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“Yeah. Better check out houses in Mistletoe Falls, Mrs. Gage. You’re looking at the new head coach of the Warriors!”
“Ahh!” She leaps into my arms, and I spin her around the kitchen, as she exclaims, “Oh, my god! I’m so proud of you. I knew it! I knew you’d get it!”
“It happened so fast. How I went from an offensive plays coach to head coach in a matter of days is insane to me. As soon as they called, I came racing here.”
“Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!”
JJ comes running down the hall, and I step back from Francesca and scoop him up as he throws himself at me.
“Hey, son. Were you a good boy today?”
“Yes!” He nods emphatically. “What’s mistletoe?”
Smiling, I explain, “Mistletoe is actually a pretty flower that makes mommy want to kiss me every time she sees it.”
He giggles. “You kiss mommy too much.”
“It’s never too much. And I do it because I love her.” I kiss his neck with exaggerated kissy noises so he laughs some more. “And I loveyou.”
Francesca is watching me from behind JJ and asks, cautiously, “Did you talk to my brothers yet?”
“I need to call Adam, still. But I did speak with Billy.”
“You did?” she asks with wide eyes.
“Uncle Billy is my favorite!” JJ crows as he swings his legs in my hold.
“He is? Don’t tell Uncle Adam!”
“I telled him yesterday. He said Uncle Billy was a clown, and I said he wasn’t and that he was my favorite because he knows everything!” He makes a big circle motion with his hands.
Francesca and I laugh. “Yeah, he does know a lot.”
“Pool?”
“Yes. Go change. But come right here. Don’t go out that door without us.” I point at my eyes and point at his, making the ‘I’m watching you’ motion with my hands, and he returns the gesture before turning and running down the hallway.
Francesca leans against the counter, crossing her arms as she asks, “What did Billy say?”
“I’ve actually been talking to him about the move. I needed a bit of advice.”
“Jackson! It was a secret!”
“I go to Billy with a lot of stuff,” I say with a shrug.
“You do?”
“Yes. I always have. He’s very intuitive. When I wasn’t sure whether or not to take the leap, he told me to prioritize you and JJ first, then make myself happy and, with those two things together, we can take on anything. The contract is only for two years. I have six months to get the team accustomed to my coaching tactics, and then I have four preseason games to lock them down before we move into the normal schedule.”
“Are you ready for that, Coach Gage?”
“I am if you are.”
“Yes. I am. It’s going to be hard leaving, but we expected this, right? It’s why I have Dane here now. I’m down for whatever you want, Jackson. We’ve been working for this. You deserve it.”
“And it’s not forever,” I say with a laugh. “I may only get the two years before they fire me. Or I may tell them what they can do with the job after a year.” I shrug and she pushes off the counter, wrapping herself around me as I add, “We do what works for us, right?”
“Right,” she says as she squeezes me. “And if and when it stops working for us, as a team, we adjust. End of story. But I’ll follow you anywhere.”
