She couldn’t wait to make another little Jenks. “Maybe you should return your coach’s call?” She kissed him slowly and deeply to give him a preview of what was to come. “And then we can celebrate being engaged properly.”
“Good idea.” Chad hit redial and waited. “Hey, Coach. Sorry I missed your call.”
Chad listened for a few minutes and then said, “That’s amazing. But I’d have to discuss it with my agent and my fiancée first. I’ll call you back tomorrow.”
Coach was probably offering Chad his position back. Especially after Chad’s story had made national headlines. It’d look bad for the team if they didn’t. She’d suck it up and tell him to take the job. It was going to be only the first of many compromises to come. But she’d do it for them.
Chad hung up and smiled sheepishly. “So . . . that was my coach.”
“Obviously. Stop stalling. Did he offer you your job back or not?”
“No.” Chad shook his head. “But I’m not fired anymore, because he said the Broncos called.”
A slow smile tilted her lips. “So I could rebuild my café, and you could still play football? And come home at night after work?” That would be the perfect scenario.
“That’s mostly right. But I won’t be playing football anymore. They want me to be a coach.”
Jo sat up and laid a hand on his cheek. “But you’d hate that, right? Don’t take that job because of me. Do what you need to do, Chad. Take a trade to another team. We’ll work something out.”
He took her hand and placed a kiss in her palm. “Don’t take offense to this, but guess what? You didn’t fix my knee all the way. When Coach threatened to trade me to another team, I realized the pills and shots it’d take just to tolerate the pain enough to play wasn’t worth it anymore. I called my agent yesterday and asked him to see if I could make a deal with the Broncos. I’d like to try coaching before I throw in the towel and start designing buildings. I want to help some of these young kids make better decisions off the field. They don’t emphasize that part enough in the locker room.”
Her heart nearly burst with pride. “I think that’s a fabulous idea, Chad.”
He held up a finger. “But wait. It’s a major pay cut. Are you sure?”
“It’s me, remember? I don’t care about the money.”
Chad took her face in his hands and whispered, “What did I ever do to deserve you, Jo?”
“Oh stop. Giving me your Heisman was thanks enough. I had no idea how much that thing was worth.”
His eyebrows popped up. “I forgot about that. Jo . . . where is my Heisman?” He rolled on top of her, pinning her whole body against the mattress.
It made her want him. Bad. “I don’t have it anymore. Did you know that thing weighs twenty-five pounds and is made of pure bronze?”
“Yes.” Chad leaned his forehead against hers. “Please don’t tell me you sold it. I had to sign something that said I never would.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. But did you know that some estimate winning one is worth at least eight hundred thousand dollars over the years?”
He closed his eyes as if digging for patience. She loved it. “Joann, if I wanted to get my trophy back, where would I look?”
He only used her real name when he was irritated with her. Might be time to come clean. She leaned her mouth up to his and kissed him. “In your study, where it’s always been. I put it back on Monday.”
He blinked his eyes opened. “You’re a brat. You scared me to death.”
“Are you sure you still want to make me your brat? It’s a forever deal, you know.”
He moved his mouth next to her ear and gave her lobe a nip. “It’ll be the best deal I’ll ever make.” When he kissed her, she closed her eyes and sighed. She’d found her perfect match; it’d just taken nine years to seal the deal. But totally worth the wait.