Page 107 of Hold On Me

“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,mygodson.” 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.

“Notallof 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.

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