Page 22 of From the Ground Up

Chapter Seven

Tess

Grady’s team won. They’ve only lost one game this season, and that was when five of our starters were out because of a major case of food poisoning. So to say that game is a bit of a sore spot for everyone on the team is putting it mildly. Even with winning almost every game, they’re still pumped after a win. And by pumped, I mean lots of chest bumping, jumping around and hitting each other on the helmet, and a few butt slaps.

They’re also all ravenous after their games. We make our way home to get the food ready with a convoy of our friends’ vehicles following us. After we all have made our way inside, the women begin getting the food lined up on the kitchen island while the men get the basement ready for the onslaught of teenagers who are about to invade the home. Simple tasks, like bubble-wrapping the walls, screwing down furniture, that type of thing.

The door between the kitchen and the attached garage opens, making me smile just knowing who is coming through it. Only a few people aside from those who live here use that door.

“Hi, Tess,” Bri’s sweet voice calls out to me. She’s a part of the family, and ever since she and Grady were in seventh grade, she’s called me Tess, a departure from the ma’am or Mrs. Ryan that she had previously used. I love it. I want her to be comfortable in our home. She’ll be my daughter-in-law one day, even if she and Grady won’t admit it.

“Hey Bri,” I reply, smiling at her. She’s wearing Grady’s red game-day jersey, dark skinny jeans, a pair of camel-colored Ugg boots, and has black painted under her bright green eyes with her thick dark hair up in a ponytail full of curls. She looks adorable. If I was judging by looks alone, there would be no question as to why he has a crush on her. Her olive-toned skin and green eyes with dark hair make her look exotic, but her personality and the dimple in her left cheek makes her appear like the girl next door.

“Anything I can do to help?” she asks. Such a good girl.

“No, sweetheart. We got it. The men are downstairs getting the basement ready. You’re the first here. You can hang out here with us until the rest of the kids get here, or you can wait in Grady’s room. Up to you,” I tell her and smile her way.

“I’ll wait here. I’m hungry anyway,” she says a little shyly and shrugs her shoulders. Another thing I love. She eats! She’s like the unicorn of teenage girls. She eats more than just salads in front of the boys, talks to parents, and isn’t attached to her phone.

“Hi, Mom,” she says as soon as she sees her mom, Christine, walk into the kitchen. She’s such a mini version of her mom it’s almost eerie at times. Christine is spunky and adorable. The main difference in their long, dark, almost-black, hair is that Christine has a couple red streaks through the front, setting off her bright green eyes. She does yoga almost every day to keep her petite five-foot frame in better shape than most forty-something-year-olds, and recently she got a tiny diamond pierced into her nose. If it didn’t match her personality so perfectly, I’d think she was going through a mid-life crisis. She’s one of the most beautiful women I’ve ever seen in real life with her flawless skin and glossy hair. She’s so incredibly sweet and likable, I’d probably hate her just a little bit if I didn’t love her. Plus, she feeds our coffee and sweets addiction, so there’s that.

“Hi, honey. How are you?”

“Good. Did you go to the game? Did you see Grady’s last touchdown?” Bri beams with pride for herfriend.

He started a tradition after he scored his first touchdown on the varsity team where he taps the top of his helmet twice then presses his right fist into his chest over his heart before he points to the stands. He won’t tell anyone why he started it and what it means, but we all know that Bri is part of it, considering it’s always pointed in her direction. I don’t push or ask. But I want to.

“I did, and of course I saw it,” Christine says and grins as she winks at me.

The door to the garage opens again, and this time it’s Grady making his presence known. He throws his gear bag down in the wooden lockers that Barrett built into the house, before kicking off his shoes and walking into the kitchen.

“Ladies,” he says in his loud voice, arms spread wide like he’s the king announcing his presence. His good mood after his win is infectious and has all of us smiling and shaking our heads. His short, dark-blond hair and broad shoulders remind me more and more of his father every day; he could be Barrett’s eighteen-year-old twin. I briefly wonder if Grady’s hair will turn light brown like Barrett’s did over time. His hazel eyes sparkle with green flecks, and his smile shows off his straight white teeth that came from years of living with braces that he finally got off last summer. He’s definitely not lacking for confidence or charm, also much like his father.

All the ladies in the kitchen say hello to Grady, barely looking up from their tasks of setting the food out. A few say “good game” to him but other than that, they’re immune to his charming ways.

“Hey, B,” he says, a smile evident in his voice. He immediately walks over to Bri and places his hand on the small of her back before leaning down to whisper something in her ear.

She smiles but rolls her eyes, clearly amused by whatever he said to her. “Of course,” she says quietly in response to whatever he whispered.

“Good. Hey, Mama C,” he says to Christine and gives her a side hug. Grady has always been an affectionate kid, but he has a soft spot in his heart for Christine.

“Hi, kiddo,” Christine says as she returns his hug.

He walks over and hugs me and lifts me up, his favorite way to embrace me. Then he looks down at the counter. “Awesome. Pulled pork. Thanks, Mom.” He kisses my cheek and then turns to Bri and says, “Wanna get some food and head downstairs?”

“Yeah. I’m starving.”

“Me too.”

They pile plates full of food, grab a couple of drinks from the fridge, and make their way to the basement. I hear the door to the basement open, and loud laughter and teenage voices fill the house. The kids tend to use the basement door when coming and going, one thing we have to monitor regularly. The other moms and I share a smile as the dads all quickly make their way upstairs, almost knocking over Grady and Bri in the process, desperate to get their food before the kids demolish everything in their path.

Less than an hour after the kids have all invaded the home, they’re all heading back out, their own convoy of lights leading the way. Grady and Bri are the last to leave, and he tells her that he’ll follow her to her house so she can drop off her car and get in with him.

“Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad,” Grady says to us, kissing me on top of the head before he heads out the door.

“Bye, son. Bye, Bri. You guys be safe, and Grady, don’t let Bri out of your sight, got it?” Barrett instructs.

Bri’s dad passed away from cancer three years ago and with as close as she always was with Grady, it was natural to welcome her into our fold even more. Christine is doing the best she can, but sometimes a girl needs a dad. While Barrett might not be her dad, nor does he try to be, he definitely shows her that he’s there for her and loves her like his own.