Page 55

2 YEARS LATER

I slide out of the car, instantly missing the warmth from the heaters, tell the driver I’ll be a few minutes, and jog up the steps to the school. A huge smile breaks out on my face when I spot the name above the door. ‘The Richards’ school. It gets me every time.

Penelope didn’t want the school to be named after her but it was something I wasn’t budging on when I bought it. She was hopping mad when I did that, but after Jameson outed Director Allen and made him a social pariah, it was my duty. The town needed that school.

The whole town was in uproar about Allen’s actions. People protested outside the school, carrying signs demanding his apology and his removal—it was a genius move on Jameson’s part. Parents pulled their children from it in a flood of support for Penelope, and they’d refused to bring them—or their money—back until Allen disappeared. Several of them had even reached out to ask my Little One to teach their kids privately, so it just made sense to invest in the community and restore Penelope’s career along with her dignity.

Although it did stop her from working with me, from seeing her every day. That pissed me off, but it just prompted me to do something about it. When I got on one knee and asked her to marry me, it changed everything. She finally saw how serious I was and moved in with me. Now I get to fall asleep and wake up next to her everyday, and being able to call her my wife is the best feeling in the world.

In fact, I’ve been told off numerous times for only introducing her to people as my wife. Apparently she still has a name, but I like the way the words roll off my tongue. My wife. It has a nice ring to it.

But all this reminiscing isn’t why I’m here. Pulling open the door, I call out for Penelope, and instead of getting a reply, I’m met with a floating head poking around the door frame.

“Finally. Where have you been? We need to get going if we’re gonna catch our flight.”

A deep laugh spills from my lips at her exasperation, and I put my hands up in surrender at her responding glare. “I’m sorry, but I can’t help it. You know we’re flying on a private jet. The plane waits for us.”

“Yes, and so are Mama and Pops.”

I grimace and grab her hand and rush to the door. “Come on, then. We haven’t got a lot of time.”

She pauses as we get to the front door and runs her hand over the framed picture on the wall. Two photos are together under the glass. In one of them, Penelope is about three years old. She’s holding a sign that says ‘when I grow up I want to be a teacher’ and has the biggest smile. The other is her graduation picture. I had them framed for her the day I gave her the school.

“I'm proud of you, Vasilissa mou .” I let my lips fall to her neck and place a gentle kiss on her skin.

She sighs contentedly. “Are you ever going to tell me what that means?”

“You could’ve googled it a million times since I first said it to you.”

She smiles shyly and then tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I know, but I wanted to hear it from you. I like it when you say it. I know it’s Greek, obviously, but I didn’t want to read it from a screen.”

“My Queen. That’s what it means.” I place a kiss on her forehead and a crease forms in between her brows.

“Even back then you thought of me like that?”

“Even back then. I’ve told you, you had a hold on me I couldn’t shake.”

She lifts up on her tiptoes and places her lips softly against mine. They fit perfectly, but before I can take the kiss further, she pulls away. “Come on, husband. We need to go.”

With a shiver running through my body, the same reaction I always have at hearing that word— husband —from her, I pull her through the door. After locking and setting the alarm, we both jog down the steps and jump into the waiting car.

“I can’t believe this is happening. I bet Jenson feels so nervous. I feel like I’m gonna throw up and I’m not even playing.”

She wraps her fingers around my hand and peace settles over me. Of course I’m ridiculously nervous, seeing as my team is playing in the Superbowl, but when I’m with my wife she gives me peace.

“He’ll be fine. He’s been ready for this for years. I just hope Angie’s okay.”

“There was no way she was missing this. No matter how pregnant she was. She would’ve crawled there if she’d had to.”

She shakes her head, a small smile dancing on her lips. She loves the idea of being an auntie again. Elsie stole all of our hearts the day Jameson and Jonathan brought her home a year ago, and since then, she’s been our little princess. Being an only child, I never thought I’d get to be an uncle. But hearing her say ‘unca’ and putting her chubby little hands on my cheeks makes my heart swell.

“I’m just happy I was able to get her there without the need to crawl. Jenson always plays better when she’s there.”

She nods and then lays her head on my shoulder and I place a kiss on top of it. I don’t know what I did to deserve all this in my life, but I know I’m never letting it go.

****

The stadium is in chaos, the crowds are cheering so loudly it feels like the roof is going to blow off. I stand back and take it in. Mama and Pops are hugging each other and crying. Angie is on her feet, her hands clenched in fists waving in the air and her swollen belly protruding in front of her. Jameson is jumping up and down with Elsie in his arms, ear defenders protecting her delicate little ears, while Jonathan tries to get him to slow down or at least rescue Elsie from his celebrations. And Jaxson is jumping all over the place on the laptop screen. He couldn’t miss out on this, even if it is the middle of the night for him. He and Lockheart were throwing a superbowl party, so I know those boys are cheering as well.

Hank’s hollering his bloody head off, but as if he can sense me watching him, looks over his shoulder and catches my eye. He nods and taps his hand on his chest, just over his heart, and turns back to watch the field. No words necessary.

A small hand rubs a calming circle on my back and I turn slightly to see my wife’s tearstained face. She smiles up at me and I let the sheer magnitude of what’s just happened hit me. “We did it.” It’s all I can manage to say, and she throws her arms around me and squeezes tightly. Her touch grounds me and helps me compose my emotions.

Before I can even take a deep breath, I’m being pulled away from her and told I need to get on the field to make a speech. The walk down is a blur, and once I’m standing on the podium, the boys singing and cheering around me, I shake my head in disbelief.

Jenson slaps me on the back, and hollers in my face, no words just a primal scream of victory and then takes the microphone to address the gathered crowd and media. “We did it. We told you we would. The Spartans are Superbowl winners, baby. Winners! And you all said we couldn’t do it. You cussed out this man because he was young and British. What did he know about football, right? Well he knew enough. He got us here. Remember the name Ben Elias and the Spartans, baby. Wooooooooo.” He shoves me to the front, and his energy is infectious as I grab the mic.

“Jenson Brady’s being renamed. His official title is now ‘Jenson The Goat Brady.’ Without this man, we wouldn’t be here. All these men, they worked their arses off. We’ve been the underdogs for so long, but now we’re top dogs. We are Spartans. And just like our namesakes, we were made to fight, and fight we did. We fluffing did it.”

Jenson starts to pull at my shoulder. Shouting, “What?” over the crowd, I manage to catch the word ‘Angie’ and ‘baby’, and without hesitation I tell the fans, “We’ve gotta go. He’s having a fluffing baby. A new Spartan. Keep celebrating. Lets go, Spartans!” I drop the mic to the floor and follow him through the crowds.

****

“He’s beautiful.” I can’t take my eyes away from the tiny pink bundle in my arms. He’s been passed around the whole tribe, and I’ve finally got to hold him. His blond hair looks like a tiny little tuft on top of his head and his lips pucker as he sleeps peacefully.

“He wanted to celebrate with his daddy.” Angie’s tired voice makes me tear my gaze away from him and to her.

“Do you want us to leave?”

“Not yet. He’s enjoying meeting all of his uncles and his aunties. Plus all three of his grandparents. I can’t wait for Edie and Nicole to hold him.” As she speaks, a wail filters through the tablet screen. “Aww, my Edie’s emotional right now. It’s best to let her get it all out. She’s with Nicole and Jaxson, so I know she’s alright.”

“Um, Angie?” Jaxson’s voice catches us off guard and Penelope brings the screen closer to us so we can see him when he speaks. “That wasn’t Edie.” He turns his screen so we can see Owen Lockheart, the eternal grump, crying his eyes out and being consoled by Nicole, who just rolls her eyes. Biting back laughter, we both clear our throats as Jaxson continues to speak. “Ever since my godson Cash was born, he’s been a mess.”

“You mean my son,” Lockheart manages to bite out between sobs.

“Yeah, my godson.” Jaxsons voice is playful and makes me chuckle.

“It’s okay, Owen. Real men cry.” Hank sends him a reassuring smirk. “I bawled my eyes out when Penny was born, and I’ve shed a tear or two today as well.”

“Right, enough of this. I wanna hold my grandson again.” Mama stands next to me expectantly but I’m not letting him go any time soon. “And I’d like to know what his name is.”

I don’t think Jenson has stopped smiling since we got here, and through an elated grin he finally tells us what we want to hear. “Okay, we’ve made you wait long enough. Everyone meet JJ.”

The room bursts into pleased chatter. Jaxson claims he’s named after him, but both Jonathan and Jameson state he’s named after them as well. I hold him a little tighter, basking in the fact that he’s loved this much by this many people, me included.

“Maybe he’s named after all of his uncles,” Penelope offers to calm the squabbles.

“Not all of his uncles.” Murmuring low, I turn narrowed eyes onto Angie and then Jenson.

“Dude, I couldn’t exactly call him BJ, now could I?” Jenson laughs and I reluctantly agree with him with a nod.

“Whoa, hold up. He’s named after his Pops, just like all of you were.”

“How are they named after you? Their names are all different, and none of them are called Jayson.” Before I’ve finished speaking there’s a loud chorus of groans and I look around trying to figure out what I did wrong.

“I’m glad you asked. Their names all start with a J and end in son, hence they’re Jay’s sons. And what’s my name again… oh yeah, Jayson.” Pops folds his arms over his chest, exuding smugness.

“Huh, that's actually really clever.” I can’t keep the words in, and a scoff from Mama, still hovering at my side, makes me turn toward her.

“Last clever thought he had. Gimme my grandson.” She locks eyes with me but I refuse to back down. He’s comfy in my arms and I’m not letting him go.

Before I can reply, baby JJ wriggles a little and then starts to cry. She huffs next to me, and I smile in triumph as I hand him back to his mummy. I don’t see the hand flying through the air, but I do feel it connect with the back of my head.

“Ouch, Mama B. I didn’t swear.”

“Oh you might not have said the actual words, but I know you meant them, and on live TV too. I should be slapping you double for it.” Her grin is smug, her composure cocky, and instead of pouting, I wrap my arms around her, lift her off her feet and spin her around. “Put me down, you big dummy.”

“Nope. I love you, Mama B.”

She throws her head back and laughs as I place her back on the ground and drop my arms from her. Penelope stands next to me, her hand linking with mine and her head resting on my shoulder, a glint in her eye I don't understand.

“You’re lucky you’re family.” Pops’s voice comes from my other side, closer than I’d like, and I whip my head round to see a frown on his face. Hank whistles and laughs, and I gulp a little. “Don’t touch my woman again.”

I nod as Mama slaps at his chest, and roll my lips together to stop my laughter.

Penelope lifts to her tiptoes so she can whisper in my ear. “He gets very territorial over her. I thought I’d remind him you’re happily married too.” I let my gaze lock onto hers.

“Very happy. You’ve still got that hold on me, Little One.”

As we look to our joined hands she smiles back up at me. “I want one of those.” She motions over to baby JJ and then to little Elsie, asleep on her dad’s chest, and my heart stutters.

“You mean it? Really?”

She nods and I can’t help myself. I sweep her into my arms and swing her around like I just did with Mama.

“What’s going on now?” Jenson calls over to us, but I can’t answer. All I can think of is taking my Little One to a private room and putting a baby, our baby, in her belly.

“Penny just decided she wants a baby.” Mama shocks the whole room and a collection of eyes turn to look at us. Hank’s are glinting with happiness and Angie smirks from her bed.

“How did you hear what she said?” My shock is conveyed in my voice, but Penelope giggles next to me.

“She has the hearing of a bat,” Hank whispers loudly, and she nods her head to confirm.

“I do. So why you bother trying to hide things is beyond me. Now what are you still doing here? Go make me another grandbaby. Get.” She ushers us out of the room to laughter and whoops.

Once the door is closed, I gather my wife in my arms again. “Are you really sure?”

“Yes, Ben. I’m really sure.”

The door opens again and I reluctantly let go to share her with her dad.

“Am I really gonna be a grandpa?”

“Well, we’re going to try to make it happen.”

Before the words are out she’s gathered in his arms. I quickly swipe at my cheeks to rid myself of the tears, and before I know it, Hank’s grabbed my arm and pulls me into the embrace too.

“I’m so proud of both of you and I love you. Now go and do what Mama said. Get to making me a grandbaby.” He places a kiss on her head, squeezes my shoulder and heads back inside the room.

“Well it looks like I may have a hold on you, but it seems you’ve got one on me and my dad.”

A soft laugh falls from my mouth and I sweep her into my arms and crush her to my chest. “Let’s go make a baby. Or have fun trying.”

She grabs my hand, pulls me along the hallway, and makes this day the very best one of my entire life… so far.

THE END