25. Willow Kingsley
Chapter twenty-five
Willow Kingsley
Another weekend, another game day. Except this one isn’t a Lions game. Today is Saturday, and we’re in Atlanta to visit Jason’s college team, the Thrashers, and his brother, who’s playing for them. We drove over this morning and we’ll be staying the night tonight. I blink away thoughts of sharing a hotel room with Jason. I need to focus on looking like the perfect wife of a football player. Especially since I could be shown on national television any moment now.
I hold my smile in case the cameras shift to me while I watch Jason sit beside a selection of sports commentators, giving his predictions on who will win today’s games. It’s not hard to smile at him though. He’s made quite a few jokes, and even gotten the crowd hyped up quite a few times. When it does come time for him to retire, he’d make a great commentator on a sports show.
“Okay, now for the biggest game of the week, the one we’re here today for, Georgia versus North Carolina. Who do you have winning?” one of the announcers, Van, asks.
They go down the line, all but one having answered that the Thrashers would come out on top. When it gets to Jason, he looks over at me, a smile on his face. I know he’s ecstatic to be here. When he got the call to be on the show, his whole face lit up. His excitement has been contagious to say the least, and I’ve felt the buzz of adrenaline all morning. So when he nods like he wants me to come up there, I find myself walking toward the stage without hesitation.
It’s good publicity. That’s why I’m doing it. Probably why he’s doing it too. I shouldn’t interpret it any other way.
“While I could give my choice on my own, I’d love to share this special moment with my wife,” Jason says. A chorus of ‘aws’ sounds out. My face feels warm as I take Jason’s hand so he can help me up onto the makeshift stage and over to the semicircle table they’re all sitting at.
I shake hands with all the other guys, hoping that I don’t seem too nervous. Or maybe I should seem nervous? If I were too rehearsed that would be bad, right? My stomach feels similar to how it did while riding the four-wheeler.
Jason sits down and pulls me into his lap. I let out a surprised squeal. Cheers and whistles erupt in the crowd while Jason chuckles near my ear. One of his arms wraps around my waist.
“Now, who’s winning today, Mrs. Kingsley?” Jason asks.
Someone in a black t-shirt with a headset rushes up to hand me a microphone before scurrying back out of view.
“I almost want to say North Carolina to mess with you,” I tease, and everyone laughs. I find myself grinning wide. This isn’t so bad. Inexplicably, I feel safe in Jason’s arms right now. I know he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me.
“But,” I continue, “I know football. And anyone who’s seen Georgia play knows that they’ve got this in the bag. Go Thrashers!” I yell the last part, lifting a hand in the air.
The crowd goes wild. Jason stands up, tucking me beneath his arm and facing the crowd as he gets everyone to chant Thrashers! over and over again. I yell it out with them, laughing as chaos ensues before me. People start jumping, waving signs, and one guy even crowd-surfs.
Jason pulls me against his side and kisses the crown of my head. “Thank you,” he says, just loud enough for me to hear.
I hug him in return, not saying a word. After getting everyone sufficiently riled up, Jason takes his seat again and I go back to the spot where I was watching them. My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. Maybe this NFL wife thing isn’t so bad.
“I can’t believe they let guys as old as you coach,” Jason yells out in greeting as we walk down the Thrashers’ field.
I laugh, grateful for his lighthearted demeanor. That, plus his hand in mine, has made this whole day easier. I’m used to hanging around multimillionaires, but those are all just guys on the team to me. This morning I met people who are household names. I was on national television . And after that, I walked around with Jason to meet the fans, a few of whom asked for a photo with me . I’m certain it was just out of pity so I didn’t feel left out when Jason took so many, but still. It’s been a surreal experience, to say the least.
Throughout everything though, Jason has kept me steady. He’s made me laugh and kept me safe. Today has felt like what I imagined married life would be, but deep down there’s a little voice telling me this isn’t real. I shouldn’t get caught up in the magic of it all.
Jason squeezes my hand as we approach his old head coach. A swarm of happy butterflies in my stomach quickly drowns out the voice in my head.
“Who let you on the field?” Coach Bash–a.k.a. Sebastian Holt–asks with a smile.
Though Jason joked about him being old, he doesn’t look it. I’ve heard he’s one of, if not the youngest, college football coach with a record as perfect as his. The Thrashers have been undefeated for years now.
Jason lets go of my hand to exchange a back-slapping hug with Sebastian.
“I heard you were on campus today.” Sebastian’s piercing blue gaze lands on me. “And I also heard that you were married. Through an Instagram post my brother-in-law sent me.”
Jason rubs the back of his neck. “I’m sorry, Coach. Things happened pretty fast. I should have called to tell you the news.”
“If anyone understands falling fast, it’s me,” he says with a grin.
Something in his lovestruck gaze tells me he’s being honest. I’ve seen photos of his family online. His wife, MJ, is pregnant right now and looks like the most boho-chic mother I’ve ever seen. Her style is unique and often cited as thrifted or handmade, even though she has millions of dollars at her disposal and could afford the top designer brands. And his niece Maddie, who he adopted at birth, is quite famous in the competitive dance world. The three of them somehow have a huge internet presence without posting much themselves.
“I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” I say. “Jason has nothing but good things to say about you, and I’ve admired your family for a while now.”
The man seems to never quit smiling. It’s like his default mode. He’s a ray of sunshine if I’ve ever met one.
“While Jason hasn’t shared much about you, I trust his judgment. Welcome to the Thrasher family, Willow.”
Tendrils of warmth unfurl in my chest. It’s special to have his blessing when I know how much he means to Jason. The happy, fuzzy feeling is stifled though when I realize that one day in the future, Jason will bring his real wife to meet Sebastian, and she’ll be a part of this family. My heart aches at the thought.
“Thank you,” I say, forcing myself to smile.
Jason wraps an arm around my shoulder and pulls me in. “We’ll let you get back to coaching. I know you’re busy. I just wanted to come say hi before kickoff in case we don’t get much time after.”
“Maybe we can see each other sometime tomorrow before your game. MJ, Maddie, and I will be at the game too, of course.”
Jason’s smile grows, and I can see the gratitude shining in his eyes when I look up at him.
“That means a lot, thanks, Coach.”
“You know we’ll always be there for you.” Sebastian lifts his hat and readjusts it on his head. He looks unsure of his next words. “Are your parents coming?”
Jason’s arm tenses around me. “No, they aren’t.”
Sebastian sighs. “I’m sorry.”
Jason shrugs. “I have you guys, that’s all I need.”
I frown. Do his parents not ever come to any of his games?
“Don’t forget your wife,” Sebastian says with a soft smile, gesturing to me.
“Of course, she’s my number one fan. Right, Lo?” Jason takes on a teasing tone.
“Considering we saw a guy with your jersey number tattooed on his neck, I don’t know that I can claim that spot,” I joke, hoping to lighten the mood.
Sebastian laughs. “Seems like you two are a good fit. Though I know MJ will make sure of it when she meets you. Anyways, I’ll talk to you later. I need to get these boys in line.” He dips his chin and walks off to where the guys are warming up near the end zone.
“Did you want to say hi to your brother?” I ask as we walk back toward the tunnel.
“Shep has this crazy intense pre-game ritual. He never strays from it. Right now he’s listening to classical music in noise-canceling headphones while warming up. If I interrupted him, he’d probably swing at me as a greeting,” Jason answers with a laugh.
“That does sound intense.” My voice echoes as we enter the concrete tunnel. “And what did Coach Bash mean when he said that MJ would make sure we were a good fit?”
Cold wind whips through the tunnel and I instinctively snuggle into Jason’s side. He rubs my shoulder over the blue Thrashers sweatshirt he loaned me.
“MJ is hyper-observant. She’s always been able to see right through everyone and everything. Shepherd says Coach even brings her out during practice if they keep running a play wrong and she can tell almost immediately who or what the problem is.”
I grimace. “Great, so we’re spending almost four hours with a woman who’s going to see right through our ruse.”
Jason squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t worry about anything, Lo. MJ isn’t malicious. She cares deeply about those she loves, and for some reason I get to be in that camp. She may get suspicious of our story, but she’s going to like you. Like Bash said, you’re family now.”
My chest tightens at his words. If only they were true.
“Speaking of family,” I say as we wind our way through the underbelly of the stadium. Jason walks like he’s done this hundreds of times, and I guess he has. “Do your parents not come to your games?”
Jason’s muscles tighten again. I run a hand up and down his back soothingly.
“You’re full of questions tonight, huh?” he tries to joke, but I can hear the discomfort in his voice.
“That’s my last one, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I know it’s personal.”
“You’re my wife,” he says, causing an explosion of bubbles and butterflies within me. “Nothing is too personal. I told you already I don’t do secrets.”
I swallow as I’m reminded of the one I’m keeping.
“My parents have never been supportive of football. They didn’t discourage me or Shepherd, but they stopped coming to the games as soon as I could drive myself to the stadium. We had all the equipment we needed, and some that we didn’t too. It’s not like they neglected us. They’ve just never been very invested parents.” He sighs, raking a hand through his hair. “When I became a Thrasher, Sebastian took me in immediately. He does that for a lot of players, but I think we had a special bond. His whole family cheered me on and they went to Shep’s high school games a few times too. Because of them, I’ve had plenty of support. Bash also helped me realize I was throwing my life away by partying. I owe him a lot.”
“I’m glad you had them, but I’m sorry your parents weren’t more supportive.”
“It’s okay. I’ve got all I need.” He smiles down at me. My stomach somersaults. Am I really included in that? It’s starting to feel like I am, and I have no idea how to handle that knowledge.