Kylee arrived early at the field like she always did. Bundled in a sweater with Jake's face and his football number on it. The metal bleachers were still mostly empty, just a few parents adjusting folding chairs claiming their spots and kids running wild with toys and juice boxes. She pushed Kayla’s stroller along the gravel path, Macy skipping beside her with a bag of goldfish in one hand and her glittery boots on the wrong feet again.
“Kylee!” a familiar voice called.
She turned to see Cassie, one of the other football moms, waving her over.
Taylor, another regular sideline fixture, sat beside her with sunglasses perched on top of her head and a thermos of wine disguised as coffee.
Kylee smiled and made her way over, parking the stroller just behind the bench.
“You’re always here early,” Cassie said with a laugh, scooting to make room. “That’s why I like you. The good moms show up before the chaos.”
Kylee gave a modest shrug, sliding into the seat. “Habit, I guess. I like getting here early to get the best view of Jake Jr.”
Jake Jr’s starting, right?” Taylor said, sipping from her thermos.
“Yep,” Kylee replied, pride flickering behind her smile. “Coach said he’s doing very good.”
“Of course he is,” Cassie said, nudging her. “I mean, look at his genes. His dad? Girl, you hit the jackpot.”
Kylee laughed softly, brushing a wind-blown strand of hair from her cheek.
“No seriously,” Taylor added, lowering her sunglasses to make eye contact. “Your husband is like... textbook hot. Surgeon. Gorgeous. Calm under pressure. If mine looked as hot as yours, I’d lose my damn mind.”
“Right?” Cassie chimed in. “And he always looks so polished. Like, the kind of man who smells expensive.”
Kylee’s smile tightened just slightly.
She knew what they saw the handsome, accomplished doctor. The perfect family. The curated, Instagram-worthy life. She’d leaned into that image herself for years, mostly to convince herself it was still real.
They didn’t see the silence between them in bed. The disconnected glances.
“Yeah. He cleans up well.”
“Don’t be modest,” Taylor said. “If my husband had arms like that, I’d be pregnant all the time!”
They all laughed, and Kylee forced herself to join in.
She scanned the parking lot out of habit, heart skipping when she didn’t immediately see his car. She reminded herself: He said he’d be here. He cleared his schedule. He came home last night. He made me feel… something again.
And he said he saw her.
That had to count for something.
“Mom! Look!” Jake Jr. called from across the field, waving from the sidelines with his helmet tucked under his arm.
She waved back with both hands, beaming. “You got this, baby!”
Cassie leaned over. “He’s got your eyes.”
Kylee glanced at her son, then out toward the road again. Her chest tightened. “Please don’t let him be late” She whispered to herself.”
The game didn’t start yet, but the bleachers had begun to fill with parents clutching coffee and stadium blankets. The cheer team huddled near the concession stand, practicing last-minute chants. The air buzzed with whistles, sneakers on turf, and the distant thud of shoulder pads colliding in warm-ups.
Kylee adjusted Kayla’s blanket in the stroller, stole another glance at the road, and then quickly looked away before the other moms noticed how anxious she was.
He said he’d be here.She wasn’t sure she believed it until she saw the sleek black Ferrari roll up behind the last row of parked minivans.
Her heart jolted.
