Thankfully, my driver was still there and the drive from our hotel to the stadium was a short one. By the time we made it to the stadium, passed security, and up to the sky box seats where Tyler’s family was already waiting, nearly an hour had past.
“Hey, you made it. We were starting to have our doubts,” Kayla greeted, grinning at us.
“This one likes to take her sweet time,” Resha pointed at me. She’d already been introduced to Ty’s whole family the day before. Much like me, she got on well with the rest of the women.
I rolled my eyes at Resha. I was already feeling guilty for missing the start of the game. Even if it was due to a good reason.
“Well, at least you got in before the end of the first quarter,” Patience stated as she joined us while bouncing her son, Thiers, on her hip.
I nearly melted as his large, honey-colored eyes looked up into mine. A small smile creased his lips. My hand went to my belly, but this time a feeling of joy and anticipation filled me instead of the sadness that had claimed me before.
“We ordered plenty of food. It should be served in a few minutes,” Michelle told us, and jerked her head to guide all of us over to the seats closest to the window.
The nauseous feeling that still accompanied me fell to the background as I took my seat amongst my husband’s family—or my family as well now, too—and watched the players returning to the field after the start of the second quarter. I grinned as I watched Tyler stroll out onto the field with the rest of his offensive line. For the first time I glanced up at the scoreboard and frowned. The Cougars were down fourteen zero.
“He nearly had two interceptions so far.” I glanced up, looking over at Carter, Tyler’s oldest brother. His attention was on me.
I wrinkled my forehead, frowning. Tyler didn’t throw interceptions. He was the most precise player on the field.
“Come on, baby,” I murmured to myself, turning back to the game.
“Why isn’t he throwing?” Joshua demanded as we all watched Tyler pass the ball to Kelvin for the third time in a row. Kelvin was quickly tackled, gaining less than three yards.
“They need to get on the scoreboard before halftime,” I stated out loud to no one in particular. Just as those words slipped from my lips, the Cougars’ head coach made the decision to go for a field goal. I held my breath as the kicker ran to the field to set up for the attempt. Thankfully, the Cougars’ kicker easily made the nearly forty yard goal, gaining the first three points the team earned of the game.
Everyone in the skybox exhaled a sigh of relief but it was only minor. The Cougars weren’t performing and that’s because their leader wasn’t.
“Chicken?” Patience asked as she passed a plate of chicken wings in front of me.
My stomach instantly recoiled and I slapped my hand over my mouth before hurriedly standing and rushing to the private restroom in the seating area. I slammed the door shut, and as soon as I turned to the toilet, the little bit of contents my stomach had managed to hold onto that day were emptied out into the bowl. My back arched and stretched as I continued to dry heave for god knew how long. After a few minutes without anymore dry heaving, I moved to the sink and splashed my face with some water.
“We’ve got to pull it together, kid,” I urged, rubbing my belly. “Your daddy’s not doing so well on the field,” I continued to talk as if the fetus in my womb could understand what I was trying to get at.
I grabbed a few paper towels and patted my face dry before tossing them and moving to the door. As soon as I opened it, I was greeted by Resha, Patience, Michelle, and Kayla, all four giving me a sympathetic look.
“These helped me tremendously in my first tri,” Michelle stated just above a whisper, handing me something.
I looked down, forehead wrinkled as I noticed what looked to be a piece of wrapped candy.
“They’re ginger candies. Great for nausea.”
I sighed, relieved, and snatched the candy, unwrapping it and popping it into my mouth. “Thank you.”
“Are you feeling all right? I guess we now know why you were late,” Patience asked.
I nodded. “I’m okay. Just uh …”
“Overwhelmed?” Kayla spoke up.
I nodded.
“Here.” Resha pushed through the other three ladies and handed me my bag. “You look like you’ve been through the wringer. Go make yourself up.”
“So encouraging, you are,” I teased.
She shrugged. “Maybe send your man a picture or something. It may help him do better.”
“The game. How’s it going out there?” I asked, looking between all of the ladies.
