The Player | SPORTS ROMANCE | 18+

Epilogue

FIVE YEARS LATER

TITUS REYES

"All of you need to get some rest this evening because tomorrow is an important game. I would even dare to say the most important game of the season because more times than not, how you play in that first game determines the way the rest of the season plays out."

"Yes, coach!" My senior team chanted.

"That means no parties tonight. Save it all for the after party after the game tomorrow."

"Yes, coach!"

After we wrapped up the last practice before the football season officially started, I left to grab some groceries before heading home as dinner was my responsibility tonight. I was thinking of a simple chicken pasta, but it appeared my wife had beat me to it.

"What's going on here?" I whispered in her ear as I wrapped my arms around her from behind. "I thought I was making dinner tonight."

Salvadora sighed blissfully and leaned back, her eyes fluttering shut as her actions stilled, allowing me to simply hold her.

"I know how busy you've been with practice lately and with the first game of the season tomorrow, I just wanted to take some of the work off your shoulders. Even if it is just cooking dinner." She murmured, turning her head to press a soft kiss to my lips.

I groaned against her mouth and angled my head to deepen the kiss, forever addicted to her sweet taste. When I felt something kick against my hand, I chuckled and pulled away.

"Our little miss is quite active today." I chuckled in awe, moving my hand around her stomach, hoping to feel another kick.

Yes, that was right. Salvadora was pregnant with our second child – probably our last.

I had been the one obsessed with wanting a second child and while adoption had been the most obvious route, what I wanted the most was to see my wife pregnant with my child. Doctor Caldwin and his friends in the medical field had done the best they could to reverse my infertility and on the second attempt of IVF, Salvadora fell pregnant.

I had never cried more tears of joy that day than when she had shown me the positive pregnancy test.

Maybe we would adopt in the future but right now, I was going to focus all my attention on my little family, our dog – Rover – and coaching the Penn Quakers.

"She's been active all day." Salvadora sighed, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I forgot what it was like being pregnant. How much energy carrying a baby can take from you."

"I'm sorry, Sal." I brushed my lips against her forehead and held her a little tighter. "I wish I could help carry our little girl, but I'll have you know, I give the best foot rubs."

"That you do." She giggled, but then winced when the baby kicked again. "I'm really going to need one of your foot rubs tonight."

"I'll do a whole lot more than just rub your feet." I growled, my eyes darkening in lust.

I had a hard time keeping my hands off my wife as it was but seeing her round with my child did things to my desire for her that I couldn't begin to explain.

"Steady on, player." Salvadora giggled and turned around in my arms.

With her being eight months pregnant, I couldn't hold my wife I wanted to. However, it would only be a few short weeks until we could hold our baby girl in our arms, and all of this would be worth it.

To this day, even five years on, it still haunted me how much of Arturo's life I had missed out on. Since then, I had been forced to mend the relationship upon the insistence of Sienna and Salvadora, and while we were civil and sibling-like again, I couldn't bring myself to look at him the same again. Ever. My brother knew this, and I knew this, but we put up an act in front of the family. I didn't know how long this would last for, or if things would ever go back to being completely normal between my brother and I, but I couldn't bring myself to care.

Right now, all I cared about was my wife and my son. And soon, my daughter, as well.

"What are you thinking about?" Salvadora asked, bringing me back to reality by peppering kisses over my chin and jaw.

"How happy you've made me." I whispered, lowering my face to rest my forehead against hers. "I don't know what I did to deserve you, Sal, but I will forever be grateful and thanking my lucky stars. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I don't know what I would have done if you didn't decide to give me a second chance."

Salvadora blinked back tears as her face melted.

"That's not fair." She whined and snuggled her face into my chest. "You can't speak like that when my hormones are all over the place. You're going to make me cry."

I chuckled and bowed my head to bury my face into her hair, inhaling in the sweet vanilla that I adored so much.

"Mama! Papa!" Arturo called as he came rushing down the stairs. "Can I go to the park and play baseball with my friends?"

Salvadora turned her head to glance at our son with a soft, warm look in her eyes, but she didn't move away from me.

"Dinner will be ready in an hour, Arty." She said. "As long as you promise to make it back before then, you can go to the park with your friends."

Arturo beamed and came over to press a quick kiss to her cheek.

"Thanks, mama! I promise I won't be late."

She smiled and turned to snuggle back into my chest, showing me just how tired she was. Over her head, I sent Arturo a pointed look. One which said that if he was a little late for dinner, it was fine, and to take money for pizza in case the game ran long.

"Thanks, papa. Love you." Arturo mouthed to me, reaching out to take the money I handed him.

"Love you too. Call me if you want me to pick you up." I mouthed back and watched as he took Rover with him to the park.

"Sal, baby?" I called out to my wife. "You haven't fallen asleep on me again, have you?"

She hummed and snuggled herself further into my chest in response. With the way her breathing had begun to even out, I could tell that she was close to falling asleep.

With how pregnant she was, and how busy we were with our day jobs, for the life of me, I couldn't get my stubborn wife to start her maternity leave even though she barely made it to dinner most evenings. She often fell asleep in my arms like this while we waited for dinner to finish cooking, but I didn't mind in the least.

Instead, I cherished each moment with my little family, happier than I could have ever imagined.

-

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