Thirty-Four: Pierce

THIRTY-FOUR

PIERCE

T he Jets’ record sat at 25-25, a perfect .500 on the season, which was a miracle.

With our recent 8-0 run, the sports media hailed us as a potential “Cinderella team,” and the online box office for next week’s home games read “Sold Out.”

We were a long shot for the playoffs, but the renewed energy and pride that flowed from the fans to every member of this organization was officially contagious.

It was the reason I was meeting with my top executives at the crack of dawn today.

I didn’t want to let a single second slip through our fingers; we needed to keep this momentum for as long as possible.

As Brian presented ideas about what we should give away at the next game, I glanced at my phone to check on the twins.

Harlow

OMG! LOOK who’s walking now?!!

[video]

I immediately hit play.

William smiled at the camera, kneeling in a leapfrog position.

“Come on, William!” Olivia cheered. “Do it again!”

He rocked forward and slowly stood up straight. Holding out his arms, he waddled to the windows.

Charlotte, Olivia, and Harlow clapped and cheered before the video ended.

“I need to go home.” I stood to my feet.

“What?” “What did he just say?” “He’s leaving?”

“Something urgent has come up,” I said. “I trust that you all can handle the rest of this meeting on your own.”

“Wait a minute.” Denise held up her hand. “The commissioner is coming here this afternoon, and we have three sessions scheduled with the new marketing team you approved.”

“Yeah.” Brian leaned back in his chair. “Is ‘something urgent’ a life-or-death emergency?”

“My son just started walking.” I smiled. “His sister copies everything he does, so I need to make sure I’m there in case she starts walking, too.”

The entire room fell silent.

“I’ll see you all tomorrow.” I headed to the door. “Email me a recap of everything.”