Page 74 of Pack End Game

The bus rumbles beneath us as we pull onto the highway. Today's game is a couple of hours away by bus, not quite far enough away to justify flying. We pass trees and an endless expanse of gray sky. There's a whole lot of nothing between us and the city we're headed to.

I lower my voice. "I keep thinking about that city hall meeting tonight."

Spencer's jaw tightens. "Me too."

Our best shot at speeding things along with the new place. Rufus made it clear that our celebrity in the city could potentially help rush the rezoning process. Fair? No. But I would do all kinds of unfair things to make our omega's dreams come true.

Why couldn't the city hall meeting be on a different night when we don't have a game?

"Is there any chance we could get back in time for the meeting?"

Spencer doesn't look hopeful. "We do have an early kickoff, and Rufus pulled me aside before we left Monday to let me know the meetings usually drag on. If everything goes perfectly, maybe we'd find a way to beat the clock. But between the game and the drive back..." He shakes his head once. "It'd be tight in the best-case scenario."

Tight isn't good enough.

Not for something as important as this.

I stare at the back of the seat in front of us and try to gather the words to tell Spencer what I've been thinking about since I first laid eyes on Mia wearing my coat. A coat I still haven't taken back because the way she cuddles it close is so damn sweet. I put it on for a while every few days to keep my scent strong for her.

With a deep breath, I finally admit out loud, "I'm starting to think my days of prioritizing football might be over."

Spencer reaches over to put a hand on my knee. "Zak..."

"I mean it."

"Because of Mia?"

"Because of everything." I scrub a hand over my face. "I've had a great career. Better than most. Longer than most, too." I swallow hard. "But we've got an early retirement clause in our contracts for a reason. And lately, I'm thinking I might be ready to use it after this season ends. I could spend more time at home with Mia when you and Freddie are traveling with the team. I keep thinking about how much easier that could make the future look."

Spencer doesn't interrupt.

That's one of the things I love about him. He patiently waits for my words to come.

I keep going. "She obviously wants lots of kids. Think about how much easier that could be if I were a stay-at-home dad. She could continue doing the work she loves without changing much unless she wants to. And she wouldn't have to be alone or adjust her life constantly to work around football. There would be balance."

His expression softens. There's a sadness behind his eyes.

"I've been thinking about those things, too," he says.

I blink. "You have?"

"Zak." His mouth quirks with light humor. "I'm not made of stone."

"No, but sometimes you do a good job cosplaying like you are," I tease.

That gets more of a smile out of him.

Then he sobers again. "I've been thinking a lot about how football fits in now that our pack dynamic is changing. Now that we've found Mia." He glances out the window for a moment. "I didn't expect things to change this fast after looking and not finding the right omega for so long."

We sit with that for a second, the bus leaning me toward Spencer as we drive around a long curve in the road.

A voice from across the aisle says, "Well, this is a lot of emotion for Simon to witness."

Freddie is awake.

Of course he is.

His eyes are still half-lidded with sleep, hair sticking up in the back, and a seam line indented in his cheek from lying against my hoodie. He looks like he woke up and instantly went to eavesdropping.