I meet her eyes, telling her what I can silently, and dip my chin in appreciation. She smiles sweetly and goes right back to helping dip another chicken leg in egg wash like nothing happened.
But something did happen.
We just became a family in my eyes. All of us—Bennetts, Tannens, and Meyerses. Though I wonder how long it’ll be before I can change Allyson and Cooper’s names? Or hell, I’m progressive enough that if Allyson wants me to change my name to match hers, I could do that.
She’s got work stuff to think about, and Cooper might not want to change his name. But we can talk about that, the three of us, and decide for our family.
Because that’s what we are. Our little family of three inside this large mishmash of a clan.
Chapter 32
Bruce
I raise a glass of lemonade, and a sea of drinks lifts around me. As an unofficial team sponsor, Hank let us borrow a big section off to the back for our team lunch to celebrate the end of the season, and we’re all gathered around the mismatched tables that have been shoved together. I wouldn’t bring kids in here at night when things get a little rowdy, but for a daytime lunch, it’s fine.
Hell, I think Hank’s even enjoying having the kids here. He hasn’t come out from behind the bar on his bum leg, but he’s sitting at the end closest to our table eavesdropping with a smile big enough to wrinkle his face. Well, he’s got wrinkles all the time since he’s an old guy, but the lines are deeper as his teeth flash with laughter.
“To a great season, a great team, and a great experience. I never thought that pulling over to yell at some unruly kids . . .” I pause, glancing at Cooper and Johnathan, who bump each other’s shoulder good-naturedly.
“I never thought that would change the entire course of my life, but you boys did that and I’ll be forever grateful. I might’ve taught you a bit about the game of football, but I hope that in a bigger way, you learned something about life. It ain’t always pretty and perfect, or even what you’d planned, but it can be good anyway, especially if you work for it. And when you’ve got a team . . . because a team is like a family. I’m proud of each and every one of you.”
They’re not platitudes and every kid here knows that. I’ve made an honest investment in them, and they’ve returned the favor by trusting me to do right by them. Just like a team should be.
We’ve had a hard season, winning a few and losing several, but these boys played their hearts out, no matter what the scoreboard said. Or who the roster listed as coach.
Yeah, after the incident with Kyle, the association wouldn’t let me be a coach anymore. It sucked ass and pissed me off, but I understood. They’ve got rules that are black and white for a good reason, and even if it’s in self-defense, they can’t have coaches punching people out.
But practices are held at a public park, and with the boys’ parents’ permission, I happen to wander by on Tuesdays and Thursdays around seven to set up a delivery point for Shayanne’s smashed pumpkin and offer a bit of advice.
But it isn’t ‘coaching’ per se, I think with the smallest smirk.
It was totally coaching, but we kept it quiet and unofficial. After studying the code of conduct, Allyson had deemed that ‘legal’ in her professional opinion. Legal or not, I wasn’t going to abandon my guys.
The games were harder, though, because I had to be a spectator and sit in the bleachers, but I was glad the association at least allowed me that because they did uphold Max’s ruling and ban Kyle.
Killian’s grandparents were remarkably understanding about the whole thing. Mrs. Bloomdale even brought me chocolate chip cookies as a way of apologizing for her son, who disappeared again before they could get him into rehab. But while I’d thanked her and shared the delicious treats with the team, I assured her that wasn’t necessary and checked in with Killian to make sure he wasn’t upset about his dad’s absence. Like the resilient kid he is, he’d just looked at his grandparents and said he was ‘just fine.’ Damn near brought a tear to my eye, but I’d offered him a handshake and coughed it off like the tough fucker I am.
With me in the stands and not able to coach, Allyson had to really step it up. And she did great, leading the Wildcats into each week with confidence after studying playbooks and watching games with me and Cooper as research.
She’s such a smart woman, just like I always knew she was, but I can see now that any insecurities I had back when we were kids were strictly my own. She never thought of me as a dumb jock with no real future. That was all my fear, not her judgment.
I wonder what would’ve happened to us if I’d never had those doubts, never gotten a tutor, and she’d never had a concern about my faithfulness. Where would we be now? Would we have made it through the test of time? There’s no way to know for sure.
We got so off course, but we’re back on track now, just like we should be. Well, almost like we should be.
I meet Cooper’s eyes, and he’s basically bouncing off the walls with excitement. I swear it looks like he’s vibrating inside his skin. “Be chill, man,” I tell him quietly as the celebration lunch goes on around us.
The kids talk about the season, dissecting each game with braggy memories of great catches they made and touchdowns they ran for.
Somewhere along the way, their chatter turns to video games, and I’m mostly out of my element there, but I try to interject so they can laugh at the old guy a bit. Cooper’s teaching me, but he says I’m still a level-one noob. I tried to give him an excuse, telling him that my fingers are just too big to push the tiny buttons, but he’d laughed and said we all had to work with what we’re given.
Smart little shit had turned my own words around on me because I’d told him the same thing about his small stature on the field. No, he’s probably never going to be a linebacker, but each position has special requirements and he’ll be a damn good defensive back if he keeps working at it. Allyson stands up, tapping her glass of tea with a spoon. The room quiets and all eyes turn to her, captivated.
“I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you. Thank you for letting me be your coach even though I definitely wasn’t anyone’s first choice for the role.” She looks at Mike, who shrugs like he had nothing to do with it. He’s made it to a few games and told me he was glad Allyson and I worked our shit out because he could see from a mile away that we had a spark. I think he fancies himself the Cupid of our little reunion.
“Thank you for working hard and playing your hearts out. Thank you for teaching a cheerleader about actual football.” She winks at Johnathan, who’s had some pretty significant growth this season. He’s gotten better at impulse control, both with his hands and his mouth, and is the first one to say ‘yes, ma’am’ when Allyson orders them to do another drill. He’s a natural leader and is using his powers for good these days. He and Cooper have even made peace and are decent buddies now.
“And most of all, thank you for a great season! On three . . . one, two, three . . . GO WILDCATS!” Everyone joins in with the cheer, and the few non-team folks in Hank’s look our way in surprise. Cooper lets out a growl that I’m pretty sure is supposed to be a tiger, and everyone laughs, copying him.
Before it gets too wild and Hank kicks us out, I stand up. “One last drill, fellas.”
They groan, but it’s over-exaggerated and so fake-sounding that I can’t believe Allyson doesn’t immediately suspect something’s up. But she’s cluelessly whining along with them. “Seriously, Bruce? No more drills. The season’s over.” She feigns lying back in her chair, one hand draped across her forehead dramatically.
I take her hand and the boys all get loud once again. “Ooh” echoes around us.
“Shut it,” I say with a snap of my fingers and a mean mugging glare, but a second later, I’m grinning and laughing along with them so they know I’m kidding. “Line up, three kids per side of the floor. Parents, you too. Just space out with the boys.”
The boys hop to it, dragging their parents to stand near t
hem. The Bloomdales stand to the side, off the dance floor but with ready smiles. I pull Allyson to the floor too, situating us in the middle of the misshapen circle.
I signal Bobby, and he gives me a chin lift of acknowledgement before he struts over to the jukebox, slipping money in the slot and pressing the numbers for the song I requested. J12 is about to be epic at Hank’s. I hope.
Electronic violins whine out through the surround sound speakers and Allyson’s brows jump together in confusion. “What is this?”
“Cotton Eye Joe. It’s a classic, great for footwork for the boys.” I say it casually, praying she doesn’t question me too much. It’s true, after all, even if it is a ploy.
There’s also the little fact that none of these kids actually knew the dance until recently. Cooper and I had a heart-to-heart about the future a few weeks ago, and he helped me come up with this idea to surprise Allyson. I taught him and Liam the fancy footwork when they came out to the farm to help with Shayanne’s pumpkin harvest, and they taught the rest of the team at recess at school.
It’s all coming together.
The lyrics start, and a thread of anticipation weaves through the kids. We all start with the cross-kick and shuffle movements the line dance is known for, everyone grinning and laughing as the circle moves forward.
I keep Allyson in the middle so she can see the whole effect, every player and most of the parents plus the Bennett-Tannen crowd surrounding us.
The tempo gets faster, the shuffles wilder, and the laughs louder as we all succumb to the sillies. I grab Allyson’s hand, spinning her around and then pressing her front to mine. Two-stepping to this song is basically sacrilegious, but she goes along with me, following my lead and smiling brightly.
I look at her in this moment, seeing the girl she once was and the woman she’s become, both mine in every way, owning my entire heart.
As the song ends, I lean back, roaring to the ceiling, “Gooo Wildcats!” Allyson laughs, and out of the corner of my eyes, I can see the boys following the plan. I spin Allyson around, catching her with her back pressed to my chest.
I angle her toward one side of the floor. Johnathan, Joshua, and Derek hold up a poster board that says Will. Slowly, I rotate her to see Marcus, Trey, and Killian holding up You, then Evan, Anthony, and Julio with Marry.
Allyson’s jaw drops, and she lets out this soft little sound that brings a smile to my face. I turn her to the last side, where Cooper, Liam, and Christopher hold up Me? to complete the question.
As Allyson whirls around to face me, I drop to one knee and hold up the ring Cooper helped me pick out. Her hands cover her mouth, but I hear the ‘ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod’ from behind her palms.
I reach up to take one of her hands in mine, locking eyes with her. She’s already tearing up, but I can see that it’s in surprise and happiness. “Allyson, I lost you once and it was like the sunshine left my sky. I lived without you, but honestly, I was just going through the motions. When you came back into my life, full of sass and fire, I thought the sun had finally returned.”
Her other hand drops to cup my cheek, my beard scratching at her palm. “Bruce . . .”
I lean into her touch, but I’m not done. Bobby helped me write this speech since he’s so good with words. I’ve practiced at least a million times, by myself in front of a mirror and even a few times with Bobby so he could tell me what a starry-eyed fucker I am. He’s firmly on Team Allyson-Bruce-Cooper now, calling us the ABCs, so I took his insults along with the help on my speech.
I steel my nerves, trying to remember the words perfectly. “We’ve been through a lot—together, apart, and together again, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Not behind you or in front of you but right beside you, sharing our days and our nights and our forever. I love you, Allyson Meyers. Will you marry me?”
I can see the yes on the tip of her tongue, the light in her eyes, and feel the way her hand trembles against my cheek. I turn my head, laying a kiss to her palm.
It breaks the spell and she blinks rapidly. Her eyes leave mine and find Cooper.
“I asked him already, Al. He helped me plan all this and pick out the ring,” I explain.
Cooper runs over to us, his voice loud. “Mom, say yes. Bruce said he’ll be my dad if you get married.”
It’s the first time he’s called me Bruce and not Coach B, and my heart stops and then hammers out of my chest with joy.
Allyson looks at Cooper, his face open and happy, and then at me. I’m a rough farm guy with only my love to offer her, but I know she can see it, feel it. I pray it’s enough.
“Yes,” she says with a nod. “Oh, my God, yes!”
I slip the ring on her finger and stand up, scooping her into my arms to kiss her deeply. Cheers erupt around us, reminding me that the kids are watching. It’s the only thing that prevents me from shoving her to the floor and getting inside her. She’s in my heart so deep, and the urge to be inside her just as deeply is strong.
But her hoot of joy makes me so fucking happy. I spin her around, yelling out, “She said yes!” I set her down, picking up Cooper next and spinning him around too. “She said yes!”
Epilogue
Allyson
“Thanks, Rick. Have a Merry Christmas!” I call out, my bag already on my shoulder.
“You too, Allyson. And thank you again for the pie. I can’t wait to dig in.” I look over to see him ready to leave too, briefcase in one hand and an apple pie carefully held in the other. He’s eyeing the pie like he might eat it in the car on the way home rather than save it for Christmas dinner like he’s supposed to.
“Don’t forget that Carol is expecting that pie. She ordered it from Shayanne so that she didn’t have to bake one. And I can’t bring you another one because Shay has sold out, one hundred percent.”
The warning is clear, and his face falls, but it’s the truth. Shayanne has been slammed, rolling from smashed pumpkin season into her holiday busy time. She’s been making soap and apple pies like a madwoman. But it’s been fun, too, a way for Cooper and me to hop right into the family and help out. We’ve been picking apples, stirring cinnamon-y apple goodness on the stove, and putting ribbons on blocks of soap right alongside the Bennetts and Tannens.
“Fine. I won’t eat it . . . yet. But I’m having a slice for Christmas breakfast,” he declares. “It’s fruit, so that counts.”
I laugh, holding up my hands. “That’s between you and Carol. Negotiate your own deal with your wife.” He tilts his head considering that, but I pop his bubble. “You know she can out-deal you. Don’t get greedy or you won’t even get a slice.”
He laughs and nods, knowing I’m right. Carol is a pistol, but she’d win mostly because Rick would let her win any negotiation they had.
We pull out of the parking lot at the same time, heading to our respective homes for the long break until New Year’s.
The drive from town to the country doesn’t seem so long now that I’ve been doing it every day. It’s turned into my chance to decompress, and on days when there’s school, it’s my talk time with Cooper. Today, he’s already home at the farm on winter break.
At our home.
Almost as soon as I said yes to his proposal, Bruce offered to move into the city and commute to the farm to work, but it made more sense for Cooper and me to move to the farm. Cooper loves the wide-open space of the country, and having family around all the time was a powerful decision maker for me.
That’s been another big change for us. After some awkward and stuttered phone calls with my parents, I introduced them to Bruce and Cooper over brunch two weeks ago. They’d welcomed me back with open arms after I explained what I’d gone through that led me to cut them out of my life in the first place. My mom had cried, and we’d mourned the time lost, but we’re committed to making up for it. With their planning to come to Christmas dinner tomorrow, it’ll be one last thing Jeremy took from me that I’ve gotten back.
My courage, my happiness, m
y family, myself, and my soon-to-be husband. It’s all mine again, and I won’t let go of any of it for anything.
My tires crunch over the snow and ice along the drive, and I roll slowly up to park in my new space in front of the Tannen house. There’s a warm glow coming from several of the windows.
I bundle up and make a run for the front door. Inside, I pet Murphy behind the ears, even though the old dog doesn’t so much as lift his head. “Where is everyone?” I ask him, and his wrinkly brows raise but that’s it. “You’re the worst, but cutest, guard dog ever,” I tell him quietly as he rolls over, giving me his belly for scratches.
“In here,” Bruce calls out from the kitchen.
I walk in to find Bruce, Bobby, Brody, and Cooper sitting around the kitchen table with dominoes spread out in front of them.
I walk in as Brody lays down a domino I can’t see with a hum of self-satisfaction and Bobby and Cooper instantly cry out in disappointment. Bruce’s eyes are all for me though. Heat flows between us, just like it always does and I’m drawn to his side for a hello kiss.
His lips against mine feel like coming home.
I lean against him comfortably, my hip against his shoulder and his arm around my waist as I survey the table. “Are you guys corrupting my kid?”
Brody scowls at me, not the least bit scary to me now. It’s just his face. “No, we’re teaching him an important life skill.”
“Yeah, Mom. Dominoes are life,” Cooper mimics, and I shake my head, not buying it for a second.
But I’m glad Brody and Bobby have been so accepting of Cooper and me. Bruce might’ve willingly taken us as a package deal, but his family didn’t make that choice. They have accepted us with open arms, though, even going so far as to redo Shayanne’s old room so that it’s a bit more boyish for Cooper. We’ve done a little updating to Bruce’s bachelor pad room too so it was more ‘us’, and Bruce doesn’t even complain about the ten smooshy pillows that now reside on his bed.
Rough Love Page 32