Page 30 of Tiger Lilies and Tight Ends

“Well, that’s an easy one for me.” Reid grins at Bryan, who comes up next to him to see what the sign says. Then he smiles back at the camera. “My beautiful wife and I welcomed the most perfect daughter in the world. Doesn’t get much better than that,” he says proudly, rubbing his hand over his chest.

Bryan pats him on the back.

A few more of the guys join us, and we all stare at the question, trying to come up with an answer. I’m not sure being put on the spot will be easy for me, then again, if I have something to say, it might be.

The truth is, I really didn’t do much this offseason. I took the boat out, played with Vivi, and worked out. I didn’t go anywhere or do any home projects. I just took it easy and healed my body from last season.

“We all know what yours is, Brennen, those farm animals you bought,” Rico teases, and Bryan groans.

“Bro, you got farm animals?” J.J. asks, like that’s the craziest thing he’s ever heard. He’s not in our group chat, as he’s on the D-line as a defensive end.

“You should see them.” Rico grins. “His wife brought home goats and chickens. Brennen built a chicken run so they can travel from one part of the yard to another.”

The guys around us chuckle.

“You are never allowed over to my house again and just see if I bring you any of Lexi’s pies this season,” Bryan practically growls, and the guys all standing around us go from chuckling to laughing.

Rico throws up his hands. “Ain’t gotta go there, bro. It’s all just fun. Besides, you have an unlimited supply of eggs now, and who doesn’t want that? Eggs are expensive.”

“Fun for you,” he mumbles. Bryan does not like the farm animals. It’s been funny to hear his stories. “But yeah, the eggs have been nice. Lexi uses a lot of eggs when she bakes, so they really weren’t a bad investment.”

“Those goats are cute too,” Rico teases, bumping him in the arm.

“Do you want me to make your life difficult?” he asks. “Just answer the question.”

The guys around us chuckle again.

“My favorite thing was heading back home to Philadelphia to spend some time with my family. We rented a house out in the mountains and just chilled. My sister brought my nephews, we rented ATVs, rafted the river, and sat in the hot tub every night under the stars. It was the best.”

It sounds like it, and suddenly, I’m wondering why I didn’t do anything over the break. I could have gone to see Lance or my parents, but I didn’t.

“Spending time with family is the best,” says Darius. Darius married his high school sweetheart, and they have one son, with another baby on the way. If you ever want to see a man proud of his family, talk to Darius.

“For me, it was reconnecting with Sophie,” Jonah says. There’s a stupid grin on his face, as there should be. If anyone deserves to find some happiness, it’s him and Vivi.

“I bought a house,” Ryder chimes in, and we all turn to look at him. I guess his meeting with Coach didn’t last long.

“So that’s what you did with your signing bonus.” Rico pats him on the back.

Ryder is a rookie this year. First round of the draft, most teams know which direction the other teams are going to go, and we brought Ryder in after the Combine. The Tarpons wanted him and would have done whatever it took to get him.

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a fixer-upper, but I love working with my hands and building things,” he says.

“Working with your hands? I bet the ladies say that too,” Rico teases, and a few guys snicker, while a few others groan.

“Would you move along?” Sully says as he stands behind us, pushing Rico out of the way. “I swear, you are a menace.”

“I’m just speaking the truth!” He laughs as he turns to walk toward the locker room.

“What about you, Sully? What did you do during the offseason that was your favorite?” Bryan asks him.

Sully’s cheeks turn a little red, and all of us focus on him, wondering what he did. What did he do that he didn’t tell us about?

He clears his throat. “I did some hiking,” he mumbles as if this isn’t the juiciest tidbit.

“Hiking? Where?” Bryan asks.

Sully rubs his hand over the back of his neck and then stands a little taller. “Machu Picchu. I hiked the Inca Trail.”