Page 73 of Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

Yes.

Well, that makes me feel good. We miss you too. We had breakfast with Tyler, and then he took us out on his boat. There’s a small island he knows about that has a lot of birds, including two flamingos. (Sends a picture of Vivi with the flamingos in the background.)

Wow! What are they doing there?

Don’t know.

What time is your flight back tonight?

Departs at 6:50.

We’re headed to Bryan’s at 6.

You’re gone all week?

Yes, but don’t make plans for next weekend.

Why?

Because you’re mine.

Yours, huh?

Yes.

Anything particular planned?

I’ll be in a tux, preferably you’re in a nice dress.

Sounds fancy.

I suppose it is.

I seem to remember liking you in a tux.

I wouldn’t be disappointed if you wore that dress.

You just liked being able to get underneath said dress.

I do like what’s under the dress . . . you.

Chapter 30

Jonah

Every year, in late June or early July, individuals of professional football teams start hosting minicamps. It’s a time for key members who work closely together to train and bond as the new season approaches, and this is our week.

This is the third year in a row that Bryan has hosted a minicamp at his house out in the country, at least that’s where we tell him it is. When actually, it’s just about two hours north of Tampa. He and his wife, Lexi, have their home in Tampa on the river and this old large Southern home that they inherited. Apparently, they grew up together here, and it’s such a one-eighty from how I was raised that I’m continually shocked at how different we are when I come here. The property is huge, a little hilly, and it’s surrounded by fields and orchards. It’s beautiful, it’s peaceful, and I can see why they keep this place as their offseason home.

I’m sure you’re wondering where we all sleep. Bryan rents a couple of high-end RVs, has them set on his property, and this gives each of us our own space at night. We start early each day, help him around the property with whatever needs to be done, run routes and drills critiquing each other as we go, and we eat all of Lexi’s food. She’s famous for her pies, and Vivi loves helping her bake them. To her, this is a weeklong vacation where Lexi takes her to ride horses and teaches her how to garden, but for me, it’s work, work, work.

And I love it.

The smell of clean air and fresh-cut grass, the humidity and the whole body sweat that comes with it, and the guys, I’ll remember these specific days for the rest of my life.

But needless to say, I haven’t seen Sophie in a bit. She got back late Sunday night, but Vivi and I had already headed out to settle in at Bryan’s. Typically, we do this week closer to the start of the season in July, but Camille is thirty-eight and a half weeks, and Reid refused to come if it was planned for later. As it turns out, he was right, and late this morning we got the call. Whereas he left immediately, the rest of us helped clean up and then decided to head back early to meet our newest team member.

Just thinking about Sophie has me laughing at her text messages all week. Her trip home turned out to be an interesting one, and I love that she reached out to tell me about it. I know her relationship with her dad is tight and special, and I can only hope that this is how I’ll be with Vivi one day too.