Saint
I’m tired in the best way. But the adrenaline crash is hitting hard tonight. Especially now that the house is quiet and the kids are in bed.
Presley’s in the shower, and I’m double-checking the locks and turning on the alarm system. As I climb the stairs slowly, every step feels heavier than the last. I’m a goddamn professional athlete, but I can’t remember feeling this tired. At least not in a very long time.
I push open my bedroom door and walk into the room. The light from the en suite gives off a soft glow, and steam rolls out under the door like a fog.
I sit on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, letting my head hang for just a second. Then I roll it from side to side to loosen the neck muscles.
Today was good. It almost feels strange to admit it. But it’s true.
Seeing Remy smile and laugh like that did something to me. Filling a void I didn’t even realize had been hollow since Savannah died.
I can still hear his excited voice in the car on the way home.
“Aiden said he would come watch one of my games, Uncle Saint. Can you believe it?”
“Yep, I believe it. I bet he’ll come for a visit to see Aston soon. He probably has a game nearby, come to think of it.”
“Okay, so don’t forget to give him my schedule so he can come,” Remy says, seriously.
“I will, bud. I promise.” I look at his face in the rearview mirror and smile.
For a few hours today, he was just a kid. Not a boy who had lost his parents or someone trying to be brave. He was the star of the game, and that … mattered.
I scrub a hand over my face and lean back slightly, staring at the ceiling.
Then there were my friends. My teammates. Guys who didn’t have to show up, but they did anyway.
Alie and Liam have practically moved into my house … my life … without asking permission, just stepping in wherever and whenever we need them. But they also seem to justknowwhen we need them, because they’re always with us. Especially on the harder days.
With Aston and Brody, it’s the same thing. They just show up.
I know it’s because they all want me to know I’m not in this alone. And I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repay that.
But I know one thing: I will never forget it. Ever.
Because this is what really matters. Not contracts, stats, or headlines. It’s the people in my life. My family—the kind you’re born into and the kind you build.
My chest tightens as Savannah’s face flickers in my mind. She would have loved today. Remy’s winning goal, Rhyan finding a friend who will indulge her imagination.
She wouldn’t want us to be stuck in grief.
She would want us to live. And for me to show the kids by my example how to continue on.
I exhale.
“I got this,” I mutter under my breath. “I’ve got them, Savannah.”
And I mean it.
No matter what the court says. And no matter what I have to do, they are mine to protect, and I won’t fail them.
And then there’s Presley.
I look over at the bathroom door and can hear her moving around.
We haven’t had one second alone all day. And the worst part about that was I couldn’t get a read on her like I usually can.
