Page 54 of Catching Our Moment
Shaw
Super Bowl.
We made it to the Super Bowl.
Over the last few weeks, I’d put all my focus into achieving my lifelong dream. We’d made it to playoffs before, only to fall short of the actual championship.
But it was bittersweet.
While I’d been in communication with Aaron and Kelcie, they’d maintained that I needed to focus on my moment and not be bogged down with their daily lives.
Aaron was back at school, playing pick-up games with the guys in the park—even in the cold.
Things with the podcast had been sidelined until the custody agreement negotiations were over.
While James was being less aggressive, he wouldn’t allow Kelcie to take Aaron to any of the playoff games because they fell on the weekends he had him.
Kelcie refused to discuss anything else pertaining to James.
“I don’t want you jumping on a plane again,” she’d said when I pushed it.
“If you lose focus, you’ll never forgive yourself—or me.
Your very expensive lawyers and I have it handled. ”
The unaddressed issue was us. What was going to happen to us?
When I brought up the idea of getting them a suite for the Super Bowl, Kelcie lost her mind when she found out what it would cost. “We’ll have a Super Bowl party in your honor,” she said.
My heart sank, knowing they weren’t going to be there. Aaron was just as upset, but I told him my first touchdown would be for him. If he saw me fist bump the air, it was for him. That was our signal.
With my nose to the ground, I reminded myself that it was just a few weeks. And if I won the Super Bowl, my career would be complete, and all my time would be devoted to figuring out how to make Kelcie mine permanently.
The noise inside the Superdome was immense—like jet fighters taking off. For players used to it, it was white noise. For a boy with ultra-sensitive hearing, it would’ve been horribly difficult. Still, I’ll admit to being disappointed that my two favorite people weren’t here to share it.
Stepping out during player introductions just made it worse. I put on my game face and focused on the task ahead. The team we were playing had better odds than us. We were the underdogs.
Our team was announced with all the flash and fanfare of a Super Bowl, and the wave of cheering hit me as I ran out of the tunnel and onto the field.
I made a beeline to the sidelines, where some players were staring up at the Jumbotron.
Davy’s face was lit up as if we’d already won.
“Looks like someone brought your fan club.” He pointed up at the screen.
And there she was, with my jersey on, jumping up and down with a smile that could light up this entire stadium, and waving around a cardboard sign. “I LOVE YOU!”
My eyes were burning, and my cheeks hurt. I was grinning so hard—like a fool. A fool in love.
Guys patted my back as they walked by, but I was frozen, staring at that screen until they panned out and showed the rest of the suite—Kelcie, Aaron, Dylan, Grace, Aliya, Maeve.
I even caught a glimpse of the back of Wyatt on the screen.
Kelcie flipped her poster around, and it said, “Go kick some A$$!” The camera panned away—probably concerned about the censors.
“Come on, head in the game, Romeo,” Darius, the quarterback, said, slapping my helmet as he ran onto the field for the coin toss.
I couldn’t stop smiling long enough to form a comeback.
“Channel it, man,” Davy said. “Let’s get this done so you can go kiss that woman and make her yours.”
It was probably the longest game of my life. Knowing she was here—they were all there to watch me—drove me harder and made me more determined than ever.
On my first touchdown, I sent a fist bump to Aaron, as promised. Each time I rolled over a defense, I jumped up and down like a rookie—adrenaline coursing through me like a drug.
The second half of the fourth quarter, I broke through two linemen, outran the linebacker to catch an over-the-shoulder pass, and then juked the defensive back that was between me and the goal line. I was getting another touchdown—for her.
I did my shuffle, and the dome went wild. A kind of radar turned on inside my head, and I pivoted to a suite near the 45-yard line. I pointed at it and then tapped my heart. With my other hand, I closed my fist, opening up my thumb, pointer, and pinky—I love you.
The noise in the Superdome amplified. And there she was again on the Jumbotron. Her hands over her mouth, her shoulders shaking, her face beaming. It was a surreal moment. Just her and me making googly eyes through the seventy-foot Jumbotron with seventy-thousand fans watching.
The extra kick was good, and we were up 27-24. Our defense did its job, and as the clock counted down to the end, my mind reeled.
We’d done it. It had been the longest, most intense season of my career, and my team had won.
Pandemonium broke out with streamers and so much confetti filling the air it was almost hard to see more than ten yards in front of you.
I cheered with my teammates, walked around thanking the coaches, and hugged random people who’d searched me out to congratulate me.
Out of the streamers, like a vision, was a brunette barreling into me so fast her infamous ponytail couldn’t seem to keep up. I held out my arms, and she launched herself at me, causing me to take a step back as I buried my face in her neck to hide the tears I couldn’t control.
“Baby, I’m so proud of you,” she said into my ear.
“I’m so damn proud of you.” She pulled back to look at me, her hands cupping my face, and I held her, wrapping her legs around my waist. “You were amazing.” Tears filled her eyes as she kissed me—the kind of kiss the cameraman should’ve had to cut away from.
Our foreheads together, I closed my eyes and said, “Say it.”
Because she was her, and I was me, she knew exactly what I wanted to hear. “I love you.”
I threw my head back and roared. Her tears fell, and her laughter was infectious.
Aaron came up and threw his arms around both of us as I lowered her to the ground.
A circle of friends, teammates, cameras and reporters, and well-wishers formed around us.
This moment was ours—me and my best friend, my love… my girl.