39. Hudson
Chapter 39
Hudson
“Holy shit! Did you see that, Dad? Seventy-two yards!”
I threw my hands up in the air and cheered, even though I was torn between telling Jack to watch his mouth and jumping up and down with him.
Evan had shaken his defender, then cut across the middle, where Lennox placed a pass right into his hands.
We continued to cheer until he jogged to the sideline. He turned and looked up at the owner’s box where we were standing and pointed at us. I pointed back at him as he raised his gloved hands and made a heart, then patted his chest.
I got carried away and forgot where I was. Caught up in the moment, I returned that heart, along with blowing kisses to him.
Evan’s grin was the widest I’d ever seen it.
And much to my horror, the TV camera caught that loving display because they replayed it at least a hundred times before the game ended. There was nothing I could do but own it, so I shrugged and waved to the fans.
“Way to go, Dad!” Jack laughed. “You and Evan made the Jumbo Tron and, most definitely, the highlights on the Sports Network.”
“It’s okay to show someone you love them, even if it’s in front of fifty-thousand fans and the world.”
My son smiled at me as if he were seeing me through new eyes. He leaned in and covered his mouth when the kicker went out for the extra point.
“You know Dash is more than a friend, right?”
I hugged him and nodded. “Yes, Son, I do. And it’s nice to see you smile. But I’m sorry that we’re moving away.”
He shrugged. “It’s okay. His dad’s a pilot. He can come to visit.”
I threw my arm over his shoulders and pulled him closer. “Your mom would be very proud of you.”
He looked at me with damp eyes. “She would be proud of you, too. She would have liked Evan. He’s chill like her.”
I fought back emotion, surprised at his words. I hugged him as we went back to watching the game, thinking about how much my life had changed.
Last night when Evan left for the hotel, I spent some time alone on the deck, contemplating what the future could look like. It didn’t take long for me to figure out that being away from Evan and my kids for any amount of time wasn’t what I wanted.
When I came to a decision, I called Collin. And after a heart-to-heart with Jack and Erin, I knew what I needed to do. We were moving to San Diego.
When the game was over, I looked over at Elaine. She nodded and kissed my cheek.
“You guys are coming down to the field, right?” I asked Preston and Nick.
“Are you kidding? I wouldn’t miss it,” Preston replied, grinning at me.
“Let’s go, Dad. We’ve got to get down there before they leave the field.”
“Okay, let’s go.”
After grabbing our things, we headed down to the field.
“Get on in here, Ellis family. You have a lot to celebrate,” the kind older man said to them. He looked up at me and held out his hand to shake mine.
“I’m really happy for you, Governor. Broke my heart for you and those kids when Mrs. Gatlin died. But you’ve got a good one in Mr. Evan.”
“Thank you,” I said, unsure what else to say. “I appreciate your kind words.”
“It’s a shame you can’t run again,” he added. “He’d make a handsome first gentleman of California.”
I laughed and patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll tell him you said that…” Glancing down, I found his name. “Pete. He’ll get a kick out of that.”
The older gentleman nodded as I walked out onto the field. I took in the buzz of my surroundings and looked up into the stands. Thousands of people remained, and the vibe was nothing but electric. The Jumbo Tron displayed player stats on one side while the other ran highlights from the game.
Scanning the field, players from both teams intermingled together, talking and laughing. The respect between them was obvious, as old friends and former teammates caught up with one another.
Then I found Evan. He was watching a very animated Jack while Lennox went through reenacting the pass.
As if he could feel my gaze, he looked up, and our eyes met. Everything I wanted in life was looking back at me. Even considering a separation from him turned my stomach.
So why had I been willing to do it?
We were happy. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what life was all about? I’d been fortunate to find great love twice in my life, and I was confident in the decision I’d made to decline the job in Washington. Everything I wanted was here, and I refused to take that for granted.
It wasn’t long before the media found us on the field. A few reporters asked questions we’d already answered in our interview, but it was okay as long as it didn’t get too personal. And when we’d answered their questions, they moved on to someone else.
“I wonder how long it will take them to get bored with us when I’m no longer in office?”
Evan wrapped his arm around my shoulders and chuckled as we walked toward the locker room. “I predict they’ll hound us for a while until someone else takes the spotlight. Then we’ll be back when we do something amazing.”
I looked up at him, almost afraid to ask. “Amazing like what?”
He ticked them off on his fingers. “When we get married one day and you become the badass Secretary of Agriculture. And, of course, when you become president, it’ll start all over. But I’ll probably be retired by then, so they’ll want us for a lot of new reasons. I’ll just follow you around and take care of you while you rule the world.”
I laughed at his absurd imagination.
“I’m not sure the Secretary of Agriculture is considered to be a badass.”
“I’m pretty sure it is. I saw a video about it on social media. They had you wearing a mask and everything.”
He was even more ridiculous than I originally thought. But he was mine, and I was keeping him. I’ll tell him about my decision later.
“I think we’re better suited for the simple life than the spotlight, superstar.”
Evan shrugged as he looked around the stadium.
“Whatever you want, Governor. I’m in for life.”
I stopped walking when I got to the end zone. Glancing behind me for Jack and Erin, I smiled at them.
My son nodded. Erin stood beside him as Lennox and his other friends stood by. Even Preston and Nick had made it to the field along with Elaine.
Evan looked at me, then turned to look at them. He was confused.
“What’s going on?”
“Something big,” I said, taking his right hand.
As his confusion grew, I looked at him and pointed up to the Jumbo Tron hanging over the fifty-yard line.
Evan looked up as a photo montage began to play on the screen. The images started with the Storm’s Super Bowl win from last season and transitioned on to the gala. Photos of that night morphed into our first trip to San Diego, pictures from Portland, and the AI images from the internet. Finally, the last photo was one I’d taken of the candles and rose petals from the other night.
When Evan turned to look at me, I dropped to one knee on the grass.
“I don’t know what life holds for our careers, but what I do know is you’re the person I want to do life with.”
Jack and Erin walked over and flanked me.
“Evan, I love you, and they do, too. Would you please make us the happiest family in California and marry me?”
Evan put his helmet on the turf and got on his knees. “Yes,” he whispered, then took my face in his hands and kissed me silly in front of the world.