Marriage with a Hot Sports Star

Chapter 2 - Brace Donovan

It was the final set of the game, and the score was two to one in favor of our team, FC Dallas. Brace Donovan is kicking the ball and looking for a perfect teammate to pass the ball. Adrenalines are high, and the crowd screams louder, chanting his name.

He spotted his best buddy Tom, the attacker, and kicked the ball toward him. Tom ran towards the opponent's goal to create a perfect opportunity for Andy, the finisher, to score a goal. But when Fred ran towards Tom, a player from the other team, obviously their defender, ran towards Fred.

Tom noticed it, too, and he turned back and kicked the ball back to him. Brace quickly made a plan, ran towards the opponent's goal, and signaled Dane, the defender, to protect him. Jason, the hard man, saw Brace running towards the goal, so he joined Dane and ran with him.

The crowd went wild and chanted Brace's name. His heart was pumping hard, and he was running out of breath. This game could be a make-or-break goal for him. He is twenty-eight years old, and about to retire soon, so he had to make this goal to leave a good impression on his team and maintain his reputation as the team's star player.

Brace can see the opponent's goalkeeper now, anxiously waiting for him. Then he heard his coach shout, " man on!" He noticed the opponent's defensive team was rushing toward him. He then made his signature kick, the inswinger, and sent it toward the opponent's goal. The crowd went wild.

With only a minute on the clock, their victory was inevitable. The commentators were so happy and admired the move he made. He looked up at his parents and saw them sending a flying kiss in his direction. His father looked so proud, and that made him happy. His father was the coach of his high school football team and was their coach for twenty years before he finally retired.

He loves football so much that he named his only son Brace, which is him. It is a term used in football for a player who scores two goals in a single match. His father has been his trainer and coach ever since he started playing football. He was so proud and happy when he made it to the FC Dallas football team right after college.

The match had ended, and they emerged victorious. The visiting opponents lined up to congratulate them. Their assistant coach, Dan, ran toward Brace with their coach, Steve, and hugged him. Their team then lifted him and threw him in the air. Soon, the commentators declared them the champions, and the representative of the Confederation came forward to award them the trophy.

They handed the trophy to Steve, and he passed it to Brace. He raised the trophy with pride and joy, and the crowd cheered. He will miss this moment, but he knows he must move forward and adapt to his new career. He is retiring soon, and there have been talks about him being an apprentice coach for the team.

The management hasn't told him yet, but he thinks they will be calling him up after tonight for a meeting. He has been thinking about it for a while and believes it would be an option for him. Football is his life, and he can't think of anything he would do after football.

" Hey, Brace! Let's celebrate tonight! There's this newly opened bar downtown. Let's check it out, okay?" Tom, his best friend, said while patting his back and embracing him.

" Sure, bro, but let me be with my family first. We are dining out tonight, and my sister Kendra will join us with her fiance, Oliver. I'll meet you at the Club, alright?" Brace said and squeezed Tom's shoulder.

" You got it, bro! Let's get wasted tonight! Tonight is your last game. So consider this celebration your victory and farewell party. Let's get you laid, man!" Tom shouted, and the rest of the gang screamed with him.

" Are the rest of the guys coming?" Brace asked while they were walking toward the locker room after their pictorial.

" I'm not sure, but I know Dane, Andy, and Jason will be there. Robert and Peter are family men, remember? So they'll probably be with their wives having a private celebration." Tom joked, and they all laughed loudly, smacking Robert and Peter's heads. The two shook their heads and grinned.

" Listen up, girls!" Coach Steve came in and gathered the boys.

" That was a good game! I am so proud of you, guys! Unfortunately, I have a bit of bad news. I think most of you already know that Brace is retiring soon. So, tonight was his last game as the star player No.10 for FC Dallas." The boys wailed like p*****s, and some made a disapproving sound.

" But, there's good news," Coach Steve added and smiled.

" You will still see him around, not on the field, but on the sides. He will be our new apprentice coach for the next season." The boys roared and congratulated Brace. Brace did not expect their coach would announce this tonight, and he thought the management was still discussing the possibility of him joining the coaching staff.

" So, it's a double celebration tonight, boys! We are inviting everyone to the It'll Do Club! We'll see you there, alright?!" Tom shouted, and everyone cheered.

" Congratulations, Brace, and I'll see you next season." Coach Steve shook Brace's hand and patted his back.

" Thank you, coach. I didn't expect this great news tonight, and I thought the management hadn't decided yet." Brace told coach Steve and smiled gratefully at the older man he considered his second father.

" Oh, we have been discussing it for a few months now, kid. We were waiting for the right time to tell you." Coach Steve smiled and winked.

" I'll see you, lads, next season. Enjoy your short vacation and have fun tonight, but don't get into trouble, do you hear me?" Coach Steve turned to the boys and addressed them. They all chorused an answer and thanked the kind older man.

We all hopped onto the shower and rinsed ourselves from the sweat of tonight's game. Some were making fun of one another, while some were making plans for tonight.

" Hey, Brace! Sorry, man, I can't make it to your celebration tonight. My wife made some arrangements and hired a nanny, if you get what I mean." Peter shouted from the far end cubicle and winked.

" Me, too, man. I can't be with you tonight, and the missus has been making plans since last week." Robert seconded. As presumed, they know these two would bail out because they are the only married men on the team.

" It's alright, guys. I understand. Have fun with your wives and get lots of lovin' tonight." Brace answered, and most of the men whistled and made weird voices.

" So, Brace, we'll see you at the Club tonight, alright? Don't come too late, man, or Dane here will get all the girls." Andy shouted. Brace shook his head and stepped out of the shower. He knows his family is waiting for him at the restaurant for a celebratory dinner in his honor.

Somehow they knew that FC Dallas would win tonight. His father never doubted him ever since he started playing football. He would brag to his friends and former students, and you can see through his eyes how proud he is of his son. Brace's mother has always been the gracious one, kind and humble.

She is proud of her son and has always been his number-one fan. She ensures that a hot meal awaits Brace as soon as a match ends. She told her friends and neighbors about her son as their team's star player and announced to every single woman that he was a bachelor.

She has been asking her son when he would settle down and give them grandchildren, but Brace would only laugh, grab his mother, and dance around the house with her in his arms. Brace loves his parents so much and would do everything to make them proud and happy.

He adores his sister, Kendra, too. She is one tough lady but a hopeless romantic as well. He is happy that she finally found the man of her dreams and is settling down. At least their mother would cease to ask him for a grandchild. After his shower, he left for the restaurant and told the boys to meet him at the Club later.

Brace arrived at the restaurant 15 minutes after he left the stadium. He can see his family outside the restaurant window, and looking at them makes him happy and grateful. He is lucky to have this beautiful, loving family who supports him in every endeavor. He saw how happy his parents were, and the love and passion were evident in their eyes.

He wonders if he will ever have that kind of connection in this lifetime. He has been flitting from one girl to the other but never felt that sense of belongingness or strong connection. He's been thinking about it for quite a while now because he's not getting any younger, and it sure is wonderful to come home from work to your wife and kids.

When his family saw him come in, they all clapped their hands and smiled at him. The people inside the restaurant also applauded, and some even whistled. They all congratulated him, and he thanked them with a smile.

" Hey there, hot shot!" Brace's sister Kendra yelled and stood up to embrace him.

" Hey, sis! Sorry I'm late, guys." Brace hugged his sister and reached for her fiance Oliver's hand to shake. Then rounded up the table to kiss his mom and embrace his father.

" Congratulations, sweetheart. We are so proud of you." His mother said.

" Thanks, mom," he answered and squeezed his mother's shoulders before sitting next to his dad.

" So, what's next for you, son? Any news from the management?" His father asked.

" Well, coach Steve announced a while ago that I will be the new apprentice coach next season. It was unexpected, but I had been waiting for that news for the past few weeks.." Brace answers his father. Everyone was excited and congratulated him again.

His father was so happy and patted his back. His father was worried he'd end up jobless or working in the corporate world, which is not his cup of tea. Like his father, Brace is a man of action. He loves to be outside under the sun and in the pouring rain.

" Well done, son. That was good news, indeed. Okay, so let's eat!" They started talking as they ate their meal, which was a great feeling. Brace can see his sister falling deeply in love with Oliver and vice versa. There is this pang in his heart that he did not notice there before.

Is this a sign that he should look for a permanent partner? Is he ready for it? He still has much to prove for his career and values his freedom. Is he prepared to relinquish his freedom and tie himself to a woman? Time will tell. After dinner, he told his family he had to be somewhere to celebrate with the boys.

He arrived at the Club at precisely ten in the evening. The crowd was crazy, but when the guy at the entrance saw him, he smiled and asked Brace to walk toward him.

" Hey, bro, congratulations on your win tonight. That was a sick shot, man. Go in. Your friends were already inside waiting for you." Bob, the bouncer, said and shook his hand with a pat on the back. Brace thanked him and went into the Club.

As expected, it was so loud, crowded, and smelt like smoke, liquor, and stink from the bathroom. Brace was on his way to look for his boys when a smoking hot girl bumped into him, and he automatically held her slender waist to stop her from falling backward.

She looked at him, and damn! Those were the most expressive chocolate-brown eyes he had ever seen. She was gorgeous and sexy as f**k, and he could tell because he was holding her still. The girl stared at him in awe and disbelief. So she knew who he was. He should have known that she had planned this accident. What a cunning woman, Brace thought and let go of the girl abruptly as if burned.

He walked past her without looking back and saw Tom walking towards him. Tom looked at the girl and smiled sympathetically. Tom then followed Brace and showed him their cubicle. Brace could still smell the girl's perfume and feel her under his touch. f*****g b***h, he thought.

" Dude, that was not so nice. You should have at least said sorry for bumping into her." Tom reprimanded his best friend.

" Why should I? It was obvious she did that on purpose. She knew who I was, dude." Brace answered and accepted the bottle of beer his mate Andy handed to him.

" I don't think so, Brace. She looked hurt when you pushed her aside and then enraged. Man, she was smoking hot. Have you looked at her properly? That body, man, and that unruly brunette hair, I am pretty sure she'll bring you to heaven, dude." Tom insisted, but Brace snorted and shook his head.

He had his fair share of women like that. Pretending to be in distress and need rescuing, but in the end, they want his fame and money. No one stuck around and tried to know the real him. He doesn't need a temporary woman in his life anymore.

On the other side of the Club, Sabrina was fuming mad and drank the vodka in one go. She cannot believe she fell for that rude son of a b***h, Brace Donovan.

" Chill, girl! Who killed your cat? You look murderous! Did you fight with another girl in the bathroom?" Gina asked her fuming mad best friend, Sabrina.

" Remind me why I adored that egotistical man again?" Sabrina asked Gina.

" Who are you referring to, woman?" Gina stared at her in confusion.

" Brace Donovan! That son of a b***h bumped into me in the corridor and then pushed me aside as if I had the virus or something." Sabrina told her best friend and fanned herself because the vodka added to her heated body.

" What?! You bumped into your man, and you did nothing? Girl, you should have flirted with him. What the f**k!" Gina screamed, but nobody noticed because it was too loud in the Club.

" I was stunned, okay? How was I supposed to react when all of a sudden, he pushed me aside like I was a dirty rag? I swear, when I get home, I will rip all of his photos in my room and burn everything that will remind me of him. Urgh! The nerve of that man!" Sabrina yelled out, but Gina was smiling slyly.

She knows how much her best friend adored Brace Donovan. In their first year of college, she learned that Sabrina kept Brace's photos and clippings and started stalking him on social media. This girl is obsessed with Brace Donovan and doubts that Sabrina will throw away those pictures she holds dear. Gina felt so excited for her best friend. Finally, she will get the man of her dreams, and she will do everything to help her achieve that goal.