Sweet Rome
“And I’ve watched you too, son. You’ll be a hall of famer, no doubt about it. In a few years, you’ll be getting inducted.”
“Thanks, Coach. I certainly hope so.” I poured a coffee from the machine and moved to the kitchen table, sitting down. “So to what do I owe this pleasure?”
“I’m in Seattle and wanted to invite you and your wife out to dinner tonight if you’re free.”
“Of course! Tell me where and when and we’ll be there. It’ll be good to see you again.”
“You too, son. I have a meeting in five minutes, but give me a couple of hours and I’ll text you the details.”
“No problem. See you tonight.”
“See you, son.”
Ending the call, I sat back in my chair, taking a deep breath. Damn, hearing his voice brought back so many memories. Was it really twenty years since I’d played for the Tide?
Shit! I was getting old.
The front door slammed shut and I looked to the hallway. It was only one in the afternoon and Molly shouldn’t be back yet.
“Rome? You here?” she shouted, and a smile pulled on my lips.
“Yeah, baby, I’m in the kitchen.”
A few seconds later, she walked in, dressed in a tight black knee-length dress, her hair pulled back in a loose bun, and the most sexy-as-fuck glasses perched on her nose.
Standing, I took the heavy briefcase from her hands and pressed a kiss on her lips. “You’re back early.”
“Yeah, my meeting was canceled so I thought, bugger it, I’m going home.” Molly leaned in and wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her cheek against my chest. “Mmm, I missed you.”
“Missed you too, gorgeous.” Her arms squeezed my waist in response, and I said, “I’ve just had an interesting call.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It was Coach. I haven’t heard from him for years, but he’s in town and wants to grab dinner with us tonight.”
“The Alabama coach?” she asked, her surprised eyes fixing on mine.
“Yeah.” I laughed. “The Alabama coach.”
Her eyebrows pulled together in thought. “I wonder what he wants.”
“To have dinner,” I replied, slightly confused at why she thought it was anything more.
Stepping back to the opposite marble counter, she tilted her head as she stared at me. “Rome, you’re retiring this season, and suddenly the coach of the Tide just so happens to be in Seattle?”
Hmm… Maybe she was right. Her smug smile told me she knew it too. “Okay, Shakespeare, I’m listening. What do you think he wants?”
Moving before me, her fingers crept up my torso, and she gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “You.”
A strange excitement set in my bones. I’d never really thought about going back to Tuscaloosa. I love it, it’s my home, but we left a lot of shit behind all those years ago, and we had made a good life for ourselves in Seattle.
I glanced down to Molly again and asked, “You really think that’s what it could be?”
“I’d bet my life on it. He’ll want you to coach. Bloody hell, Rome, you’re one of the most successful quarterbacks in NFL history. If you joined the Tide, can you imagine how much better they could be? The recruits they could acquire?”
“And how would you feel about going back?”
Her eyes dropped to the floor. “I—I don’t know. I love it here. Our lives are here and Tuscaloosa… I don’t know, holds a lot of conflicting memories for me… for us.”
I stroked a finger down her cheek. “Then we won’t go, if he offers me anything at all.”
“Is coaching something you would want, though? Is it something you could see yourself doing with the rest of your life?”
“Probably. It’s the Tide. I didn’t know what I would do when football came to an end, but the thought of being involved again with Bama football… I’ve got to say it excites me. It’s in my blood. I’m Tide ’til I die.”
Nodding her head slowly, Molly looked up at me and said, “Let’s hear him out. If he offers you something, we’ll talk about it and decide what’s right for us all.”
She began biting on her lip and her hand ran down my body to snap the button on my jeans. I f**king loved that look in her eyes. “Now, I’ve come home early from work, we have a couple of hours before we need to pick up the kids from school, and you’re looking pretty damn hot, Mr. Prince, hot enough to make me think up some pretty naughty ways to spend the afternoon.”