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The tunnel slowly started to fill up with Bobcat players and the anticipation became palpable in the air. Caleb was at the head of the pack and was soon joined by Derek after Lottie was satisfied that he was limber enough for the game. On one of the NFLproducer’s cues, the team ran out of the tunnel and into the stadium that held some of the most die-hard fans in the league.
Judging by the wide smile that spread across Caleb’s face as he took it all in, I knew he was made for this moment. A hand slipped around my waist and a body fit perfectly into my side. I glanced down to see Lottie staring up at me.
“You’ll do great, Coach.” She gave me a tight squeeze before she pulled away.
“I need good luck from the little one.” I reached for her again and managed to wrangle her back into my arms. My hands slipped down to her round belly where our baby was taking his time to meet us. I turned her around so her back was pressed into my stomach and reached under the base of her belly before pulling up. Lottie let out a sigh of relief as her head fell back against my chest. I could feel my son kick against my wife’s stomach as if he knew I was the one supporting him right now and he wanted to wish me good luck, too.
“I love when you do that,” Lottie breathed as she rejoiced in a moment of reprieve.
“Don’t forget we get to check off another item on your bucket list if we win,” I whispered into her ear. “We get to go to Disney again and I made sure to request Mickey beignets since they were out last time.”
Her laugh rumbled out of her and vibrated against my chest. “I’m going to need a wheelchair to get around that place if that happens.”
“I’ll have one reserved for you.”
“Because a Mickey beignet is what matters most for winning this game,” Lottie replied sarcastically.
“It matters to you, so it matters to me and it’s on your list so it’s a non-negotiable,” I told her.
Lottie placed her hands over mine and gently helped me lower her belly back down before she turned around to give me a kiss.
Charlotte Thompson was my entire world. She was one of the biggest reasons that my life had turned out the way it had. She’d not only helped me rediscover what it meant to play football and have fun while doing it, but she helped me find my second calling in life.
Her hand slipped into mine once she dropped back down from her tiptoes. She gave me one last squeeze before she slipped away down the sideline to check on her players.
The national anthem and opening ceremonies flew by in a blur and before I knew it, we were neck deep in the middle of the second quarter of the game. It was a close game, with Caleb only leading the Bobcats over the Arizona Roadrunners by a touchdown. Arizona had the ball during the last couple of minutes before halftime and were practically walking the ball down the field. All of us watched from our sideline as the Arizona quarterback sent the ball into the back of the end zone for a touchdown just as the final few seconds clicked off the clock, announcing that it was halftime.
I watched the wind go out of my team’s sails as they watched the ball go through the goal posts. The team shuffled into the locker room as if we were down by three scores rather than tied at the half and I found myself struggling to find the right words to try and lift them up.
My eyes found Lottie’s because I knew that if all else failed, she would always be the one to have my back when it was against the wall.
Lottie
I could hear the head coach trying to encourage the team butjudging by the silence after his speech was done, it hadn’t quite hit the mark.
Derek lay on the training table in front of me as I worked on his lower back to try and loosen the muscles that had started to plague him more in recent years.
“If we win, we’re all going to Disney, right?” Derek asked me, his voice muffled by the pillow his face was in.
“That’s what Nolan says,” I told him. “But you all need to kick this thing into overdrive and pull out a win. You guys have been dilly-dallying on offense.”
Derek’s normally boisterous laugh turned into a coughing fit as he nearly suffocated himself with the pillow.
“Nolan always says you could be an honorary coach on the staff.”
“Stop trying to compliment me right now, Derek.” I pushed harder into his muscles and felt him tense under me. “You’re getting double-teamed right now, but when has that ever stopped you before?”
Derek stayed quiet as he thought about what I had said. I had watched him break out of double coverage all year. Why was tonight suddenly different?
“You’re resourceful on the field. You find ways to get open for your quarterback. Be the leader you are and energize the offense. Now I have an offensive coordinator and quarterback to go fire up.”
“Lottie?” Derek called after me as I started to head toward the locker room.
“Yes?”
“You’re going to be a fantastic mom.”
I smiled down at the bump that had grown significantly in the past few weeks. Our baby boy was due in only a few short weeks. Nolan had wanted me to get off my feet sooner before my duedate, but there wasn’t a chance in this world that I was missing tonight’s game.
