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“Aren’t you exhausted? Where’s June? Shawn let you ditch the team?”
“Who do you think suggested the helicopter?” Dallas asks, and he steps to the side so I can see the other people heading toward me.
There’s Shawn, holding June in his arms and nodding along to the story she’s telling.
Lacey is next, one hand in Maggie’s and the other holding a big poster board that looks like it has a hundred signatures on it.
My dad follows them, wiping his eyes and getting teased by my mom, who walks beside him with her partner.
Maverick and Reid bring up the rear, talking animatedly about something.
“Everyone showed up,” I say. “Everyone’s here.”
“Of course they are.” He wipes a tear away from my cheek and kisses my forehead. His lips are warm on my skin, and I melt into him. “We’re always going to show up for you, Mae. The rest of the boys wanted to be here, but it didn’t work out logistically. They all signed the poster to celebrate your big day, though. I figured we could frame it and put it next to the ticket from June’s first football game.”
“I love you a ridiculous amount.” I drape my arms around his neck. My thumb runs along the gold necklace he still wears. He added a J to the chain too. The two letters sit in the column of his throat, not far from his heart. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be.”
“Mommy!” June yells. Shawn sets her down, and she runs toward us. “Were you surprised?”
There was a moment of panic when June started calling me Mom.
It felt like I was stealing the role from someone else, earning a rank I didn’t deserve. Then Dallas told me there’s no one else he’d ever let have that title.
It was always meant for me.
We haven’t looked back.
“I was so surprised, June Bug. Was the helicopter fun?”
“I want to ride in it again,” she exclaims, and I laugh.
“I think you might have created a monster, Dal,” I say.
“The price I’ll pay to make my girls happy.” He lifts June and holds her against his hip. His arm loops around my waist and his palm settles on the small of my back. “Have I told you how proud I am of you today?”
“You did. Several times from thirty six thousand feet in the air.”
“Doesn’t count. I have to say it again. I’m so proud of you, Mae. For getting back on the soccer field. For succeeding in your career. For building a brand and finding yourself. I love you so much, and I’m honored to stand by your side.”
“Hey. Keep the PDA down over there, Lansfield,” Shawn says, and he runs a hand through his graying hair. “No one wants to see that.”
I hand June over to Dallas and move toward the rest of the group. I hug my mom and dad and let them squeeze me tight. They tell me they’re proud of me, too, and I cry again.
The waterworks start to flood as the hug turns into a group piling of Maggie, then Lacey and Shawn. Soon, Maverick, Reid and Isabella join the mix, and I’m surrounded by all of my favorite people.
“Thank you all for being here,” I say, and my voice is muffled in someone’s shirt. “It’s such a silly thing to be excited about when you’ve been to so many other important events, but?—”
“It’s something you love, Mae,” my dad says. “It’s never silly.”
“Right.” I laugh and wiggle free from their embraces. “I should probably get back to my teammates. I don’t want to be kicked off the squad before I even play. Can we all get together after?”
“Lacey made a cake,” Maggie says, and she rests her head on my dad’s shoulder. “If you want to come back to our place.”
“I’d love to.” I put my hand over my chest and head toward my team. “I love you all so much.”
“We love you too, hot stuff,” Lacey calls out, and Shawn shakes his head.
