Page 79 of Learn the Play
“Okay. Give me time to waddle downstairs,” I tell her, making her laugh.
“I’ll be waiting,” she assures me.
Tossing my phone onto the bed, I slip into my robe to cover myself and start the trek down the stairs to answer the door. Sloane has been my buddy at games, and I’m so grateful for her, especially on days when Amanda can’t make it, which is today. Today, my best friend has a cold, which she blames on her career, so she’s staying snuggled in bed, watching television. I offered to join her, but she exiled me for fear of my getting sick. I hate that she’s not feeling well, but I’m grateful that I have Sloane to be there with me. Corie will pop in here and there, and Rowan will be down on the field like always.
By the time I open the door, Sloane is standing there smiling with a bag in her hands. “Hey.” I step back, allowing her to enter, before closing the door.
“This is for you.” She hands me the bag.
“What is it?”
“Just open it, silly girl. Come on, time’s a-wasting.” She claps her hands as if I were one of her pre-k students, but it works because I dig into the bag, pulling out the tissue paper and then an article of clothing. Sloane takes the bag from my hands as I hold up the item, and tears spring to my eyes.
“How did you know?” I ask, my voice cracking. These damn pregnancy hormones are going to be the death of me.
“You mentioned last week, when we were all watching the game, that your jersey was getting tight and that you were worried it wouldn’t fit for the last few games of the season. So I thought I’d help you out.”
I’m holding a Nashville Rampage crew neck sweatshirt with the team's logo on the front, centered on the chest. There’s an embroidered arrow pointing toward my belly with the embroidered wordsNumber Twenty Did This.
“Where did you find this?” I ask, laughing. Reid is going to flip when he sees this.
“I bought the sweatshirt, but I added the rest. Look at the back.”
On the backside, she’s added Reid’s last name, Montgomery, in block letters just like on his jersey, the number twenty, and at the very bottom, just to the left of the zero, is small script that reads,Baby Momma. I can’t hide my grin.
“Sloane, this is incredible. Thank you so much. I’ll pay you,” I tell her, feeling the stress of not knowing what to wear fall from my shoulders.
“You will do no such thing. It’s a gift. I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it, and Reid is going to flip when he sees it.”
“Oh, I’m certain he will. Now, go finish getting ready. We need to watch your baby daddy and the rest of the guys bring home a win. We’re going all the way again this year,” she says confidently.
I pull her into a tight hug, as tight as my baby belly will allow. “Thank you so much.” Tears well in my eyes. I keep thinking about how if I’d continued to be stubborn and let the past and my anger rule my future, I would have missed out on so much more than my love for Reid. He’s brought an entire group of incredible humans into my life, and I’ll forever be grateful.
There’s a little more pep in my step as I make my way back upstairs to change into the sweatshirt and finish getting ready. Twenty minutes later, we’re on our way to the stadium.
“Thank you again,” I tell Sloane. “I love it.”
“You’re welcome. How are you feeling, Momma?” she asks.
“Good.” I place my hands on my bump. “A little wobbly at times, tired all the time, but it’s hard to find a comfortable position when sleeping these days, unless I’m in the recliner, but I like being in our bed, especially when Reid is home.”
“Oh, I bet you do.” She giggles. “All my friends are wifed up, and I’m still dating losers.”
“How was the date you went on a couple of weeks ago?”
“Great. He was a nice guy, paid for dinner, which is nice, but he lives in his mom's basement and apparently talks to dead people.” She shudders.
“Yikes.”
“Yeah, I’d rather be single.” She laughs.
“Amanda went through the same thing before she met Ethan. That’s why I didn’t date much before. It was too hard for me to trust.” I also harbored a lot of anger in my heart. I blamed all men for the most part. Until one man broke past the walls of anger I’d built.
“I hear that,” she agrees, pulling into the stadium.
Thankfully, we have a private VIP entrance, so we don’t have to shuffle in with the rest of the crowd. Not that I mind going through the main entrance, but with my baby bump, it’s a little harder to maneuver these days.
