I was asked to sit in on an interview today. Tristan sat in on one yesterday. Jack is very hands-on with this process, ensuring he selects the exact right man for the position of leading our team to victory now that Mitch Thompson retired.

Tristan liked the guy yesterday. He had an impressive history in college football as an assistant coach and as the defensive coordinator for the Vikings, but Tristan said he came off a little nervous—not what you want in a head coach, that’s for sure.

There have been seven other candidates interviewed aside from yesterday’s guy and today’s, and I have no idea what direction Jack wants to go. In every interview, though, he’s had at least one player sit in on it along with a whole host of people from the Aces staff.

I look over the impressive resume in front of me. Lincoln Nash is part of football royalty. His father played for the Giants for over a decade, his uncle played for the Titans, and his two brothers are both current players.

He was a tight end at Ohio State and played a few years with the Saints before he blew out a knee and decided to turn to coaching. He started as an offensive assistant for the Falcons and stayed there a few years before moving with the head coach to the Bengals where he worked as a tight end coach. He stayed there for a few years until he took the position of offensive coordinator for the Rams, and he’s been there ever since.

But now he’s interviewing to be the head coach of our team.

There are several stakeholders present at this interview aside from myself, including Jack and Steve, Declan, Patrick, Mitch Thompson, Luke Dalton, and the Vice President of Football Operations, Perry Watkins, the Director of Player Personnel, Sue Williams, and the Head of Scouting, Bill Pace.

He hasn’t entered the room just yet, and Jack stands. “Thank you all for being here today. Your input is valuable to our decision here, and I’ll be conducting the question and answer portion. Your job is to tell me what you think of what this guy has to say.”

Jack looks around the room and sees we’re all on board.

Given who this interviewee is and the type of family he comes from, I’m already on board with hiring him, but I’m curious about what the other candidates will bring to the table as well.

Jack opens the door, and Lincoln Nash walks in. I recognize him since he’s a well-known presence in this industry along with his famous family, and he nods pleasantly to those of us gathered. He holds his head high, and he has a presence about him that I immediately like.

“Mr. Nash, welcome,” Jack says. “I’ll have everyone go around the table and introduce themselves before we get started.”

We each say our name and who we are, and then Jack asks the first question.

“What is your coaching philosophy?” he asks.

Lincoln starts right up without hesitation. “I believe my job as a coach is to get the most out of my players by putting them in the best position. I’m here to motivate my players to realize the full potential of their talents. They made it this far, and my job is to continue to push them to their greatest heights. I believe in a powerful offense who will attack defense and make big plays. I enjoy creative play calling and I think catching a defense off-guard is one of the greatest pleasures of the game. Finally, we’re here to have fun and win games, and I believe I’m the right fit for this organization to do just that.”

I’m impressed with his answer on all fronts, and the rest of the interview goes just as smoothly. He’s asked about his strengths and weaknesses as a coach, and how he’d build a winning team, and how he’d manage the media. He has plans for developing the talent of younger players and older players alike, and he has goals for long-term success for the team.

All in all, it’s a great interview and I can really see myself playing under this guy next season, and the next four seasons after that until my contract is up and my time here comes to an end—if that’s what we all decide, anyway.

I express that to Jack once it’s all over, and it’s as I’m heading out to my car that I spot Jolene Bailey, a local sports reporter, walking into the building as she talks on the phone. She’s a gorgeous blonde woman who takes no shit, and she’s an aggressive and honest reporter. She’s the type of person you either love or hate, and as I listen to her on her phone call, I nearly feel bad for the guy we just interviewed.

“I’m told they’re going to announce who they just interviewed,” she says to someone on the phone, and I assume she’s talking about the Aces since she’s walking into the Complex. “Rumor has it it’s Lincoln Nash, and if it is, by God, I’ll put a stop to it however I can.”

My brows shoot up, and I’m half-tempted to head inside and see what she has to say.

He came off really well in the interview. He was likeable, and he had a certain charm that head coaches need to have—where he can be smart and disciplined and at the same time, he can command the attention of his players. Head coaches have to be personable and still have that attitude that tells players we aren’t here to fuck around, and that guy had it.

So what’s so bad about him, and why does Jolene want to make sure he isn’t hired?

I guess I’ll find out…but for now, it’s time to head home to my girls.

And when I get there, they’re finishing up their dance party as they wait for me so we can all start dinner together.

My heart is full as I join in on the dancing, and I can’t help but think how much I’d love to add to this beautiful family.

I want more kids. I want to be there for all of it. I want to see Harper as a big sister, and I want to see Victoria hold a baby we made out of our love.

These are thoughts I never thought I’d have, yet here we are. I never thought I’d be the man who wanted more kids, but the thought of filling this home with more warms my chest. It’s the icing on the cake. The extra point after the touchdown. The field goal we never knew we needed.

We both have jobs we love and lives filled with friends and laughter and joy. We’ve made a home out of this mansion, and I have this beautiful family I never deserved. I traded in my little black book for a bookstore. I traded in my peanut butter for pink unicorns.

I wouldn’t change a single second of it.

And to think…this is just the beginning for the Woods family.

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