Baby, It's You & No One Else

I was softly awaken from my dream by the continuous padding of feet across the hotel suite. My eyes fluttered open as the sun poked through the windows before a shadow was cast over my face. My back was to Eric who was behind me, his knee on the bed as he leaned over me, his weight resting on his fists. I laid on my right side, facing the window that looked out across New York City.

"Did I wake you?" He asked me, slipping one of his hands under my right hip and flipping me onto my back. I shook my head at him and began to stretch, studying him. He wore a simple black suit with a blue top, a gold tie to accent the gold flecks in his eyes. "How do I look?" He asked, standing up to his full height so I could look him up and down.

"Hot." I murmured, the sleep making my voice rough and croaky as it escaped my mouth.

"Good." He grinned, his white teeth contrasting against his dark skin. He was so tan, he looked like he could pass for someone from Brazil. But it was really only Native American in him, a lot of it, causing his skin to tan while I, being as fare as Snow White, burned, peeled, and had little tan to show for my efforts.

"Where are you going?" I asked him, propping myself up on the pillows. I grabbed the binder off my wrist and began to twirl my hair through the elastic until it was pulled up and away from my face.

"To a breakfast with a bunch of scouts from the NHL teams along with Tom," he told me, his hands fluttering to his tie and tugging at it before tightening it again.

"Oh, so are your parents going to be here?" I asked him.

"No, they're coming too." He told me, standing to his full height and walking towards the bathroom to check his reflection one more time.

"Oh," I whispered to myself, wondering why Eric never bothered to tell me or invite me.

"But I have to go now, they are probably waiting for me in the lobby," he insisted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. He walked right from the bathroom to the door, opening it and walking into the hallway.

"Eric!" I called to him from the bed, hopping up and running to the door to catch it before it fell. He was already halfway down the hallway before I called to him again. He stopped and turned towards me, an annoyed look on his face until he plastered a smile to cover his true emotions. My heart chipped a bit at how he was being but I wrote it off as stress.

"Bye," I murmured, looking down at the ground, my insecurities obvious to him. I turned and walked back into the room, getting ready to shut the door until a strong hand clasped over my wrist, giving my arm a tug and sending me sprawling into a thick chest.

"Bye. I love you." Eric whispered softly, his lips passing over my hair softly.

"Love you, too," I told him, standing on my tip toes and placing a quick kiss to his lips. He sighed, his brown eyes looking down at me with a sad expression, his eyebrows pulling together in slight pain before he shook it off and let me go. I let out a strangled breath once the door closed, feeling as if the wood door was really Eric closing me away from him.

I went back to bed and laid there for another half an hour before I decided I would try and let out some of my frustration in the outdoor pool. It was decently hot in New York for April, the sun shining and warming the city up to a decent enough temperature for an outdoor swim. I pulled on my blue bikini and then threw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt over my stuff, slipping on a pair of flip flops before making my way down stairs. I smiled at the front desk people as I walked by, heading to the pool area. Since it was still relatively early in the morning, very few people were in the pool, leaving it to me.

I slipped off my clothes and shoes, before I dipped myself into the water. I decided against swimming laps, instead opting to enjoy the cool water as it relaxed me. I floated a top of the water, letting the sun bake my skin, despite the fact that I didn't put on any sun screen. I would probably pay for it later but I really didn't care at the moment. My thoughts were too focused on Eric and tonight. What team would he go too? Would I like that area? What if it was far away, or worse, a team that sucked? Eric was a competitor and to see him go to a struggling team would be hard. He could get crabby if he lost a game, beating down on himself as if it was the end of the world when it was only a simple game.

But most of all, I couldn't stop thinking about the way Eric was acting. He was so distant, practically shoving me away as if I had some sort of disease, or like he was mad at me. His behavior reminded me of when we were fighting, how I would see him around campus and he would walk on by as if I wasn't standing right there. And that hurt. Watching him act the same way that he did during our rough time together killed more than any words that could spew from his mouth. I let my feet touch the pool floor as tears sprang to my eyes. I pulled myself out of the pool, grabbing a towel and drying off quickly.

I found a chair in the sun, walking to it and laying out, letting the sun bake my skin. I pulled out a book that I had brought along on the trip, finding reading peaceful and a way to take my mind off of my stubborn boyfriend who happened to be being one of the biggest dicks possible. And it wasn't even noon. I lost myself in my romance book, tearing up as the guy told the girl he couldn't be with her, that they just weren't meshing well when in reality it was because he was being blackmailed by a secret from his past. I shed a couple tears as the girl expressed the pain of living without her, knowing exactly how it felt to have to wake up every morning without the person you loved.

I let out a heavy breath as I shut the book, sick of the emotional roller coaster it was taking me on. I just wanted to relax, so I did the only thing that I thought would help me out. I let myself drift in and out of sleep, making sure to set the alarm on my phone so I would know when to turn and i wouldn't burn myself to a crisp, not that the sun was really hot enough to do it. The wind started to pick up, making goosebumps brush protrude from my skin as the gusts brushed against my still wet bathing suit. I shivered slightly, closing my eyes tighter as a shadow came over my face, blocking the warmth of the sun. I poked one of my eyes open, glancing up at my grinning boyfriend. His brown eyes lustfully trailed over my body his face holding no remorse for the way he was checking me out.

"Hey you," I murmured to him, reaching up for a hug.

"Hey," He pulled me up to a standing position, pulling me into a loose hug before pushing me back to an arms length. "You're bathing suit is wet," he pointed out and then pointed to his suit.

"Oh, yeah it is," I smiled softly, squinting up at him. "How was the breakfast?" I asked him, shielding my eyes so I could pay attention to his facial features.

"It went really well. Tom was running the show, helping me and making me sound really good. Like I was a good prospect to them."

"Eric I think the combine and your personality could get you by not Tom," I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Riley, agents are a big deal in this sport. You need them to help you along the way and Tom is going his job for me. It's his job to make me look good no matter how stupid I am sometimes," Eric told me, his voice condescending.

"Um, okay?" I responded, totally blowing him off. I grabbed my clothes off the ground, pulling them on and then grabbing my book, walking past Eric. I moved through the lobby towards the elevator, ignoring Tom as he waved to me from across the lobby, sitting in a chair on his cell phone. I rolled my eyes up to the ceiling. I pressed the up button and rested my weight on one leg as Eric slowly walked towards me.

"So what is on tap for the rest of the day?" I asked him.

"Um, well I'm busy all day with interviews, lunch, and meeting with people.." He murmured softly, as he shrunk back, able to see how mad that made me.

"Oh. So remind me again why I came and why I couldn't bring anyone to entertain me?" I snapped at him, remembering how he axed the idea of Katie and Kara traveling along to keep me company. He said it wasn't necessary because he would have "plenty of time" to be with me. Lie.

"Riley, don't be like this. I don't have time to deal with you," he snipped at me, running a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Eric, where the fuck are your priorities because before we got here, I thought I was one of them. But I'm starting to realize that I don't even make your list," I growled at him, walking into the elevator and pressing the closed door button immediately before he could even open his mouth.

I stood in the elevator fuming at my reflection in the steel doors. Fuck Eric. Fuck him and his bad attitude and the fact that he didn't see anything wrong with the way he was treating me. For the first time since we left Minnesota, I was glad he was going to be away from me because I didn't want to be around him. The doors opened and I stomped down to our room, throwing the door open and slamming it shut again. I glared across the room at the window which faced the front entrance of the hotel where Eric was probably walking out of. I shook my head as the anger began to fade, the hurt and betrayed feeling starting to sink into my body.

I threw myself on the bed as the tears started to slid down my face. I buried my tears into my pillow, letting the cloth and fluffy feathers trap them. My mascara from the other day that was still present on my thick lashes trailed down my face, staining the pillow case, but I was too upset to care. If this was how Eric was going to act, I didn't want to be with him. I rolled onto my side and stared at the wall before I let my eyes slid shut and forced myself to sleep, hoping one of my memories of the sweet Eric would greet me in my sleep and comfort me since he couldn't.
***

A little girl with dark brown hair sat in Eric's lap as he read her a story, her long hair being tangled in her fingers of one hand as the thumb of her other had was perched in her mouth. She giggled, her teeth showing around her thumb as Eric tickled her side a bit. She snuggled into his chest, sighing softly as her brown eyes, just like Eric's, began to slowly shut.

"You tired, baby?" Eric cooed to her, his mouth twitching up a bit when he finally noticed me standing in the doorway. "I think momma wants to kiss you goodnight before you sleep," he dug his fingers into her side softly, making her eyes spring open and fall on me. She reached for me immediately, whimpering softly.

"Night, momma." She whispered, her breath tickling against my neck and making my hair flutter in the wind of her words.

"Goodnight baby girl," I whispered to her, looking over her shoulder at Eric who sat solemnly in the chair. He would be leaving tomorrow for an away game in California and it was obvious to me how much he didn't want to go. He rubbed his face roughly, his brown eyes going to the ground before they looked back at me again, more pain and agitation in them.

"I don't want him to leave," she murmured sleepily from mer, her legs dangling and hitting my thighs softly as I carried her to her bed. It broke my heart to hear the pain and urgency evident in her voice. She wanted me to make him stay, but he wouldn't and he couldn't. She was too young to understand that, but even though I was old enough too, it didn't stop me from wanting to get on my knees and beg him.

"He'll be back soon." I assured her, kissing her forehead softly. "Sleep tight." I stepped away, letting Eric sit on the edge of her twin sized bed and peer down at her, softly telling her he would miss her and it would mean a lot if he watched. She mumbled back to him sleepily, telling him she wouldn't miss it for the world. A smile tugged my lips up despite the fact that Eric would be leaving early in the morning.

Both of us stepped out of the room, Eric softly cracking the door so she would have light from the hall if she woke up. He looked back at me as he scooped me into his arms, carrying me to our bedroom and setting me on the bed.

"I feel like such a bad dad because I leave all the time," he complained, his head resting against my chest as he listened to my heart beat.

"You're not a bad dad. It's your job, you have to go," I whispered.

"Yeah, but sometimes I wish I would have chosen a different career path."

"Like what? Baseball? You would be gone more."

"No, I mean like, a totally different thing, like a business job or something where I could be home all the time."

"Eric, you aren't even gone that much. A weekend is so much better than multiple days or weeks." I softly consoled him, my fingers lighting trailing through his hair.

"I'm going to miss you," he murmured, his voice deep and scratchy.

"I'll miss you too."

Silence fell over us before he laced his hands with mine, picking his head up from my chest and pressing our interlaced hands on either sides of my head. He looked down at me, his brown eyes burning with lust, a look I had seen so many times before but never failed to grow old.

"She's old enough right?" He asked me, his lips pressing against my collar bone.

"What do you mean?" I wondered, my voice coming our airily.

"She's four. That's a good age difference for a brother or sister to have?" He wondered. I sucked in a deep breath as his teeth nipped and tugged at the skin in the crook of my neck. I trembled under his body, nodding my head. "So do you want to make a baby?" I whimpered out my positive response, letting him know that it was the only thing I wanted to do with him at the moment.

Eric and I made love all night, trying desperately to add to our little family. He showed me that even after all these years, his love for me was unconditional and unfaltering, no matter how many times his job took him away from us. He loved our family and that was enough for me.
***

Eric stood in the bathroom doorway watching as I curled my hair to perfection. I ignored him like he had been doing to me all day, focusing my attention on the strands that were beginning to fall flat. I glared at them in the mirror, trying to will them to curl up again. I sighed loudly, grabbing the curling iron and re-doing them myself. I sprayed my hairspray, continuing to ignore Eric as he coughed to get my attention. I put my hands on my hips and looked at my reflection, liking the way my hair was finally starting to cooperate.

Eric released a loud sigh before he stepped into the bathroom, his shoes clicking against the tile. He came behind me as I moved on to my make up, grabbing my hips and wrapping his arms around my waist. He plastered me to his front, grabbing my hands with one of his and making them fall to my sides. His lips pressed against my collar bone, teasing at my skin and flicking his tongue before his teeth lightly nipped.

"You're going to give me a hickey before the draft?" I asked him as he moved up my neck. I was surprised at how easy it was to stay mad at him even though he was trying to soften me up with his moves. But the fact that it wasn't working showed both Eric and I how mad I was. Eric kissed my cheek, his brown eyes looking up to meet mine in the mirror.

"You are my priority Riley, all the time. But you can't be the number one this weekend."

"Yeah, Eric, I understand that, but that doesn't mean that you don't pay attention to me at all. I'm your girlfriend and I love you even when you're being a dick, but that doesn't mean you can take advantage of it," I told him, turning to wrap my arms around his neck.

"I'm sorry, I'm just so bad at this whole balancing thing," he whispered, nuzzling my nose with his. "Forgive me?" He asked. I tilted my lips into a smile and nodded, rolling my eyes at his huge grin,

"Now get, I'm trying to get ready." I swatted at his butt.

"Can you hurry because we.. have.. to... Just kidding, take all the time you need," he assured me as I glared at him, my eyes telling him to shut his mouth unless he wanted to get slapped. Luckily for him, I was almost done.

In the limo, I nervously smoothed out my plain black dress and red cardigan, checking my heels to make sure they were fitting my feet perfectly. I tried not to squirm next to Eric, not wanting to draw any attention to how nervous I was at the moment. We were about to arrive at the draft site and the closer we got, the more my stomach flipped. I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm the anxiety that was making my chest tighten painfully. Eric held my hand in his lap, his thumb brushing over the back of my hand as him and Tom, discussed what team was most likely to pick him. Eric was predicted to go in the top 10 to 20 despite his injury and the crappy play of the Gophers this year.

I kept my eyes trained out the window, keeping my face hidden from Eric who had been glancing at me every couple of minutes. I didn't want him to see me cringe when the mention of Arizona and Carolina came into the picture. That was too far away for me. I still wanted to be relatively close to home, I would miss my family and I needed the option of a quick trip home.

The limo slowed to a stop and I felt my heart begin to race painfully in my chest, my real emotions molding onto my face. Eric turned to me, grinning in reassurance and in pride as Tom stepped out, walking around the car to give us a second alone.

"This is it," he murmured softly, his hands coming to the side of my face and pressing his lips to mine. "Are you ready?" His eyes sparkled in undeniable joy, the day he had been waiting for for years was finally here. Tears pooled in my eyes as I shook my head yes. His lips crashed on mine once again before he pulled away slowly, his tongue trailing over my lips before he climbed out and then helped me out. We walked in to the hall as a camera crew flocked to Eric's side. They immediately hooked him and Tom up to a microphone, then turned to me.

"Turn," the lady said to me, in a comforting tone, seeing the hesitancy on my face. I bit my lip but twirled, my dress swishing at the knees. She hooked it into the back of my dress and pulled the cardigan over it, adjusting the microphone so it was hidden in my bust. "All done," she smiled as I turned. Eric took me hand and pulled me down the hallway, the camera obediently following. I tugged on his hand, giving him a look that told him I had no idea we were going to be followed around the whole time. He shrugged and kept walking, turning to Tom who was beginning to give him the run down.

It wasn't long before we were settled in at our table with Eric's parents and the draft was beginning. I had only once watched the NFL draft on TV because Eric made me and I thought it was boring. But being here was a totally different atmosphere. Players and their families buzzed around, talking about where they were supposed to go. Trades were being made, people were falling or going higher in the draft than they were supposed too and the fans in the upper deck went crazy or booed with every pick.

The first ten picks went buy and Eric was starting ti fidget. He was nervous, even as Tom tried to tell him it was fine, that he wasn't supposed to go that high. I held his hand and he squeezed it tightly. I turned to him, placing a soft kiss on his cheeks. His shoulders unwound immediately as he leaned slightly into my touch.

"Calm." I murmured softly to him. He nodded and settled himself down, focusing his attention of the board of who was to pick next. While I was settling him down, the number eleven pick had walked onto the stage to get his picture taken and now the Chicago Bears were set to pick.

"I love you," he murmured to me, his eyes flashing softly. "I'm sorry."

"I love you too. And for what?" I asked, raising my eyebrow.

"For how crazy things are about to get," he whispered softly, covering his microphone and mine. I giggled at how it looked, like he was trying to thrust his hands into my cleavage.

"It's alright baby. I'm just here for support." I patted his hand as the Chicago Bears organization filtered onto the stage. I smiled softly at Eric, placing one more kiss on his cheek before focusing on the personnel on the stage.

"It is with great excitement to announce that the Chicago Bears select, with the twelfth overall pick in the 2010 draft, from the University of Minnesota, Eric Decker."

I clasped my hand over my mouth to hold in the scream I wanted to let loose. Eric turned to me, grinning at me and pulling me into a tight hug. He squeezed me tightly as the tears pooled in my eyes. He let go, mouthing an I love you before he turned to hug his parents and shake Tom's hand. I clapped along with everyone else in the arena, the tears letting loose as my phone began to buzz obnoxiously in my purse. Eric climbed up the stairs, shaking hands with all of the executives on the stage and putting the Bears hat on his head. He held up the jersey, already with his name on the back, and grinned as the cameras flashed, snapping the precious moment forever.

I wiped under my eyes as I moved a couple seats down to where his parents were, bubbling excitedly about Chicago. I liked the prospect of Chicago. It was an hour flight back to the twin cities, a big city, and held a great franchise for a sports team. My dad was a Bears fan growing up, I bet he was at home smirking as my brothers complained about how Eric would now lay the smack down on the Vikings. Good, I hated them anyway.

His parents and I stayed until the end of the first round when we were lead away to a table in a dinning area where we could wait for him as he got his picture taken and did his thousands of interviews. We talked quietly before Tom came, making me perk up, thinking Eric would be just behind him.

"FSN Chicago wants to do a little piece about Eric and they want to talk to his parents and get some dirt on him when he was younger." Tom smiled, looking at his parents. "Riley, you can stay here, it won't be long." He told me. I nodded and bit my lip, watching as they walked away and left me alone.

I took the opportunity to check my phone, gasping when I saw the 20 text messages and the 10 voice mails. I giggled as I listened to the one Jake left of my family bouncing around and screaming in the living room. The next one was from Kara and Blake who sent their love to Eric and I. Katie and Adam were next, both of them giggling as Katie told me how proud she was of Eric. It was obvious they had other things on their mind than the draft. I texted all of them back, saying thank you and that I would call them later.

The minutes dragged on until they rang up to and hour and then another half hour. I started to get antsy as people walked by with their families, most of the draft picks already done with their stuff. I pouted down at the table, feeling dejected and extremely left out. I looked at my phone, seeing the 11:45 time flashing up at me. I yawned as the tears poked the back of my eyes stubbornly.

Fifteen minutes later, Eric came hustling down the hallway, looking from left to right and up and down, his head swiveling around the room. His eyes landed on me and he let out a relieved breath and bounding over to me.

"Where have you been!?" He exclaimed, his arms grasping at me.

I gave him an appalled look and bit down on my quivering look as the whirlwind of emotions flooded out of me. "I've been sitting here and letting you treat me like crap so that you could have your day," I sobbed softly, turning my head so that he couldn't look at me.

"Baby, I'm sorry. It's just been so crazy. We talked about this."

I ripped off the microphone that was connected to my body, turning it off and throwing it on the table in frustration "No, we talked about you being busy. Not you excluding me from everything for your fucking prick of an agent."

"Keep your voice down," he snapped, immediately cringing when he heard the sound of his voice. I pulled away from him. "I'm sorry. I've been stressed all day and I'm tried and I've been going since 7:00 this morning. Forgive me?" He pouted, groping out to me, desperately trying to get me to walk back into his arms. I gave him a hurt expression, letting him know that he wouldn't be let off that easy. "I love you." He told me, the sincerity in his eyes taking my breath away. I shook my head, letting out a shaky breath. I let him press his lips to my cheek before leading me to where the rest of his family was.

I deliberately left a couple feet in between the both of us, moving a step to the side every time he tried to reach out to me. I could see how hurt he was over the way I was acting but it was time for him to get with the program. He was really lucky none of my brothers were here to witness the way he was acting because if they were, Eric wouldn't be walking, and a majority of the damage would be coming straight from Jake.

We teached his parents who were accompanied with Tom who was telling jokes and keeping the mood light. He turned to Eric, smiling brightly before he glanced at me, the smile completely wiping off his face. I smirked evilly at him, letting him know he was in just as much shit as Eric was. He cleared his throat.

"Riley, there you are," He smiled, trying to get me to lighten up.

"Yep. But you've known where I was this whole time," I told him, giving him a fake smile filled with venom.

"Yeah, I told Eric where you were but he was too busy to grab you," he told me, his eyes narrowing a bit.

"Oh, too busy for me. Huh, yeah." I huffed, sucking my cheeks in and setting my eyes into a glare.

"Why don't we go back to the hotel? It's been a long day," Eric's mom suggested, sensing the tension brewing.

"Good idea," Eric breathed, grabbing my elbow and moving me around Tom. But he couldn't stop my mouth from running.

"Stop trying to butt into mine and Eric's relationship. You might run his job, but I run this relationship, and some asshole like you is not going to get in between us, so stop trying." I growled at him, before tilting my nose in the air and stalking past him. I ignored Eric as he sighed softly, grabbing my arm again and pulling me to a stop while his parents climbed in the limo.

"Baby, I'm going to talk and you're going to listen without interrupting." He told me, raising his eyebrows as his face softened, my first glimpse of the real Eric all day. "I haven't had the opportunity to thank you yet. For everything. For putting up with me and always pushing me. For hitting me upside the head when I was being stupid. I am who I am today because of you and you've been such a central part of my life. But things are going to change coming July. Everything will be different, our lives will be and I just, I just, I'm not sure if you'll be able to handle it." He whispered to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, biting my lip.

"Just the way you acted all day. It's only going to get worse when the season starts. Chicago isn't Minnesota and the NFL isn't college or high school. This is different, this is the big leagues. I need to act like I belong there and at times you won't like it, and you'll probably hate me for it." I snorted and rolled my eyes at him.

"You've always acted different when you were being the football star Eric Decker. I don't expect that to change but you better still be my Eric Decker. The sweetie who will do anything for me when you can." I smirked at him, grabbing his face and tugging it down to my level. His eyes fluttered closed and he sighed softly. His brown pools opened up again, an undisclosed emotion in them shinning back at me. He nodded, but the look in his eyes told me that there was a deeper meaning in the words that were spewing from his mouth.
***

It was a sunny day in mid-June, the wind blowing and keeping the air moving, making it a perfect day to be out and about in the city. Eric and I were doing just that, sitting in Como Park in St. Paul. The wind blew around us, the grass bending and waving along with the breeze. Eric laid on his back, throwing a football in the air and catching it in his hands, his eyebrows lowered in thought and checking his phone every couple of minutes. I sat cross legged next to him, reading one of the newest romance novels from Rachel Gibson.

"What has got you in such a tussy?" I asked Eric, slapping his bare stomach and pushing the straps of my tang top down to avoid the awkward tan lines on my shoulders. I tilted my sun glasses down and looked down my nose at him.

"Nothing." He told me, his voice saying anything but.

"Eric..."

"It's nothing, I'm just waiting for a call from Tom."

I snorted and rolled my eyes, shaking my head as I went back down to my book. Tom and I still weren't on good terms. I still hated him and by now the feeling was becoming mutual. He was still trying to make himself the most important part of Eric's life, butting into our dates and ruining our alone time. He was even starting to cut into our sex life. Sorry, babe, I have to go meet Tom, maybe when I get back. The biggest turn off ever. It was now to the point where Eric was either with him, or training. I was surprised when I called him to see if he wanted to come to the park with me that he said yes.

Eric's phone rang, causing him to flip it open immediately, barely waiting for it to ring twice. "Hello?" Eric asked into the phone. I closed my eyes as the warm breeze blew around us, making goosebumps form on my skin in a good way. I was so happy the weather was finally starting to warm up. It had been a long and cold winter and I was happy that things were turning to the warmer side in both life and the temperatures despite the frigged presence of his agent all the time.

"Really?!" Eric exclaimed suddenly sitting up. He stared at me with his mouth open in shock and I felt my heart race in my chest. What could possibly go wrong? Things had just started to get back to normal with us.

"Holy crap. Yes, I'll definitely be going there to meet with them. Yeah, set it up. Okay, call me back when you get the word. Alright, thanks man, bye." Eric flipped his phone shut and stared down at it for a second. All of a sudden, his excitement seemed to evaporate and he sat in front of me with a rigid body.

"Are you going to fill me in on what he wanted?" I asked, desperately needing to know what was going on.

He looked up at me, a mix of conflict and excitement shinning in his brown eyes. I gazed back at him, not sure what to make of his expression and waited patiently for a response.

"That was Tom. He just got off the phone with the GM of the Chicago Bears." He told me, his voice holding caution to it.

"Oh," I whispered, feeling the muscles in my body tighten on instinct. Something was off. Eric should be so excited that he wanted to pick me up and swing me around but instead he was avoiding looking at me.

"They want me to play with them next year," He whispered, his eyes never left my face, wanting to see my reaction to the news. I swallowed and stared back at him, not sure what he wanted me to say. I expected this, but I didn't expect the way he looked at me with a hesitant expression. His hands came to rest on my cheeks, holding my face as his thumbs brushed under my eyes. I knew Eric had a choice. He didn't have to play next year, he could play in a minor league first and then go next year to get some more experience. The transition from college to the NFL, especially after being hurt, wasn't exactly the easiest thing to do. I knew Eric was nervous about it but he was dedicated enough to work with it.

"Eric, I'm not going to tell you what to do with your life. That is your choice and you need to make your own decision." I told him, reaching my hand up and lacing our fingers together.

"I already know what I want to do," he told me, looking in east to where Chicago was some thousand miles away. I sat in silence, waiting for him to let me in on his little secret. My heart raced and I felt myself beginning to panic. I had never seen Eric like this, except for, except for.. when he had to choose between baseball and football, the two loves of his life. The thought instantly made me nausea and I shut my book, placing it on the ground next to me. Several minutes passed before he turned back to me and grabbed both of my hands again.

I swallowed hard as I dissected his eyes, immediately finding the regret and the guilt. Holy shit, he can't do this to me. He can't leave me here with nothing after everything we've been through, especially this last year. I pursed my lips and turned away, getting ready for the blow.

"The Bears have been after me since last year," he confessed as my mouth dropped. "It was never about where I went in the draft, I always would be playing in Chicago next year." This was a shock to me, especially after all of the hype during the draft about what team would be choosing him.

Tears stung my eyes as I silently pleaded with him to stop talking. I didn't want to hear what he was about to say. This couldn't be Eric talking, it had to be Tom. Eric wasn't going to do this. He didn't have to. I told him I would go with him. It didn't matter where because I wanted to be with him. I had to be with him to be happy. Didn't he understand that? The bad goosebumps pricked up on my skin, as my mouth became as dry as chalk. He turned away from me for a moment, seemingly to gather himself again. When his eyes turned back, his brown eyes were hard and blank, giving me no access to his thoughts.

"Riley.." He started but trailed off when he tried to form his sentence. He looked into my green eyes that sparkled with unshed tears. He grabbed my arms and pulled me into his body before he leaned in close and whispered the one sentence that would be the final blow to my heart, shattering it into a million pieces.

"I'm going to Chicago and you can't come with me."