I’m leaning against the doorframe of the boys’ room when Jesse steps through the door. He stands there with his arms crossed over his chest watching both boys sleep deeply. Looking over his shoulder, he winks at me and then smiles. Clapping his hand really loud he shouts, “Rise and shine! It’s game day!” Both boys stretch then jump up. “You boys ready to do this?”
“Heck yeah!” Gabe shouts and fist bumps his father.
Jason has a huge smile on his face. “I’m so ready.” Gabe and Jason start doing their own little hand shake that ends in a quick man hug. It’s cute as hell. My heart swells seeing these two together.
“Let’s get you boys some breakfast so you have time for your stomachs to settle before you hit the field.” They have worked so hard for today, and we’re all excited to see how well they come together on the field. Win or lose, we’re celebrating after the game with a small cookout here at the house.
“I’m starved.” Jason rubs his flat stomach. Both boys are getting muscular from all the working out they’re doing, another reason Josephine says they need to eat healthy. She wanted to feed the kids turkey burgers and chicken sandwiches, but we told her she needed to let them enjoy real hamburgers this afternoon. She agreed only if she could make them herself. Bless her heart, this woman went to the store and bought a huge package of lean ground hamburger and made patties. She said there was no way she was feeding her boys frozen patties.
“How about some eggs?” I ask the boys.
“That works for me,” Jesse says. I give him a look that screams really. “What? I’m hungry too.” He laughs.
“Come on, everyone. Josephine is getting Grace ready for cheer, so I told her I would take care of the men.”
We all head down to the kitchen where I get busy heating two fry pans to make eggs. If I only use one, it will take me forever to make eight eggs. I already have bacon in the oven, and Josephine made a fruit salad. “Want me to make some toast?” Jesse asks.
“Sure. That would be helpful, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He turns to the boys. “You know what, this is going to take a few minutes. Why don’t you two go set up your jerseys and get your stuff all laid out.”
“Okay,” Gabe says as he and Jason hurry upstairs.
By the time they’re done, Grace is out the door with Josephine and the rest of us sit to eat. The boys clear their plates in record time despite the fact they haven’t stopped talking animatedly over today’s game. They are discussing plays and tactics. “Just remember, be patient. Let Mason open up the gap for you to run through and, dude, once it’s there run and don’t stop,” Gabe encourages him.
Jason nods. “Bro, I’m not gonna lie, I have some jitters. Were you nervous for your first game?”
I want to laugh listening to them, but we let them do their thing. “It’s normal. After you get a play or two out of the way, you’ll be fine.” Jesse pats him on the back.
“Dad’s right. You get this excited, nervous energy, but then you get a few plays out of the way and it’s all excitement, and you’re ready for the next play.” Jason nods. “Just play the full game. We sucked last year, but we played hard to the very last seconds of the game.”
“There are two things you need to play football,” Jesse says.
“Hustle and heart,” Gabe finishes his statement.
“Damn right.” Jesse smiles at his son with pride.
“Let’s get ready,” Gabe encourages Jason.
The boys take off upstairs while Jesse and I clean up. “I’m excited for the game. I can only imagine how Jason is feeling.”
“He’ll be fine.” He wraps his arm around me and kisses me on the head. “I need to get ready. Do you need anything?”
“No, I’m good.” He kisses me one more time and then heads to the room. The league requires coaches to wear khaki pants or shorts with a league polo and ball cap.
When I’m done cleaning up, I take a seat on the couch to wait for the boys. Gabe and Jason come down fully dressed with their cleats in their hands. They look awesome. Their jerseys are navy blue with red and white going through them. Their pants are white, which kills me because they’re expected to take the field with their pants nice and clean each week. I’ll need to invest in some bleach for sure. “You boys look good.”
Jesse comes down wearing his navy blue polo and matching ball cap. He looks so damn sexy. His beard is combed, and his eyes are bright from the color of his clothing. My mouth is watering. “Do you boys have your cups on?” he asks. They both take a seat to put their cleats on as they assure us they’re wearing it. “Good, gotta protect those family jewels.”
I crack up laughing. “Seriously, I better not catch you on that field without it,” I warn the boys.
We finally show up to the field, and Jesse asks me to have all the boys gather at the half wall that lines the outer edge of the stadium. He needs to go watch Grace for a few minutes or she’ll be so upset that he didn’t get to see her cheer.
I’m sitting here watching the Mighty Mights from a distance. The stands are full, and kids are running around everywhere. There’s a pop-up tent and a trailer set up by the sidelines that houses apparel that can be purchased to support the league. The smell of food is filling the air from the concession stand. Other players are starting to show up, and most of them don’t have their jerseys tucked in. I sound like a broken record telling each of them to tuck them in. They’re not supposed to take the field with them hanging loose. Aiden comes over with his helmet in his hand and his mouth guard hanging from his teeth. “Good morning, Aiden. Please tuck your jersey in.”
He gives me a dirty look. “I will later.”
“You will now.” Jesse walks up behind him. “Don’t talk to Karen that way. She’s no different than a coach talking to you, and you’ll respect her.”
“What is wrong with you?” Brianne yells at her son. He shrugs his shoulders. “Stop acting like a brat and tuck your jersey in.”
A cluster of parents and team members come walking in together. The mom squad gathers, and the guys all start talking.
Jesse calls the boys and the coaches over. “Okay, listen up, everyone. As you boys know we have to weigh in before every game. It’s now time for our weekly weigh-in. We’re going to walk down together, and when we’re done we’ll run onto the field. This is a big week. The cheer squad has made a banner for us so when you hear our song play you will hit the field hard and run straight through the banner. Do not take out the cheer squad,” Jesse warns.
Jesse leads the team with the remainder of us following. We walk past the stadium field, down the hill to our practice area, and into a locker area where there are scales and a table set up. Each kid steps on the scale to ensure they haven’t exceeded their maximum weight allowance for this week. It takes a few minutes, but each player manages to make weight. Aiden is the only one disappointed by this. He’s one of our kids that’s on the line. He was mumbling about wishing he was over so he didn’t have to play, and it annoys the piss out of me. This kid doesn’t want to be here, but because he’s being forced, it takes plays away from a kid who wants to play.
It’s almost game time, and the energy amongst most of these boys is amazing. They’re so excited to hit the field you can feel it in the air around them. “Okay, boys. It’s time to head back up to the field.” We follow the boys up to the opening in the fence at the far end of the field. The Mighty Mights are starting to clear the field. They won their game twelve to six.
I notice that Jesse is looking up at the announcers’ booth. “What’s happening?”
“The announcers give us a thumbs up when they’re ready. When I return it, they start the music and the boys take the field.”
“Cool.” I’m smiling so much my cheeks hurt.
There are parents and supporters taking the bleachers. Jesse gets the thumbs up from the tower then tells the boys to be ready, and he gives them a thumbs up. The music starts and over the speakers you hear, “All I do is win, win, win, no matter what.” The kids all cheer and run at the banner as fast as they can, splitting it in half. The crowd is cheering as they continue running to our sideline. They have their helmets on, and they’re ready to go. Jesse calls them into a circle. “Are we ready?” he shouts.
“Yes!” they shout back.
“Are you sure?” Jesse shouts again. They reply with a yes and then he shouts, “Let me hear it.”
Their hands all go in, and Gabe leads the chant, “Who are we?”
“Dartmouth!” the team replies.
“What are we gonna do?” Gabe shouts, and they continue on in that rhythm.
“Hit!”
“What are we gonna do?
“Hit!”
“What time is it?”
“Game time.”
“Whose time is it?”
“Our time.”
They all start jumping up and down, shouting, “Hoot, hoot,” over and over again.
“Okay, listen up.” Everyone calms down. “Jason, DJ, Aiden, and Clayton, you’re team captains for this week. Head out together onto the field to meet the other team and the refs.”
The four of them walk out. The boys shake hands with each other and the refs. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but the boys come back and tell Jesse that the other team is getting the ball first.
At this level, there’s no kick off. The boys get the ball at the twenty-yard line and we go from there. Blake is tracking the plays with a gentleman from the other team as Jesse sends players out onto the field.
Our boys stop them from scoring, but they do the same to us. The game is going back and forth. Four downs and the ball is turned over. The other team plays four downs and the ball is turned over. The fans are getting quiet, and that’s not what our boys need right now. The cheer squad is on the sidelines trying to encourage them, but it only goes so far.
When we get the ball back, I turn toward the stands and pump my hands up and down, trying to get the crowd going. It works, and they start to encourage the boys. That’s when I see him. Brian is in the stands. Jason is on the sideline. He turns when he hears his name called out. Brian waves, and Jason waves back.
It’s second down, and Jesse calls Jason to take the field. Just as Gabe told him, Mason is in front of him. Gabe hands him the ball, he pauses to wait for the opening, then he takes off down the field. He makes the first down, but is tackled around the other team’s twenty-yard line. Now our stands have erupted into a fit of cheers and hollers.
The offense lines up on the field again in the same formation. Aiden is on the line next to Mason, and Gabe is in as quarterback. He says something to Jason, taps him on the helmet, and takes his position. Gabe yells hike, but Aiden doesn’t even attempt to block the lineman. He comes straight through, and before Gabe can even attempt to hand the ball off he’s tackled.
The disappointment is clear on Jesse’s face. “Aiden,” he calls out and waves him over. He sends another kid in, in his place. Gabe shakes it off, and they call another play. This time they throw it, and DJ catches it for a touchdown. They’re up six to nothing.
Because these kids are young, they don’t kick the extra point. They do something similar to a two-point conversion, but they don’t make it. The game continues back and forth.
It’s actually quite amazing how fast the game is going by. It’s now the fourth quarter, and there are only three minutes left in the game. We’re up by six, but the other team has the ball and they’re on our forty-yard line. Jason is in as a safety right now, and he looks nervous. They hike the ball, and nothing but focus is on Jason’s face. The quarterback has the ball and is scanning the field. He over throws his player and it ends up in Jason’s hands. He runs up the field as fast as he can. We’re cheering and shouting as he goes. He tries to stiff arm a defensive player, but it doesn’t work. The kid tackles him hard. Jason’s on the ground, and he’s not getting up. My worst fear may now be a reality. My kid is hurt.
Jesse runs out onto the field, and the rest of the kids take a knee. I want so bad to run out there too, but I know that’s not the place for me right now. I have to trust Jesse to take care of my boy. It takes a minute, but Jesse helps him off the field. The fans and the boys start clapping for him. His father yells from behind us. “That’s my boy.” I’m glad he kept his helmet on because even though there’s not much time left, if he had taken it off, he’d be done for the game. It shows he’s being strong too.
“You okay, buddy?” I tap him on the helmet.
“Yeah, just had the wind knocked out of me, but I’m good.”
The boys pat him on the helmet and say, “Good catch.”
“Thanks, guys!” Jason squirts water into his mouth.
The boys manage to score one more time, thanks to Jason’s interception, winning the game twelve to zero. I’m so excited I find myself jumping up and down with them. Jesse sees me and starts laughing.
We clear the field, and the coaches have a quick word with the boys. When they're done, we turn to find Brian standing with his girlfriend behind us. “Good game, buddy. I’m proud of you.” Brian sounds genuine, and it throws me off. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get you the other night, but I’ll see you soon.”
“Okay. Thanks for coming, Dad.” I nod at Brian, smelling alcohol on his breath, but say nothing as we walk away. This is not the time or place for that conversation.
When we get back to the house, the yard is decorated with tables that have red, white, and blue table clothes on them. Grace is still wearing her cheer uniform, and when the boys come into the backyard, she starts cheering for them. They’re both dressed in just t-shirts and their game pants. They’re incredibly sweaty but have no care in the world for how much they stink. They drop their stuff on the deck and go about throwing a ball around like they didn’t just play sixty minutes of football. “Are you boys going to change?”
“Nah, we’ll wait. Most of the guys are coming straight here, so they’ll be wearing the same thing,” Gabe says.
Sure enough, a few minutes later DJ, Mason, Noah and Sam come walking into the backyard. “Hey, guys. Welcome.” Jesse goes over to shake hands with Briggs, Trystan, and Sawyer.
I say a quick hello to the ladies. “Jesse, I’m going to go see how your mom is doing.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in a minute.”
I hear Briggs congratulate him on the win as I walk away and just like that, the guys are as bad as the kids continuing on with football talk.
“Josephine!” I call out.
“Yes, dear.” I see the pantry door open.
“Do you need any help?”
She shakes her head. “No, I’m fine, dear.”
She is really looking much better today, but I fear if she overdoes it she’ll end never get over this cold. “How can I help you?”
“I’m good.”
“Why don’t you go relax in the yard? I’ll take care of this.” I try to shoo her away, but she’s not hearing it. She gives me a stubborn glare. “I’m going to start the grill. I’ll take care of the cooking. You relax.” I stand my ground causing her to roll her eyes, unhappy with my demand. We’re two stubborn people. “You know I can make that look just as good. You need to relax or you’re never going to feel better.” She keeps telling us it’s just a cold, but she has quite a cough and we’re both concerned. I mimic her eye roll.
She grins finally caving. “I always knew you’d be good for my Jesse.”
I hug her. “Go relax in the yard, enjoy the party. Seriously, we got this.”
“Okay, I’m going to sit in my favorite yard chair and get some fresh air.”
“Thank you.” I’m relieved she’s finally agreed.
I grab the platter, load it with burgers, and head out to the grill. When I step through the door, I’m greeted by Jesse.
“I just saw Mom.” He chuckles. “She says I’m in good hands because you’re as stubborn as she is.” I laugh.
The mom squad joins us on the deck. “What can we help with?” Misty asks while Stella tells Jesse to go hang with the guys. They help me gather everything from the house and get it all set up outside while the burgers and dogs are on the grill. Once everything is settled, we gather around the grill while we wait for the last of the food to finish cooking. I inform Jesse the food is ready, and he blows his whistle to get everyone’s attention. The boys instantly stop, and he tells them lunch is ready. The kids race to the food table like they haven’t eaten in ages.
The mom squad instantly stops them. “Wow, slow down.” We help them get their plates together so they don’t make a mess, then they take their seats at one of the tables to eat. In between taking bites of food, all we can hear is more jabber about today’s game. I’m glad they had fun, but it’s amazing how much they can find to discuss about a game.
“Do you hear this?” I ask the ladies.
“Yes, I can’t believe they have nothing else to talk about.” Stella glances over at them with her arms crossed over her chest.
“What did you expect? This is a big deal for them. They played a great game,” Jesse chimes in as the adults finish making their plates.
I shrug. “They did and I’m proud of them, but the game ended two hours ago. I just figured they would’ve moved onto something else by now.”
Trystan shakes his head. “Not gonna happen. It was the same way during baseball season. They talked about the game for hours and hours after. Even at practice they would sometimes talk about a play from the previous week.”
Jesse says, “Sorry, ladies, but you’re stuck hearing about football for approximately seven more weeks.”
Misty growls, “Are you freaking kidding me? I’m going to go insane, and let’s not even talk about the fact that my middle one wants to play next year.”
Trystan laughs. “Good luck with that.”
“It’s not funny.” Misty throws a wadded up napkin at him.
“It is for us. We only have DJ to run around.”
“For now anyway.” Misty winks with her typical sass.
“What is she talking about?” Lori asks.
Stella glares at Misty and I ask, “Yeah, what’s with the winking?”
“Well, we were going to wait a little longer to say anything, but since someone insists on spilling the beans.” Stella glares at Misty with an evil eye.
Trystan laughs. “Stella’s pregnant.” Everyone congratulates them with clapping and hugs. We all knew it was just a matter of time before they decided to have a baby. They’re getting married next summer in their backyard. A small ceremony with their family and local priest.
“Y’all listen up.” Stella grabs everyone’s attention. “I want to have a big gender reveal party at our house and everyone is invited.”
Us ladies start talking about the baby and the gender reveal party. Stella informs us that they already asked Briggs and Misty to be the godparents. “How does DJ feel about it?” Stacey asks.
“He is thrilled. He told me he hopes it’s a boy so he can teach him how to play sports.”
“Umm, I hate to break it to him, but girls play sports too,” Lori adds. “I played sports for years. I would still play sports if my husband wasn’t off on so many dang deployments.” She laughs.
Lori is an Army wife. She was born and raised here, but her hubby travels around. They all traveled together in the beginning, but when it came time for Josh to start school they bought a house here, and her husband comes home as much as he can. “How much time does he have left?” I ask.
“Eighteen months, and with any luck he’ll be home in three and will spend the last of his time here in West Virginia.” She glances over at Josh. “It will be nice to feel like a family again.”
“I know how that feels.” Jesse puts his arm around me and kisses me on the head. “I think Jesse would agree we’re already starting to feel like family. Our boys get along so well, they’re already like brothers.”
“How’s Grace?” Stella asks.
“She is good for the most part. She has her moments,” Jesse says.
“Oh don’t worry, they all fight like brothers and sisters,” I say with laughter, and the girls jump in laughing with me.
The mom squad stays until close to dinner time, but since it’s a Sunday, we wrap it up and get the yard picked up.
“I need to get Jason home. Are you good?” I ask Jesse.
“Yeah, I’m just going to get the kids settled.”
“Okay, I better go say goodbye to Grace or, you know, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
We both go in search of his daughter, who is playing on the floor in her room. “Princess, Karen has to get going.”
Grace practically jumps into my arms. “Why are you leaving? Don’t you like sleeping here with us?”
I instantly feel bad. “Of course I do, sweetie, but Jason has school tomorrow just like you and Gabe. Remember, he goes to a different school, and he can’t get picked up here.”
“He can go to Gabe’s school. They’re the same age.” I love her innocence. This is exactly what I was worried about with the kids. It’s not that easy.
“Yeah. Why can’t he switch schools?” Gabe and Jason are standing behind us in the hallway.
“Let’s go sit in the living room.”
The five of us take a seat. The two boys are on the loveseat and Jesse, Grace, and I are sitting across from them on the couch. “Listen, I know this seems like a simple fix, guys, but it’s not,” Jesse explains.
“Jesse, is right. We are quite happy that you all get along, but we need to make sure when we make this decision everyone is ready,” I add.
“You guys act like we’re babies. We know you two are boyfriend and girlfriend, so why can’t we all just live together. I like hanging with Gabe.”
Jesse and I look at each other, and I can see in his eyes he’s at as much of a loss as I am. It’s not a simple decision to make, and I don’t know how to get them all to see it. “This should be a family decision,” Gabe adds. “Why are we always left out of the decisions?”
“Because you don’t always understand what effect decisions like this can have on everyone’s life.” Jesse looks at me and then back at Gabe. “For example, what if Karen moved in here. She sells her house and her furniture...” He pauses, letting it sink in. Gabe is sporting a huge smile, liking where this is heading. “Then Karen and I start fighting, something happens and we’re not getting along. Now she has nowhere to live, and it breaks our family up. That will leave you kids sad that she left.”
Gabe looks at him with one eyebrow cocked. “Dad, really. What makes you think we wouldn’t be sad if you two stopped dating now?” He looks at Jason. “Jason’s my boy.” I can hear the frustration in his voice, and I can tell from the look on Jesse’s face he can hear it too.
“Listen, boys. How about Karen and I promise to discuss this. It’s really not a decision that can be made in haste or simply because Jason’s ‘your boy,’” Jesse says, using air quotes.
Gabe huffs and stands from the couch. He turns to Jason and says, “Later, bro.” He stresses the word bro before he bolts from the room.
“Grace, go get your stuff ready for school tomorrow, and I’ll be there in a minute,” Jesse instructs.
Jesse grabs our bags and walks us to the car. “Jason, get in.” I open the door for him. He instantly puts his headphones in and starts his music, which works out good for us.
“I’m sorry.” Jesse’s voice is laced with concern.
I shrug. “For what? How did we not see this coming? The boys have grown so close. I can’t say I blame them.”
“I know. I agree. We should’ve seen this coming, but we didn’t, and we can’t let that make our decision. I love you and I want this more than you know, but I also want you to be ready.”
“That’s not fair, Jesse. You’re putting this all on me.” I’m on the verge of tears because although I’m sure that’s not how he meant it, it’s definitely how it came out.
He runs his knuckles across my cheek. “That is not what I meant.” He presses his lips to mine. “Why don’t you get Jason home and settled, then call me and we can talk.”
I pull away and walk to my side of the car. I climb in and pull out of the driveway. I feel bad that I left it that way, but I need to gain some control of my emotions before this conversation goes any further.