Intercepted

“Haters gonna hate,” Gavin sings—yes, sings—to her.

Emerson sticks her tongue out at him and blows a raspberry, while his mom swoops Finn into her arms and silently shakes her head at her grown children arguing like toddlers. Once she’s out of the room, we all dissolve into a fit of laughter. It feels nice, getting along. Emerson might not be on my team yet, but I have faith she’ll get there eventually.

Thirty-six

Life gets a little crazy for me when we get back from Oyster Bay. HERS missed me while I was gone. With football over, two new seasons of Real Housewives starting, and our idea for Bravo trivia to win free drinks, it’s getting busy. But poor Gavin has nothing. He misses football, and even though we might have just left them, he misses his family too. I think our trip out east made him realize how much he misses being home.

But luckily (and I use the term very lightly) for Gavin, Donny flies in to talk about the upcoming free agency and see where Gavin’s head is.

“Gavin. You aren’t really telling me you want to spend another season in this fuckin’ icebox, are you?”

I try to hide my smile behind my huge wineglass when Donny shouts across the table of one of Denver’s nicest restaurants.

“More importantly, you aren’t telling me that I’m gonna have to visit this fuckin’ place for the next four fuckin’ years, are you?”

“Donny, come on, watch the language, could you? We’re in public.” Gavin still notices it, apparently. “And yes, that’s exactly what I’m telling you. Talk to Jacobs, get them to their best offer, and give it to me to sign.”

“Other teams have been making moves. The Giants quarterback announced his retirement, and I’ve heard through the grapevine they’re interested.”

“I’m not,” Gavin says. “Talk to Jacobs. Talk to me. Let’s get this finished so I can move on with my off season.”

“What?” Donny asks. Poor guy sounds desperate. “Are you sure? You’ve always wanted to be a Giant! This is The Dream, man.”

Maybe Gavin did, but that was before he came here. Everybody loves Colorado.

Well, except Donny, but there’s clearly something wrong with him and he doesn’t count.

“Positive. Football isn’t going to last forever, but Marlee will. I want to stay with her. Plus, I love it here and the organization is great. Talk to them.”

We’ve exchanged “I love you’s,” I’ve met his family, and we practically live together. But still, hearing him tell Donny how much I mean to him without so much as batting an eyelash sends my heart to moon. Never underestimate the power of a public declaration of love.

Even more than that though, the relief I feel hearing Gavin giving Donny the order to stay in Denver is unmeasurable. He has been downplaying his upcoming free agent status, but this isn’t my first rodeo. Nothing in the NFL is easy.

Colorado is my home. My work, my family, my friends—they’re all here. We’re still a new couple, and I’ve spent most of my adult years following around a man and doing as he says. I’m not interested in doing it again. I love Gavin even more knowing he’s not going to put me in a situation where I have to choose between me and him.

“You and that fuckin’ black girl magic, Marlee. Got him spellbound.”

I laugh when I hear a person at one of the surrounding tables take an audible gasp. Donny shouldn’t be allowed in public.

“You can’t say stuff like that out loud.” But then I lean across the table and whisper, “I don’t know if I’d call it magic, but I have been putting something on him.”

“Fuckin’ Christ! I wish I had somebody puttin’ somethin’ on me.” His voice gradually raises from his normal loud to really loud, screaming. “Lucky fuckin’ bastard over there. Makes the money. Gets the girl. I guess it’s only right he has to live like a fuckin’ icicle.”

“Donny! We were just in New York. It’s even colder there than it is here. You need a new argument.”

“I don’t care if it’s cold there.” He huffs. “If I’m gonna put my ass on a plane out of New York, it better be to some place warm. San Francisco 49’ers, fuckin’ Arizona. You got my ass coming to Chicago first and then fuckin’ Denver. Why are you doing this to me?”

“I don’t even know why I keep you around.” Gavin shakes his head. “Now I’m going to have to pay for all the tables next to us so I don’t end up having to hear from the Mustangs GM about the complaints they got for my behavior tonight.”

“They should mind their own fuckin’ business!” He looks directly at the elderly man ahead of him when he yells it.

“Fucking hell.” Gavin groans.

“This wouldn’t be a problem in New York. People keep to themselves.”

“Denver, Donny.” Gavin’s hand tightens around his fork, and I can tell he’s struggling to keep it together. He always ends up like this after talking to Donny. But they love each other. And they’re both very good at getting the other one money.

“Yeah, yeah. I hear you,” Donny mumbles. “I’ll call Jacobs in the morning.”

Squeee!

I want to jump up and run a victory lap around the restaurant yelling, “My man’s staying,” but since Donny’s already embarrassed us enough for the evening, I keep it buried deep down and raise my glass like a classy broad.

Once the bill—correction, bills—are paid, we take Donny to Gavin’s place and then head to mine. I told Gavin since he’s at my place so often, he should put his on AirBnb for some off-season compensation. He laughed. I was serious. If he would have listened, he could have made back some of what he had to pay for dinner.

“I’ll be so glad when your contract is signed and free agency is behind us.”

“Not too much longer.” He looks over at me while we wait at a red light. “I’m thinking we’ll need another vacation after that. Back to New York or an island somewhere.”

“Back to New York.” The words fly out of my mouth. “Your house is like paradise, and I already miss your family. I can totally picture living there. Walking on the beach, watching Finn for your sister, and one day opening my own little storefront in town. I can see it all.”

Even in the dark, I can tell he likes my answer.

Family matters to the Popes and having sat at his mom’s extraordinary dining room table listening to her stories about the rambunctious toddler who would turn into the man I love, it’s become important to me as well.

I’m an only child and I don’t have a big extended family. The idea of having a huge family where everyone loves and supports one another is all I’ve ever dreamt of. Okay, Gavin too.

“New York it is,” he whispers before the light turns green.

“But just to put it out there, summer is pretty long. Maybe two vacations wouldn’t be a terrible hardship.”

“Mars.” He grabs my hands and gives it a soft squeeze.

“Gavin.”

“You in a bikini on a beach? What’s the opposite of a hardship?”

“Wine, Gavin. You know I can’t answer a question like that after wine.” Hell. I can barely answer sober.

#NotAnEnglishMajor

“Well, whatever the opposite is, that’s what being on vacations with you is like.”