Jake stood on the sidelines of the soccer field, hands in his hoodie pockets, watching as his girlfriend Gaby sprinted across the turf with her usual fierce energy. Her ponytail bounced behind her, and the Kentucky sun caught the blond streaks in her hair as she made another save in goal during drills. He wasn’t gonna lie—she looked kinda unstoppable out there.

Next to him, their fluffy dog Mochi panted happily, tail wagging every time Gaby turned in their direction.

After a solid 30 minutes of diving saves and booming coach whistles, Gaby jogged off the field for a water break. She pulled off her goalie gloves and walked straight over to Jake, grinning wide. “Hi baby,” she said, cheeks flushed. Without a second thought, she leaned in and kissed him, then immediately bent down to kiss Mochi on his little fuzzy head. “Hi, my other love.”

Jake smirked. “Wow, I see how it is. Mochi gets the same amount of love as me now?”

“Mochi gets more,” Gaby teased, giving him another quick kiss anyway. She grabbed her water bottle and took a long sip, glancing at the field behind her. “Ugh, it’s hot out.”

Jake nodded toward the soccer balls lined up near the net. “I could totally score on you, easy.”

Gaby almost choked on her water. “Excuse me?!”

“I’m serious,” Jake said with a shrug. “Give me one shot, and I’m putting it in the top corner.”

“Oh really?” she said, raising a brow and stepping aside dramatically. “Be my guest, Mr. FIFA.”

Jake cracked his knuckles, walked up to one of the balls, and took a running start. He kicked it hard… but the ball veered way off, bouncing way wide of the goal and smacking the side fence with a sad little thud.

Mochi barked.

Gaby burst out laughing, holding her stomach. “Top corner, huh?! You meant top corner of the parking lot!”

Jake turned red, chuckling. “Okay okay, maybe the wind caught it or something.”

She leaned in and kissed his cheek again. “Stick to cheering, babe. You’re way better at that.”