Page 92 of Never Say Never

I lock the door and jog down the front stairs, quickly scanning the flowers I planted yesterday—two rows of white hydrangeas lining the path leading to the backyard. Tucker couldn’t understand why I didn’t just pay the gardener to do it, but just because he now makes a ridiculous amount of money as the youngest head coach in the NFL doesn’t mean we need to spend it. When I tell Tucker that, he just shakes his head.

Forty-five minutes later, we’re parked underground at the stadium. My dad is holding Evie tightly in his arms as we take the elevator up to the owner’s box.

“Good to see you, Daisy.” Bill, the owner of the Cowboys, greets me as if he has known me all his life.

“It’s good to be here! Thank you for having us. This is Randy, my dad, Victoria, my mom and Tucker’s parents, Mark and Daisy.” I introduce them all as I lift Evie from my dad’s arms. “And of course, you know Evie.”

Everyone in the organization has been so kind to the three of us, inviting us over for dinners and spoiling Evie with Cowboys-themed gifts. There was a time not that long ago when I was so nervous to be around the coaching staff and the team, but everyone has gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable. To make us feel at home.

And it is amazing to watch Tucker accomplish his dream. After all of his hard work, he deserves it.

Sometimes, the last two years feel like a dream. I feel like I’m living in a movie, and I’m the lucky girl who married her childhood best friend.

We got married the summer after Tucker proposed. Neither of us wanted anything too big or lavish, but it was important to us to celebrate with our friends and family. So, we said our “I dos” in his parents’ backyard, which in a way is the place where our love story began.

I wore a vintage gown that I found in a designer thrift store online, and Tucker wore a suit that threatened to kill me. He looked so handsome. I had never really been one of those girls who fantasized about her wedding day, but if I had, this would have been the wedding of my dreams. My dad walked me down the aisle, Briar was my maid of honor and Tucker’s dad gave the most heartfelt speech.

My gaze drifts over to my father-in-law, who is standing next to the buffet table talking to the Cowboy’s owner. I can hear him talking up Tucker from here.

Uncle Mark is like a different person. He’s more relaxed and easy-going. He’s an amazing grandfather to Evie and has been genuinely supportive and encouraging to his son. None of us are totally sure what changed his outlook on life, but whatever it was, we’re all grateful for it. It has helped to heal a lot of old wounds.

We’re one big happy family, just like we used to be—only now even happier thanks to the addition of Evie, and Cassidy, Addy and Jonathan’s daughter.

Tucker jogs onto the field wearing navy blue, a star on the front of his ball cap. Like the rest of the stadium, I jump to my feet. I listen to the deafening roar of the crowd. I’ve never experienced anything like it.

I used to think the Outlaws fans were intense, but my god, this is wild.

The stadium itself is nine times the size of the one the team played at RPU. The sound of the drums shakes the stadium ground beneath your feet. There is a sea of Cowboys fans dressed in blue and white, screaming at an ear-splitting volume as the Cowboys cheerleaders hype the crowd on the field. It’s sensory overload.

I adjust Evie’s headphones, making sure they’re in place, then lean into my mom’s shoulder so she can hear me above the noise. “I’m so glad you’re here for this.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it. This is Tuck’s big moment.”

“I really want him to win.”

“That’s what he does best.”

The jumbotron zooms in on Tucker standing on the sidelines, a look of complete focus in his steel-blue eyes. There is something so intoxicatingly gorgeous about this man in his game-day gear. He was quiet all morning as he sat and ate the breakfast I made him. He only cracked a smile once, and that was for Evie. When it came time for him to leave for the stadium, he hugged me for longer than usual at the door, as if needing to steady himself. The stakes are high here, and Tucker knows he needs to prove himself. But now, on the field, he is the picture of confidence.

The Cowboys are leading the Broncos 17 to 14 at halftime. Both teams showed up to play today, and the close game has me so nervous that by the fourth quarter I can’t even stay in my seat. With only two and half minutes to play we’re up 34 to 31. If we can hold them off, Tucker will win his first game in the NFL. He tries not to get too caught up in personal accomplishments, instead always focusing on the team, but I know that deep down, a win here would mean the world to him.

Cowboy fans have big expectations of Tuck. I’m not sure how he handles that kind of pressure. But he knows this game inside and out and if anyone in this stadium has underestimatedTucker Collins up to this point, he will sure as hell prove them wrong tonight.

A bloom of pride fills my chest as I watch my husband in his element. He is making all of Reed Point proud today, but no one is prouder of him than I am.

Nerves spark to life in the center of my stomach as the clock slowly ticks down. The last two minutes are torturous as the fatigue on our guys becomes noticeable. Our offense jogs out to the field, taking their positions with our QB behind the center. Tucker signals the play seconds before the ball is snapped. The quarterback sends the ball directly into the arms of Garrett Moseley, our best wide receiver, who takes off running for the end zone. He’s fast and he’s strong, outrunning every Bronco attempt to take him down to the turf.

The stadium goes wild as he runs the length of the field. I watch Tucker as he yells from the sideline, waving Moseley on. He yanks his headset off in victory as the receiver reaches the end zone. Touchdown! When Tucker pumps a fist in the air, I know we’ve won the game.

The entire stadium erupts with a noise so deafening I can feel it vibrating straight to my bones. My throat is raw from screaming but I’m not about to stop. The next thing I know I’m jumping up and down with my mom’s arms wrapped around me. Tuck’s parents and my own dad descend on us in a giant group hug.

“We won!” I throw my arms up in the air as emotion stings at the back of my throat. I look for my husband on the field through blurred vision. It takes me a minute to find him swarmed in a crowd of his players and coaching staff, a cameraman capturing it all for TV.

My heart clenches.

For my entire life, it’s always been Tucker Collins. For a long time, I learnt how to love him from afar, but life is so muchbetter now that I get to love him up close. And I will love that man until the day that I die. This I know soul-deep.

I’m shaken from my thoughts when Tucker’s dad re-appears next to me holding an awake but sleepy Evie against his chest. “I went to get a bottle of water and noticed her just starting to stir in her playpen,” he says as he gently presses her head of dark curls into his chest to soothe her back to sleep. “I guess she didn’t want to miss her dad’s big win.”

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