Epilogue
Nearly a year later
I was on my way to the Bears training facility. Bob Simmons had come to me a few weeks back to hire me to plan the welcome party for the players. I was headed there now to start setting up. Bob had nothing to do with it thus far, aside from hiring me and showing me the space. He said he was glad to delegate the responsibility and thankful they could budget for it.
I had all the party planning work I wanted, which translated to two events a month. Caleb had hired someone to help him with video production, but I spent some time every day helping him with other aspects of his channel.
My parents had given us a home for our wedding gift. It was only a few miles from their place, and Dad had bought that specific one because he wanted us to be close. He loved Caleb and wanted to hang out anytime Caleb had a few hours off. That's what was happening at the moment. The two of them had been fishing all morning. EJ had gone with them, and so had one of the coaches. Caleb texted me when they got off of the boat, and I knew there was a chance I would run into them at the training facility. They were stopping there to drop off the coach.
I stopped at the 7-Eleven since I was running a little early. I hadn't been there since the day I met Caleb, and I pulled into the parking lot smiling and thinking about how much my life had changed since then. In the back of my mind, I knew I met him here, but I didn't give the story enough credit. I should have gone there before today. I parked and got out, seeing the familiar store and smiling as I retraced my steps. I caught glimpses of memories as I walked inside. I remembered the spilled slushy. I remembered the cooler with energy drinks, and talking to Caleb. I started to replay some of the things we said to each other.
I walked through the candy aisle to the same cooler. I wasn't thirsty for an energy drink, but I was pretty sure I was going to buy one for the sake of the story. I came to stand at the cooler. I was thinking about Caleb and the scene between us. It was last year at about this same time. I remembered it while I absentmindedly stared toward the cooler. I noticed some movement behind me, and I stepped to the side to let the person walk around.
"I'm not… I'm not sure what I want. You go ahead."
I turned, and it was my gorgeous, larger-than-life husband standing behind me. I had just been thinking about him. How was he standing there? He was in his fishing clothes, which was a baseball cap with shorts and a long-sleeved fishing shirt. He looked me over, taking in the fact that I was taken off guard by seeing him.
"No, it's all right. You go ahead," he said. "I'm not even sure if I'm getting one of these."
"Me neither. I lied to my mom about it," I said, holding in a smile.
"You did?" he asked, looking concerned.
I nodded. "Hey, aren't you the guy from the TV show? I know you. Why did you kill your dad? He was one of my favorite characters. I’m sorry. I’m rambling. I'm nervous because I'm going to a big meeting right now at Halas Hall."
"Hey, I'm headed there, too. Maybe I can get your number."
"Not if you're a football player."
"I never said I was a football player."
"You said you were going to Halas Hall."
"I'm a chaplain. Didn't your dad say you can date the chaplain?"
"How do you know my dad?"
"Aren't you Lila Decker?"
"No, uh, Decker was actually my maiden name." I put a hand to my chest and spoke shyly.
"Oh, you're married?" he asked, looking me over.
"Yes. And my husband would be jealous if he knew I was flirting with you." I leaned in. I touched his forearms with my fingertips and got close enough to him that I could feel the heat of his body.
Caleb cleared his throat. "I think your husband would say that I'm the only person you should flirt with."
"Well, if my husband says it's okay, then…" I trailed off, leaning even closer to him.
We had been married for six months, and the newness had not worn off. I was still unbelievably attracted to Caleb Caldwell. We stood toward the side of the aisle, and I touched his hand gently just because I couldn’t keep my hands off of him.
"This is an amazing coincidence," I said. "Seeing you here again. It's my first time back. What are the chances?"
"I saw you pull in. We were a few cars behind you at the stoplight. I told your dad I saw you, and he said he wanted to stop. He'll be coming in. EJ, too."
"What's my little girl doing in here?"
"Hey, Dad. I wanted to stop over here before I go over to the practice field."
"Is that party tomorrow?"
"Yes, sir, I'm starting to set up."
I glanced at Caleb, who said, "I'm going over to the college this afternoon, so I'll see you at dinner tonight. Unless you need help at Halas."
"No, I've got it, but thank you. "
"Your husband is terrible at fishing," Dad said.
"Oh, no, what happened?" I asked.
"He's joking," EJ said, coming to stand in the aisle with us. He pulled some nearby snacks off of their hangers. "Get your gummies now while Dad's here to pay." EJ continued to take items from the rack—chips, mixed nuts, sour candy.
I had raided snacks and candy plenty of times with my brothers. We had done enough traveling with my dad's career that drug store candy aisles were comforting and normal to us. EJ picked up four or five bags before stepping around me, and I stared straight at Caleb.
"You better make your selections," I said.
"I’m not making your dad buy me snacks."
"Go ahead!"
"Yes, you are!"
I wasn't sure who said what, but my dad and brother both spoke at the same time, insisting that Caleb start choosing.
"I'll move slowly on my way to the register to give you time to choose, but you better go ahead because I'm grabbing one thing and heading that way."
"You need to try those dill pickle seeds," EJ said, leaning in front of me to point at them.
"I’m going for barbeque," I said, grabbing the pack next to the dill.
EJ made a noise of disapproval at my choice but then kept walking past me like he wasn't too concerned with my selections.
I picked three things for myself and when I noticed that Caleb still wasn't participating, I grabbed two additional items from the shelf and held them to his chest, giving him no choice but to take them. He smiled at me as he held the bags. "You know I love potato skins as much as the next guy, but don't make your dad buy this."
I grinned at him and looked him in the eyes. "Trust me, he loves it," I said.
It was the truth. My dad wanted Caleb to be in on all of the family traditions. I never knew someone could so seamlessly fit his way into our family. His history had softened my family's hearts. His history had made him the man he was today. His history was painful, but it had produced good fruit. My dad loved him like a son, and my brothers loved him like he was one of them. He had fit into our family in a way I didn't expect. I smiled when he picked out a third item on the way to the register.
I stopped for a drink, and I also got gum while we were standing at the register. My dad paid for a mound of over a dozen items while we stood behind him with EJ and discussed our selections. We laughed about how it would all get eaten. Dad finished with two bags, and I separated our stuff from EJ's on the way outside.
Caleb walked me to my SUV.
"We'll be quick at the fields," he said. "Then I’ll be gone by the time you get home, so I'll see you tonight at dinner."
I handed him the bag of goodies. "You'll be home before me, so you can take these."
I sat in the driver's seat and closed the door. He waited while I started the engine and rolled down the window. "See you at home," he said, leaning in for a kiss.
"But I thought we just met in that gas station. We still need our first date. I can't believe I met Kai from the TV show."
"Yes, I am that guy. I'm a really hot actor from California. And I have a YouTube channel, too. Have you talked to my mom?"
"Oh, man. I really want to get to know you. You seem like my type."
He nodded seriously, not even acknowledging how cheesy I was being. "Okay, text me later, if you want me to come over to your house."
"Yeah, I was thinking you could stop by my house around dinner time."
"Okay, it's a date. Dinner at your house." He leaned in and kissed me again before smiling and patting the door of my vehicle.
He flashed the 'I love you' sign with his hand, and I yelled the sentiment back to him since he had already turned.
I watched as his gorgeous athletic body jogged to my dad's truck with the bag of our goodies secured in his hand. It was a beautiful, heartwarming scene, the bright colors of the 7-Eleven making it so picturesque. I smiled at the beauty in front of me. I loved this man. I officially could not wait for dinnertime.
The End
(till book 3)