Sophie regaled everyone with the latest gossip from the Philly Inferno. It sounded like a soap opera at times with everything they were dealing with. Rebuilding seasons were never fun for sports teams.
“The egos on this team are wild, but I think they’ll get a handle on it. They’re all so lucky they’re good-looking because they sure do act like a bunch of idiots sometimes,” she said, finishing a story about the latest trade and the conflict it had caused.
“Make sure you don’t get distracted by all that drama. I’m sure your bosses wouldn’t like it if you were fraternizing with one of them,” Aunt Allison said.
“No way,” Sophie said, curling her lip thinking about it. “Those guys are way too dramatic for me. They’re just nice to look at.”
“You’ve got a good head on your shoulders, Soph,” Uncle Zac agreed. “You could do better.”
“Better than a multi-millionaire athlete? I dunno about that, but I’ll certainly try,” Sophie said, chuckling into her chili.
Josh shared an amused glance with Riley. Whoever Sophie ended up with would need to be someone organized and calm to keep her balanced.
Since Josh had already found his perfect partner, he wanted to shout it from the rooftops. He and Riley had talked about telling their parents about their new relationship, and they’d decided to look for an opening that night.
“Money isn’t everything,” his mom, Leigh Anne, said. “We did okay for ourselves but we were never rolling in the dough, and we couldn’t be happier, right, honey?”
Eddie turned to her with a dopey smile. “We’re still very happy together, but I sure wouldn’t turn down some extra travel money.”
They all laughed and nodded in agreement. Moneydidn’t buy happiness, but it sure made things easier.
Josh thought about his and Riley’s college days when they were scraping together every dollar they could to start their business. Times were hard, but he wouldn’t trade those days for anything in the world.
“So true, but all I mean is money is nice and it sure is helpful not to struggle,” Leigh Anne said. “But you want to find someone who will struggle with you through those bad times, someone who’ll stand by your side through thick and thin.”
“Riley and I are in love!” Josh blurted, and the table went silent, heads snapping in their direction. Josh could feel Riley stiffen next to him.
“Hell yeah!” Sophie said, looking between their parents. “That’s amazing news. You guys have always been the perfect pair. Makes total sense you’d fall in love.”
“Sweetie, you’re serious?” Leigh Anne asked, a hesitant smile growing on her face. “You and Riley are together? Like,togethertogether?”
Josh turned to Riley for confirmation. He could see Riley's body tense but he remained resolute as he took a deep breath and answered.
“Yes, we’re serious,” Riley said, reaching for Josh’s hand on the table. “It kind of came out of nowhere, but in hindsight, I don’t know how I missed it this whole time.”
Uncle Zac clapped. “That’s great news. I always knew you kids were close, but I didn’t realize either ofyou felt that way. I’m gonna grab some champagne to celebrate.”
He stood and walked to the liquor cabinet on the other side of the dining room.
“Now we don’t have to worry about these boys bringing home some wayward girl who's not good enough for either of them, that’s for sure,” Eddie said.
“And no surprise pregnancies, either,” Leigh Anne said, laughing. “You’re thirty now, probably more than capable of raising a child at this point, but still, it definitely lowers my stress levels.”
Eddie rose to help pass out champagne flutes to everyone as Uncle Zac followed him, pouring the bubbly in each glass around the table.
Josh could only look at Riley, who squeezed Josh’s hand and looked at his mother.
“Mom?” he asked quietly. “Are you happy for us, too?”
Aunt Allison’s gaze ping-ponged between Riley and Josh. She caught everyone else around the table looking at her. She reached over and placed a hand on Riley’s where he held it still on the table.
“Are you sure about this, Riley? Aren’t you worried about what people will think of you? That they might treat you differently, or that you could lose clients?”
Riley squeezed Josh’s hand, his voice trembling only slightly. “I’m going to sound like a total cliche, but ifloving Josh is wrong, then being right sounds pretty dumb. You already know he’s the kindest, sweetest, greatest person I’ve ever met, and he’s always been there for me. We’re a team, and anything anyone else thinks doesn’t matter because I know they’re wrong. Josh is perfect for me, and I’m going to spend every day for the rest of my life trying to earn my place at his side.”
“Ri, you already have,” Josh said, drawing Riley’s gaze to him. “You’re everything to me, and my mom’s right that what matters is finding someone who will struggle with you through the bad times, someone who’ll stand by your side through thick and thin. We’ve already done that together for years. It’s like we’ve been in training to be the world’s greatest couple this whole time!”
Riley laughed and pulled Josh in for a hug, only slightly awkward as they twisted in their seats at the dinner table.
