Page 76 of Changing the Game

“Natalie Grace.” Brady stops her in a way no one else can contain what is Hurricane Nattie. “Leave him alone. If I didn’t have you, I’d be—”

“You’d be what, QB?” Nattie’s attention turns from me to her fiancé, a new fire on her face.

I take my cue to get the hell away from the two of them before she explodes. When I cross the room, my niece Gracie lifts her arms up to me, and I toss her in the air. Her blonde ringlets fly high around her head before she comes down, and two chubby little arms cling to me.

“I missed you, Uncle Cooper.”

I bury my face in her hair. “Me too, princess. Me too.”

* * *

At my sister-in-law, Annabelle’s, insistence, I follow her and my brother home for dinner after the game ends later that afternoon. My nephew, Tommy, shows me his room and all the changes he’s made since the last time I was here a year ago when Bash’s dad died. It’s hard to believe it’s been a year already. Dinosaurs still invade so much of the space, but so do his trophies from his buddy sports league. He shows me everything, tells me all about his games, his wins, and the few losses he says sucked.

Tommy has autism. And when this kid—this teenager—opens his world to you, it’s a beautiful thing.

Later that night, after dinner and once the twins have been put to bed, Annabelle goes upstairs to nurse a cranky Nixon, and Declan and I sit in the family room, talking, like we don’t usually get a chance to do.

“It was a great game, Dec. I’m so fucking proud of you.” I look around the open room at all the pictures. All the toys. The mess. “You’ve got it all. You’ve got the dream.”

He puts his beer down on the coffee table and leans back, like he’s about to impart some older brotherly wisdom on me. There’s only a four-year age difference between us, but when I look around this house, it feels like a lifetime. He’s settled in this homey place with a family.

“What’s on your mind, Coop? Something’s bugging you.”

“Am I that easy to read? The Navy’s spent a shit ton of money making sure I’m better than that,” I laugh.

“Yeah well, the Navy hasn’t been watching you work through your shit your entire life. So, what’s up?”

“I can’t really talk about it, man.” No matter how much I wish I could.

Declan groans. “That’s bullshit, Coop. If you need to talk about something, talk about it. It won’t leave this room. I won’t tell a soul.”

“Not even Annabelle?” I shoot back.

“I tell Belles everything. But if I ask her not to say anything, she won’t.”

I eye him skeptically.

“Bullshit. Our family sucks at keeping things quiet.” I say it lovingly, but I say it all the same. It’s the truth.

Annabelle glides down the stairs, in one of Declan’s old tees and a pair of shorts, with knit knee socks pulled up her legs. “Cooper.” She sits on Declan’s lap and faces me. “Can I ask you something?”

I drag my hand over my face and grunt. “You’re gonna ask even if I say no, so go ahead.”

“Are you hesitant to talk about work... or about Carys?” My sister-in-law drops that bomb, then sits quietly while Declan tries to figure out what she’s talking about.

“What the hell are you talking about, Belles? What about Carys?”

I stand from the couch and walk away anxiously, then turn back. “How?” One word that carries so much weight.

“It was the beach. I had a feeling something was going on while we were on the beach. It was the way she looked at you. The way you two tried to avoid each other. But at dinner... her reaction to Murphy. The look on her face when she yelled at him, and the look she gave you before she went inside. I just knew.”

“Carys?” Declan asks, still in shock. But Belles and I ignore him.

“Does anyone else know?” Fuck, she’s gonna hate this. “She doesn’t want anyone to know yet.”

Belles’s face softens with her words. “No one else knows. I don’t think anyone was paying attention. I was next to her that night, and I was in the room with her after dinner.”

“You didn’t say anything.” Declan sounds hurt.

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