Relief spills out of my eyes. It’s like a giant weight has been lifted from my chest, and I can finally breathe again. The constant tension in my shoulders, the ache in my jaw—poof—gone. My skin is no longer crawling with anxiety.
“I don’t want to go to Florida, Nathan.”
He shakes his head. “I know you don’t, baby. We’ll create a life wherever works for both of us. Wherever you can accomplish your dreams while feeling at home. And if Florida isn’t that, then we can find somewhere else.”
I wipe at my eyes and lean forward to kiss him, gaining a grunt from Radish, who is frustrated that the attention isn’t entirely on him. “I felt too guilty to bring it up. You quit football.”
“Because I wanted to. Because it didn’t feel like home anymore. But you, Mae Bexley, do. I belong wherever you are.” He kisses the top of my head. “You can find another program. One that feels right.”
My eyes flicker down to the soggy poster in my lap, now peppered with holes from Radish’s claws. I laugh, my mind oddly still. Calm.
“I have one in mind.”
Epilogue: Nathan
“Let’s go, boys!” I boom, cupping my hands around my mouth so the sound travels directly toward the guys clipping each other on the backs of their helmets after the referee has blown the halftime whistle. It’s the Super Bowl against the Nashville Wranglers—hosted in the Missarali City Stadium.
I’m standing in the stands, wearing a pair of worn jeans and a white T-shirt with a tartan overshirt hanging over my shoulder. It feels good to be here,notin uniform. Watching the guys play. It’s so different seeing it from this perspective.
I feel fucking free.
Leo sits beside me on Darrell’s wife, Hazel’s, lap. He points down at Evan and yells, “Dada!” which causes the people around us to release loudawwwsin unison. Evan glances up at his son with adoration and offers him a wave. I know he can’t wait for the game to be over so he can have Leo back in his arms.
“How are your child coaching sessions going, Nathan? Has Leo joined yet?” Hazel asks me, bouncing the giggling child on her lap, making sure the protective earwear he’s wearing doesn’t slide off as she does so. Evan takes his son’s ear health very seriously.
I ruffle up the small boy’s hair as he reaches for me—it’s our thing at this point. “They’re going well, thanks, Hazel. And no,” my eyes narrow at a staring Evan, who cocks his head, knowing we’re talking about him, “Evan refuses to let Leo join my classes. Says he doesn’t want his son getting into football.”
I teach for fun. I let the kids enjoy the sport, and I put no pressure on them. We don’t play competitively. It’s simply a good time, which I wanted from football at a young age, so I’m happy I can give that to other children, even if I didn’t get it myself.
Hazel cackles. “Well, that’s going to be hard with how he looks at his dad when he plays.”
It’s true. Leo watches his father as if he’s hung the moon down there on that field. Normal kids would get restless and want to play with toys or crawl around, but Leo finds entertainment in watching Evan tackle other men to the ground.
He claps his hands every time.
As the guys file down the tunnel to have their halftime pep talk with Darrell—who shoots me a smile before he disappears—I turn all my attention towards the cheerleaders who skip out onto the grass. They’re all blown-out hair and cheesy smiles.
Mae looks fucking unbelievable, and my eyes flicker over to Renee for a split second to see her nodding along with the music, her lips curling into somewhat of a smile.
It’s a huge improvement from what used to be a glower as she scrutinised each and every one of her girls during the performance—her daughter, especially.
Mae’s eyes shoot to me, and she winks before spinning and dropping down into the splits with the rest of the girls.
Oh, she’s definitely going to be doing that for me later.
I make my way down to the stadium stairs as she dances, eyes glued on her. There’s no way I can wait until the game ends to have my arms around her waist and my lips on hers.
I climb the barrier, nodding toward the security guards who let me over with no questions. Renee spots me and offers me a simple nod before I join her.
“She’s great, right?”
She’s tense, but she clears her throat. “She gets it from me.”
My head kicks back as I laugh. Was that a joke? It’s hard to tell with Renee.
“You made the right choice… making her captain.”
“Yeah… is she managing okay?” Renee asks me, sounding like a curious mother. But she doesn’t look at me. Instead, her gaze is fixated on the field. “With her job at the animal shelter and this? It isn’t too much for her?”
