Epilogue
FOURTEEN YEARS LATER…
Carson took his duffel bag and Mila’s weekender and placed them in the back of his SUV. As he returned to the house, he heard the microwave ding, letting him know the breakfast burritos were ready. He retrieved them and went to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
“Jess! Henry! Come on down with your things. Time to go.”
Moments later, the two scrambled down the stairs, both wearing backpacks, and he added, “And don’t forgot your toothbrush.”
Henry froze, flashing a sheepish grin, and turned to run up the stairs again.
Jess gave Carson a smile, and his heart turned over, thinking how much she resembled pictures of Mila at this same age.
At twelve, Jessica Andrews was already five-nine and the star of her volleyball team.
She also enjoyed singing in the school choir and idolized her older sister.
He handed her a burrito wrapped in a paper towel.
Henry, who was ten, came bounding down the stairs again. His son had his father’s dark brown hair and eyes and was the leading scorer on his soccer team. Henry was also mad for drumming and enjoyed fishing, something Carson had taken up over the years, living so close to the coast.
He gave his son the second burrito and said, “Make sure both your water bottles are filled.”
They went out to the SUV, with his daughter reminding him, “Don’t forget. We’re picking up Grammy and Gramps.”
“I wouldn’t forget,” Carson said, not admitting that he had forgotten they were supposed to stop for Mila’s parents on the way to the pep rally.
This was the first time Driftwood Bay’s volleyball team had been in the state finals since the year Mila took them to the championship. She would be riding the bus with the team, not as its coach but as a chaperone, with her family following.
He pulled into the Perrys’ driveway, where Bill and Laura stood waiting with small suitcases.
Carson got out and took their luggage, placing it in the back of the vehicle.
Bill had retired as the Bay’s school superintendent four years ago.
While Laura still owned Coastal Charm Boutique, she had hired a manager to take on the day-to-day running of the store.
She and Bill had taken up golfing, which they thoroughly enjoyed, and they were also beginning to do some traveling.
For a week each summer, they took all five grandkids on vacation with them.
This past summer, they had visited Yellowstone, and the kids were already clamoring to return next year.
Carson parked near the field house and looked over his shoulder. “Why don’t you head to the football stadium for the pep rally? Be sure to sit on the north side since Mila will be calling soon for all students, and they’ll sit on the south side.”
The kids left their backpacks in the car, and he locked it, heading to his office in the field house and making a cup of coffee. Drake Duncan breezed in and greeted him.
His former, troubled star player had turned his life around, putting up the best numbers any athlete had ever seen before or since in the Driftwood Bay basketball program during his senior year.
Drake had won a scholarship to TCU. He had injured his knee his sophomore year and sat out most of that season, getting a medical wavier and saving his year of eligibility.
After five years, he earned his degree in education but remained undrafted by the pros.
Fortunately, he was invited to a tryout with the Celtics.
Drake spent three years in Boston, coming off the bench as their sixth man.
Later, he was traded to Miami, where he spent another two seasons in that same role.
Now, Drake had come home to the Bay and had been Carson’s assistant coach for the past four years. After this upcoming season was completed, he would encourage Drake to accept a head coach offer and push him from the nest. Drake was ready. It was time for him to run his own program.
“Don’t worry about practice, Carson. I don’t think any players are actually going to be there, not with Mila giving an excused absence to students who are attending the match. Are you excited about going to San Antonio? I think half the town is heading up the road to see the Pirates play.”
Drake would be one of the few exceptions. His wife had given birth to their first child less than a month ago, so they would be staying in Driftwood Bay, watching on TV.
Mila’s voice came over the PA system, greeting the student body and dismissing seniors to report to the stadium. He knew the volleyball team, band, cheerleaders, and drill team would already be present.
“Let’s head over,” he told Drake.
The pep rally celebrated the school’s volleyball team, and the last speaker was Julie, who had taken over the program several years ago when Mila had stepped off the court and out of the classroom into her first administrative position with the district.
Two years ago, his wife had been named head principal at Driftwood Bay High School, and Carson couldn’t be prouder of all her accomplishments.
As the band played the school fight song to conclude the pep rally, students and fans streamed from the stands, lining the entire way to the bus the team would take to San Antonio. It gave him a sense of déjà vu, thinking back to Mila’s coaching days.
When the team moved past where he stood, his daughter stopped and gave him a big hug.
She pulled away and he looked at her, tears in his eyes, thrilled by the young woman she had become.
True to her word, Lily had played volleyball and was now the setter for her team, the playmaker who set up offensive plays for her teammates.
Lily had two scholarship offers to play in college, and they would sit down and deliberate that choice once state concluded.
“Good luck, honey. See you there.”
Gina also stopped for a quick hug. His niece was a junior and served as the manager of the volleyball team. She and Lily were still close friends after all these years. Bobby was the school’s mascot and gave Carson a wave as he went to the bus, dressed in his pirate uniform.
Once the team was settled on the bus, students and fans alike began dispersing to their own cars to caravan the three hours north.
Carson had told everyone to meet him at the car, and he was the last to arrive.
He unlocked the doors and everyone piled in.
Both his kids slipped on earbuds. Jess said she was going to watch a movie, and Henry began playing a video game.
He settled into an easy conversation with his in-laws, thinking how lucky he was that they lived closed by and had a hand in helping to raise their grandchildren.
They reached San Antonio after one stop for drinks and the restroom.
Since it was too early to check into their hotel, they went for a lunch of Mexican food on the Riverwalk before going to the market to browse.
They also included a stop at the famous Mi Terra bakery.
Then they returned to the car and went to their hotel.
Carson texted Mila that they had arrived and gave her the room number he and the kids would be staying in. As a chaperone for the team, her room would be in close proximity to the players.
He couldn’t wait for tomorrow’s finals, hoping his daughter would lead her team to victory.
The crowd was electric, the Driftwood Bay cheerleaders leading their fans in chants. When the Pirates emerged from the locker room, the noise became deafening. As Mila walked to the bleachers, she searched the crowd, finding Carson. She joined her family in the stands.
“They’re ready,” she said, confidence in her voice. “Gina told me she really doesn’t remember the last time we were at state, but Lily has a clear recollection of it. Julie is definitely the right coach to be leading this team. I’m so glad we hired her all those years ago.”
Driftwood Bay won the first game of the match in a very close game, fifteen to thirteen. They lost the second game by an identical score.
Everything came down to the final game. A state title hung in the balance.
Carson watched as Lily came up to serve, something she had excelled in since her days playing at the Y in elementary school.
She didn’t have her sister’s height, but her serve was powerful.
Even overwhelming, at times. The Pirates ran off four points in a row under Lily’s hand, and he sensed their opponents deflating.
Ten minutes later, he watched Lily set what could be the game-winning point.
Sue, her best friend and an outstanding outside hitter, leaped high into the air, slamming the ball over the net for a kill—and the victory.
The stands erupted in joy for Pirates fans, and Carson watched as his daughter ran from player to player, embracing them.
He leaned over to Mila. “It’s hard to believe that our girl is a senior and leaving the nest soon.”
She smiled. “She still has a good chunk of the year to go before we drop her at college. Let’s savor every sweet moment of this senior year.”
They watched as Lily turned, searching the stands for them.
She never knew where they sat during her matches, preferring to concentrate on what happened on the floor.
When she spotted them, her face lit in a radiant smile, and she dashed across the court, running into the bleachers and throwing her arms around them both.
Then she hugged her brother, sister, and grandparents and turned back to her parents.
“We did it!” she cried. “We did it. We’re state champs!” Then Lily looked to Mila. “I told you. When I was four years old. I knew I would be back here and help win a championship.” She swallowed. “Thanks, Mom. You’ve been the best role model ever.”
As Lily hurried back to the floor to join her teammates, Carson embraced this milestone. His arm went about Mila’s waist, pulling her close to him.
“We’ve done a good job with that one, haven’t we?” he said.
“Angie would be so proud,” Mila said, always wanting to acknowledge his first wife’s presence in their lives.
“I love you, Mila Andrews. More than I’ll ever be able to show you.”
Tears misted her eyes. “You show me—and tell me—every day, Carson. You’ll always be the man I love.”
He kissed her, the kiss speaking of all the years they had already spent together.
And the wonderful ones yet to come.