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“I’m not promising anything.” He whistles, the sound shrieking. “Let’s go, guys. I want to get to Spring Hill before dark.”
“Us too,” Lex says. “Reid’s already texted to see if I’m on the way home with Briar.”
“Shouldn’t he be worried about the game?”
“You know how he is,” Briar says, rolling her eyes.
I give them both a hug. “Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lex and Briar say goodbye to everyone left, then it’s just me, West, Aidan, and their girls.
“What are you guys doing tomorrow?”
“Bails is cooking Thanksgiving dinner, believe it or not.”
“Nothing fancy,” she says. “I got a lot of premade stuff, but we’ll be together and that’s all that matters.”
“What about you guys?” I ask Kenna.
“Heading to my parents’ in the morning. West is in for a treat.”
Knowing West’s story, I bet he is. It strikes me then how similar his story is to Charley’s. Sure, he had both parents, but they were terrible. “You make sure he gets everything he wants.”
“Are you kidding me?” Kenna asks. “My mom is making it her personal mission to stuff him with every possible Thanksgiving dish there is. Even some that I told her he probably won’t like.”
“Hey, I’ll try everything.”
They give each other a look, so much love passing between them. “Thanks again for coming out, guys. Charley is going toflip when she realizes this is one last thing she has to worry about.”
“You tell her we’re all thinking of her, okay?” Bailey says.
“And give her a hug for me,” Kenna states. “And tell her to call me.”
“I will.”
My friends leave, sawdust in their hair, sweat and paint stains on their shirts, but smiles on their faces.
I move out to the lawn just before the fence and snap a picture of the house with the pink-hued sunset behind it. Then, I lock the now repaired and freshly painted front gate, checking out the now neat grass and trimmed bushes.
I say we pulled off a bit of a miracle today. We brought people together, laughed, worked, and all this should prove to Charley that she’s wanted. Cared for. So many chipped in, and I couldn’t think of a better way to show her that she and her dad matter.
Like Coach said, the football life is forever. Her dad is family, even if only because he played on the same team a quarter of a century ago. Bulldogs stick together.
Plus, I’m in love with Charlotte Heywood. She is everything, and since she’s about to embark on a serious journey with her dad, she might as well know it now.
What we have is forever.
24
Charley
Ihold on to Cade’s hand. “It was the weirdest thing,” I tell Cade. “I don’t know what it was about Coach visiting, but Dad’s really stepped up to the plate.”
Outside Cade’s car, Warner breezes by. The streets are empty of pedestrians, but there are a fair few cars on the road, most likely everyone traveling to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones.
“That’s great, Charley. So, he’s on board with getting in shape?”
I shrug because I never really know with my dad. “He seems to be. Coach showing up like that was such a shock. I mean, I thought my dad was going to lose it at first. He got super agitated but then Coach sat next to him, holding his hand and patting his shoulder. I’ve never seen Coach outside of practice or a game. I had no idea he could be that gentle.”