Epilogue

Three Months Later: Three Days After the Super Bowl

The last seconds were complete agony. The tension, a palpable weight pressing down on every member of the Warriors team—players and coaches alike—could be felt by anyone watching. It would take a miracle for them to close the gap and win.

The scoreboard loomed overhead, nothing but a cruel reminder of their dwindling chances at that point. With time ticking away, the team threw everything they had into one last desperate push, but New England’s defense stood firm, denying them even an inch of progress.

The roar of the crowd was deafening as the final seconds ticked down, and the cameras all seemed to take great delight in scanning every disappointed expression on the field. And as the final buzzer signaled the end of the game, Jax and his team did their best to take the loss and be good sportsmen about it. Some of his teammates dropped to their knees, heads bowed in defeat, while others simply stood in stunned silence, grappling with the harsh reality of falling short despite their best efforts.

At that point, the media was only interested in the winners. New England played a fantastic game and they deserved their spotlight. Meanwhile, Jax led his teammates back to their locker room, where they could freely express their feelings without the glare of the cameras.

Coach Floyd turned off the video. “We played a damn good game, and I’m proud of each and every one of you. It was a hell of a season and you should feel good about that. Now, take some time to just relax and enjoy a well-earned break, and we’ll start talking about next year’s training camp in a few months.” He paused, slightly emotional. “Well done, Warriors.”

It was a bittersweet ending to the season and even more so because this was supposed to be his last year. He hadn’t given the final word on it, but…his heart was telling him he needed one more season.

“Wylder!” Coach yelled out. “Got a minute?”

The last time he heard that, it had been one of the worst days of his life. “Uh, sure. What’s up?”

“Just wanted to say that you played a fantastic game, Jax. You really were outstanding.”

“Thanks. Just wish it had actually helped.”

“You can’t think like that. You weren’t the only guy on the field.”

“I know, but…wishful thinking and all. It would have been a great way to end the season.”

“And your career?”

“What do you mean?”

“Jax, come on. We both know you’ve been thinking about this. We thought for sure when you announced the camp that a retirement announcement wouldn’t be far behind. No one’s rushing you, but I was curious if your heart was set on retiring.”

With a low laugh, he shook his head. “A few months ago, I really thought I was, but after losing Sunday, I feel like I definitely have another year in me. If the Warriors want me.”

Then he held his breath because there was a good chance the coach was going to tell him thank you for his years of playing, but they would be releasing him.

“Jax, if you want to keep playing, you’ll always have a home with the Warriors.” Grinning, he held out his hand for Jax to shake. “Now go and enjoy some R&R, and please thank Lucy for the advice she gave us about our granddaughter and her trouble walking. It worked!”

“I know she’ll be thrilled to hear that, Coach. Thanks. You get some rest too!”

“The wife and I leave for a week in Hawaii on Friday. No TV, no internet, just relaxing. It’s going to be awesome.”

“Sounds like it. Enjoy!”

As he walked out of the stadium, he felt a sense of peace knowing that he’d be back this summer. The camp project had hit a few hiccups because of some zoning issues and a problem with the land quality, so unfortunately, he had no idea when they were going to get moving on that again. All that meant was that he and Lucy were free to do whatever they wanted for a little while.

Even if it meant she wanted to go back to South Creek and get back to work for a little while.

“But Hawaii sounds like fun too…”

He’d run that by her when he got home. Hell, maybe he’d call his brothers and see if they could make it a group trip and the six of them go somewhere. It didn’t have to specifically be Hawaii, just someplace tropical that was all-inclusive.

At home, Lucy was waiting for him. She had lunch on the table and greeted him with a smile. “How’d the meeting go? Did they really make you sit through watching the entire game again?”

“Oh, yeah. It wasn’t any less brutal the third time,” he joked before going over and kissing her. “Coach Floyd asked me if I was going to retire.”

“And? What did you tell him?”

“The truth. I feel like I’ve got another season in me. What do you think?” It wasn’t the first time the subject came up, so he already knew she supported him playing for another season, but he still enjoyed hearing her confirm it.

“I think if you go into it knowing it’s going to be your last, your playing will be on a whole other level. You can go out on your own terms.”

“Let’s hope I can go out as a Super Bowl champion one more time.” Walking over to the kitchen island, he saw a photograph. “Hey, who’s this?”

“That’s Maddie and Knox’s little boy, Liam. Isn’t he sweet?”

“He’s adorable,” Jax agreed. “Wait…what’s he holding?”

“Oh, they’re having another baby and he’s holding the sonogram picture. How freaking cute is that?”

Jax moved so he was standing behind her, wrapping his arms around her. “Totally freaking cute.” Pausing, he said the first thing that popped into his head. “I can’t wait until that’s us.”

Slowly, Lucy tilted her head and looked up at him. “Um…what?”

“Yeah. You, me, babies, all of it. That’s what I see for us.” He picked up the picture. “And I can’t wait to send out little pictures like this and talk about how awesome our kids are and teach them how to play football…”

“They might not want to play football,” she countered.

“Nonsense. Of course they’ll want to play football. It’s genetic.”

“Well, I don’t play football, nor do I want to. What if they want to do something else?”

Turning her fully around, he hugged her. “They can be whatever they want. But only after we determine that they can’t play football. How does that sound?”

Laughing, she gave him a playful shove. “Ridiculous. Now come on, let’s eat.”

She’d made sandwiches and some potato salad, and after taking a few bites, he asked, “What are your thoughts on Hawaii or other tropical locations? Any preferences?”

“Ooh…I don’t think I have a preference. How come?”

“We have nothing but free time right now and I just thought that maybe we should go somewhere.”

“Really?” she asked excitedly. “I love that!”

“I was going to see if Simon, Jules, Noah, and Lily wanted to go too,” he said around a mouthful of potato salad. “Would that be okay?”

“Um…I guess? Lily’s pretty far along in her pregnancy, so I’m not sure how she’ll feel about traveling or if she even can. But…if it’s not an issue and we’re not sharing a room with them or anything…”

“Separate rooms or separate bungalows. Got it.”

Beside him, she was practically bouncing in her seat. “I really hope we can make this happen! I’ve never been anyplace tropical!”

Just imagining her in a bikini on the beach was all the incentive he needed.

Hell, it was all the incentive he needed to want her right now.

Pushing his lunch aside, he grinned. “How about we go inside and change into our bathing suits and go out to the hot tub? Then I can get you out of your bikini and we can pretend we’re at some fancy beach resort.” Then he waggled his eyebrows playfully. “What do you say?”

Standing, she gave him her own sexy grin. “I say…what are we waiting for?” And with a giggle, she turned and ran toward their bedroom. Jax was about to chase after her when his phone rang.

Glancing down at it, he saw it was his father and decided to ignore it. Then he muted the sound so he and Lucy wouldn’t be disturbed. The call probably wasn’t important and he’d deal with it later.

After all, what bombshell could he possibly need to drop now?