“Okay, stop there,” I yell after him. “What’s the number on the door say?”
He looks up at it and answers, “Nineteen.”
“That’s us. Please don’t open the door. Wait for me.”
He motions for me to hurry up while bouncing on the balls of his feet, making me laugh even more.
I walk a little faster, not trusting the fact that he’ll wait for me, envisioning him opening the door to a whole bunch of strangers and getting off on the wrong foot.
Before I open the door, I lean down to Nolan’s level and remind him, “Remember, you need to be on your best behavior. This is a huge privilege for us to be invited here, and you want to be respectful to Evan and the other people in this suite, okay?”
He nods. “Yes, Mommy. I will.”
I give him a kiss on the forehead, stand, take a big inhale, and open the door to see a room with leather couches, a table with eight chairs around it, food spread on a table along the side wall, and a door that leads to seats outside, which are separated from the suite by a large glass wall that displays the stadium in all its glory.
“Mom, look!” Nolan jumps up and down, pointing to the field. “We’re up by the slide!”
The stadium has a big slide for kids to climb up and slide down that looks like a jungle safari with raccoons and other animals mixed in and huge green leaves.
“Can we go on it before we leave?”
I grin. “Yeah, I bet we can make that happen.”
A group of people are outside on the private terrace and turn to see us standing there. When a woman about my age heads toward me with a huge smile on her face, I walk toward her, thinking this must be Samantha.
“Christy?” she asks as she opens the door, coming back into the suite with everyone following her.
I nod. “Samantha?”
She opens her arms wide to welcome me into a hug. “It’s so nice to meet you in person!”
We hug, and I feel the comfort she offers instantly, just like she was on the phone when we first spoke.
“You too. When did you guys get into town?”
“Late last night. Here.” She turns to place her hand on the man standing behind her. “This is my husband, Mike, and my two boys, Liam and Tyler.”
I shake hands with Mike, then hold up my hand to high-five Liam and Tyler. “It’s nice to meet you all. This is my little guy, Nolan.”
“Come check it out,” Liam says to Nolan, motioning for him to join them outside on the balcony.
Nolan hands me his glove he’s been holding and runs outside to join them.
“How perfect. You have a son too. Some people don’t understand the insanity that comes with raising boys. I’m glad I don’t have to worry about keeping them calm at an event like this,” Samantha says with a chuckle.
I shake my head with a grin. “Oh, you don’t have to explain yourself—or them—to me. I get it for sure. I’m just glad he’s locked in this room so I can actually relax for a second. That’s one of the reasons I don’t bring him to games often. By the end of the night, I’m exhausted from just trying to keep him from running off.”
She grabs my arm and brings me into her as we head outside to join them. “Ain’t that the truth? Try it with two!”
“Ha! I can’t even imagine,” I reply.
She bounces her head back and forth in thought. “I’m pretty much losing my mind daily as they feed off each other. Right, honey?”
I turn to Mike, who just laughs.
“Yep, it can for sure feel like a circus around our house sometimes.”
She leads me to the balcony, taking in the entire field with a deep breath. “You don’t want to stifle their playing or creativity because it can lead to this.” She opens her arms up wide with a huge smile on her face, like she’s a proud mom.
