Page 46 of Coastal Rewind

MJ bounced on his feet as we walked to our row on our flight from LA to Tampa. He had been talking nonstop about seeing his dad and the other Sparrows players. I knew it was a relief for Mason to have him home with someone he seemed to trust, but MJ wasn’t used to being away from his dad so much.

In the past, he’d had to join on trips because there was no one to watch him. While that put Mason in a difficult and stressful situation, MJ felt included and made lasting memories with the team. Now that it was summer break, he was bursting with excitement to get back to that.

We found our seats and I placed our carry-on bags in the overhead bin before sliding into the aisle seat. MJ was looking out the window with a massive smile. I had a feeling this kid had a heart that loved travel as much as mine.

The captain’s voice came over the plane speakers announcing that we would begin our taxiing and take off. The moment the plane moved, MJ fell back into his seat and his eyes went wide. His little fingers splayed wide around the arm rest and his chest started rising and falling at a faster rate.

I covered his hand in mine and leaned over to whisper to him. “Do you know what is so cool about airplanes?” I asked.

He shook his head but didn’t take his eyes off the seat in front of him.

“You get to pretend to be a bird. You can fly high in the sky and see things humans were never meant to see. When I fly, I pretend I’m a bird and birds have complete control of their own flight.”

“What kind of bird?” he asked.

I tilted my head. “How about today we be sparrows. The bird of protection.”

He nodded his little head and leaned back. His grip tightened on mine as the plane left the ground and he didn’t release it until we landed hours later in Tampa.

I grabbed MJ’s suitcase off the carousel and dropped it at my feet. Mason had offered to pick us up at the airport, but the team got called in for an early practice which meant we had to order a car to the hotel before heading to the game. We walked outside to the pickup area as I opened my phone to order us a car.

“Excuse me, do you need a ride?”

My head snapped up at the familiar voice.

“Nolan!” MJ shouted before taking off toward my younger brother.

“Welcome to Florida, little man!” Nolan scooped him up, and I followed them with the suitcases in tow.

“You could’ve told me you were picking us up,” I said when Nolan took my suitcase from my hand.

“Where’s the fun in that?” He smirked at me.

I shook my head and walked to the passenger side of the car. MJ was already in the backseat and buckled when I popped open the door and slid into the front.

“Okay, so we have to go right to the game, but you can change there if you want to.” Nolan put the car into drive and took off into traffic. He reached behind my seat and placed a plastic bag in my lap.

“What’s this?” I opened the bag and peeked inside.

“You needed some diversity in your wardrobe.”

Inside the bag was another Sparrows jersey. This one was white with dark green pinstripes and the name Saxley in dark green letters across the shoulders. Also in the bag was a smaller version of the same jersey and two dark green baseball hats with the Sparrows logo on the front in a paler green. I laughed and tossed MJ his jersey and hat.

When we pulled up to the stadium, Nolan parked in the designated area for staff and we followed him into the entrance with passes he gave us. We had some time before the game, so Nolan took MJ to the locker room to hang out with the guys while I found a bathroom to change.

I peeled off my leggings and T-shirt and immediately felt better. There was something about clothes I wore on a plane that made me feel like I was covered in various germs I did not want to know the origin of.

I slipped on my black jean shorts and cropped tank before pulling on the new jersey Nolan gave me. Since I had the time, I brought in my makeup bag and curling iron to make myself look more presentable. I plopped it onto the bathroom counter and fished through it for my foundation. I didn’t wear makeup often besides a little mascara and some lip gloss, but today I wanted to put in a little more effort.

I swiped concealer under my eyes and patted it in with my beauty blender before dotting my cheeks with a light blush. I curled the bottom of my long, dirty blonde hair and tucked it under the green baseball hat. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I rolled my eyes.

Who the fuck was I? I was putting on makeup and doing myself up just because I was going to see Mason again.

Panic started to rush into my chest. Why did I care how I looked? I never cared about the way I looked. I wore thrifted tees and sneakers almost every day. I threw my hair into a bun no matter the occasion. I only wore makeup to fancy events except a little blush and sunscreen.

The realization hit me like a freight train as I gathered my products and threw them into my travel bag.

I liked him.