Chapter 6 Elizabeth
ELIZABETH
So, I don’t hate many things in my life. In fact, right now, I can only think of one thing that I truly hate.
Traffic.
Grrrr!
I offered to do the school run today because, well… Wily still needs to be careful with his knee. He’s moving so much better now, and after that hideous week where I nearly lost him, he’s actually bounced back faster than I thought he would.
Seriously. That had to be the worst week of my life.
I’ve found something I hate more than traffic.
Sepsis.
I sat by his bedside, staring at his pale face, his large body, usually so strong and capable, limp and clammy… and I couldn’t help picturing what my life was going to look like. Giving birth to a baby without him, raising five kids alone.
It was a nightmare that had me crying so hard a nurse ended up calling my mom. I tried to explain that she couldn’t come because she was looking after my other four children at the time. And in the end, Wily’s mom walked in, which was the last thing I needed.
But we cried together, and she promised me that everything would be okay.
And thank God it was.
Thank God my man fought off that infection.
Thank God he was up and on his feet before Paris was born.
Thank God, thank God, thank God.
Having him around at home has been nothing but bliss these last ten weeks. I feel really bad for him that his football career is over. I really do. I know how much he loves the game.
But I’m so relieved that we’re not going to be under all that NFL pressure—the media, the games, the travel. He can finally be around more… maybe even get a job with regular hours.
That would be bliss.
A car honks behind me and I inch forward, glancing into the rearview mirror and silently complaining, There’s not much I can do here, pal.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, cherry blossom?” I glance into the back, giving Jane a quick smile as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. She’s my sweet angel. Quiet, responsible, with a built-in kindness just like her daddy.
“Are we going to be late for the airport?” She starts to worry her lip. “I don’t want to miss our flight.”
“We won’t,” I assure her, not sure I even believe myself. “I made sure to book a flight that’s still a couple of hours away so we have time to get home and then make it to the airport. Daddy’s already there, getting the car packed up.”
Dom snorts and gives me a dubious frown. “While looking after Charlotte and Paris? There’s no way things will be organized by the time we get home.”
I force a smile and really want to argue, defend my gorgeous husband, but Dom’s right.
Wily gets so distracted when he’s looking after the kids.
All he wants to do is play, and if Charlotte’s brought out any kind of dress-ups and then put on those puppy dog eyes of hers, he’ll never be able to resist.
I’ll no doubt walk in on him decked out as Captain Hook while Charlotte flits around the house as a fairy, giggling and laughing when Daddy chases her in his Halloween costume from last year.
All six of us got dressed up. I was so pregnant and went as Smee, while Seb got Peter Pan.
Dom wanted to be a pirate like his daddy, and Jane begged for Wendy.
That left Tinkerbell for Charlotte, and everyone was happy.
Unlike right this second, where I am very unhappy.
I grip the wheel, willing my chaotic insides to calm down as we inch a little farther forward. My brain jumps ahead to all the things I’ll need to do when we walk in that front door. I start mentally listing off the instructions I’ll give each child so we can get ready in record time.
Dominic and Jane are amazing with that kind of thing and will run to do my bidding without complaint. Sebastian, on the other hand… I glance into the rearview mirror and angle my head so I can see him better.
Right now, my five-year-old is sitting quietly, drawing patterns in the air with his fingers… but it’s only a matter of time. My little Tarzan finds it very hard to sit still and behave. Safety, forethought… any thought—these are not things in his wheelhouse.
Impulsiveness, action, kamikaze jumps over the stairwell railing—these are the things that come naturally to him.
As soon as we get home, he’ll no doubt rip through the house in an excited frenzy, tearing up the place I’ve spent most of the day tidying like a banshee on steroids.
I shudder and clench my teeth, trying not to imagine that into existence. Snapping my eyes shut, I quietly count to ten.
The car horn beeps behind me again, and I pop my eyes back open and inch forward a little farther.
Crap. I’m not going to make this turn before the light goes red again.
Dammit!
I’m so over city traffic.
I’m sick of living in this bustling hub.
I want the peace of small-town life again!
Sure, Fledgling was teeny-tiny, and maybe I don’t want that for my kids.
Growing up on a postage stamp definitely came with its disadvantages, especially when there’s only one high school and you just happen to be walking the hallways with a bully target on your back.
But the idea of living in a town with only one set of traffic lights is really appealing right now.
Wily doesn’t need to stay here anymore.
Now that football’s off the table, he could look for a job anywhere.
He has been offered that high school coaching position, but he doesn’t have to take it, does he? I mean, he could find a coaching job anywhere. He’d be a great coach, and schools would no doubt rush to snap him up.
The idea of moving to a town where a traffic jam means a five-minute delay? Yeah, that sounds like heaven to me.
I tap my phone in the cradle, checking the time, and am about to warn my kids that when we get home, I really need them to step up and be my awesome cadets.
We’ll play the Army game, and I’ll get them to salute me before running off to do my bidding.
Dom’s still young enough to get into that.
He’s nine and maturing faster than I can get my head around, but he’s the best older brother and will play along with me in order to get everyone marching upstairs to gather their things and rushing through tasks with “Yes, sirs!” and giggling salutes.
It’ll be fun.
If we can freaking get home!
I inch forward a little farther just as my phone starts ringing.
Dom leans over to check my screen and instantly perks up. “It’s Aunt Blake!”
My kids adore that woman. Probably because she lets them do whatever they want, stuffs them full of candy, then sends them back to me—a wild pack of dogs.
“Aunty Blake!” Seb yells from the back while Jane winces at him and frowns.
“Stop being so loud.”
“You stop being so loud.”
“I’m not being loud, you’re being loud.”
I answer the phone before I can break up the bickering argument.
“Elizabeth Wilson! Hello, my dear.” Blake’s voice is bright and playful
A grin spreads across my face, and then I end up laughing. No one in the Football Frat family calls me Elizabeth. I’m Satch—a nickname Wily gave me in college—and to all the kids, I’m Aunt Libby.
As soon as Blake’s singsong voice comes down the line, Seb ignores his sister and grabs the back of my seat, leaning forward and shouting, “Hi, Aunty Blake.”
“Is that my favorite Sebastian?”
“Yes, yes, yes!” He bobs up and down, pulling on my seat.
“I can’t wait to see you soon.”
“If we can get to the airport on time,” I mumble, unable to hide my irritation at this freaking traffic!
“Oh no.” Blake reverts her attention to me. “Where are you?”
“Stuck in traffic.”
“Fucking traffic!” Sebastian yells, and everyone gasps, expect for Blake, who’s cracking up.
“Sebastian,” Dom and I say in equally admonishing tones.
“What?” He frowns at us, then pokes his tongue out at Jane, who’s gaping at him.
“That’s a bad word,” she whispers.
“But Daddy says it all the time when we get stuck in the car like this.”
I let out a short groan while Dom fails to hide his snickering laughter.
Blake’s still howling and struggling to speak. “That’s so funny.”
“Yeah, it’s hilarious,” I deadpan, then quickly change the subject. I’ll deal with that F-bomb later. “Are you running on schedule?”
“Yep, Grady’s finishing early today so he can pick up Nichelle on his way home. Once they get here, we’ll jump in the car and start the drive. It’ll be a long one, so we’ll stop for a break in the middle. You might end up beating us there.”
“If we can get to the airport,” Dom grumbles.
“We’ll make it.” I give him a reassuring smile that he doesn’t believe.
“I’m so excited to see you guys again. It’s been way too long.”
“We saw you at Christmas, Aunty Blake,” Jane pipes up from the back.
“And that was like a month and a half ago. See what I mean? Way too long.”
Jane grins.
“I need me some hugs and kisses from my beautiful nieces and nephews.”
“You’ll get them!” Seb starts bobbing in his seat again, and I lament the shift in our car ride. No more quiet air drawings with his little fingers; my Energizer bunny has recharged. “I’m gonna give you the most!”
“Oh, I bet you will.” Blake laughs again. “Anyway, the reason I’m calling is one, to wish you a very Happy Birthday Eve!”
“Stop,” I groan. “That’s not what this weekend is about. It’s a family celebration and I’m hoping everyone forgets it’s my birthday. I want it to be about Valentine’s Day and Christmas. That’s it.”
“We’re celebrating Mom when we get back,” Dom chips in. “We’ve got a whole Day of Fun planned.”
“Shhh.” Jane leans forward. “Don’t tell her.”
Dom turns in his seat to frown at his sister. “I haven’t told her what we’re doing? She already knows about the Day of Fun thing.”
“Yeah, but don’t tell her that we’re doing all her favorite stuff.” Seb pipes up. “Like the karaoke thing.”
“Sebastian!” Dom and Jane bark at him in unison.
“What?” he shouts right back, while Blake starts to laugh.
I stifle a groan. Bless my sweet children.
I love that they’re going to so much effort for me.
I know Wily’s been working with them to come up with the best way to celebrate my birthday.
I begged him not to make it part of the Football Frat celebrations and he finally caved and agreed to keep things low key, but the weekend after it… he was going all out for me.
A Day of Fun for Mom. It’s adorable and I know they’ve been working really hard on it.
“Sounds awesome you guys,” Blake breaks up their bickering. “I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
Seb pokes out his tongue at Jane again who pouts back at him while Dom spins around to face the front and gives me a pained frown, obviously super annoyed that Seb gave something away.
I smile at him and turn my attention back to my sister-in-law. “So, what else were you calling about?”
“Oh, I wanted to find out if you’ve heard anything from Tyrell and Dani.”
“No.” I glance at my phone with a worried frown. “I hope they’re okay. Fingers crossed their flight didn’t get canceled or anything. They’re flying out of Singapore. Let’s hope they’re on a plane and not stuck at an airport.”
“Fucking airport!” Seb tries for another laugh, but it goes down like a lead balloon.
“Sebastian,” I snap. “That’s enough. You don’t use that word in Mommy’s car, you understand?”
His bottom lip sticks out in a pout and he slumps back in his seat, my tone firm enough to shut him up for a few minutes.
He starts kicking the back of my seat, and I ignore him in order to quickly finish up this call with Blake.
“I hope they make it in time. We’ve got all that fun stuff planned for Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah, I know.” I sigh. “Oh man, I hope they won’t miss out.”
“They won’t,” Dom assures me. “They probably haven’t called because they’re mid-flight or something.” He reaches across to pat my hand, then give it a little squeeze.
My sweet boy. So protective of his mama. Always trying to look out for me and make sure I’m okay. It melts my heart every time.
“Thanks, buddy.” I wink at him, loving his smile—so much like Wily’s. He’s the spitting image of his dad, and I’m so glad he was our first.
My seat jolts as Sebastian gives it a decent kick, then gets told off by both his older siblings.
He responds with an incoherent yell.
“Yikes. Sounds like I better let you go.” I can picture Blake’s face wrinkling with sympathy. “We’ll see you tonight.”
“Yep, looking forward to it.”
I hang up the call and have to put my firm voice on in order to break up the brewing storm.
“All right, freeze!” I quickly order them, and they all do my bidding, years of training put to the test as they hold their positions and then try not to giggle as I draw this out.
Like always, that simple move breaks all the tension. Jane is the first to move, her sweet giggle filling the car as she fails to hold her position.
Sebastian follows right after her, and as usual, Dom wins the competition.
“Good job, bud.” I give him some knuckles and he grins, hugging the football to his chest. Just like his father, the kid is addicted to football and is constantly treating the piece of leather like a teddy bear.
Footballs are scattered throughout our house; there’s always one nearby to pick up and hold or play with.
I shake my head, smiling… but my expression soon morphs into a frown as the cars in the lane ahead of us block up the intersection because a few drivers selfishly tried to sneak through on the yellow light.
Great. We’re never getting out of this stupid traffic jam.
Closing my eyes, I picture Fledgling, the diner, my sweet parents who don’t run it anymore but still stop by every day so they can check in and say hi to people who have been going there for the last fifty years.
Such a cool community.
Tapping the wheel, I wistfully wish for small-town life but know it can’t be a reality right now.
That coaching job Wily’s been offered is a really good position. He hasn’t accepted it yet, but I know he wants to, and then we’ll be stuck in this city for who knows how long.
I should be grateful. The kids seem relatively happy at school, and I shouldn’t want to uproot their lives.
But what I wouldn’t give to shift my world back to someplace small. Maybe not as small as Fledgling, but a town with a population of less than… I don’t know… fifty thousand?
Yeah, that would be perfect.