Chapter Nine #2
Kenzie made a thoughtful sound. “I remember she was always active in the community. She used to organize clothing and food drives.”
“She still does. She’s active in her church, too. Plus, she helps out at Covenant House and the Salvation Army. She’s on the board of more than one charitable foundation and she donates a sizable chunk of the money my father makes to a long list of good causes.”
“Wow. Your mom is a powerhouse.”
“Oh, yes, she is.”
“And she was always kind and sweet toward me.” A soft smile curved Kenzie’s beautiful mouth. “Even there at the end, when everything went so wrong that summer after high school.”
“Yeah. She’s the real deal. And I honestly think she loves my dad. He loves her right back. Don’t ask me to explain it. I’m their son and I don’t get it.”
“They’re just such a weird match,” Kenzie said.
“It’s like if Glinda, the good witch, went and fell for Darth Vader.
” Finn’s loud bark of laughter at that remark caused Ed to let go of his hand, leap up and dart off toward the kitchen.
Then Kenzie added, “I’m glad you had your mom when you were growing up. ”
“Yeah, well. My brothers and I are in total agreement with you about that—and the truth is, Dad did put in time with us, my brothers and me. For me, he spared no expense when he saw I had what it took to make a go of it playing football. He sent me to clinics, made sure I had the best gear, showed up for every game. Yeah, it was a lot about him and how my success made him look good. And yet, he did pay attention. He gave me the support I needed to follow that dream.”
“Too bad he’s such a jerk.”
“It is too bad. It really is.”
Kenzie scooted closer, filling the space where the kittens had been. She leaned her head on his shoulder.
Finn curled an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “I really am okay, you know.”
She tipped back her head just enough to meet his eyes. “I’m glad.” She raised those slim arms and wrapped them around his neck. He claimed another kiss. For an achingly sweet chain of minutes, they held each other close.
He loved what they’d found together since he moved back home. And he hoped that eventually she would see her way clear to giving him another chance—a real chance, the kind that lasted for the rest of their lives.
“What are you thinking?” She pressed her smooth palm to the side of his face.
You. I’m thinking of you and me. Of finally making it real after all these years, of building a life together, you, me and the baby…
“Not going to tell me, huh?” She didn’t wait for an answer but instead got up and held her hand down to him. “Come on.” He didn’t budge, just stared up at her as his mind spun sweet fantasies of the future they could have together. “Finn…” She wiggled her fingers at him.
He took them. “Where are we going?”
“To bed.”
He thought how fine she was, inside and out. “Now, that is an offer I cannot refuse.”
“Well, then, get up. Let’s go.”
He rose and pulled her close. They shared one of those kisses that curled his toes and sent his pulse into overdrive.
“This way…” She took his hand again and led him to her room.
* * *
That Friday afternoon, the Titans boarded the bus for the hour-and-a-half drive to Buffalo Butte High, home of the Bulldogs.
It was a big deal, this game. The Titans hadn’t played the Bulldogs in almost a decade. Why? The economy, of course.
During the rough times, people had pulled up stakes and moved on seeking somewhere they could make a living. That meant Tenacity High could no longer field a team large enough to play the Bulldogs.
But this year was different. The Titans were back, the energy high. Every player on the bus was pumped and ready to go. Finn had the realistic expectation that the team would bring home another win.
On the field, the Titans won the coin toss and chose to defer. The Bulldogs received the ball…and the Titans dominated from the start.
They started out strong, racking up two touchdowns in the first twelve minutes of play. Their kicker, Kevin Brown, came through with the extra point both times.
The crowd was at fever pitch. Then Remy O’Dare ran the ball to the end zone for a third touchdown and Kevin put the ball between the goalposts for a third time.
By halftime, the score was 35–3 in the Titans’ favor.
But then in the opening play of the third quarter, the Bulldogs finally scored a touchdown and their kicker made that extra point. It was now 35–10. Finn’s confidence remained high, though. They would win this game.
But six minutes into the third quarter, it all went to hell. The Titans’ center, Skip Riley, snapped the ball to Remy, who executed a perfect pass to running back Sean Coolwater. Sean took off for the goal line.
He didn’t make it. The biggest linebacker Finn had ever seen on a high-school football field caught up with Sean and brought him down. It was a brutal play. Finn thought he heard the sound of a bone snapping as Sean hit the ground.
When that linebacker got off him, Sean didn’t move. The tackle had not only broken Sean’s leg but knocked him unconscious as well.
Pulling her wheeled medical bag, Kenzie arrived at Sean’s side a moment later. The Bulldogs’ two trainers came running up, too. Sean regained consciousness quickly. But his leg did not look good. He’d suffered a compound tibial fracture.
The paramedics loaded Sean into the ambulance. They let his father ride with him to the hospital in Billings.
Having played the game for years and seen all kinds of ugly injuries, Finn knew that a compound fracture could take from four months to over a year to heal completely. Sean would most likely make a full recovery. But it would take time. He wouldn’t be taking the field again this season.
The game went on.
But the Titans had lost both their spirit and the momentum. Finn did his best to get them back in the game, but it wasn’t working. They never scored again.
The Bulldogs did, though. When the game clock ticked down to zero, the Bulldogs triumphed 43–35.
* * *
The bus ride home was way too quiet. Concern for Sean dragged the team down. And then, there was the loss they’d just suffered to the Bulldogs when for more than half the game, it had looked like they would get another win.
Finn played his part, reassuring them that Sean would recover fully and come back strong next year.
As for losing a game they would so likely otherwise have won, Finn framed the loss as unfortunate and yet understandable, given the circumstances.
Losses, he reminded them, were the best training there was for future wins.
Just like Sean would in time, the Titans would come back strong—next game and the game after that.
Objectively, Finn thought he’d given a solid postgame talk. His players looked up at him, drinking in every word. Most of them nodded as he spoke. He was reaching them, at least. They seemed to have no clue that all his reassuring, supportive, hopeful words tasted like sawdust in his mouth.
At Tenacity High, he waited until all the players and staff had exited the bus and secured their rides home before heading for his crew cab. Kenzie was waiting for him there, her Bronco parked in the space next to his truck.
She came around the back of her SUV and straight for him. He almost broke down at the welcome sight of her rushing toward him. He reached out and she came into his arms, her hands sliding up over his shoulders, her arms wrapping good and tight around his neck.
“Hey…” He buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathed in her scent of citrus and vanilla, thought how much it meant to hold her close in his arms right now.
“Hey,” she whispered back. They held each other tight right there under the glare of the parking-lot lights. When he loosened his grip on her a little, she pulled back enough to look up at him. “How’re you doing?”
“I’ve been better.”
“Sean will be alright.” She said the words urgently.
He nodded down at her. “I believe you. It’s just… recovering from an injury like that is no piece of cake.”
“I know. But remember, you had an ACL tear. Those are tougher. Sean has better odds for a full recovery than you did.”
“You sure about that?”
She reached up and gently brushed the short hair at his temple. “I am.”
He kissed her again. How could he resist? And when he lifted his head, he managed a smile. “On a night like this one, I love that I’ve got you right here in my arms to remind me that everything is going to be okay.”
“You’re welcome. My place?”
He followed her home, where she led him to her room. They made slow, perfect love. Afterward, she dropped off to sleep.
Finn remained wide-awake. His mind was a hamster on a wheel, racing in circles, getting nowhere fast. He stared up at the dark ceiling above the bed and obsessed over the game, over all the ways he could have set things up for a better outcome, over everything he could have done differently so that Sean would not be lying in a hospital bed tonight, miles from home with a fractured leg.
He thought of the past, of his own injuries, of the end of his career in the NFL. Of how, for a while that had felt like a tragedy.
But it wasn’t a tragedy. Far from it. Instead, it ended up being his chance for a new start, his chance to come home, to be here, in this bed, with this woman who had always been the only woman for him.
Closing his eyes in the darkness, he breathed in slow and steady. He reminded himself that, in time, Sean would be fine. The boy would fully recover.
And as for Finn, he had everything he wanted right here in this bed with him.
Because Kenzie was here.
He smiled to himself. He loved Kenzie Osborne. And the time was coming for him to man up and tell her so.
Beside him, she stirred. Snuggling closer, she rested her hand over his heart. “It’s not your fault,” she said in a sleepy whisper. “It’s football. There will be injuries.”
“I know.” He caught her fingers and brought them to his lips. “Go back to sleep.”
“You too,” she whispered.
“You got it.” And then, he gathered her closer and shut his eyes.