How Much Is Too Much?

 I've taken many courses over the years and had many mentors try to explain the fine points of writing romance. Every writer knows you must keep the reader interested and turning the pages by way of plot points and amping up the conflict. But how much is too much? 

I'm in the process of plotting out a new story. I've been told I write older heroines well, so I'm focusing on that. Not a geriatric heroine, but someone in their mid-to late 40s, maybe. And with age comes baggage. In this case, she's a wealthy Southern woman who is running from a public humiliation by her no-good hubby. Maybe there's a college-age child involved. Don't know yet. What else? Maybe give her a calling, one she put on hold to help her husband climb the political ladder? Hmmm. 

And then there's my hero. He's a former pro football player, but not your typical sports-romance kind of guy. He's a field goal kicker, the kind of guy no one remembers unless he misses the shot. Field goal kickers don't make as much as the marquee quarterbacks or receivers, don't get to revel in the glory of the wins, unless the game comes down to the wire and they kick the winning points. So, he's an obscure player who quits playing when he finds out his wife has turned to drugs for solace while he's on the road, and thereby endangers their darling little girl. Too much? How about if he returns home so his mother can help raise his child and begins a new career? And in his spare time, he serves as a mentor to his old high school football team? What if he gets a call from another pro team in desperate need of a kicker? So many threads...

Am I stacking the deck too high? Will I be able to get my h/h to the finish line without dropping a story line? Will I be able to get them to a happy ever after? Time will tell if I can do this.