An usher shows us to our seats. All around us are Pioneer fans. Reggie has his foam finger, and we are wearing our Cunningham jerseys. As soon as Roxy sees Betty Paige Westbury, she begs to sit with her. Peyton’s mom sits down next to me and hands over baby Oliver. Mrs. James is trying to rub baby fever on any unsuspecting wife and girlfriend on the team. Her reasoning is she’s ready for grandchildren and figures if Peyton’s friends are pregnant, she’ll want to be as well. Oliver wears a Noah Westbury jersey, and it’s the cutest thing I have ever seen. I only get to hold him for a few minutes because Elle shows up and takes him.
Nola sits down next to me, and I ask, “How are wedding plans?”
She lets out a huge sigh. “There are times when I think I want to elope or have a destination wedding, but then I think about my nieces and nephews in the wedding, and I want that too. I’m so torn. I just want to marry Quinn and start a family.”
“I think Quinn’s mother will be delighted with the last part.”
Nola’s eyes go wide. “You’re telling me. She has baby fever worse than any of us.”
Julius’s parents and mine show up and take their seats. Reggie sits between my father and his grandfather, chatting about the game and the Pioneers’ odds. All I know is that Julius is a ball of nerves. When they won their conference championship on a Hail Mary throw by Noah into Julius’s arms, he said he almost crapped his pants on the field. I, for one, am happy he didn’t do that.
I look out to the field and see the team warming up. My gut twists with excitement and nerves. I know once Liam Page starts singing the National Anthem, I’m going to start crying. It’s pretty amazing that the NFL asked Noah’s dad to sing. It’s going to be an emotional day for the Westbury family.
Speaking of the Westburys, Noah’s elderly grandmother is coming up the stairs, with Mack escorting her. She takes a seat right at the railing. I’ve seen her at a couple of games, and let me tell you, the mouth on her would make a sailor blush.
“Who else is sitting with Noah’s grandma?” I ask Nola. At our last playoff game, I had the chance to meet Mack. He came over with Noah and Peyton after the game, and it was then that Peyton told me about him and his connection with her family.
“Oh, that’s Peyton’s grandfather and Quinn’s grandmother.”
“Awe, their family is so blended.”
Nola nods. “Literally one big happy family. Quinn told me one time that if it wasn’t for Peyton and Elle’s grandpa telling Katelyn to move on, their family might have never happened.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, Katelyn and Mason—the twins’ father—were high school sweethearts. Harrison met Katelyn months after Mason’s funeral. For Harrison, it was love at first sight, but for Katelyn, she was afraid people would judge her for moving on so quickly. Mr. Powell pushed Katelyn toward Harrison, and the rest is history. Harrison adopted the twins, and Katelyn adopted Quinn.”
“Yet, they never married.”
She shakes her head slowly. “Nope, and they won’t. It’s Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell if you ask me.”
“A true love story.”
“Pretty much,” Nola says. “I asked Quinn what he thought about his parents not being married, and he said it only bothered people who made it an issue. Growing up, they didn’t know otherwise because they all had the same last name.”
Peyton joins us from the field. She hugs her grandparents and Noah’s grandma, and then her parents. She finally sits down in an empty seat near Nola and me and asks her sister to bring Oliver to her.
“Is Noah ready?” Elle asks.
Peyton shrugs. “It’s a big stage. The biggest of his life. He’s as ready as he’s going to be.”
“It’s too bad you can’t sit with us,” Nola adds.
Peyton smiles, but I’m not sure if it’s at us or the baby. “I’m right where I want to be.”
“How’s Uncle Liam? Did you see him before you came out?” Elle asks.
“No, he and Dad are in the dressing room.”
“Uncle Jimmy is pissed that he’s not here,” Elle says. “Mom said Eden has some huge event in Australia tomorrow, and they had to fly there early to kill the jet lag.”
Nola elbows me. “You look confused.”
“I am. There’s just so many in their family.”
She laughs. “Not even gonna lie, I wrote everyone down in a book and created a chart, so I knew. The worst part of all this—the only ones related to each other are the parents to the kids. The aunts and uncles are all long-time family friends.”
“Yeah, Peyton tried to explain it to me. I just nodded along.”
Elle snorts. “I love telling people that my sister married my aunt and uncle’s son—that really gets people going.”