Cassie, his wife, seemed comfortable in her role as team matriarch. Definitely not due to age or because her father was their coach, but due to love. Trey put her on a pedestal, and others followed suit. But she’d earned their respect and devotion while on that pedestal, with loyalty and friendship. The team members revered her, and Mags clearly looked to her for guidance in this crazy world of professional football.
Josiah and Michael were the calm, adult presence. Michael took a lot of responsibility for the well-being of his teammates on his own shoulders, but it was clear the rookies looked up to both of them, and when they spoke, it was heard.
Stephen was the fun uncle everyone adored and went to for a good laugh. Mags, though Kat struggled a little to get a read on her—probably because she seemed so tired, likely due to the pregnancy—was a calming influence on him, though she could tell the man could still cut it up.
Matt was the younger brother who still drove his car a little too fast, flashed a little too much bling, and liked to pretend the world revolved around him… but had the soft heart to make him likable despite it.
And the rookies…
Oh, the babies.
More like toddlers. Mischievous toddlers. They were louder, raising the decibel level of the gathering tenfold, though there were only three of them. And while they respected Trey as their leader, she watched them give Michael their undivided attention. His was the approval they wanted most.
Safety Ian McAllister, whom everyone called Scotch thanks to his name and rust-colored hair. Though he denied having any Scottish blood, with a name like McAllister it was hard to believe. And more than once, the men would tease him using a rolling brogue. Mags teased he could have been an extra in the Outlander series. He looked unamused but took the ribbing without fuss.
Christopher Minikowski—aka Mini, though he was anything but small—hailed from Michigan and had no problem telling her his entire life story in under three minutes. He was an extremely personable guy with the sort of perma-tanned skin that spoke of an eclectic racial background.
Cooper Bryan, wide receiver, was the most quiet of the trio. His dark hair and dark eyes lent him a brooding, dangerous sort of look, but the guys called him Ivy League when they wanted to push his buttons. He was the only one among them—maybe on the entire team?—who had attended an Ivy League university. And done well, it seemed.
As the meal progressed, she watched how each of the young players verbally sparred for Michael’s attention. They were like the triplet baby brothers, desperate for older brother’s love and affection. Each dying to be The One he noticed more than the others. It was… adorable. They clearly worshipped him.
After some initial jockeying and playing around with the seating configuration, they were seated and serving themselves family style at the table. It was noisy and messy and a little confusing.
Kat loved it.
“And then,” Mini said, laughing, “I had to meet the chick five freaking minutes after being submerged in the ice bath. And she’s wondering why I’m struggling to…” He cut himself off, looking at the mixed company, then coughing. “Uh, yeah. Anyway.”
“Nice,” Michael said, reaching around to slap him on the back of the head. “Think about the story before you run it through.”
“Yes, sir,” he muttered, looking at his salad.
There was a moment of silence, then a chair scraped back suddenly, jostling the table. Mags stood and looked at Stephen with something akin to fear in her eyes, lips pursed together so tightly they were white. Then she quickly walked out of the room. Stephen followed hot on her heels without a word.
Morning sickness was Kat’s best guess. But everyone sat there sort of awkwardly. She could tell the rookies wanted to ask but weren’t sure if they should. And nobody else who had been there to hear the pregnancy announcement would reveal the couple’s secret before they were ready.
“Is she… okay?” Ian asked after a few minutes. “Should someone go check on her?”
“I have perma-THO after an ice bath,” Kat said calmly, taking a bite of her macaroni salad. “It hurts like hell.”
When she glanced up, she saw several pairs of eyes staring at her in surprise. She set her fork down. “What? Like you guys don’t know what THO is.”
“Yeah, we know what it is,” Josiah said slowly in that Southern drawl of his. “We just never expected to hear it at the dinner table.”
Kat smiled sweetly and took a sip of her tea. “I’m sorry, I thought we were comparing ice bath war stories. Mini was referencing his genitals. I didn’t think bringing nipples into the conversation would be that much of a difference.”
“I like her,” Mini said suddenly.