all these years, the feelings I had for him hadn't diminished. On the contrary, they'd grown then folds. "What did I do to deserve you?" he asked once we pulled apart.

"I could ask you the exact same question," I replied truthfully. "Will your parents be there?"

"Yup," he answered proudly. It was pleasing to see the change in this area. His family used to be a sore subject when connected to football. Now? I couldn't find any supporters more dedicated than them. They promised to come to as many games as possible or at least to watch and cheer behind their screens.

After Kyle had been released from the hospital, his family made the trip from New York each weekend to check on him. On one of those weekends, the girls and I had gone out for a girls' day trip only to come back to Kyle and Paul sitting in front of a football game. Paul had a notepad in his hand, studying and listening attentively as Kyle explained the rules and various basic plays. Mathilde teared up, shushing us so we wouldn't distract them. We tip-toed back out of the house and headed for the beach instead.

"I think I just had a dream," Mathilde had told us.

It was heartwarming to see his father make all these efforts for his son despite his earlier convictions. Now, he was one of those parents that screamed at the referees when they didn't agree. It was hilarious to see the embarrassed look on Mathilde's face sometimes. I loved the changes that happened in my life, but I did miss Marketa and Alisson a lot. We took the time to travel back and forth to see each other, but it wasn't the same as popping into Coffee Addict in the middle of the day to chat.

"How about your parents? I mean tonight is as big a night for me as it is for you," he asked as he leaned down to trail kisses down my neck.

"My-," I got lost in my thought when Kyle sucked on my sweet spot behind my ear. "Dammit Kyle, I can't concentrate when you do this," I playfully slapped his chest, making him lift his head with a cocky smile. "Yeah, my parents are going to be there. Dad had it pinned in his calendar since the day I made training camp," I laughed.

The relationship I had with my mother had improved a million times. After the accident, I reached out to them for advice and comfort. My mother flew down and stayed with me for a while.

Initially, we only talked about J&Co but one night I ventured to the taboo subject. Surprisingly she went with it and even apologized. She explained how she hadn't understood my passion or my gift and that she had seen how hard I worked to keep both my career and dancing on the right track. When I wanted to dance, she thought it was a choice between my career and cheerleading, but one didn't exclude the other.

I felt my eyes tear up as I remembered her crying in my arms asking for my forgiveness. It wasn't a hard one to give.

Since then my parents flew back and forth often to see me and had even taken a liking to Kyle. I mean what's not to like right? Fine, fine, I'm totally biased after all he is my husband.

A bit more than a year ago, Dad had proudly walked me down the aisle at our small wedding. We had chosen to do it back on the beach, we had taken our first stroll. It had been a beautiful day, one that was engraved in my mind for the rest of my life. Both mothers cried while the dads handed out tissues like candies. It was quite funny if you ask me.

The road to where we were today hadn't been smooth. We'd had our ups and downs and our fair share of fights. Rehab and planning his come-back had taken a toll on our relationship at times, but we learned to work through our issues and be there for one another.

Who knew the love I denied myself all those years back would end up being the love of my life?

----

That's it!! I hope you enjoyed the book as much as I had fun writing it! Thank you so much for taking the time to read it till the end! It really means the world to me!❤️ Please, Please, Please go back and vote on the chapters it's the best reward any author can receive for their work! ❤️

I'm looking to place some reviews with my bulb so please comment a review if you can!!! 

I send you lots of love and I hope you'll check out my other books!! They are all completed or about to be ❤️❤️

xoxo Cloclovilla