Hello Quarterback (Hello #8)

37. Ford

37

FORD

I watched Mia taking in my childhood home. The barn, the corral with horses fenced in. I could see some of my nieces out there already, riding the horses bareback around the enclosure.

I smiled at the view, my heart feeling so full.

The only thing that made it better was seeing the admiration reflected in Mia’s eyes.

“It’s stunning,” she agreed. “And the sunflowers...”

“They were my mom’s favorite flowers,” I confided, feeling bare in front of her. “She planted them all around the house, even though Dad called them ditch weeds at first.”

She chuckled softly. “Sounds like Farrah—she loves dandelions.”

I nodded. “Dad came around eventually. And now that she’s... gone, we all make sure there are sunflowers planted. It’s like a reminder that she’s always with us.” I swallowed down the emotion, and Mia squeezed my hand like she understood.

We rode the rest of the way to the house, and I parked in the gravel driveway alongside the fence. When we got out, it felt like magic, with a warm breeze flowing around us, the fresh air filling my lungs and energizing me like city air never did.

With a bang, the screen door opened, and my niece Leah came toddling out in her swimsuit, curls wild around her head. “FuhFuh!” she yelled.

I grinned at her, going through the front gate to scoop her up and hug her to me. It didn’t matter that her swimsuit was soaked and dripping through my shirt. Just that I was home.

Her mom, Liv, was just a few steps behind her, her pregnant belly showing a little more than last time I’d seen her.

“Hey, Ford,” she said. “Mia, I’m Liv.”

Mia followed us into the front yard and said hi, and then Liv called over her shoulder. “FLETCH! Help with the bags!” Within a few seconds, he came out and grabbed the bags.

“At your service,” he mumbled to his wife.

She held her hands out at her side. “Sorry, my husband-slash-doctor says I can’t lift more than twenty pounds.”

Fletcher rolled his eyes at me, then looked to Mia and said, “Mia, welcome to the mess. I’m the husband-slash-doctor. But you can call me Fletcher.”

She laughed. “Nice to meet you.”

“Miss Leah and I will give you the grand tour,” I said to Mia, leading her down the sidewalk to the house.

I opened the door for us and held it open for Mia to walk inside. Thankfully, most everyone was either on the back patio or at the barn, so it was just us while Liv and Fletch trailed behind.

“This is the living room,” I explained.

She looked at the room with its wooden floors, simple leather couches, and the fireplace we never used with photos on the mantle.

Then I showed her the bedrooms—there were four of them, which meant sharing rooms was common throughout the years.

“Fletch always got a bedroom to himself because he was the oldest.” I rolled my eyes. “Lame.”

Mia laughed. “Maybe being an only child wasn’t so bad.”

I smiled at her, then said, “Let’s head to the backyard. Dad’s probably grilling for you. Had to show off some of his Madigan beef.”

Leah squirmed in my arms, so I set her down. She waved her little chubby fingers like we should follow her. And she marched ahead of us, her little ruffled butt swinging as she walked.

Mia held my arm, whispering, “She is so stinking cute.”

“I know,” I agreed. “So much sass. Like her mama.”

“Liv, right? Farrah adores her.”

“She’s the best,” I agreed, then lowered my voice so only Mia could hear. “She was exactly what Fletcher needed to get back on his feet after the divorce.”

Leah led us dutifully to the back sliding door and pointed at it for me to open. When I pulled it aside, the chaos really began. Dad was out there grilling, the sound of sizzling meat adding to the cacophony of food cooking, children laughing, and cattle mooing in the distance. The younger kids were running through the sprinkler and splashing on a long Slip ‘N Slide.

My sister-in-law Larkin sat on the porch swing, sipping a sweating glass of iced tea. Hayes was at the patio table, arguing with Bryce about why trade school was better than four-year-college, and Dad’s dog, Gracie, was huddled at his feet like a furry trip hazard.

But all conversation stopped when they realized who was here as they turned to stare at Mia like she was an exotic animal in a zoo exhibit.

Leah was over it and ran toward the sprinkler.

Dad was the first to break the silence. He set his tongs down, shut the grill, and then stumbled over the dang dog as he walked toward Mia. He grinned and said, “Welcome to our home!”

The next couple hours were a rush of activities. The little girls wanted to know who Mia was and had a million questions for her about her shoes and fancy sunglasses. My sisters-in-law poked fun at me like I was just another little brother bringing home a new girl. And Dad watched it all with a smile on his face, happy his kids were all together.

And Mia? She fit into it all. Talking, laughing, listening, getting to know the people who meant the most to me.

We stayed up talking late into the night, until the littlest ones in the family were yawning and falling asleep in their parents’ arms, inaudibly declaring it bedtime.

Soon enough, it was just Bryce, Hayes, Dad, Mia, and me sitting around a small fire in the backyard.

Even though she wore designer clothes and had her hair perfectly done, Mia looked right at home, a beer in her right hand, feet propped up on the fire ring, with the fire’s glow making her look golden.

I’d never seen anyone more beautiful.

She caught me looking and smiled at me. “I think I’m going to head inside and get ready for bed, if that’s okay.”

“Of course.” I made to stand up and walk her inside, but she shook her head. “It’s okay. You stay out here and chat.” Then she looked at Hayes, saying, “Don’t stare too hard as I walk away.” And then she winked.

I didn’t think I’d ever seen Hayes blush before, but he got pretty dang close as the rest of us cracked up at her comment.

We were still laughing and making fun of him as we heard the back sliding door open, and Mia went inside. But as our laughter fell silent, Dad said, “Okay, we’ve gotta talk.”