Epilogue #2
“Shirt Off My Back started because a man helped me who didn’t have a shirt to spare. He literally had nothing but was willing to give me everything. And it made me realise that, as a professional athlete, I wasn’t giving enough. So I hope to make a big impact here today.”
I pause and exhale, anxiety spiraling inside of me over what I’m about to do.
I look at my brothers, who look like they’re about ready to vomit or cry.
I can relate. A nervous smile breaks across my face.
“And to throw a wrench in the mix, my brothers and I have a little surprise for everyone to make today…extra memorable.”
I can see everyone looking around like they are expecting some big pop star to come running in to bring the house down or something. We’ll be bringing the house down all right.
Belle smiles bigger than I think I’ve ever seen, Vi frowns with confusion, and I swear I hear Frank’s cackle from somewhere in the distance.
“Let’s have a good race!” I shout and hop down off of the stage, heading straight for Belle. Her face is the picture of amazement as I grab her and plant a sloppy kiss on her lips. “Just remember, you asked for this.”
She giggles and looks me up and down. One would have thought she’d be disgusted by what I’m about to do, totally turned off by the strips of neon lycra peeking out beneath my clothes. But the fire I see in the dark pools of her eyes forces me to look away before I grow right out of this getup.
She stands on her tiptoes to whisper in my ear, “Is it completely mad that I’m turned on thinking about what you’re wearing under your clothes right now?”
I lick my lips and side-eye her. “Completely. But I would expect nothing less from you.”
She giggles and moves in closer. “The worst part of all of this is that Frank would have donated the money regardless.”
“He what?” I exclaim, rearing back, my shock so great I think my heart stopped.
She yanks me down by the shirt and murmurs against my lips, “But you doing this only made me fall in love with you even more.”
Despite my shock, I kiss her, completely powerless to my attraction when she’s like this. When we break apart, we’re both laughing.
“Wife,” I husk. “You really are crazy.”
“Husband, you love my crazy.” Her smile is bigger than life.
I growl and kiss her chastely one last time, then jog over to join the runners waiting at the starting line. No going back now.
Belle’s laugh echoes in my ears as my brothers stand beside me. There are at least sixty athletes stacked up behind us—big names that only Harris connections could pull in. They are about to have a view of their lifetime right now.
The man with the starting gun looks at me, and I hold up a finger to him and swerve my gaze to Vi and Hayden located at the other end of the line. Hayden is holding Rocky and waving her cute chubby little hands at me.
“I’m not proud, boys,” Camden groans.
“I immediately regret this decision,” Booker states.
“Fucking Tanner,” Gareth growls.
“Vi,” I yell and wait for her gaze to find mine. “Cover Rocky’s eyes.”
“What?” she screams.
Thankfully Hayden’s action is immediate and he shields my poor niece’s innocent sight.
And then…we strip.
But it’s nothing like the Magic Mike body roll, head-snapping strip show that you see on the telly or in the Las Vegas shows. It’s more like overly muscled men fighting the foetal position.
Laughter erupts all around us as we wrench our shirts off over our heads and quickly slip out of our sweats. We begin kicking everything off to the side with our feet because our hands are all busy cupping our twigs and berries.
“What the fuck?” I hear a random voice shout amongst the laughter.
I see a few other parents turn their kids away from the scene. The god awful scene.
“Boys!” Vi admonishes.
I can’t even bring myself to look at my dad. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to look him in the eyes again.
But I see my wife laughing so hard with Indie that she has tears streaming down her face.
God, I love seeing her laugh.
The sight of her like that turns my insides to pudding and, despite my current get-up, all I can think about is how wonderful it is to see her so happy.
Eyes locked on her, I lean over and murmur to Camden, “I can’t wait to get her pregnant.”
“What?” Camden exclaims, but I don’t bother looking at him.
“We’re ready!” I yell.
Before Camden has a chance to ask another question, the gun sounds.
Then, we—the four Harris Brothers—lead the pack, proving to everyone that there is absolutely nothing we wouldn’t do for each other.
However, what I would do for Belle tops even them. And that is something I never realised was a possibility in my life.
I think it was Oscar Wilde who said life imitates art. Well, to the Harris family, football imitates life. My brothers and I developed into our prospective roles in life by mirroring our spots on the pitch.
Camden and I are strikers, both always poised and ready to attack. We create the rhythm of the pitch, a dance of giving and taking, passing and shooting. We control the highs. We gift the biggest moments. Together, we shoot for the glory, but it’s always in service to the greater goal.
Booker is the gate keeper. He has blinders on to anything outside of the poles because nothing matters more than protecting what’s inside his web. He’s not intimidating at first glance, but when you look beneath his soft, quiet demeanour, there’s a ferocity to him that would kill for what’s his.
Gareth is a defender. He’s a proud, solid guard, rugged in his style of play but strong in his attack. He shields what’s behind him with stoicism and grace, never buckling to even the most intense pressure. It’s all because what he hides from people is what he holds most dear.
Above all of us is our sister, Vi, and our dad, Vaughn.
They are the tactical manoeuvres. One battles for personal praise, the other, for professional excellence.
Both immersed in the game, a tangled web of behaviours.
Both fighting a slightly different goal, but each picking up where the other left off.
But the women in our lives. The women who break us Harris men…They are the fiercest of all. Because it is they who inspire our Happily Ever Afters.
Now, we wait to see what’s in store for Gareth and Booker. Hell, maybe even Dad someday.
THE END