Unstoppable Love: The Kelley Family Series

30. Ava

“I’m so excited for this game!” Lydia squeezed me so tightly it was difficult to breathe. “And you should see the house,” she said, practically pulling me along behind my parents. I’d ridden out to the Kelley Ranch with them after we stopped and picked up Grams. Isaiah had swung by and grabbed Lydia so we could all watch the game together.

“I have no doubt Mrs. Kelley knows how to throw a spread.”

It was Monday Night Football. The air was crisp, a bite to it that told me even though it was November, we were quickly leaving fall and heading straight into winter. We’d already had a couple inches of snow earlier in the month, but thankfully none since then. It was coming, though. Considering it was the Monday before Thanksgiving and we hadn’t had a storm yet was a bonus. Such was the weather this time of year where we could be basking in seventy-degree heat or shivering in forty degrees.

The fall had gone by fast. Far too quickly. Between scheduling my weekends and early weeks with Cameron based on whether or not he was playing at home or away, working, getting more freelance businesses set up along with my full-time job, and then helping Dad with the fall harvest, the weeks flew by faster than I seemed to be able to catch up to them. Add into that, the Kelley’s vaccination round-up weekend had been on a weekend when Cameron had an away game, so while I’d come out for it, and forced Lydia to at least watch, he wasn’t able to be there for it.

Lydia and I hung out at least once a week, usually for dinner in town and drinks at either Tom’s Saloon or my house after, and Cameron and I were now a staple seen around town together when he was here.

Tonight, he was playing in Buffalo, where the weather was even colder, but Cameron had said it wouldn’t make much of a difference. The Mountaineers were, as predicted, leading their division. They were also leading their conference as the only remaining undefeated team in the league. I’d fallen in love with football back in middle school, the first time Cameron and Isaiah played in a high school varsity game, and as much as it’d killed me, I’d stopped watching it when Cameron went to Notre Dame. Sure, I caught the occasional game here and there, but if Cameron was on the TV, my channel was set to something else.

This fall, everything was different. I’d now been to several of his home games, and on the weekends when I stayed in Denver, we usually saw Emily and Caleb and Landon. She was now sliding out of the first trimester and gaining more energy, although she admitted between work and doing a lot of solo parenting with Landon while Caleb was gone, she was much more tired this time around.

She was also on Thanksgiving break all week, and Caleb was on a three-game away stretch, so I had no doubt I’d see her as soon as we stepped through the doors.

Lydia and I slowed our walk while Grams gripped the railing and cautiously made her way up the steps. She was slowing quicker than I expected, but her attitude was still larger than life. Cameron and I usually went to see her on Tuesday mornings, and the first time we’d walked into her room at the home hand-in-hand, her cocky little grin had me rolling my eyes.

“Told you it’d be all right if you listened,” she said to me.

I stuck my tongue out at her, but she’d missed it because she was too busy grinning at Cameron. “I take it that second kiss worked?”

He’d thrown his head back and laughed, and later, he’d explained the joke to me.

Things were good. Outside of not getting to see Cameron every day and trying to figure out how long this long-distance relationship stuff would seem so easy, us meshing our lives together while hours apart, I had everything I needed.

Everything I always wanted.

“Aunty Ava!” Landon’s little shout made my heart swell inside my chest as he ran straight toward me once we entered the main house. “I have to show you something. Come here! Come here!”

“Give me a second, little man. I need to take off my shoes and say hello to your grandma.” He and I had grown closer in the last couple of months, and I adored him. The first time he called me Aunty Ava, I’d had to fight back tears.

Cameron had poked me and called me a sissy.

I’d poked him right back and called him a jerk.

We were still us. Still teased each other, still gave each other a hard time, but there was no longer the anger and pain beneath it.

“No need!” Mrs. Kelley called from the main living room. She was sitting in her chair, feet kicked up on the recliner’s footstool, with a glass of champagne in her hand. “I’m done with the work, and we’re doing a help yourself buffet tonight so everyone can grab food when they’re hungry. You go take care of Landon.”

It was the first time I’d been there when I hadn’t immediately been put to work, but as Landon dragged me through the crowd—the entire Kelley family, save Caleb, who was out in Nashville, playing against his sister’s husband, Tuevo Skyye, lounging either in the living room or piling plates with food in the formal dining room—my eyes bugged out.

Lydia hadn’t been kidding.

And neither was Mrs. Kelley.

Every square inch of the table was covered with hot dishes and platters and some crockpots and serving spoons. There was a vegetable spread in the shape of a football, brightly colored, with a half-dozen different dips and sauces around it. There was a shrimp tower at the other end, and all manner of foods in between.

My mouth watered, even as Landon kept pulling me through the house, straight to the screened-in porch off the kitchen.

“Look what I got!” he screamed almost so hard that my eardrums burst. He bounced up and down on his feet and was so excited, it took me a second to tear my gaze off his bouncing little body to the kennel set in the corner of the room. Wrapped around said kennel was another gated area, with food bowls, pee pads, and toys strewn about.

“A puppy!” he shouted again, and sure enough, laying down in that kennel, curled into a corner, was a ball of golden, floofy fur.

“You sure did,” I said, happily but quietly as I crouched down low. “But we probably shouldn’t shout. We don’t want to scare him.”

Landon squatted close to me, and this time when he spoke, he was whispering at a loud level. “Her name is Goldie, because she’s a golden retriever. Clever right?”

“So clever.” I grinned. “And let me guess, you got to name him?”

“Uh-huh! Papa Kelley bought her for me, and Mom wasn’t too happy since she’s having a baby and everything, but Grandpa said he’ll keep Goldie here until she’s trained really well to make it easier. He said he couldn’t wait until Christmas to give her to me, so I get a puppy now, and then I still get Christmas presents!” He leaned in with a smile so wide, it stretched from ear to ear. “Isn’t that great!”

It was. So great. His other grandparents had nothing to do with him anymore, and I knew from talking to Emily, that hurt her deeply. But she always said the best thing she ever did for Landon was finding his dad and giving him this large family that had nothing but love in abundance to dole out to everyone who walked through their doors.

And Landon was spoiled even more so than Josie, but that was only because Gavin put his foot down early on. Emily hadn’t yet been able to bring herself to do it. “He didn’t have much for three years, and I simply can’t say no to them when I think they’re still playing catch-up,” she’d admitted to me once when she came out to New Haven for a weekend, and the largest wooden play structure appeared in their backyard.

“Grandpa says she needs to sleep now but says I can take her outside after I eat.”

“She sure is beautiful,” I told him. “I can’t wait to play with her too. But how about we listen to your grandpa and get some food in that growing belly?”

I poked his stomach, and as he laughed, I stood up.

Together, we headed inside, where I helped him make a sub sandwich, made sure I added sides of vegetables, a pasta salad, and fresh fruit, and then guided him back to sit close to Emily, who was sitting on the couch, already hiding a yawn behind her hand.

“Thank you, Ava, so much.”

“It’s no problem. You doing okay?”

“Just tired. All the time.” Another yawn hit, and she laughed. “See? I think I might have to call it in early tonight and give Landon a sleepover with his grandparents.”

“We already have his bed ready, dear,” Mrs. Kelley said to her. “You do what you need to do to take care of that little one you’re growing.”

“Sit with me,” Emily said, pointing at the cushion on the other side of her.

“Let me get food first. I’ll be right back.”

I checked in with Lydia, who was also at the table. She was fixing up a plate for Grams while Isaiah was standing with Dalton and Gavin on the far side of the room. I’d expected her enjoyment of teasing Dalton would disappear as soon as it came months ago, but Lydia was still at it. Every time she was within reaching distance of Dalton these days, she found a way to get in his space and say something outlandish just to get a reaction from him.

Whatever she was doing, I was staying out of it. Although I didn’t mind the jokes she made about us being sisters again once she wore Dalton down.

It was none of my business, and so far, Dalton did nothing but scowl at her and walk away, usually shaking his head. Sometimes running a hand through his hair and cursing at how annoying she was, to which Lydia usually grinned mischievously.

“Are you going to behave tonight?” I asked her.

“Why would I do a thing like that?”

“Never mind.” I shook my head, chuckling as I walked away and back to my seat next to Emily.

“Guess what, Ava!” Josie jumped in front of me almost as soon as I sat down.

“What, kiddo?”

“I have a new teacher.”

“You do?” In November? I glanced at Emily, who was smirking.

“I do.” Her head whipped toward her dad, two little braided pigtails flying through the air and back around as she turned back to me. “And guess what?” She leaned in and whisper-hissed, her hand over her mouth.

Kids and their whisper-hissing. As soon as she did it, Gavin’s brows peaked, clearly able to hear her.

“What is it?”

“She’s super pretty. And young. Like my daddy. I want her to be my next mommy!”

“Ohhh…” My own brows matched Gavin’s as I flung my gaze toward him. His face had paled, and his lips were pressed together. “Um. Maybe you should just enjoy her being your teacher?”

“Oh, I do. She’s fun and she’s silly and she even smells really good and she looks super pretty in her dresses.” Her little face scrunched up. “Well, sometimes I like her dresses, but I don’t tell her about the ones I don’t.”

Emily’s hand landed on my thigh and squeezed. Based on the way our couch was shaking, she was holding in laughter. Not nearly as well as I was trying to, though.

“That’s really nice of you,” I told Josie, trying so hard, oh so hard, not to laugh at the sweet little thing. “I’m glad you like your teacher, but I think your dad would probably like to find a woman he loves on his own, don’t you think?”

“Why? He tells me all the time it’s okay to ask for help. Isn’t it?”

Oh dear. Save me from precocious children.

“Josephine,” Gavin called out, shaking his head, but there wasn’t amusement skating across his features like Emily and I had. There was concern. Maybe a little irritation.

“Yeah, Daddy?”

“Let’s go get dessert.”

“Already!? The game hasn’t started, and I haven’t eaten my dinner.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. My shoulders were shaking and my lips were pressed together, but, oh, sweet heavens, Josie was adorable.

“Just this once,” Gavin muttered. She took off toward the dining room, and Gavin skirted around behind us at the table.

“I’m not sure a cookie is going to get her mind off that one,” I told him.

He glared at me, his look so similar to Dalton, it was unnerving. “Tell me about it.”

Oh my. I grinned at Emily. “Seems to me someone might have a hefty Santa wish list this year.”

“No joke,” Emily muttered. “Miss Pesco is all Josie talks about with me, and I think Gavin’s heard enough.”

“Is she cute?” I asked. I didn’t know the name.

“Don’t know.” She shrugged. “From what I know, her original teacher had to take an emergency leave of absence to go take care of her grandma back in Phoenix. So Miss Pesco arrived, and from what I’ve heard, she hasn’t been teaching long at all. I suspect this might be her first full-time job, actually. She’s from Kansas City and moved to town a couple weeks ago.”

“Right down the street from Gavin,” Bryce said, sliding into a chair. “And he is not happy about that.”

Huh. I was going to have to find out who this Miss Pesco was and why she was getting under Gavin’s skin so much.

“Interesting,” I muttered and picked up my sandwich right as the television screen switched from a commercial to the Mountaineers taking the field.

“Yes!”

“Come on!”

“Go!”

“Run, you idiot!”

“Throw the damn ball!”

The game was intense, and all the Kelley men had opinions on how Cameron should be playing. Myself… I was on my feet, standing with a few minutes left to go in the fourth quarter. Thank goodness I’d eaten in the first few minutes of the game, I wouldn’t have been able to keep anything down after that. The game had gone back and forth, which was not surprising based on who we were playing. Buffalo was hot on Colorado’s heels to take the number one spot, and if we lost this game, they’d only be one game behind.

The men were all shouting like Cam could hear them, and I was standing, hands clasped together in front of my chest.

We had the ball with the game tied, third down, and twelve yards to go for a first down due to a false start on our offense. The only way this game could be more intense for all of us was if it were the conference championship game.

Cameron dropped back, looked down the field. He turned, fired off the ball, and then…

“Oh shit.”

Two defensive men slammed into him, all at the same time. They came out of nowhere.

“Shit,” I rasped, as the defenders slowly climbed off him.

A flag was flown.

“Yeah, no shit a flag,” Gavin barked. “Roughing the passer, assholes.”

“That’s a bad word,” Landon said, to no one in particular, but for the first time, I didn’t think his correction of the men cursing was funny.

Cameron was still on the ground, rolling to the side, but he looked to be in pain.

“Get up,” I whispered. “Get up, Cam.”

“Fuck,” Dalton muttered. He glanced back at me and then to the TV, and somehow, the entire room went silent as the athletic trainer jogged onto the field.

He was still on the ground, rolling back and forth, writhing.

Come on, Cam. Get up. Get up.

“He’ll be fine,” Mrs. Kelley said.

“Of course he will,” Bryce said, looking at me. “Maybe a sprain. It’ll be fine, though.”

“Right.”

Except he stayed on the ground as the trainers came out. The play was shown again, this time in slow motion, and like a train wreck, I couldn’t look away.

There was the pass. The first man to grab him. The second, and then, as they went down, all tangled up, I flinched at the sight.

“Shit,” Dalton said. “You see the way his knee bent? And then his ankle?”

“Oh god.” Emily reached out and squeezed my arm.

“That’s bad,” I said and scanned all the men who looked like they’d all been kicked in the gut. “That’s bad, isn’t it?”

The game cut to a commercial, and I stared at the screen, willing the game to come back on. Willing someone to say something, except they were all silent, staring at me, lost in their own thoughts.

“Just wait,” Charles said. “Game’ll come back on, and he’ll be there. Out for a play, maybe, but he’ll be fine.”

He didn’t sound like he believed his own words, and based on the look Dalton shot him, he knew it was all bullshit, too.

“What do you think happened?” I asked. Because I’d seen that knee. The bend in it. The way his leg and ankle twisted. No leg should bend like that. No leg could bend like that unless it was made out of rubber.

“Have faith,” my mom said as she came around to wrap her arm around my shoulders. “Have a little faith. You’ll see. He’ll be okay.”

I was shaking my head, lost. What did we do? We were more than half a country away, two time zones separated us, and there was absolutely nothing to do.

The game came back, and the fake hope Charles tried to give crashed to the ground.

“Oh no.” My hands covered my mouth, and tears made the screen go blurry.

“It’s a shame,” an announcer said. “It’s a shame a young player like that gets injured like this. This will be a hit to the team, but more so, it makes you even more worried about Kelley and how he can come back from this.”

Because Cameron was getting loaded into the back of the ambulance, leg braced. His helmet was now thrown off, and the heels of his palms were shoved against his eyes. There was pain there, etched into his face, the tension in his body.

“What injury?” I snapped. “What injury could make those men sound that sad?”

“My guess?” my dad said, but it wasn’t really a question. “Injury like that, it has to be an ACL tear, possibly more.”

“Add in a broken bone with the way that leg twisted,” Isaiah said.

Dalton cringed. Gavin swiped his hand over his face. Bryce, usually so fun-loving and happy, was just staring at the TV while the backup quarterback jogged out onto the field.

My dad and Charles Kelley wore the same pinched expression of concern, and both of the moms worried their bottom lips while keeping an eye on me.

I scanned the faces of everyone in that room, tears dripping down my face. He was hurt. And he was alone, and none of us knew anything.

“What do we do?” I asked to no one in particular.

“We wait,” Mrs. Kelley said. “We wait, and we pray these boys are wrong.”