Page 257 of Call the Shots
I groaned and waited for June to start recording. I gave the same speech everyone else did before I listed the players who tagged me. “And there’s a great part about having a bunch of pro-athletes as friends,” I added. “They’re rich. Cough up the money.”
“Montoya’s in the chat!” June exclaimed.
“He better be.” I frowned. “We’re seeing him next weekend.” I stared into the camera. “Montoya, if you don’t donate, I’ll tell your kids what happened on that water slide back at Marrs.”
“Aww, the Gladiators are here. Nick said for twenty thousand, he wants you to shave—Nick.” June pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is a family stream—oh, they banned him from the site.”
“Papa?” Leo yelled, running over with dirt clutched in his fists from his mother’s garden. “What—what?”
“Mm…” Willow grimaced. “Adam said for fifty thousand?—”
I motioned my wife over. “Say goodbye to my eyebrows.”
The audience leaped in numbers for the stream and there was no dignity in it. There were too many little kids staring at me, bursting into laughter when June finished off my eyebrows.
“Uncle Bear!” Flint laughed. “You look like an egg with a wig!”
Amber doubled over. “You look like your forehead’s an eraser, Uncle Bear!”
“Kids, be—” Willow stopped herself, giggling. “Kids, be nice.”
June gazed down at me, and then my wife, my beautiful, lovely wife, who took care of me after my shoulder surgery, who pushed a lawsuit against North Dakota for me, and supported me when the ACL tear forced me into early retirement, stumbled away to muffle the laughter. “I’m sorry—give me a minute?—”
I sighed to the camera. “Donate. Make this worth it.”
“Kassie said if you shave a heart, they’ll double their donations,” King said.
“Okay but she texted me…” Willow dropped her voice. “She’s going to screenshot it and tell everyone you have a B-A-L-L-S shaved into your?—”
“BALLS?!” Flint yelled. “UNCLE BEAR LOOKS LIKE BALLS!”
There were interesting mohawk and non-mohawk shapes shaved into my scalp until it was wiped clean. Tears streamed down June’s eyes, and she stepped away, choking out laughter.Thatwas my wife. I watched her, heart swelling with love. We’d been together more than ten years. Those years flew by, and I loved her more than she’d ever know.
The gift burned in my pocket, but I bided my time, waiting until the right moment, just enjoying being with my family.
“Papa…” Leo whispered disapprovingly.
“Is it bad?” I grinned. “There’s more of a breeze.”
He patted his stomach. “Papa’s so shiny.”
“It’s not that bad,” June giggled. She clapped a hand over her eyes. “It’s different! I need to get used to it—that’s all?—”
“But you won’t divorce me over it?” I asked, taking the moment.
“Nope,” she giggled, eyes closed.
“That’s good because I wanted to make sure before I did this.”
“Did what?”
June lowered her hand and her amusement morphed to surprise as I slid to one knee, fishing the box from my pocket. Leo tried to take it from me.
“Papa, what is…? Papa?—”
I looped an arm around him and set him on my knee for June to look at too. “June Moreau-Basil, we made a pact, and I wrote it down. We’d go to Las Vegas and get Elvis to marry us.”
“Aww, Bear…”
“You’re my greatest love. My family. You’ve given me more than I ever could’ve asked for.” I glanced over. “Flint, what do I look like?”
“You look like a thumb!”
“Now that I look like a thumb, you kind of have to marry me beyond looks.” I popped open the box for the ring Willow helped me pick out. “Want to get drunk and get our vows renewed?”
June sniffled. “I love you, baby. Eyebrows or no eyebrows.”
“Trip, Papa? Plane?” Leo asked eagerly.
I stood up and snaked an arm around my wife’s waist, giving her another kiss, smiling against her lips. “Nope, buddy, you’re not coming. This is a Mama and Papa trip to make you a sibling. No Leos invited.”
