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“Have you decided on a name?” I asked her, my voice shaky with emotion.
“Avery Chase, after your mom.”
It had been her middle name.
“I love you,” I said. “I love you both so much and I will spend my life loving you.”
“We know.” Hailee smiled, her eyes filled with so much happiness I just knew we were going to be okay.
Because if my mom had taught me anything, it was that lif
e didn’t always go to plan. We couldn’t know what was around the corner, we could only live each moment as it came. And I intended on loving each and every moment for her.
For my son, and my family.
For the girl who had stolen my heart when I was just a boy.
I’d live it for them all.
Because I’d been taught once to play hard... fight hard... and love hard.
* * *
“It’s official folks. Fans everywhere will be mourning the loss of one of the greats today. Jason Ford, Heisman Trophy winner, American All-Star, and one of the NFL’s top-rated quarterbacks of all-time is retiring. After six years with the Philadelphia Eagles, Ford suffered a string of injuries last season.”
“Yeah, Dan, it’s been a rocky year for the record-breaking QB. He enjoyed five years of success with the Eagles, including two super bowls, but last year he suffered that nasty shoulder cuff injury and things went downhill pretty quickly from there.”
“But his high school team, the Rixon Raiders will be pretty excited to see the return of Ford as he joins them as assistant coach.”
“That’s right, Dan. Ford and his family are relocating back to Rixon. And who knows, maybe it won’t be the end of his legacy.”
Jason
There had once been a time when a three-year-old’s birthday party would have sent me running for the hills. But when one of the birthday girls was your daughter, that wasn’t really an option. I cut the engine, climbed out of my SUV, and set about emptying the trunk of all the balloons Fee and Hailee had sent me out to get.
Fuck knows why we needed more balloons. Cam’s house was already full of the damn things. But I knew better than to argue with my wife and my sister.
Hands full, I trudged up the driveway, which was already full of cars, and let myself into the house. It sounded like a zoo, kids running and screaming, adults hovering on the fringes unsure whether to intervene or let them have at it.
God, I missed football.
At least back then, things were simple.
“Daddy, Daddy,” Lily charged at my legs. “You got boons.”
“Sure did, baby.” I thrust the handful of balloons at the first person I saw and scooped up the birthday girl. “Are you enjoying your party?”
“Yes,” she shrieked with glee. “I am free.”
“Three, you’re three, Lily.”
“She’s a handful, is what she is.” Fee came over with our youngest, Poppy, asleep in her arms, and leaned in kissing Lily, and then my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Anything for the birthday girls. This place is crazy.” I eyed my wife discreetly. Three-year old's were cunning things, wily and intuitive. Cam kept telling me it was a girl thing, which meant I was shit out of luck since I had two daughters. At least he had Xander and Avery to balance things out.
Lucky fucker.
Guilt flashed through me. Cameron was lucky. He had a beautiful family, but it had come at a steep price. Three years after his mom had died, Clarke, his dad, had been killed in a traffic accident. He and my sister had become Xander’s guardians after that, their family of three turning into four. Then Hailee found out she was pregnant again. Now they had their hands full trying to raise a teenager, a six-year-old, and a three-year-old.
