Chapter 23
23
brIAR
“ A re you ready for the game tomorrow?” I ask as Leo paces the room. He looks distracted.
“Yeah.”
“Okay… you doing alright?”
He looks visibly upset, like something is really wrong and he can’t figure out how to fix it.
“Yeah. I just,” he groans, tossing his head back. “I don’t know who to pick up,”
I’m confused, not understanding what he’s talking about. “What?”
“One of my players got hurt last minute, and I need to fucking replace him. He’s stuck on IR.”
I purse my lips, not quite understanding him. “I don’t get it?”
“On my fantasy team, Briar.”
Oh. The infamous fantasy team. Sure. I’ve heard lots about it from Isla, who was forced onto it last year. It was a secret, of course. One everyone quickly figured out. While the other guys still don’t know it was Isla specifically, they all basically know deep down.
“Is your sister in it this year?” I ask .
He shakes his head. “No. Apparently she started a new fantasy league. We had a rookie who wanted to join so he took her place.”
“Wow, pretty harsh to be kicking your sister out.”
He rolls his eyes, dramatically throwing his hands up. “That’s not helping, Briar.”
“I wasn’t trying to.”
He scowls at me as he scrolls on his phone, continuing to pace.
“Okay, well, I’m going to go get changed, okay?”
He barely nods, and I head off to my room, almost a little annoyed that he wasn’t going to sit down and talk to me.
It’s been our nightly tradition lately. We sit down and talk about our days a little before bed. Unloading everything we may need over a tea or some other drink.
It’s been nice, and I didn’t realize how nice until this moment.
Leo will be leaving soon, and then Elara and I are having a girls night with Isla, Heidi, and Zara while the boys hunker down at a hotel in preparation for the big game tomorrow.
It’s officially football season, and I can feel it in the air.
This eclectic energy in the city as everyone prepares is something many of us thrive off of. Especially those of us who grew up watching our baby brothers games.
“Mom! Look what I taught Champ!” Elara calls from behind my bed. I stop in the doorway, watching her run around the bed with a bone, Champ right at her heels. “Okay, stop,” she commands, and Champ stops, looking up at her with giant puppy eyes. “Lay down,” Elara commands, her hand outstretched.
Champ listens.
Impressive.
My six-year-old can teach my dog tricks but I can’t seem to. Good to know.
“Very cool,” I tell her, walking past and ruffling her hair. She blows a raspberry at me as I grab my pajamas. “Are you ready for the girls to come over? We have a big day tomorrow so you’re not staying up too late,” I tell her.
She nods, looking more like a bobblehead than anything. “Yeah. Heidi is coming?”
“Yeah she’ll be here,” I assure her. Elara and Heidi have become fast friends in the week since she started really watching her, which has been wonderful. They’re adorable together and Heidi is truly a blessing.
And in a couple days, she’s going to be helping me much more as Elara goes back to school. She’ll be in first grade, and since we’re still technically officially living back at our old place, the drive to get her to and from school is a bit long during rush-hour traffic.
I want to be able to take her a couple of days a week when I can, but Heidi agreed to do the rest. Thanks to Leo, I have enough money to pay her quite a bit, and she was thrilled to do it.
“Hey Leo,” I hear from behind me, and when I turn, I find him standing at my door, two gift bags in his hand looking sheepish.
“Sorry about earlier,” he tells me, his eyes downcast. “I was determined for this to be my year in fantasy and if I lose this week, I’m going to have to book a ticket to Australia to swim with sharks.”
What?
“That actually sounds kind of fun,” I tell him, and it does. It sounds super fun actually. I’d love to swim with sharks.
He shakes his head, his face growing white. “Sharks are terrifying, Briar.”
I shrug, gathering blankets to bring out to the family room.
“You leaving soon?” I ask him as I walk by.
“Uh, yeah. Do you need me to help you bring anything out? ”
I shake my head. All I need are the pillows, and we’ll be good. I prepped a bunch of snacks already today, and the girls are also bringing things.
“Well, uh, I have some gifts for you and Elara. For tomorrow.”
Dropping the blankets onto the ground, I spin around, looking him up and down as he offers me one of the bags. Elara runs out of the room, Champ behind her. She may tune out half of what I tell her but the word gift will instantly have her running.
“What is it?” I ask him, taking it.
The bag isn’t heavy, but it certainly has some weight to it.
Peeking in, I see something wrapped in purple tissue paper.
“Just open it,” he says with a shy smile, and it dawns on me that I don’t think I’ve ever seen Leo Warner look shy… ever. There’s never been a time when this man ever looked anything other than confident.
But now, standing in front of me in his home, his eyes downcast, his hands making themselves busy, he looks anything but.
And it’s really cute, if I’m being honest.
Reaching in, I grab the first thing and pull it out. “A jersey?” I ask, unfolding it. It’s a beautiful Limited jersey, patches and all with a large 8 on the front and back, the name Warner written across the top.
“This is beautiful,” I tell him. I always loved the traditional purple jerseys.
“I got Elara one too, and well, I even got Champ a jersey for dogs. And uhh, some other things too.”
I continue reaching in, pulling out a small clear purse with “Warner” written on the side. On top of that, there’s a baseball cap, and at the very bottom, a Cobras bomber jacket.
“This is a lot, Leo, thank you.”
“I wanted you to have something to wear tomorrow,” he says, and the way his dimples deepen when he says it makes me almost feel bad when I shake my head.
“Leo, I’m a Crosby. Elara is a Crosby. We have to wear our Crosby jerseys.”
His face falls, and I instantly feel absolutely horrible as Elara pulls out her jersey and baseball cap, as well as a matching small bomber jacket. I can’t wait to match with her tomorrow.
“Oh, yeah, that’s fair, well,” he brings his hand up to rub his neck, “sorry about that, I should have asked.”
“It’s okay,” I say, putting them back in the bag for now. “We’ll wear them at some point, okay?”
He nods, still looking a bit more sad than I would have assumed he’d be.
Closing the distance between us, I grab him into a hug, and when I feel his large arms close around me, I take a deep breath.
Because Leo Warner smells like heaven.
When I pull away, he looks around for a moment before checking his phone. “Well I have to go,” he says a little too quickly, and without another word, he turns, grabs his bags and is out the door.
“I don’t know. I think the hand flex is possibly one of the hottest scenes in any movie ever,” Heidi says, curled up under the blankets.
“I’ll drink to that,” I tell her, holding up my tea.
“Me too,” Isla chimes in, tapping her own mug against mine.
Zara shoots us a side-eye. “I must be watching far better movies than you guys because what? ”
I shrug. “It’s just powerful, you know?”
“I don’t know, but I’ll let you have this one,” she tells me with a sigh, taking a long sip of her hot chocolate.
“I don’t know what they’re thinking, either,” Elara whispers to Zara, lifting her glass of chocolate milk. Zara taps her mug against it with a smile.
“Hey! You’re too young to understand,” I point at her, narrowing my eyes. But she knows I’m just being playful, and I’m not angry with her.
“I do understand,” Elara says, flopping back into the pillows dramatically.
“Oh yeah? Your little crush on Joshua doesn’t count,” I laugh, and her cheeks turn bright red.
“Oh? Who’s Joshua?” Heidi asks, sitting up to look at Elara on the other side of the couch.
“Oh yeah?” Elara sasses me right back, sitting up again. “How about you and Leo, mom?”
Heat creeps up the back of my neck as Isla snickers. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mutter.
“I like him,” Elara says. “And I think you should date him.”
If you only knew, I think. Since she’s so young, I haven’t tried to explain the complexities of what Leo and I are doing to her. We’ve just let it be, riding it until she ends up asking us. So far, so good.
“We’re not having this conversation,” I tell her simply.
“Well I heard you were very much in love with my brother today,” Isla states, a smirk at her lips.
I freeze. “Where in the world did you hear that?”
“An article online.”
Of course. I roll my eyes, pursing my lips. I knew that we were going to be written about, but we just started this whole thing. They move fast, apparently.
“Wonderful,” I mutter after a moment, shoving food into my mouth .
Heidi clicks her tongue. “Honestly Briar, no one would fault you. That man is hot.”
Isla elbows her in the stomach, and she erupts into a fit of giggles, clutching her side. “I’m telling the truth! You’ve known I think he’s hot since elementary school. Doesn’t mean I also don’t think he’s stupid.”
“He has yet to prove to me that he’s worth Briar’s time, but I’m also skeptical of everyone,” Zara says, watching the two of them. I meet her eyes, grateful. She’s always watched out for me, and she’s one of the very few who really know what I went through with my ex. Without her, I’d have nothing.
“I think he’s a good guy,” I tell her, tapping her knee. “He just needs a little getting used to. He’s not really easy to understand.”
“That he is not,” Isla mutters, smiling at Heidi.
Wanting to cut the conversation off, I look at the two girls next to me. “Where’s Amara and Mila?”
Isla winces. “Well, Mila is on a date, and Amara had a big gig tonight. They said they wanted to come over another time for sure though. Check out your new home and all.”
I smile. “I’d hardly call it my new home. We still have our place. It’s just easier to stay here. Plus, haven’t they already been here?”
“Not since Leo got plants,” Isla chuckles, her eyes moving toward Champ on the end of the couch. “Or a dog. Which, by the way, nice,” she gives me a high-five.
“Elara demanded it. I’m usually not one to just give her what she wants, but those eyes! God, how could I say no to those puppy eyes?” Champ licks her paw, watching us talk about her.
The five of us talk for a little longer, Elara falling asleep next to me before we go our separate ways. Isla and Heidi crash at her place, and Zara takes the guest room here. We’re all going to the game tomorrow, and can’t wait to all get ready together.
And when it’s just us, I tuck Elara into bed before heading to mine, passing out the second my head hits the pillow.
“You girls ready?” Isla calls from down the hall, the heels of her boots clicking as she walks around her brother’s apartment.
“Almost!” I call. It’s been a long time since I’ve really dressed up to go to games, but I was informed by all of the girls that these are really big events, and according to Isla, who will be going down to the field before the game with me and Elara, looking good is a must.
Especially since there will be photos, and those photos are going to make their rounds around the internet. Something that surely did not calm my nerves.
Although I thought I knew what I was going to wear last night, I decided the second I put it on this morning that the jeans were touching me all wrong, and that the feel of them against my skin was going to make me scream halfway through the game. It’s still hot here, so I decided to take full advantage of that fact and wear something cute. A cute denim skirt, my Crosby jersey, a pair of flat black knee-high boots, and the Warner purse Leo gave me.
Elara is dressed like my twin, in jeans, her uncle’s jersey, a pair of white sneakers, and her own small mini Warner see-through bag.
We both braided our hair the same, and after I put on some makeup, Elara asked to do the same. I told her no, to which she pouted for nearly two hours .
“You look so cute!” Heidi’s voice filters into the room, Zara’s following.
“Oh my God, that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”
Confused, I head to the door, poking my head out to find the two of them standing in front of Champ, who looks behind herself, her tongue out as she meets my eye, Leo’s jersey on.
And they were right. It could possibly be the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
My heart melting, I head back into my room to finish getting ready, and grabbing Elara, we head out the door.
There is nothing quite like football season, and there’s definitely nothing like the first home game of the season.
The energy in the stadium as their favorite players warm up on the field, the smell of hot dogs and beer filling the air, the sea of purple in the stands. Football season is special. A start of something new. New possibilities, new careers, new chances to become one of the greatest players to ever live.
The Warner suite is packed full of his friends and family, though I know his parents couldn’t make it. He told me the other day that he bought his mom a few highland cows, and his father told him that the consequence of doing it was that they couldn’t leave them alone or find someone to take care of them, so they wouldn’t be able to go to the first game.
He was sad, but he seemed more happy that his mom was having such a great time with her new animal friends.
The entire conversation happened over coffee in the morning, before I was completely awake, while he was getting ready to go train.
We got here early, and after talking to all Isla’s friends in the suite, she takes my hand, leading me out the door, Elara in tow.
Heading down to the field, she takes out our passes, making sure we both have them on.
It’s a lot easier getting on the field than I thought, considering the only time I’ve been there was after the Super Bowl win, when it was incredibly difficult.
“They’re just going to be able to talk to us for a few seconds before warmups end,” she tells me quietly, taking the lead as we head out.
The section is roped off, and there’s a slew of fans with passes walking about. We smile at them, Elara tugging at my arm. I can tell she’s nervous. She’s never been the biggest fan of crowds.
“You ready?” Isla smiles at me as I watch Owen slap Leo in the chest before pointing over to us.
I was ready to talk to Leo. I was ready to get a photo with him, even.
What I wasn’t ready for was the megawatt smile he has the second he saw us. Or the way his eyes never once leave mine as the two jog over to us.
Owen regards me with a quick hello before pulling Isla into a giant hug, and I can practically see the wheels turning in Leo’s head as he figures out what he should do.
So I make the decision for him.
Reaching up, I put my arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. I feel him stiffen against me, shocked.
“You good? Never been hugged by a woman before, huh?” I whisper into his ear.
“Never in front of this many people, and certainly not by one that looks like you, Sweetheart,” he whispers back before planting a kiss on my cheek.
I pull back, my brows pulling together as I look at him suspiciously. “Sweetheart?”
“I think it fits.”
And as much as I tell myself I hate it, the way my stomach twists proves otherwise.
Leo bends down, wrapping Elara in a hug. She doesn’t let go easily, and when I pull her back, she frowns up at me, clearly upset. “You’ll see him after the game, Bub,” I assure her.
She looks up at me, her eyes filled with wonder as she watches her uncle and Leo run back out onto the field, and when Isla leads me back off the field, I can’t help but feel the immense weight of guilt settle on my shoulders knowing my daughter is getting far more attached than I am.
I can deal with a broken heart. I’ve done it time and time again, each time I lost my ex-husband a little more. But her?
She doesn’t deserve that.
The game goes by in a blur as the girls and I sit just outside of the suite. Elara has eaten too many hotdogs to count, and I’ve gotten a little too excited about the buffet of nachos. Beer has been drunk and Isla somehow managed to have several large bags of peach rings delivered, which sit in her lap as she nervously shoves them into her mouth.
The team has played well, but the defense has been rusty, as they always are coming off of training camp, and they’ve given up a couple of touchdowns.
We’re down six points.
Leo throws a screen pass to Owen, who only barely manages to escape a couple defensive linemen, breaking free and running it in for a touchdown.
My baby brother drops the ball in the endzone, pointing up at us. Well, to Isla.
It’s their tradition.
With seconds left in the game, the defense holds it down, and the Cobras win their first game of the season.
And as the crowd erupts into cheers, I can’t help but feel pride bloom in my chest. Not the usual pride I have for my brother’s accomplishments, no.
The pride I feel today belongs to someone else.