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Kelley couldn’t give the exact date and time when she fell in love with Alex Morgan, but she could distinctly recall the moment she knew she loved the forward. A year after losing to Japan in the World Cup Final, the United States women had redeemed themselves with an Olympic victory. Riding high from their win, the two decided to move to Los Angeles for a few months. They quickly fell into a domestic life together where Kelley would cook and Alex would clean. If anyone asked Alex, they started dating after a month of living together, while Kelley would claim they’d been dating since they moved in together.
Kelley came to the realization she loved Alex after a month and a half of living together. The two had slept in after spending the previous day at the beach, Kelley surfing and Alex working on her tan. They were seated at the counter in their kitchen, drinking their coffee in silence. As the sun shone through their balcony window, Kelley looked at her girlfriend and it hit her. The younger of the two had very clearly rolled out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen to have her coffee before even thinking about attempting to get ready for the day. And yet, Kelley couldn’t help but still find her to be the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen, wearing old sweatpants from Berkley and a Stanford hoodie she’d stolen from Kelley back in 2011.
Deciding it was better to not sit on it, Kelley told Alex she loved her that morning, and when Alex smiled at her shyly and grabbed her hand, she knew the younger woman felt the same before the words had left her mouth.
-
That was seven years ago. And with each passing year, things had only gotten better and the pair had grown even closer. Kelley thought about proposing nearly every year since they had gotten together. 2013 seemed a little too soon and the NWSL had kicked off its inaugural season with Alex moving to play in Portland while Kelley headed to New Jersey. So she waited. 2014 could have worked in theory, but same-sex marriage was still illegal in most of the country, so again Kelley waited. 2015 was the second time they competed in a World Cup together, and the first time they won together. Kelley nearly proposed right then and there, on the field. But decided against it, opting to wait until the end of their victory tour. Then, the news came. Alex was being traded to a new team, in Orlando. So again, Kelley waited. 2016 was full of Olympic qualifiers the actual Olympics. The last thing Kelley wanted to do after the shock that was the game against Sweden was to propose. The whole team was pissed off and no one wanted to do anything but remain pissed for a long time, so Kelley put it off again. Kelley decided 2017 would be the year she would propose. And then, Alex signed a loan deal with Lyon and spent half the year playing overseas, while Kelley stayed in New Jersey. When Alex returned, her team was attempting a playoff run, so Kelley supported her club and picked Alex back up after their loss to Portland in the semi-finals. Kelley had every intention of proposing in 2018, but then Orlando’s season wasn’t the greatest and Kelley’s ankle started giving her problems and she eventually needed surgery to fix it. Finally, Kelley decided that if she sat around waiting for the perfect moment, they would be retired before she got the chance to propose. So Kelley waited until the craziness of a second World Cup victory and subsequent victory tour before deciding she needed to pop the question.
They had wrapped their final set of Victory Tour matches and Alex was headed back to Los Angeles to continue rehab for her knee while Kelley returned to Utah to see out the end of the Royals’ season. As soon as they finished their final game, Kelley caught a flight to California. Alex had barely opened the door before Kelley started speaking.
“I’ve been trying to do this for about five years now and I think I’ve waited long enough.”
“Wait what? Kelley, what the hell are you talking about?” Alex was slightly alarmed by Kelley’s rushed nature and vague statement.
“Alex, please. Just let me speak, uninterrupted, for a few minutes. I need to get this out.” Alex just nodded mutely, neither of them moving into the house.
“If you had told me ten years ago, when we first met, that I would fall head over heels in love with you and that you would actually date me, I would have called you crazy. I immediately knew you would important to me, but I had no idea just how important. You brought a light I didn’t know I was missing. From the moment I first heard you laugh, I knew I would never tire of making you laugh. It was just so infectious. When I missed the cut for the 2011 World Cup, you just being there for me to vent to made me feel better. I think you may have even been more excited when Pia called me than I was.” Kelley laughed lightly at the memory and Alex just smiled, looking at the woman in front of her as she continued speaking.
“And then we won the Olympics. And we moved out here and we fell in love. And everything started falling into place. The league started and you won a championship in the first year, we won a World Cup together, we lost the Olympics and you got traded, you went to France and I didn’t know how I was going to go half a year without seeing you. My ankle screwed me over and I needed surgery and now we’ve won another World Cup and we have another Olympic competition coming at us next year, but I can’t put this off any longer. I can’t keep waiting for the ‘right moment’ because it’ll never come. Life doesn’t work that way. So, I’m done waiting.”
Alex’s breath catches a little as Kelley looks directly into her eyes and grabs her hands.
“I look into your eyes, and I see my future. I see you and me growing old together and having kids after we retire, and all the dogs because you’ll insist each member of the family needs their own dog and I won’t be able to say no.” Again both smiled at each other. Kelley took a slow, deep breath before speaking again.
“When I handed my heart over to you, I did it with zero regrets and zero hesitance. I love you so much, Alex. So much more than I have ever loved anyone or anything else. You are my life, and I never want that to change. When you are with me, I feel like I can conquer the world. No. I know I can conquer the world. Because my world became so much better after I met you and it never stopped. And I believe that, with you by my side forever, it never will.”
Alex’s eyes are watering at this point and Kelley is moving to get down on one knee, pulling the box from her pocket and finally asking the question.
“Alex,” she breathes out in a whisper. “Will you continue to make my world better and allow me to do the same for yours? Will you marry me?” At that, Alex pulls Kelley back to her feet, twisting her hands in the fabric of Kelley’s sweater and kisses her deeply. Kelley’s hands grab Alex’s hips as she steadies herself and melts into the kiss. When they pull away, Kelley tilts her head to the side. “So, is that a yes then?” Alex rolls her eyes playfully before responding.
“Yes, Kelley. The answer will always be yes.” Kelley smiles brightly as she slides the ring onto Alex’s finger and kisses the forward again.
“So,” Kelley begins. “Who’s telling the team?” Alex laughs before responding. “Well, for starters, who did you tell you were planning to propose?”
“Just Allie and Christen,” was the response.
“So Christen would’ve told Tobin and probably Mal. And maybe Julie and Becky. Becky wouldn’t have told anyone, but Julie would’ve told Crystal. Mal would tell Sammy and Rose who, in turn, would’ve told Sonny who then would’ve told Lindsey. And Allie, well Allie would tell Pinoe who would’ve told Ash, who would’ve told Ali. So I think it’s safe to say at least half the team knows by now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
“Kel?”
“Yeah, Lex?”
“I love you.”
“I love you too, superstar.”