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“Like what?”
“Rivera,” she says. “He hasn’t met his maker yet.”
I giggle, but the truth is…maybe she’s right.
CHAPTER 20: LINCOLN
We leave for Cincinnati on Saturday morning, and I don’t have a chance to chat with my mom before then—mostly because I’ve spent every second I’m not at the office helping Jolene and Jonah pack so they can move in with me. With my traveling schedule this weekend and a game on Sunday paired with the fact that they have to be out of their place on Tuesday, we chose Monday as their official move in day.
I helped pack as much as I could, and I hired a moving company to do the rest. They’ll also move Sam and Cade over to Devin’s, and then the house Sam has rented for the last few years will go up on the market.
I’ve been focused on the game plan for the week against one of the league’s best young quarterbacks and a powerful team, so I haven’t had time to put more thought to confronting my mother about my suspicions.
But as soon as this game is over, I think I will need answers. And if what I suspect is true, well, it might be a whole hell of a lot easier to get Joseph on board with his daughter being with me.
And something else that has plagued my mind is the fact that she never answered my question…though I suppose I didn’t really ask the question, either.
I told her to marry me, and I looped it in with a bunch of other things I wanted from her, too—to move in with me, which she’s doing, and to be with me, which she is.
It’s one more thing to add to my full plate, but it’s worth the addition. I just need to find time to plan—and execute—a proper proposal in the way she deserves.
I have a few ideas, and with her being pregnant, I want to do it sooner than later. I want her to be my wife, and I want to welcome this baby into our lives to parents who have vowed their commitment to one another.
I text her to let her know we’re on the plane heading for Cincinnati, and she texts back wishing me a safe flight.
I’ve never felt like I was leaving my heart behind when I traveled for games until she came back into my life, but now it feels as if I’m leaving a piece of myself behind as I head east.
We’re down by three as the clock winds down at the end of the fourth quarter, and I’ve got the guys upstairs running a few different scenarios through the tablets using FDB’s system. They radio in a few different options and send them to my tablet, and it’s when we’re on fourth and inches that I debate what to do. If we kick a field goal, we tie. We’re inches from being close enough for our kicker, Nick Dawson, to sail it through the uprights. We need a first down here, and I’m out of time for debates. I make the call.
Brandon Fletcher is going to fake a handoff then rush to get the first down.
It’s a risk, and Mike catches my eye and nods to let me know he agrees with this risk as we both turn to watch Brandon.
Come on, man.
He can do this.
The ball is snapped, and like clockwork, Fletcher pretends to hand it off to Jaxon Bryant. Instead of giving away the ball, he rushes to the right, and he finds an opening. He grabs the first down and then some, sliding to the ground just before a defender would’ve clobbered him.
I punch a fist in the air in celebration, and we reset with our first down. We drive down the field, and we get stuck in the red zone with only a few seconds left on the clock.
We could tie it, or we could go for the win. We’re five yards from winning.
If Brandon is quick, we could fit in two plays if we have to. I’d rather go for the win than for the tie.
I make the call. Fletcher rushed it once before, and I need to trust that he can do it again.
He glances over at me as he hears the play call come in through the speaker in his helmet. He knows how serious this is. He knows this is his moment to be a hero.
The ball is snapped, and he immediately darts through the hole the offensive line makes for him. He runs right for the end zone, and he sails into it as if by magic.
I yell out in celebration from my spot on the sidelines, but the game isn’t over. Nick scores the extra point, and when we kick back to the Bengals, they’re immediately taken down just as the clock runs out.
Final score twenty-four to twenty.
It feels like a goddamn championship win as we all rush out onto the field to congratulate our leader, Brandon Fletcher. When Miles was injured, for just a beat I feared for my own job—particularly when I saw the way Brandon stepped in and couldn’t find a rhythm.
But he’s starting to find it, and I’m excited to see what else this kid can do this season.
