LOGAN
My plane takes off on time, and I breathe a huge sigh of relief. There was traffic on the freeway, but that doesn’t matter now. I’m on my way to spend time with my girl and my brothers. I can’t wait.
It’s going to be the first time I’ve been back since a flying visit over Christmas. The season is done, and I’m ready to kick back until the offseason conditioning program begins in mid-March.
I rub my hands over my ribs, flinching at the head-size bruise I sustained during our final game. We finished well this season, better than the team did last year, and that’s all good, in my opinion. Obviously, every player wants to win big, but it’s been my first season. There is still plenty of time to achieve my bigger dreams.
I pull my black baseball cap down, hoping that it will prevent people from recognizing me. It’s strange how much I used to relish the idea of becoming a household name, but now it’s happened, I miss my anonymity so much. The music playing through my earbuds blocks out the rushing of the plane engines and the chatter around me. I’m in first class, but it doesn’t mean much on these small domestic flights. The guy next to me keeps cutting me glances that tell me he’s on the brink of asking for an autograph. Hopefully he won’t pluck up the courage.
I pull a bottle of water from my bag and flick through the photos that Maggie sent last night. Our baby, Dale, is growing up fast. His cheeks are so chubby that he’s starting to look like one of those Cabbage Patch Kid dolls from back in the day. We video chat as much as we can, but there is a sliver of fear running through me that he’s going to have forgotten his eleventh daddy. I wonder if Daryl and Gordon are feeling the same. They’re making their way back today too.
Living away from home sucks, and it’s fucking terrible being torn between the thing you’ve been working towards your whole life and the thing that fills your heart and keeps you grounded. It’s hard to remember a time before Maggie and Dale came into our lives. It’s hard to remember what it was like when me and my brothers dated separately, or when dad was alive to guide us. So much has changed. I’ve gone from being a boy without a care to a man with responsibilities so fast.
It feels good to be bringing home the bacon. Money isn’t something I’m used to having, but that doesn’t mean I’m going crazy spending it on ridiculous shit like some of my teammates. The supercars parked outside the training ground are crazy. I prefer a good, reliable truck, and I’m happy to take the jibes because I know that my career isn’t guaranteed forever. I need to focus on saving as much as I can to give my family the security they deserve.
I manage to keep myself to myself during the flight, but when the plane starts to descend, and I take off my earbuds, the guy next to me can’t hold it in any longer. “You’re Logan O’Rourke, right?”
“That’s me,” I say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see heads begin to turn.
“Wow.” He holds his hand out to shake mine, but it’s awkward because of how we’re sitting. His palm is sweaty, but what am I going to do. This is part of the job. “Your last game. You really ran rings around that defense.”
“I tried.” I smile and open my phone screen, hoping the distraction will stop him from talking.
“Could I get a selfie with you? The boys back home will freak out when I say I was sitting next to you.”
I don’t really want to but saying no just isn’t an option. “Sure.”
He grabs his phone and fumbles with it, his excitement making him all jittery. I want to tell him that I’m just a normal guy like him. Wearing a jersey with a number on it doesn’t make me a god. I smile for the photo and catch his wide excited grin on the screen. It’ll be all over social media just as soon as we land.
The plane’s wheels hit the runway hard, and we’re jolted around while the pilot gets full control of everything. By the time I reach the terminal, I’ve signed t-shirts and baseball caps. A woman in the row behind even wanted me to sign her chest. What the hell is that about?
I don’t message anyone to tell them I’ve landed. As I’m grabbing my suitcase from the conveyor, I hear a yell from across the hall. “Logan!” It’s Gordon. He must have gotten in early and waited for me.
The shit-eating grin on his face matches the one on mine. “Hey, bro… it’s good to see you.” He pulls me into a tight but manly hug, slapping me on the back with his giant hand.
“It’s good to see you!”
“And fucking good to be back.” The shake of his head and the wideness of his eyes confirm that he’s been missing home as much as me.
“Did you message Maggie?”
“Yeah, they’re outside.”
“All of them?”
“Yep. Daryl had already gone through by the time I arrived.”
“I can’t wait to get home.”
“Me either. My place has all the luxuries, but there is nothing like that old house filled with family.”
“Ain’t that the truth.”
We make our way through to the arrivals waiting area, and as soon as we come through the door, there’s a shout, and a mass of people start to head in our direction. At the front is Maggie, pushing Dale in a stroller, and just the sight of them makes my throat burn.
Fuck, she looks gorgeous. All that long wavy black hair, dark eyes, and peaches and cream skin. She’s everything I dreamed of having but never believed would be mine. And Dale is just the happiest kid I’ve ever seen. His hands are waving up and down with excitement. I guess he didn’t forget me after all.
“Hey,” I beam and wave, dropping to my knees in front of him to unclasp the harness. He’s put on weight in just a few weeks, and he squeals as I practically toss him in the air. When he throws his chubby arms around my neck, my heart seems to surge with love. Oh, my God. This kid is too much.
Gordon has scooped Maggie up into a huge embrace, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. She’s laughing breathlessly and blushing like crazy. She’s never been one for public displays of affection, especially when around us, so many people are watching. It’s hard to know whether they’re looking because there are so many of us or because they recognize me, Gordon, or Daryl. Maybe they’re trying to work out our relationship. It’s definitely not something you come across every day.
When Gordon finally put Maggie back on her feet, she turns to me. Our eyes meet, and it’s like a zap of electricity that hits my heart and my balls at the same time. She’s wearing a soft black jumper dress and long boots made of suede that are sexy as hell. “Hey, Logan,” she says. I hand the baby over to Gordon, my eyes never leaving Maggie’s, and when she steps into my embrace, tipping her face to mine, I’m lost in the warm press of her lips. This girl is everything, my north, my south, my east, and my west. She’s the breath in my lungs, the blood in my veins, and the strength running through me. She came into our lives like a hurricane, and we were blown away. Even through her prickly exterior, we could see her heart and knew we had to bring her into our family and keep her safe.
“I missed you,” she whispers.
“I missed you too, baby.”
“Can we go now?” Donovan shouts from the back of the group. “We can carry on this love-fest back at home!”
Maggie raises her eyebrows and mouths, “Sorry.”
“Hey, don’t make excuses for my impatient brother,” I laugh, but I release my woman and bro-hug the rest of my brothers as we make our way from the terminal.
We ride back in convoy as usual. Maggie’s in the car in front, so I have to make do with listening to Trey, Sean, Reggie, and John fill me in on local news. Trey and Sean have expanded their landscaping business and now have two employees. Sean’s also been coaching the local high school team, which he loves. John is now the full-time leader of the local youth activity center, and I can tell from how he talks about it he’s fallen into his dream role. Reggie is still trying to work out what he wants to do. He’s been training as a tattoo artist but is also working on building up a photography portfolio. I think his heart is still in the mural painting that he’s been doing since he was fifteen, but maybe keeping his fingers in many creative pies is going to keep him happy.
When we get back to the house, they fire the grill, and we hang out in the kitchen, drinking beer and catching up until I start to feel my roots anchoring to the ground again. I’m smiling and laughing, but half my attention is always on Maggie. She’s feeding Dale mouthfuls of something that he loves and making him laugh at the same time. There’s a softness in her expression that feels new, as though maybe it’s taken all this time for her roots to anchor enough to relax. I hope this house feels as much home to her as it does to me.
By the afternoon, everyone drifts into the den, but I stay behind to help Maggie with Dale.
“He’s starting to look more and more like you,” I say softly as I scoop him out of his chair. He’s rubbing his eyes, his lids dropping and cheeks red.
“He looks just like dad, don’t you think?”
She’s right. He does. “He looks like he needs to sleep.” I plant a kiss on his chubby cheek. “Shall I take him up for a nap?”
“Sure. I’ll come with you.”
I ascend the stairs of this house that has been my home since I was half the size that I am. The pictures on the stairs track our histories, and new images have been added of Maggie and Dale and birthdays that have happened since dad passed on. As I enter the room that used to be his, my heart is filled with both sadness and joy. I rest Dale in his crib as Maggie stands behind, watching. Little Dale fusses only a little, but I rest my hand on his chest, and he soon drifts off. I think today has been as exhausting for him as it has for me.
We make our exit, treading softly so as not to disturb him, smiling at each other as we pull the door almost shut. A blink of silent anticipation flickers between us, and I smooth a curl from Maggie’s forehead. “I’ve forgotten what you taste like,” I say, my voice suddenly gravelly with all the longing that’s been building inside me in the time I’ve been away.
Maggie takes my hand, bringing it to her mouth. She kisses my knuckles softly, then leads me to the room that has always been mine. It feels strange to step into my past. Nothing has changed since I went away. My high school trophies still line the shelves. I’m not the same person I was who used to dream of playing pro ball in this bed. I’m all grown now, and this woman mine.
I sit on the bed, tugging Maggie towards me. I lift her dress and push her panties down until she steps out of them. I run my hands over her thighs and ass, the familiarity of her body returning with every caress. Her fingers thread into my hair, tingling across my scalp.
“You want to taste me?” she asks, and my cock twitches so much it hurts. When she lays across my comforter with her black dress hitched up, she looks like a fallen angel who just dropped from the sky. When she jerks as my tongue touches her clit, I have to hold myself back from tearing off my pants and fucking her until we’re both calling out our pleasure to the universe. I make her come with my mouth and my fingers, building up my own arousal slowly. When I finally push inside her, every atom of my being is ready. Maggie gives herself to me, heart and soul. Every kiss, every touch, every movement of her hips tells me that our love is real, and when I come, I surrender myself to her all over again.
On the field, I’m a machine. I take on men built more like tanks than humans and I live to tell the tale, but Maggie floors me every time.
After, when our breathing has slowed, she runs her fingers around the edge of the purple bruise on my chest. “I will never be okay with this,” she says. “Tell me who did it, and I’ll rip their nipples off.”
I splutter with laughter, knowing she probably would if she got the chance. My girl is fiery and protective, and I love her for it.
“He doesn’t deserve your fingers on his nipples, baby.” I kiss her neck and sigh contentedly.
I love my job, and every day I’m thankful that I get to live the dream that dad worked so hard to help me achieve, but being home with my family is where my heart will always be. This woman brought us all together, and I will spend the rest of my life proving to her that trusting us was the right decision.
We’re a team, and that’s all that matters.
(c) STEPHANIE BROTHER 2021
