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“Who are you calling old?”
We get outside and begin to stretch.
“Hi, Noah,” one of my neighbors from down the road waves as she power walks by wearing those incredibly tiny workout shorts. I have no idea what her name is though. I wave, being a friendly neighbor and all.
“Who’s that?”
“Dunno,” I say, shrugging. “They all say hi when they go by. It’s not like I’m standing out there introducing myself.”
“Who else lives around here?”
I look around at the houses. Some you can see because they’re perilously perched on cliffs. Others you can only see gates or driveways. “Uh, Cyrus, Streisand, Leo, the Hiltons, and that tequila maker, what’s his name . . .”
“Mr. Crawford,” Liam says, fanning his face.
“No, that’s not it.”
My dad rolls his eyes. “Randy Gerber. He’s married to Cindy Crawford.” He lets out a low whistle.
“Does Mom know?”
He shrugs. “She has her freebie list.”
“What the fuck is a freebie list?”
“You know a list of people you can sleep with and can’t get into trouble for.”
I stare at my dad as rage boils. “You fucking kidding me with this bullshit?”
“What?” He shrugs as if he didn’t just admit he has a list of people he wants to sleep with.
“I’m going to kick your ass, old man.”
He holds his hands up. “Your mom has a list, son. Not me. I did all that shit a long time ago, found the error of my ways and haven’t looked back. Your mother is the only woman I want to be with.”
“Then I’m going to have words with her.”
He shakes his head. “It’s just a thing. No one actually acts on it. It’d be like you finding another celebrity attractive.”
“Never gonna happen,” I tell him as we head toward the street. “And if Peyton thinks like you do, we’ll have words.” We start with a slow jog. “Is this really a thing?”
“It was back in my father’s time. Must have died out.”
“Thank god for that. I can’t imagine my wife having a list of people she wants to be with, and if she does, I better never learn of it. No, I take that back. The list better contain ten Noah Westburys.”
“Jealous much?”
I shake my head. “It’s not about being jealous, Dad. I love her far too much to let another woman touch me, and if another man touched her . . .” I trail off. I honestly don’t know what I’d do, but I’d likely end up in jail.
We run in silence for a mile, both of us huffing and puffing thanks to the heat and air quality. While I like being in California where the sun shines almost every day, there is something to be said about cozying up on a gloomy day by the fire with the love of your life nestled next to you. Those are the days in Portland that I don’t want to give up. My thoughts on the job aren’t always about football, but about the life Peyton and I have built there. While I know my friends can travel to wherever and vice versa, relationships change when people move away, just as priorities change when a couple has children. Once Julius and Autumn welcomed their third child, Autumn considered quitting her job. Julius instead, took over more of the parental duties, except during the season, so Autumn could continue to do the job she loved. This all meant the time Julius and I spent together lessened. Honestly, I sort of look forward to hitting up the park with our kids.
We hit a two-mile mark and slow down to a jog. “Want to sit for a minute?” Dad asks. I’m breathing just as hard as he is, otherwise I’d call him old. For his age, he’s in damn good shape and I can only hope I look the same. We walk until we find an empty bench and sit down facing the water, which surfers have taken over. I bet that if I squint, I’ll find Quinn out there or even Ben. They seem to spend a lot of time together when Ben’s here. I don’t mind that I’m not included, surfing really isn’t my thing.
“Wanna talk about what’s going on with Peyton?”
“Not really,” I tell him. I doubt he’ll understand. I know my mom struggled getting pregnant after she and my dad married, and at one point were adopting a baby until the mother changed her mind. As a family, we never discussed this or how I felt. One day I think I’m about to get a sibling and the next I’m not. For a young kid that’s a tough pill to swallow. But then, Paige comes along, and everyone is happy, and all is right in the Westbury house.
“I figured, but I thought I’d give it a try.”
