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“I do miss coming to work, but I like the freedom and flexibility of doing whatever. At least until I’m put on bedrest.”
“Dang, really?” Autumn asked.
“Yeah, my OB says it’s pretty much a given now since there are three and with the damage that was done in the accident. It’s more for me than them. She’s not sure my body will be able to hold the weight of them up.”
“So, what are you going to do?” Kelsey asks.
“We’re moving back to Beaumont,” I tell them, only to realize my mistake. Immediately, I start shaking my head. “It’s not what you think. Noah will stay in Portland and once I have the babies and we can travel, we’ll come here during the season.”
“Oh, phew,” Autumn says. “I thought you were telling us Noah got traded.”
“What? No. That’s not even an option.”
Autumn looks down at the ground quickly and out toward the field. “Autumn?”
She looks at me.
“Did you hear something?”
She gives me a slight grimace. “Just rumors, according to Julius. You know how the guys gossip.”
“And what are these rumors?”
Autumn squirms. I can tell she doesn’t want to say anything but the cat’s out of the bag now so she might as well spill.
“Just that the owners are pissed you left, and the guys think Noah’s going to bail on them.”
“I left because I’m about to have triplets and being with them is far more important than coming into work every day and watching game film when I could do that from home. This is why we need more women in sports management and ownership. Family oriented women at that. My decision has nothing to do with Noah and his position on the team.”
I turn toward the field and cross my arms, resting them on my growing belly. The anger I feel is at the club, not at Autumn, even though it may seem it’s all directed at her. I turn back and apologize for my outburst. She’s been pregnant before. She understands how easily the hormones can take over.
“For what it’s worth, Julius doesn’t want to lose Noah as his QB.”
“He’s not going anywhere.” This may be a lie, but I’m not going to send my husband down the creek without a paddle. When the guys return from halftime, we hug, and they head back to their seats. I sit down next to Liam and sigh.
“It’ll be all right,” he says as he pats my leg. “If the Pioneers don’t want him, others will. It’s the name of the game.”
I appreciate his confidence because I’m not so sure I have it. Noah waves and we return the gesture. He’s down there, playing the game he loves and winning, for a team who doesn’t seem to love him back.
28
NOAH
When I was younger, I loved Halloween, it’s because I got all the candy I wanted. In high school, there would always be some costume party and I hated trying to figure out what to wear and often went as myself. One time, I went as my dad. It was freaky because my female classmates acted like groupies, and it was unnerving. In college, we didn’t dress up, but partied. In Portland, we only get the kids who live in the building knocking for candy, but now that I’m going to be a dad, I’m so damn excited for this holiday. I can’t wait to take the babies out next year. They’ll be alert and looking around, and I’m looking forward to picking out their costumes with Peyton.
Speaking of, she’s waddling (her words, not mine) around my parent’s house in a pumpkin costume. It’s probably the cutest thing I’ve ever seen. The novelty of her being a pumpkin, with her ever expanding belly humors me.
She pauses mid-step as she comes toward me and grimaces. I’m out of my seat instantly and rushing toward her. “The boys?” I ask as she holds her side and nods. According to her doctor, because she has three babies growing inside of her, space is very limited, and she’ll feel them moving and kicking more versus there only being one.
“They’re brutal on my ribs,” she says in between deep breaths.
“I’d take the brunt of it, if I could.”
She offers me a weak smile. “I’m fine. Everything is perfect.”
“Perfect” is how she describes everything as of late. I agree with her. Our life is perfect, even though we have a lot going on. The Pioneers have one loss, we’re getting close to the playoffs, and even though I don’t have a contract the owners assure me one is in the works. None of that even touches the fact Peyton and I are about to be parents. How can life not be perfect?
“You know, you’re the cutest pumpkin in the patch,” I tell her as I keep my hand on the small of her back and guide her to the recliner my dad bought for her. It’s one of those remote-controlled ones, where it will literally help her stand. When he brought it home, she cried until she used it and then thanked him profusely.
