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I glanced at my cousins who were already seated on the other side of Bliss and chatting away with her. They were beautiful eleven-year-olds with long blond curls and blue eyes.
I knelt down between their chairs. “How are you beautiful ladies doing? You left the horses, and dogs behind?” I teased, leaning over to kiss one, then the other, on their cheeks. “Who’s taking care of them?”
“Mr. Davis is taking care of them for us,” Lily said. Davis was Ben’s best friend who came to work and manage the ranch with my aunt and uncle after their business took off.
“But we still miss them. Especially Dark and Daisy!” Lila put in.
“Of course!” I touched each of their cheeks before returning to my seat. “I miss them, too!” I loved all the animals on the ranch. Gemmy, the old black lab had been just a puppy the first time Dylan and I had been at the ranch, but there were three other dogs now, too.
“They’re the best!” Ben added with a wink at me.
It wasn’t long before Jessie returned to bring Bliss’s Sprite and get the other’s orders. Soon my parents arrived and after their greetings and drink orders everyone was engaged in conversation and just one empty seat remained. Missy was obvious in leaving the one between her and I open for Dylan, giving my hand a little squeeze under the table after she sat down.
I tried to swallow down my nerves and took a big pull on my white wine.
Why was I so friggin’ nervous?
Dylan
I was late meeting my family at Esso’s.
I’d been named MVP of my last college game and the locker room had been bombarded by reporters, and Mace and Josh came in and added an extra layer of distraction. My dad and Chase both stood back watching, but the pride on both of their faces was more important to me than the trophy. The only thing that could have made it better would be to look up and see Remi standing with them. My right hand lifted and came to rest over my heart. I’d texted her three times last week hoping she’d answer or call me so we could talk.
It would have been easier to work it into the conversation rather than blurting “Hey, this is my last college game ever, and you were with me at the beginning of this journey, and it would mean a lot of you could be there.”
My dad and Chase had herded Mace and Josh out of the locker room so I could shower and change, and the reporters followed Chase. He still held the record for most goals in a professional season and now he was coaching with the National Team. He was like a second father to me, and I was proud of all he’d accomplished. It had been a blast going to professional games and just knowing him made me like a rockstar among my friends.
Chase had drilled into me that hard work and training were the only way to be the best, and he’d been right. I was excited about being drafted by the USNMT with Remi’s dad as my head coach, though he’d only accepted after I’d been added to the team because he said it was a conflict of interest. The entire thing was a dream come true; except I’d always pictured Remi being by my side. It would have meant a lot if I could have shared the experience with her.
My Clemson teammates were celebrating and many of them would also be at Esso’s. Christy would be there, too. She’d appeared next to me on the field after the win and offered a brief, but enthusiastic hug and a lot of exuberant screams.
She was one of the Tiger Cheerleaders and the rest of the guys thought I was the luckiest man alive. The excitement and happiness in her expression caused a flash of guilt, even amid all the victory pats, shouts, and body slams from members of my team. I’d returned her hug, but half-assed, and left her on the field after telling her that I had to meet my dad and Chase in the locker room.
I was moving away from South Carolina, and she was staying put, so we had a lot to talk about. She’d been my girlfriend for the past year and a half, and I knew she was waiting for me to ask her to come with me because she failed to make any plans of her own, but I wasn’t feeling it. Thinking about it made me feel like a prick because I knew I didn’t want it. Last Christmas, she’d asked to come with me back to Atlanta, but I knew Remi might be there would be there and so I made an excuse that it was only family because one of my grandmother’s was sick. It was true, but it was only a cold. Turned out, Remi didn’t show up, and I spent the entire break pissed off.
Christy had been amazing to me, helping me out of the depressive slump I’d fallen into after Remi transferred to Tennessee and she’d paid her dues. We were just friends for over a year until I finally agreed to date her. I had to admit she was fun, but something held me back from going all in. Maybe it was the thousand times Remi told me she was my damsel when we were kids… sure, it was cute when were little, and I did feel protective of her, but she was my best friend forever;until she wasn’t.
I wasn’t sure why, but a pair of sad green eyes haunted me. I remembered how left out Remi felt when we first came to Clemson, and this new career would be even more intense, so I told myself the same thing would happen with Christy.
I weaved my way through the parking lot, inhaling deeply as I ran my hand through my still damp hair.
“Hey, Dylan! Awesome game! You were great.” A middle-aged man was walking in across the parking lot with his wife. My mind registered them as one of my teammates’ parents.
“Thank you,” I nodded and put up my hand in a short wave. “But I didn’t win the game alone, you know!”
As I got closer, and we neared the restaurant entrance he patted me on my shoulder. “Yes, they were great, too, but you have an amazing future ahead of you and I’ll be following it all the way!” The man’s fervent support was over the top and I was grateful.
I felt humbled and pressed my lips together. “Thank you, sir. That means a lot.”
When we went through the doors the entire place erupted in a chorus of cheers. Everyone stood and turned toward me, crowding around, and bombarding me with congratulations, hugs, pats and even slugs in the arm. A couple of the women kissed my cheek or offered hugs, and Christy was there waiting, too. She stepped forward, jumped up wrapping her arms hard around my neck and lifting her legs around my waist, then planting a big kiss on my mouth. My arms went around her briefly before I pulled away and set her down. “My folks are here,” I murmured.
“So?” She looked put out and a pout settled on her face. She could tell I’d been pulling away for the past month or so and yet avoided asking what was going on. Deep down, she probably didn’t want to hear what she knew I’d say.
I faced the crowd with a smile as I tried to inch my way through, my eyes searching for the tall frames of my dad or Uncle Chase. No, he wasn’t really my Uncle but he was my dad’s best friend and I’d always called him that.
“Here’s our star player!” The manager stepped out of the crowd toward me and squeezed my shoulder. “I hear you’re the MVP!” he said with a big smile. “Way to go!”
I just nodded. “Thank you, Mr. McCarty.”
