Bridget touched something on the bluetooth speaker and “Unchained Melody” by the Righteous Brothers started playing. Someone on the other side of the roomflicked off the lights while someone else plugged in fairy lights that scattered all around the room, making for a romantic setting seemingly out of nowhere.
Hailey and Avery held on to each other with their foreheads still pressed together as they swayed back and forth to the gentle tune. There may not have been any pomp or circumstance, no tiered wedding cake or beautiful bridal gown, but it was everything Hailey ever dreamed of because it was Avery she was holding onto. And she was never letting go.
Epilogue
10 years later…
“AVERY, DO YOU KNOW where Mia’s pink cleats are? I can’t find them anywhere!”
“They’re in the laundry room by the vent since they were wet after the last practice,” his voice called back.
Hailey pumped her fist in triumph as she entered the laundry room and saw the little shoes sitting on the windowsill above the air vent. Mia, one of Hailey and Avery’s current foster kids, had her first game that day and she was absolutely exhilarated to get to it.
“Found ’em, thanks!” she yelled out to Avery who was upstairs getting the kids ready. She just had to put the final touches on everything they needed for the day. Mia’s bag of soccer equipment was ready with an extra pair of socks. They always came in handy. Three chairsin matching carry bags already sat in the trunk along with their offering to the after-game picnic at the park.
Now, she just needed her team. Grabbing a quick glance at her watch, she saw they had about five minutes before they had to leave. “Alright people, let’s get going. It’s game time!” she shouted up the stairs.
A minute later, Mia was running down the stairs with two slightly uneven black pigtails on either side of her head. Avery followed slightly behind with a sheepish expression on his face.
“I tried my best, but that’s as even as I could get them,” he said.
“Look, Hailey, Avery put pink ribbons in my hair to match my cleats,” Mia said while beaming and squeezing Hailey’s hand.
She knelt down to get closer to Mia and gave each of her tails a little tug. “You look so beautiful, sweetie. And I have a feeling these ribbons are going to make you extra fast on the field.”
“I’m gonna go so fast, I can’t wait for you to see!” Then, her eyes grew even wider and her eyes ventured back toward the stairs. “And Trevor! Trevor, are you coming?”
They all heard a bedroom door shut upstairs and heard Trevor’s feet make their way down the steps.
“Wouldn’t miss it, mini-Mia,” Trevor said with a tiny smirk. The two of them had been staying with them fora few months now, since their father had had an accident, and their mother couldn’t take care of them at the moment. Hailey and Avery weren’t sure how long they’d get to have Mia and Trevor in their lives, but they were excited to finally share their home with kids.
Hailey had tried for a baby twice, and after two miscarriages combined with Avery coming home and telling her about ways he wish he could be there for the kids at work more, they came to the decision to stop trying for their own biological kids and help take care of children that needed it. If the situation was ever perfect, they might adopt, but Mia and Trevor were their first kids so they were trying not to get their hopes up.
Trevor was a quiet kid and had pretty much been taking care of Mia himself since she was born. Since he was only fourteen, he hadn’t been enjoying much of his childhood and Hailey was hoping her and Avery could give him some more things to look forward to. First up, Mia’s soccer game and a picnic with their closest friends.
Everyone grabbed their things and they made their way over to the nearby recreation fields where the rest of Mia’s team would be.
Hailey was driving with Avery in the passenger seat and Mia and Trevor in the back, Mia was in a booster seat since she was only six and still fairly small. They looked so much alike with their inky black hair and dark brown eyes. When Hailey peeked at them in herrearview mirror, she could see Trevor smiling at Mia as she rattled off every best friend she had on her new soccer team. All of them. They were all her best friends.
When they pulled up to the field, they could see a golden retriever wearing a red jersey standing by their field.
“Looks like Cole brought Wrigley to the game today!” Hailey said brightly before turning to Trevor. “Looks like that’s his niece holding Wrigley, too. Isn’t she in your grade, Trevor?”
She could see a bit of pink travel up his cheeks as he muttered an affirmative and they all made their way to the field.
“Mia,” a loud voice bellowed across the field as they all turned toward the noise. “You are practically late to your first game ever. That’s going to cost you.”
Cole closed the rest of the gap between them while keeping a stern gaze on Mia, who was bouncing on her feet she was so excited to play.
“What will it cost?” asked Mia carefully.
“I’m afraid it’s dire. Because of this flagrant assault on all of our precious time, Avery will be required to lose his dignity and work as the ball boy for the entirety of the game.”
“Wha-what’s fragrant mean?” Mia turned to Avery and asked.
“It means Coach Cole is being silly. A silly goosethat goeshonk,” Avery said, lightly squeezing Mia’s nose at the same time he said honk. She giggled and then ran off to see the rest of the team.
“I can’t believe you would resort to calling your oldest friend a silly goose. The betrayal,” Cole said while clutching imaginary pearls against his neck.
