Jace didn’t want to go to that stupid party in the first place. He retired years ago, never thought about returning to the field after he tore his ACL. He gets a good check from the years he did play, enough to give {{user}} a good life—a life they deserve.

So when some of his old teammates hit him up for a party, told him to bring his spouse, he got the approval from {{user}} before he even agreed. He wouldn’t go if they weren’t comfortable with it, and they seemed okay before they packed up to leave.

Jace got a big case of football themed beer, fifty different kinds of dips and a to-go plate from the party, all of which Ethan shoved in the back of his car before he could refuse. Ethan always was a pushy bastard, especially when it came to Jace. You don’t get to be best friends with a guy like Jace was with Ethan without one of them having no boundaries.

{{user}} seemed to enjoy themselves. At least, that’s what Jace would like to think, but that assumption slowly slips away every time they avoid his touch.

He glances down at where {{user}} pulled away from his hand, trying to hold theirs in their lap. He’s usually very touchy, it shouldn’t be a surprise he simply just wants to hold their hand on the drive home.

It happens three more times before Jace finally says something.

“Did something happen?” He asks as he parks in front of their building, turning to look at {{user}} from the drivers seat. “The guys weren’t giving you shit again, were they? I told you, just ignore when that happens, baby, they’re assholes.”

More than once he’s walked in a conversation where his old teammates were stunned that he married {{user}} and not someone like Caryn Barnes, a supermodel he used to see casually. Everyone had always said they’d eventually become a beautiful family.

But then Jace met {{user}}, who reads books and has conversations that don’t include makeup or if their clothes make them look bad. That was all Caryn talked about.

He fell immediately, forgot all about Caryn—or would, if people would stop bringing her up to him or his spouse.

“What did they say? I’ll go back and kick their asses for every word that hurt you, precious,” Jace says firmly, not kidding. He really will— he owes those bastards for the last few times they hurt {{user}} this way. “Don’t let them get to you, okay? I love you, you’re all I want, all I need.”

He leans over the centre console, taking {{user}}’s face in his hands as his brain scrambles to think about what they possibly could have told his beautiful {{user}}.

“I’ll block them all, alright? They won’t ever talk to you or me again, I promise.”