Empty.
The swirling sensation in my gut is concern. Mia is nothing if not true to her word, and when she said she’d be here tonight, I know she meant it.
Cam and Brayden wave as they take their seats, and I fight the urge to go ask my brother if he can call Mia.
I take my shots on goal. As I miss two in a row, I can tell my concentration is off. So, the first chance I have, I approach the security guard standing by the team bench.
“Can you let me know as soon as my wife gets here?” I gesture to the empty seats behind him.
“Of course, Mr. Wild.”
Cam calls out to me, but before I can ask him about Mia, Coach Tucker beckons.
“Everything all right?” he asks.
I remember our last conversation, so I skip the bullshit this time. “Mia’s not here yet. I’m a little worried.”
He smiles. “It’s not even game time yet.”
“I know, but I asked her to get here early. She said she would.”
“I’m sure she’ll be here soon. It’s her first time.” He claps me on the back. “Get your head in the game.”
“Yes, sir.”
* * *
Mia
Jamie Beth and I hop into her beat-up minivan she inherited from her sister when her sister and her husband upgraded to a new one. We’ve just left the cabin when we run into Luke, Chase, and Cooper standing in the middle of the road leading up to the main house.
All three are wearing cowboy hats, yet I can still see the tension etched on their faces.
Jamie Beth pushes the button to lower the driver’s side window. “Aren’t you cowboys going to the game?”
Luke nods. “We’re running a little late.”
“What’s going on?” I ask him.
He leans into Jamie Beth’s window. “One of the horses has gone into labor early. We’re waiting on the vet to arrive. My dad’s in the stall with her now.”
“Oh, my gosh. Is there anything we can do?”
“No, you ladies should get going. I can imagine Dec’s anxiety if his wife isn’t in her seat by the start of the game.”
“He won’t even notice,” I say. “He’s going to be a little busy playing hockey.”
“I’m with Luke,” Jamie Beth says. “He’ll definitely notice.”
As we’re chatting, a truck comes barreling down the road, stopping right in front of Chase and Cooper. It pulls off to the side, onto the field.
“Vet’s here.” Luke taps the top of the van. “See you at the game. We’ll be sitting right behind y’all.”
As we wave goodbye and drive past them, Jamie Beth says to me, “You didn’t tell me the guys are coming to the game too.”
“Of course they are,” I say. “Is that a problem?”
“No,” she says quickly.
