Hustle and Heart (A Coach's Love Book 2)

by Alison Mello

  The other team gets the ball back at the twenty-five-yard line. The first down doesn’t go anywhere, and they fumble on the second down with our team recovering it. We take a knee and call the game done. The boys are thrilled, and now we have two reasons to celebrate.

  I can’t believe how much Jesse and the kids have pulled off. Now we’re pulling up to the house and there’s another banner outside that says ‘Congrats’. I’m so glad that we are blessed with a beautiful day. We have so much to celebrate.

  As soon as the car is in park, Jesse ushers me to the backyard where he has a fire pit ready to go with chairs and tables around the yard. “I still can’t believe you did all this for me.”

  “The kids helped.”

  I look at all three kids. “Are you three sure you’re ready for this?”

  “We’re ready, Mom. We’re excited to be brothers and sister.” They each put an arm around little Grace who is sandwiched in the middle of them.

  “I’m glad, this makes me so happy.”

  The kids wrap me in a hug and that’s when we hear, “Say cheese.” Josephine snaps a picture capturing the moment.

  I break from their embrace and hurry over to hug her. “Thank you for all of this.”

  “Thank you for making my boy the happiest man on earth.” She hugs me tight, my eyes welling with tears. We pull apart and she says, “Now go enjoy your day.”

  “Let’s get this party started!” Misty shouts as she and her crew stroll into the backyard with Stella, Trystan, and DJ. That crew is always together, and I love them dearly.

  “Thanks, Mama.” I wink at her and run over to the girls who wrap me in a hug and congratulate me. “Jesse told me the flowers from the boys was your idea. Thank you, Briggs.” The poor man instantly blushes.

  “Ah, it was nothing. I just know what a woman likes.” He and Trystan hurry off before I can embarrass him further.

  “Ha, you just made my man blush.” Misty laughs.

  I shrug. “He’ll get over it.”

  “How are things going with the ex?” Stella lowers her voice.

  I pull the girls to the side as Lori walks into the yard. She joins us. “He sent us two proposals. I’m incredibly sad that one of them allowed Brian to completely walk away, but we all know he hasn’t been coming around for a while now. I spoke with Jason about it, and he was fine with me choosing either proposal.”

  “What did you decide?” Lori asks, shocked.

  I sigh. “Seeing how Jesse wants to adopt Jason and I adopt his kids, I allowed Brian to walk away. My gut says I made the right decision, but I’m not going to lie—I’m nervous. We’ve taken some big steps in a really short period of time.”

  “That’s you worrying about what others think. Don’t waste your time. Are you happy?” Misty asks.

  “Incredibly. I know Jesse wants to do this before his mom gets too much older. It will ease her mind. He wants her to see that he is taken care of before she goes, and I’m happy to oblige. I love him, and I know he loves me.”

  “Then don’t worry about Brian or anything else. Do what makes you happy,” Stella encourages.

  “I agree,” Lori adds.

  “We can’t do anything for a little bit. We just signed the papers, and they were submitted to the court this week. I received the signed docs back, so it will be official soon enough.”

  “Are you four going to stay over there all day, or are you going to join us?” Jesse asks.

  “We should join them, or they’re going to think we’re up to no good.”

  Jesse has a fire pit going, his eyes focused on the flames dancing in front of him as a small smile plays at the corner of his lips. He’s lost in thought when I wrap my arms around him. The ladies take a seat next to their men. “You made me a very happy man today.” He kisses me on the head.

  “You made me a very happy woman.” I look up at him. “What are you thinking about?”

  His smile grows. He knows I busted him lost in his own head. “How stubborn my mom is; I wanted to grill, but she kicked me out. Said it was our day and we needed to enjoy.”

  I start laughing as I glance up at the deck to see Josephine cooking away. She’s putting food onto platters and placing them on the table. “Did you really think she was going to let you cook?”

  He shrugs. “No, I guess not, but I worry she’ll overdo it. That said, I’m glad she’s back to her sassy self too.” He smiles looking into my eyes.

  “Me too.”

  “Nice game today, Coach.” Blake slaps his arm, ending our conversation. His wife, Emma, is setting up chairs in our circle around the pit.

  “Thanks. It’s a team effort.” He shakes his hand and they start talking animatedly about the game.

  Emma wraps me in a hug. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you. It was a total surprise.” We take a seat next to the ladies who have all gathered around the fire pit with plates of veggies and dip.

  “Was it really? I mean, were you that shocked that he asked you? It’s pretty clear you two are head over heels,” Emma says.

  “Yeah, we had discussed it, but I had no idea he had planned how he was going to ask me. Not to mention it was a bit over the top.” The girls all erupt into a fit of giggles.

  “I thought it was sweet,” Lori adds.

  “Hey, I heard a rumor that the guy who was caught cheating last week is no longer the team coach,” Derek says.

  “Good, I can’t believe he did that,” Briggs says with frustration.

  The guys continue to talk sports, but us women shift our conversation and that’s when I make note that Stella is really starting to show. She’s sitting in the chair rubbing her belly while Trystan delivers her more food. “How are you feeling?” I ask Stella as she shoves a chip into her mouth. Josephine is probably almost done cooking, but Jessie made sure to have some snacks set up because our games tend to fall at an odd time, so we’re always starved when we leave.

  “Good. I’m ready to find out what we’re having, though.”

  “You’ve only got two weeks, so the countdown is on.” Misty rubs her hands together. “This is so exciting. We have two friends getting married, and one is having a baby.”

  “Heads!” DJ shouts as the ball comes in our direction. Jesse stands up to catch it.

  “Boys, keep it down there.” He throws it back. The yard is huge, so there’s plenty of room.

  “Sorry, Coach.” DJ runs backward and catches the ball.

  “Nice catch, DJ.” He turns back with a smile on his face. “I can’t believe the season is almost over. We only have a few games left.”

  “I know, and then it’s onto basketball.” Stella shakes her head.

  “Seriously?” I ask, sipping my water.

  “DJ plays a sport a season, plus he wants to start Taekwondo.”

  “How the heck do you do it?” Misty asks.

  Stella’s head whips around. “Are you kidding me? You have three, and you’re asking how I manage my one? I have it easy. Besides, I’m a believer that if they stay active and involved in sports then they have less time to get in trouble.”

  “I agree,” Lori announces. “Josh will be playing, and I know Noah is playing too.”

  “Too bad the boys could end up on different teams.” Stella pops another chip into her mouth.

  Jesse and Briggs come over with food.

  “Thanks, babe.” I turn back to Stella. “That sucks, but you’re right. They take all the kids from the schools, hold one local tryout, and the kids are divided up into teams. Because our town is so small, we play under Dartmouth like we do for football, but they travel between Dartmouth and Stonehill,” I inform her. “It could be worse, but it would be nice if the boys got to play together.”

  It’s been a really fun evening, but it’s getting late and the boys all have school tomorrow. After hours of just hanging out and chatting about everything from sports to everyday life, we decide to call it a day. Josephine has already cleaned up the majority of the me
ss, despite my pressing her to go relax, so all we have left to do is get the kids cleaned up and ready for school tomorrow. Once that is done and the kids are settled, we make our way to our room. I get changed into my nightshirt and shorts, slip into bed and begin to read, but I’m distracted. My mind is racing because all I keep seeing is Jesse’s smile as he stood before me on the field holding my ring with a hopeful look on his face.

  “What are you thinking about?” he asks.

  “Your amazingly sweet proposal.” I glance up at him.

  “I love you so much, and you deserve nothing but the best.” He kisses me on the head. “Now get to reading or you’ll have some angry authors hunting you down.” I laugh but he’s right, I have to focus.

  It’s been a quiet week. We’ve heard nothing more from the police or Brian since everything was signed, and we’re all thrilled. I hate feeling like the other shoe’s going to drop anytime now and we’re going to have another situation to deal with. We’ve developed a great family routine, and everyone is adjusting nicely. Today we’re all heading over to Stella and Trystan’s for the baby reveal. It’s an exciting day. She has been texting us, counting down to today. It’s funny, if anyone ever took the time to go through and read our group messages, they could put together one hell of a comedy show.

  I put the finishing touches on my hair and head over to Grace’s room to find her sitting on her new bed. Her furniture was delivered last week, and she absolutely loves it. She did a great job of making her bed with the pillows stacked the way I taught her, and she even straightened out the shears that are hanging from each of the poles. It’s funny how something like this changes a child. She hasn’t bothered with either of the boys all week. She’s been very content hanging in her room and doing her own thing. “Hey, pretty girl. We need to do your hair so we can get going.”

  “Okay.” She climbs off her bed and takes a seat in the chair. I begin to comb through her long hair. I’m not super good with doing hair, but I can do simple braids and such.

  “Are you good with a ponytail?” She nods staring into the mirror. [42]Her gaze if fixed on something. She has the same look her daddy does when he’s lost in thought. The wheels in her head are spinning. “What’s wrong, Grace?” She shrugs but snaps out of it. She’s looking at the picture of her mom. “You know you can talk to me, right? About anything.” I squat down beside her.

  “Daddy says I look like my mom. Today I was holding her picture and looking at myself in the mirror. I think I look like her, but it made me sad that I don’t remember much about her. Just small things. She used to lay in my bed with me sometimes, and she would run her fingers through my hair.”

  “Those are good memories. You need to hold on to those.”

  “I wish I remembered more.”

  “I know you do, but you were so young when your mom got sick and this is hard for you to understand, but no one gets to decide when it’s their time to go to Heaven. It just happens. We get our wings and that’s it; our time here on earth is done.”

  She jumps out of the chair and into my arms. “I hope you don’t get your wings.”

  I rub her back. “Me too, sweetie, me too.” She pulls away. “Do you feel better now?” She nods. “Good, let’s finish your hair.” She takes a seat, and I continue to put her hair into a ponytail. When I’m done, we walk downstairs, hand in hand, to find the boys on the couch with their phones in hand. Grace looks up at me. “When do I get a phone?”

  “Not for a few years yet, young lady,” Jesse answers, walking into the living room from the kitchen.

  Grace pouts and walks over to take a seat between the boys. Jason looks at her and with a smile he says, “I’m playing Candy Crush, wanna try?”

  Her face lights up. “Sure.” He hands her the phone, and she sits happily, playing.

  “Thank you, Jason,” Jesse says before he tells me that we’re ready to go and that Josephine is going to drive with the kids because we need two cars. “She’ll bring Grace back with her if it’s getting late, and we’ll come back with the boys.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “Let’s get going.” Josephine comes down wearing a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt. The weather has been unseasonably warm, but I’ve noticed she’s been cold a lot lately. “Grammy, can I go in your car?” Grace asks.

  “Actually, that’s a better idea. Grace, you ride with Grammy, and the boys can ride with us.”

  “Yay.” Grace claps excitedly.

  “Okay, all bums out,” Jesse announces, trying to get everyone out the door. At this point, if we don’t get rolling we’re going to be really late, and we don’t want to miss the big reveal.

  We pull up to Trystan’s house with Josephine following behind us. We’re thankful that there aren’t too many people here yet and we can park in front of the house. Grace jumps from Josephine’s car, taking her hand and walking with her toward the backyard. The vision reminds me that I need to talk to Jesse about my conversation with Grace. He should know so he can be prepared to help her if need be. “Are you okay?” Jesse’s worried eyes look into mine, [43] pleading for more information.

  “Yeah, I had a conversation with Grace today, and I was thinking about it. We need to talk after the party.”

  “Is she okay?” We both glance over to the boys who are waiting for us. “Go on back, boys. We’ll be there in a minute.” I don’t want them hearing this conversation.

  “What’s up?” he asks me.

  “Grace mentioned her mom today and how she has very little memory of her. I think as she gets a little older she may struggle with that a bit.”

  “We’ll keep an eye on her, let me know if I need to get involved.

  “I will.”

  “Good, let’s join the party.” He locks his fingers with mine and the two of us join everyone in the back.

  We’re greeted by hugs and handshakes from our friends. Stella looks amazing in a pretty fall tunic top and some leggings. She’s sporting a cute pair of brown calf-high boots to complete her look. “Are you ready to find out what you’re having?”

  “Ready? Lord help me if I have to wait another day.” She shakes her head. “DJ is warming up his arm now.”

  We watch as DJ pitches to Trystan. “Nice throw, DJ.” He throws the ball back.

  “What do you have planned?” I ask since she wouldn’t tell us before today.

  “DJ is pitching a sand-filled balloon to Trystan who will hit it.”

  “That’s awesome.” I’m so excited for them, and what a fun way to reveal the sex of the baby.

  It seems like forever before everyone arrives. We’ve all been standing around talking while the kids run around the yard. There are so many people here. Rick, Billy, and Jack, Trystan’s friends from work, along with their spouses or significant others. Plus, the mom squad and most of the baseball team.

  Trystan calls DJ over to throw the balloon. He lights up with excitement when Trystan hands it to him. “Okay, you’ve all put your names in the buckets for the sex you believe will be revealed. Once Trystan hits the balloon, we will pick a name from that bucket and you will get a gift card to the sporting goods store. The gift card was graciously donated by Misty and Briggs, the godparents.” Everyone claps. It was a sweet gesture and a fun addition to the afternoon.

  “Ready, DJ?”

  “Ready, Mom.”

  “Okay, let’s do this.”

  DJ throws the ball right to Trystan. It’s a great pitch. Trystan swings, connecting with the balloon; it breaks and blue powder bursts through the air. DJ runs at Trystan who scoops him up and spins him around. “Nice pitch, kid.” He ruffles his hair.

  Trystan grabs Stella and the three of them hug. Stella rolls her eyes dramatically. “Still outnumbered.”

  “Sorry, baby.” Trystan kisses her as DJ runs off to play with his friends. “I’m happy to try again.”

  Her eyes go wide. “Let’s get through this one. I’m not getting any younger you know.”

  He lau
ghs. “Okay, maybe we’ll just practice then.” Everyone laughs at his joke until we hear that the food is ready. Judge Mackey is here manning the grill. He’s very close with the family since it’s his sentence that got Trystan and Stella talking in the first place. Trystan tells us he insisted on taking care of the cooking. The spread they have out is amazing. They set up tables in the shape of an L on the deck. There’s chicken, burgers, hot dogs, more salads than you can imagine, plus beans, mac and cheese, and meatballs. You would swear they’re feeding an army.

  The boys come running over to join us, loading up their plates with tons of food. This right here is why there’s so much food. These boys eat like they haven’t eaten in days. This age is going to make us all broke. They’re growing way too fast. “I think they’re hungry,” Arien says.

  Judge Mackey comes over. “Don’t you boys think you should let the ladies eat first?” He gives them an evil eye.

  They look at him with uncertainty. “Sorry, sir,” DJ replies.

  “You boys are fine.” Stella waves them off, and they finish making their plates. They huddle around a table on the lawn, devouring food. Their laughter and smiles warm my heart. Even Jason looks happy despite all that has happened to him over the last few weeks. I’m so glad to see he has so many wonderful friends to help him through this rough patch in life.

  “Are you okay, baby?” Jesse puts an arm around me.

  “Yeah, just realizing how happy our kids look. It makes me so glad we bumped into you.” I look up at him. “I love you.”

  He presses his lips to mine. “I love you too.”

  “Let’s get something to eat.”

  We join our friends at the table and enjoy an evening of food, laughter, and fun.

  It’s the last game of the season. If we win today, we move onto the playoffs; if we lose our season is done. The boys are thrilled because they’ve had an amazing season. Win or lose, we’re proud of them. They played hard with good sportsmanship and more heart than I could’ve ever asked for. Grace is already at the field with Josephine and we’re about to head out the door when a black car pulls into the yard. Officer Burgess, the officer who came to the house to question Jason, climbs out of the car. My heart instantly pounds in my chest, and a look of fear comes over Jason’s face. I know Brian didn’t make the police aware of our agreement. It was kept personal. “Boys, go upstairs,” Jesse says without looking over his shoulder.