Wildflowers and Wide Receivers

Epilogue

Three and a half months later

J onah

Life is good.

But then again, I knew it would be with her.

One week after she agreed to move in with me, my teammates—my friends—helped pack Sophie’s stuff. They loaded it up, and then delivered it to either a storage unit or our house. We wanted it done quickly since the team was getting ready to report in for the new season. We didn’t want it hanging over us. Of course, Vivi was over the moon when we told her, and each day, just like the therapist said, I’ve watched the heaviness that she’s carried for the past two and a half years lighten. She still has her moments, but having that second person around every day to love and support her has made a huge difference.

“I don’t know why, but I didn’t expect it to be so hot today,” Sophie says, as she rounds the back of the Tahoe to join me and peeks up at the sky. Last week, the humidity was low, and this week, it is not. And at three in the afternoon, there’s no way to make it from the car to the door without sweating.

“Really? Because even though it’s the end of October, it feels just like it did yesterday, and I’m sure it will be the same tomorrow.”

She glances my way with narrowed eyes, and I smirk as she mouths, “Smart-ass.”

One month after Sophie moved in, she and Vivi flew to Minneapolis to watch me play in a preseason game. It was the first time Vivi and I met Dan, and they instantly bonded. I don’t know if it’s because it’s Sophie’s dad and that makes him special to her, or if it’s something they created on their own, but even I can’t come between them. They are as thick as thieves.

“Papa, you’re going to love this,” Vivi tells Sophie’s dad, looking up at him with hearts in her eyes. She’s walking with Sophie’s dad and Chrissy, and Vivi’s damn near skipping she’s so excited to bring them here today.

To our family favorite pizza place.

“Is that so?” he asks, looking down at her adoringly. “What would happen if I didn’t like pizza?”

She scrunches up her face. “Who doesn’t like pizza?”

“I don’t know. There’s got to be someone out there.”

“That’s dumb,” Vivi says, and all of us laugh.

As for calling him Papa, she just started one day, and that was that. She knows that Sophie is an aunt to her, and technically, that makes her dad a great-uncle, but if you step back and look at our family as it is now, his role is most definitely one of a grandfather. They are two peas in a pod, and as for Chrissy, it’s hard not to love her too. She’s gentle, nurturing, and completely open to being whatever we need her to be, which Vivi recently decided is Nana.

Also, while we were in Minneapolis, I found a photographer who agreed to meet with us on a Monday afternoon. She knew of a meadow not far from the city, filled with late summer Minnesota wildflowers. There were shades of purple, white, and yellow, and it was so idyllic that while Sophie was in awe over the scenery, she never saw it coming, me dropping to one knee. She gasped, and her dad teared up because how could I leave him out of this special moment for her? Vivi jumped up and down, the photographer captured the whole proposal, and in front of all of them, I professed to love her forever.

This year, the family picture hanging on the wall in Vivi’s room is of the three of us and Molly. Yes, the dog was there, too. At one time, I thought these annual photos might be sad for her, but now all I see is the years of our life together. We’ve added Sophie, and who knows, maybe in a few years, we’ll add a baby, too. I’m in no rush, but if it turns out to be something that Sophie wants, who am I to tell her no?

“Here, let me get that,” I say, reaching for the door to hold it open.

A bell rings as each person enters, and I can’t help but squeeze Sophie’s ass as she walks by. She’s wearing a yellow sundress with short cowboy boots, and I’m counting down the minutes until we’re home and I can bend her over.

She swats at my hand, but I know she doesn’t hate it. In fact, she loves it, just like she loves me.

We’re met with the face of the same hostess we’ve seen several times now.

“Good afternoon.” She smiles at us with recognition and waves at Vivi. Vivi doesn’t drop Dan’s or Chrissy’s hands. Instead, she just smiles real big back.

“Dallmann, party of five,” Sophie tells her.

“You all are officially becoming regulars,” she says as she gathers the menus to take us to our table.

“That’s because you’re our favorite,” Vivi announces.

She’s not wrong. It did score highest on the chart. However, as it turns out, each one of us prefers some place different. I like Madison Avenue Pizza, but Sophie thinks their sauce needs a tad more salt. Sophie has declared she likes my grilled pizzas the best, the ones we make at home, and Vivi likes any that aren’t burnt on the bottom. She is not a fan of coal-fired pizza.

Two months after Sophie moved in, on a Tuesday afternoon, along with Vivi, Dan, Chrissy, and Tyler, we stood in front of a judge at the county courthouse and said, “I do.”

Neither one of us needed a big wedding. Our family is small, so we decided to keep it that way. We just wanted to be married anyway. To celebrate, we booked a private room at Bern’s Steak House, where a few other of our friends joined us. Sophie loved this being her first experience at the restaurant, loved the dessert room, and we both agreed there wasn’t a more perfect place for us to drink champagne and start our life together.

Three months after Sophie moved in, we closed on our beach house. While we weren’t in a hurry to buy just any house, I had reached out to a real estate agent to keep us updated as things became available, and this popped up unexpectedly. The owners were ready to simplify their life in retirement, and instead of dealing with rental upkeep, they decided to let it go. It’s five houses in from the water. Close enough that we can still hear the waves, and only two streets over from Reid and Camille.

In front of me, I hear Vivi gasp, and that’s when I know she’s spotted her party.

“Surprise!” everyone yells, and she whips around to look at me with big, happy tears in her eyes.

It’s been three and a half months since Sophie moved in, and it’s Vivi’s eighth birthday.

I can’t believe she’s already eight.

While we could have had her birthday party anywhere, it seems appropriate to have it here this year. I don’t know that she loves pizza as much as Sophie does, but it’s the memories we’ve made, the laughter, the love. It’s sentimental to her, and that means so much more.

Tyler is the first to break free from the group as he scoops her up.

“How’s my girl doing today?” He grins at her.

“Great!” she says as she ruffles his hair and then gives him a big hug.

“Who told you that you were allowed to get older?” he teases, and she just giggles as he lets her down.

“Papa, come meet my friends.” She grabs Dan’s hand and drags him over to Heather and another little girl named Jillian. Both are in her class at school and her level-three ballet class at Kelli’s Dance Studio. While Vivi isn’t ready to sleep over at anyone’s house yet, we did host her first slumber party. Sophie found some company that came out and set up individual bougie glamping tents in the living room, and the theme was movie night—all hot pink, yellow, and teal. There was a large screen set up, each kid had their own beanbag chair, and there was a candy bar. They had a great time.

I lean close to Sophie. “I want to make a prediction.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s that?” She shifts her weight so she’s angled toward me too.

“Eighteen months. That’s how long it takes for your dad to decide to sell the Minnesota house and move here permanently.”

We both look at Dan as he’s sitting at the table with Vivi’s friends, and she’s sitting on his lap. I pull out my phone and snap a quick picture. While I don’t think they had originally planned on starting their snowbird season until after Halloween, there was no keeping him from Vivi’s birthday once we told him when it was.

Sophie huffs. “I never thought I’d see the day he’d leave Minnesota, but I think you’re right.”

Her tone is soft, and my need to be closer has me wrapping my arm around my wife.

Wife.

I love saying that.

“So how did I do?” Sully asks as he noisily pushes his way past a tall bundle of bright pink balloons.

“You did so good!” Sophie tells him, rubbing his arm affectionately.

Sully, Tyler, and Camden were in charge of the decorations. The restaurant graciously accommodated them and helped set up. It looks like a balloon factory exploded in here, and I’m not sad about it. I’m sure they’re not either as this will get them some free publicity from the social media tags and mentions.

“I wanted to do a theme, but Camden told me no. He’s such a stiff buzzkill. He said the pizza place was the theme, and we only needed some bright colors to announce the event.”

Camden’s not wrong, but I don’t bother to tell him that. Bringing in unicorns, dolphins, or some princess balloons would just look out of place.

“It looks perfect,” Sophie tells him. “I had little goodie bags made for the three of them, so the bright colors match just as they should. Did you see the cake?”

Tyler was in charge of the cake.

“Yes. Although if you think my balloons are a lot, just wait until you see this thing. It’s set on a wooden cutting board and looks like a giant eight-inch deep-dish pizza. It’s covered with vegetables and pepperoni made of icing, and he tells me the layers are filled with strawberry jam for sauce. He got a number eight candle and sparkler candles to go with it.”

“Why are you over here running your trap and ruining my surprise?” Tyler has come up behind Sully, and he’s scowling. Sophie covers her mouth as she tries not to laugh.

“I think Camille is calling me,” she says as she quickly bolts away from the guys. We have a tendency to bicker with each other, and she’s smart to flee. We all watch as she picks up Claire from Camille’s lap and smiles so bright, it’s like she’s shining.

Sully shoves me in the arm. “That will be you soon.” He nods in their direction.

“I hope so,” I tell them because it would be a welcome blessing.

A server walks out from the back, and he’s holding two large cheese pies.

“Who’s ready to eat?” he asks.

Vivi cheers, “Me!”

These guys, their wives and children, her dad and Chrissy, none of them will ever understand what they’ve come to mean to us. They say sometimes the best families are a found family, and I firmly stand behind that.

Life is better than I can ever remember.

As for Sophie, she doesn’t even realize that by coming into our lives, she not only stole our hearts but she mended them too. Vivi and I were broken, but now we are not. Do we look different than we did before the accident? Yes. But nothing is ever exactly the same after it’s been repaired. Bumps, bruises, and cracks represent having lived life and being loved. And I can tell you, from personal experience, I like this version of me better.

While I’m still a work in progress, I no longer worry about what can happen tomorrow. I still take as many pictures as I can, but only to remember today. I didn’t understand why John felt the need to capture every little moment at the time, but now I do. Sometimes the days are long, but I realize the years are short. Soon she’ll be ten, then thirteen, driving at sixteen, and then off to college at eighteen. The little moments are memories, and with Sophie by my side, I plan on loving and cherishing every one.