Play Along(133)

I can’t help but laugh to myself, and when my eyes make it back to that beautiful, freckled face, she’s laughing with me, her steps never faltering.

Fuck, I love her.

I can’t wait to marry her again.



The backyard of the rental house is packed with our family and friends. Food, dessert, and drinks cover every table. There’s a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the yard, and string lights illuminating the Nevada night sky.

Our wedding reception is in full swing, and it’s been a fucking blast.

We’ve mingled, we’ve eaten, and Kennedy has changed into her reception outfit, which was a surprise specifically for me.

That white mini dress, platform Vans, and denim jacket from our first wedding. Only this time, she had Indy embroider the back of it. Mrs. Rhodes is stitched in white thread and that’s where my eyes are glued, watching her dancing with Max on the dance floor.

He’s got his hands in hers, his feet resting on top of her shoes, smiling at her like she’s the prettiest girl he’s ever seen.

He’s not wrong there.

I fucking love my family.

“Man of the hour.” Travis stands behind my chair, hands on my shoulders, before he and Cody take a seat on either side of me, all three of us looking out to the dance floor.

“You did the impossible. You got that girl to fall in love with you,” Cody says, connecting his beer bottle to mine. “How’s it feel?”

I take a long swig. “Fucking fantastic.”

“Wish me luck to do the same,” Travis adds.

Cody and I burst a laugh.

“Not a chance in hell,” Cody says. “Natalie would never.”

I shrug. “You never know. She might.”

Natalie is the new athletic trainer that Kennedy hired as her replacement last season. Trav’s had a crush since her first day. I can’t say I envy the guy getting that constant rejection, but I can relate.

“Last time I saw her, she told me my glutes felt tight. You know what that means.”

Cody shoots him a deadpanned glare. “Not what you think it means. It only means that you’re a catcher and your entire lower body is fucked.”

“It means she was looking at my ass.”

“Dear God, you sound like Rhodes.”

I tilt my beer bottle to the dance floor. “And look where that got me.”

Natalie is still new in the sports medicine field, which is part of the reason Kennedy hired her. She wanted to help guide her and give her a positive experience right out of the gate. She’s loved having another woman on staff, and just as they did with Kennedy, the guys don’t treat Natalie any differently than the male medical staffers.

Well, other than when Travis tries his best to flirt with her.

There’s been a shift since Reese has taken over as team owner and Kennedy has become the Head of Health and Wellness. So much of what Kennedy wanted to accomplish was to simply prove there was space in sports for women, and she’s done just that.

Reese has hired quite a few women in other departments and Kennedy has split the medical staff equally. Two guys. Two girls.

It’s been a nice change, and I’m proud of her for being the beginning of that shift.

The song she’s dancing to with my nephew begins to fade, so I stand from my seat, leaving my beer on the table.

“I gotta go take care of something,” I tell them before I go.

Stopping by the DJ booth, I request a song, then make my way to the dance floor to steal my wife.

I catch her attention as I cross the dance floor to her, soft smile on her lips, hands still holding my nephew’s.

“Excuse me, Bug, but I need to steal my wife from you.”

He looks up at me as if I’ve lost my goddamn mind to take the pretty girl in the white dress away from him.

“No.”

I startle with a laugh. “Max, it’s my wedding day.”

He points to his chest. “My birthday.”

Well, shit. He’s got me there.

“Hey, Bug,” Miller says, crossing the floor to us. “How about you dance with me for your birthday instead?”

He quickly appraises his mom before agreeing and swapping Kennedy’s hands and feet for Miller’s.

It feels like a sigh of relief when I slide my hand against Kennedy’s lower back, pulling her against me. She melts into my touch, her cheek resting on my chest, one hand wrapped around my waist, the other holding mine out to the side.

“Missed you.”

She chuckles. “It’s been two songs.”

“Do you think that matters?”

There was once a time Kennedy questioned what it felt like to be missed, but she’ll never have to wonder now. There’s not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. If she goes into another room, I miss her. If she leaves for work before me, I miss her.

And I’m sure to tell her each and every time.

I catch the DJ’s eye and give him a nod of approval just before the song Kennedy walked down the aisle to the first time comes on.

Mariah Carey’s “Obsessed” overtakes the speakers and Kennedy’s head instantly falls back in laughter.

“You didn’t.”

“Of course I did. I’m still counting this as our wedding song.”

The guests around us cheer for the song they all know as my walk-up song. I haven’t changed it in two seasons, and I have no plans to change it in the future.