Page 55 of Catching Our Moment

Shaw

“And…we’re back with our resident prognosticator, Aaron the Analyst, and his sidekick, Dawson Shawfield. Aaron, thanks for getting Shaw to come on the podcast today. He’s always so busy to spare a few minutes for us,” TJ said, and I gave him a side-eye smirk.

Within a month after the game, James and Amber had backed down, withdrawing from demanding custody.

Kelcie said she caught Aaron talking to Wyatt at the game about things he heard around the house and around the neighborhood.

The next thing we knew, Amber was yanking James away from having anything to do with us.

Plausible deniability was probably the best for me. I’d keep my nose clean—at least until I was out of the league. Knowing Wyatt’s modus operandi, I wouldn’t have been surprised if Nick had been moonlighting again, digging up more of Amber’s skeletons.

Aaron had pointed out that he was old enough to speak with any judge they dragged him in front of and that he would tell that judge his preferences. James knew it was a lost cause.

I didn’t doubt James loved his son. I just didn’t think James knew his son. He wanted to fit Aaron in a slot that wasn’t big enough to hold him.

I bought both sides of the duplex from Dylan, and we decided to keep Kelcie’s side for when we visited off-season. Dylan was going to work on finding someone to rent the other side.

We looked at houses in Charlotte and enjoyed the summer at my lake house.

Life was good.

One point of contention we finally settled with James was Aaron’s appearance on TJ’s podcast. An agreement was reached that Aaron would appear once a month, recorded from our home and on his schedule, with a nice compensation package set up in an air-tight trust for when he came of age.

In those podcasts, he interviewed players and utilized his statistician brilliance to impress TJ’s fan base. Being the off-season, I went with Aaron to TJ’s studio that first time so Aaron could interview me as a guest.

The minute I walked in the door, I smelled a rat, especially when I saw the size of TJ’s grin.

“Sidekick?” I said to both TJ and Aaron. “Really?”

“When we’re at the stadium, that’s what you call me. It seemed fitting,” Aaron said.

Kelcie was off to the side, her hand over her mouth, pretending to bite a nail in order to cover her smile.

“Your beautiful bride is here today, too?” TJ added, waving to Kelcie.

“Yes, that’s my mom,” Aaron said. “Shaw’s going to marry my mom, and I will be his stepson.”

Sitting back in his chair, TJ plastered on an over-the-top curious expression. “What is it like, having Shaw as a stepdad?”

Aaron shrugged. “Pretty much the same as before, except he sleeps in my mom’s room.”

This was going into dangerous territory, and TJ’s grin turned wicked.

“I heard you all went on vacation after the Super Bowl,” he said as he eyed me with the threat hanging of asking about me sleeping in his mom’s bedroom.

“Yeah, we did. That’s when my mom and Shaw got engaged.

“Congrats, my man,” TJ said to me.

“Thanks,” I said, still uncertain and rightfully nervous of where he was going with this.

“While we were gone, my Uncle Dylan worked on the house. He put in soundproof walls for me.”

“Really, why?”

“Because I have very sensitive hearing, and I guess Shaw makes a lot of noise.”

TJ’s eyes shone, and he bit down on his lip, and his jaw ticked in an effort to control himself. “Shaw makes a lot of noise? What kind of noise?”

I was sweating like a whore in church. “Didn’t you want to ask about the draft and the upcoming season, and…stuff,” I asked. Jeez, this was such a bad idea.

“Okay. Let’s break down the stats, then. Aaron, what do you have?” TJ handed it off to Aaron for one of the bits he always did—giving his analysis of the draft picks and who each team picked up in the off-season.

I sat back in my chair, watching my boy go. He was my boy. He was James’s son, but he was my boy. I loved and thought of him as my own.

And Kelcie? I didn’t think I’d ever seen her so happy. Knowing I was part of that made me want to beat my chest.

Aaron listed off his stats for the Super Bowl from memory like any ESPN announcer.

“So what do you think? Do you think he’s going to retire?” I whipped my head around to see TJ leaning forward on the table that separated us, as if in private conversation with Aaron and shooting me a side-eye.

Aaron tipped his head thoughtfully. “I’m not sure. He doesn’t talk about it. When are you going to retire, Shaw?”

Nothing like being thrust into the hot seat. I knew this was coming. It was TJ’s purpose of getting me in the chair. I’d been bombarded by calls and questions about my imminent retirement.

“Only time will tell, but you will be the first to know,” I said, which was my standard answer.

Aaron leaned over to TJ and whispered directly into the microphone. “He needs to ask my mom. He passes everything through her now because they are together, and she’s in charge.”

TJ let out an audible guffaw, practically choking, before clearing his throat, “She is?”

“Yeah, after I went to bed, I heard him tell her that he would do whatever she wanted,” Aaron said. “When I told them I heard him say she was in charge, we got new walls.”

I yanked back on Aaron’s chair, rolling him away from the microphone, and glared death rays at TJ, who practically fell out of his chair with suppressed laughter. Kelcie was suddenly nowhere to be seen, probably burying her head.

“Shaw, I can’t reach the microphone. Stop being so unprofessional,” Aaron scolded me.

“Are you happy with the idea of having a football player as a stepfather?” TJ asked.

“Yes. I’m happy, but I’d been meaning to talk to him about retiring.”

“Oh, really. Do you think it’s time?” TJ asked.

“Well, yes. If he wants to be with my mom…” He turned his attention to me. “I thought it was important.”

“I know. Your mom and I discussed it,” I admitted. Because she was in charge, and I loved it.

“Because I want a sibling—a brother or sister. I’m not going to be picky about it.”

I choked on my reply before it made it out of my mouth.

He nodded and, dead serious, said to my face, “As long as you get working on it. Because I’m not getting any younger, and before you know it, I’ll be off to college and won’t be able to bond with the baby.”

“Baby?” Still playing catch up, I wasn’t prepared for his next wave of thinking.

“Yes, and in order for you and my mom to have a baby, a few things need to happen.” He straightened. “First…” He held up his index finger. “You need to be in the same place, preferably married, but we have that covered.”

I searched for my bride, hoping for backup.

He smiled and continued, “Second, you need to be mindful of taking hits to your groin area. You don’t want to hurt your testes.”

Did he just say testes? I was too stunned to facepalm or even cringe. I was being lectured about the well-being of my cojones by a teenager. TJ’s head dropped, and his shoulders shook with suppressed laughter.

“And third, I know you like your boxer briefs, but you really should think about regular boxers. Just let yourself hang out and help increase your motility.”

TJ gave up the fight, hitting the table and screaming, “Motility!"

Yep. That did it. I was mortified. Amused and strangely charmed—but horribly embarrassed. I didn’t know whether to laugh or put tape over his mouth, but a chuckle or two snuck through my indignation.

I prayed for Kelcie’s reappearance. “Back up a minute, Buster. First, don’t you worry about my testes. You don’t talk about another man’s junk, okay?”

“Why not?”

“It's…it's rude.”

“Mom and her friends talk about their women parts all the time.”

“Well…well…we are on a public podcast, and I’d rather not discuss my boys.” I gestured

at my crotch.

He tilted his head, staring at me, and then said, “Okay.”

“Also, where did you learn about motility.”

“Health class.”

“And boxers versus briefs?”

“Google.” He folded his hands in front of himself. “I also learned what can happen if you

don’t wear a jockstrap and a cup. Do you wear one?”

The laughter of thousands of listeners took up real estate inside my head.

Undaunted, he said, “Did you know some athletes can suffer from testicular torsion—that sounds worse than just getting kicked in the balls.”

I straightened and cleared my throat before saying, “Yes, well. Let’s get back on topic, shall we?”

It took some time for TJ to regain his composure. I said to Aaron, “Why don’t you check and see if your mother is still standing, or if she’s left us both and run for the hills?”

My head was on the desk. I couldn’t breathe. I wiped my eyes. This kid was killing me. Somehow, we went from my retirement, to him wanting me to procreate, to testicular torsion. I squeezed my legs together in an involuntary response.

Just then, Kelce sheepishly walked back into the room, being pulled by Aaron. Her face was several shades of red. “I am so sorry,” she mouthed. “Testicular torsion? Really, Aaron?”

He shrugged. “It’s a legitimate concern.”

TJ choked out, “Shaw, are you going to retire?

I pulled her to me and settled her on my lap, squeezing her gently to let her know it was okay. Aaron returned to his seat. I looked at TJ and said, “We’ll see. Like I said, when I know, Aaron will have the exclusive.”

Aaron stood next to me while I kissed Kelcie’s cheek. “It sounds like they have concerns about a few parts of my body,” I said. “I guess we’re going to have to have further discussion.”

Kelcie and I shared a secret smile.

We weren’t ready to admit that Aaron’s wish was already granted and that the soundness of my testes would be proven by the beginning of the season.

Maybe this was a good enough reason for this to be my last season. Kelcie had pulled me off the sidelines and into a future with her, handing me something more precious than a Super Bowl ring. I won the only thing I ever wanted—her love.

The End