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PART II

THE LAST CHAPTER

36

THE SWEETEST LIFE

JUNE 2020 – 30 YEARS OLD

Owen kicks and the ball flies into the net seconds before I blow the whistle, ending the game. The team roars in celebration, blue jerseys converging together in a cluster of boys that clap backs, muss hair, and pound fists toward a cloudless sky.

Off field, the women in my life loose screams of victory as they jump from lawn chairs, drowning out Dad and Doug’s cheers. I take it all in with the grin of a man who lives the sweetest life on his face. Quinn lifts a shrieking Mabel into her arms to spin her around before dipping her like a princess for her Auntie Willow to land a smooch on her cheek, and Mabel’s squeal becomes a peel of laughter that has heads turning and smiles cracking—even from the losing team.

It'd be hard not to smile at the sight. With Quinn’s sharp persona and Mabel’s lime green leggings topped with a bright yellow tutu, it’s hard not to be caught up.

The boys break up the celebration as the teams line up for handshakes.

My eyes shift from my daughter to my wife. She’s watching Owen with a look of pride that swells my heart, but she holds herself off the field, unwilling to go to him—to gather him in her arms as she would have just the year before.

He’s older now. And she’s giving him the space to make the slow shift from boy to man.

But Owen is special. He’s always been an aware child, and it doesn’t take long before his eyes find Faye off field. He jogs over to her, pulling her in for a quick celebratory hug that has emotion glazing her eyes.

Again, my heart swells with pride.

My son is a good kid. He’s becoming a good man.

Owen jogs back to me, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand.

I tell him, “Great game, son.”

He beams. “Thanks. Hey, can we grab a slush on the way home?”

“I think we can manage that.” I lift my chin toward the cluster of boys. “Is Colton coming home with us today?”

“Yeah.”

“We’ve gotta make a stop at the grocery store on the way home. We’ll need to pick up a few odds and ends for the barbeque tonight.”

Owen bobs his head, hands on his hips as he airs out his pits. I grin, flashing back to my own time spent on the field under a hot June sun.

“Mom said it’s cool if Colton spends the night. Can we stop by his place quick, too?”

“You boys help me pack up this field and I think we’ll have time,” I tell him, though he would have helped anyway. Owen always helps.

“Sure thing, Dad.” He jogs a backward jog before spinning and rejoining his buddies.

I make my way off field to my family and friends. Faye leans into my side as I slide an arm around her waist, and Mabel squirms from Quinn’s hold to twirl her way to me. “Daddy!”

I scoop her up with my free arm, grinning as she throws her arms dramatically around my neck. She blinks her long lashes at me, giving me what Owen calls, ‘cutie eyes’. Her cutie eyes get her things, Mabel has learned, thanks to Owen.

I heave a ‘here we go’ sigh. “What do you want?”

“I want to go home,” she replies point blank.

Willow chuckles. “Straight to the point. A girl after my heart.”

Quinn slides her arm around Willow’s waist. “Girl can get in line.”