Chapter 17

I sent most of my gear back to LA Friday morning. I caught a flight back east to Harrisburg. An Uber hauled me home to Paradise. I arrived mid-afternoon. Yesterday had been a huge day in my professional life. This weekend would be a milestone in my personal life. At least I hoped it would be.

Noah and Connor raced outside to greet me when the Uber pulled up to the curb. The driver had to wait a minute while we hugged and kissed before he could unload my bag. I gave him a generous tip and headed inside with my boys. I greeted Mom and Dad and then took my boys upstairs for a private conversation.

“You played great, Daddy,” Connor gushed as we sat down on the beds in their room.

“We got to watch the whole game,” Noah added. “That was a great touchdown to win the game, Daddy.”

“My team played well and we were fortunate to win,” I said.

“You said you wanted to talk with us,” Connor noted.

“What’s up?”

“You remember how I have explained that you two will always be involved in family decisions?” I said. Both twins nodded agreement. “I want to know what you guys think of the idea of me marrying Heather?”

“Great!” Connor responded instantly.

“What took so long to decide this?” Noah asked. “Heather is fun. She will make a good mom.”

“This is a big decision and adults need time to think things through and make sure we are doing the right thing,” I explained.

“When you marry Heather, do we call her mom?” Noah asked.

“She will be your step-mom,” I answered. “You two will need to talk with Heather to see what she would like you to call her.”

“Will Heather move into your room after you get married?” Connor asked.

“My room?” I asked blankly. “Of course, in my room.” Then it dawned on me what Connor actually meant. “My room in California ... where all of us will live.”

“California?” both twins squawked simultaneously. “We’re moving to California?”

“What about Cub Scouts?” Noah demanded.

“And football?” Connor added.

“Our friends?”

“Swim team?” The twins were firing off questions too fast to answer.

“Calm down,” I finally insisted waving my hands to slow their questions. “They have football in California. They have Cub Scouts. They have swimming. Swimming year round outside.”

“What about Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop and Hunter?” Noah asked.

“What happens with them if we leave?” Connor added.

“They will be fine,” I promised.

“Why can’t you and Heather live here?” Connor demanded.

“Yeah?” Noah agreed.

“We are going to become a family like Uncle Kyle and Aunt Penny or Uncle Will and Aunt Abby. They don’t live here with Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop. Part of being a normal family is living on your own. My job is in California and Heather thinks she has found a job out there too. That is why all of us will be moving to California.”

“I didn’t know getting a mom would include moving away,” Noah remarked.

“It will be a big adventure,” I promised. “You will meet new friends. You’ll see the ocean. How would you like a pool a two-minute walk from our house?”

“A pool?” “ Connor asked. “How often could we go swimming? It’s probably too cold to swim now.”

“It was 81 degrees in LA yesterday,” I said. It was 48 degrees here in Paradise.

“You could swim at Thanksgiving?” Noah asked.

“You could,” I responded. “California is not too hot and not too cold. We have nice weather out there year-round.”

“That would be OK,” Connor allowed.

“You like when I am living with you guys, right?” I asked.

“Of course, Daddy,” Connor said.

“I wish we could do that all the time,” Noah said.

“We can ... in California,” I promised. “You two, Heather and me ... together year-round.”

“That would be cool ... I guess,” Connor said.

“Yeah ... that would be nice,” Noah agreed.

“When do you two get married?” Connor asked.

“When do we move?” Noah added.

“Heather has to say yes when I propose to marry her,” I said. “Then we have to organize the wedding. We have to get ready to move. All of this will take time. It will be months before any of this happens. Certainly, after the football season is over.”

“What we just talked about?” I said. “This needs to be our secret for a little bit. Until I have time to ask Heather and she says yes. Can the two of you keep this secret?”

“Scout’s honor,” Connor said, making the Cub Scout sign as he promised.

Noah mimicked his brother, “Me too.”

“When will we find out if Heather said yes?” Noah added.

“I will ask her over dinner,” I answered. “I hope she says yes and then we will go dancing to celebrate. You two will hear tomorrow morning.”

“Aaawwwhhh...” both twins protested.

“Scat!” I announced. “I need to get ready for my date.”

I made reservations at John J. Jefferies, an upscale restaurant near the ball park on the north end of Lancaster. Mom and Dad had eaten there on Valentine’s Day and said the place was fantastic. I called for reservations earlier in the week, before the Dallas game. They would have their finest bottle of Champagne Brut on hand for Heather and me after I proposed.

Heather had bought a new dress for the evening. God, I hoped she said yes. This woman was so beautiful. I needed her in the worst way.

John Jefferies specializes in farm-to-table cooking. We ended up with the Fritz Family Farm pork chops. They were delicious. Heather and I were on edge a little as we ate. Both of us knew what was coming after our entree. I steeled my nerves as we ate. This was real. This was happening. I took a deep breath when Heather finished her asparagus and I took a knee in front of her. I felt like everyone in the restaurant was staring at us. I took another breath and launched into the words I had practiced so often in the last week.

“Heather, we’ve known each other for most of our lives,” I began. “You are the first girl I asked for a date. We’ve dated, made love, fought and broke up. The best thing that has happened in my life is reconnecting with you at the reunion last summer. I have always loved you. That love has deepened and matured over the last six months. I feel I am finally worthy of you. I promise to keep and protect you. I promise to express my love for you every day, for the rest of our lives. Heather, will you marry me?”

“Andy...” Heather began before pausing. “Our history together has been...” I was ready to panic. Had I misread Heather? “ ... unique. I love you dearly. If someone had told me when we finished high school that we would be here tonight ... like this, I wouldn’t have believed them.”

“I’m not the same guy anymore,” I blurted out. Heather smiled.

“I know you’re not. That is why I am saying yes. I will marry you, Andy.”

We both stood up, hugged and kissed. We noticed nearly everyone smiling at us after we sat down again. The waiter, with impeccable timing, swooped in with the champagne. He poured flutes for each of us before withdrawing.

“To a long and happy life together,” I proposed as I raised my glass. Heather clinked her glass gently to mine before we sipped our drink.

“To a long and happy life ... together,” Heather agreed.

“You up for ring shopping tomorrow?” I asked.

“Of course,” Heather agreed. “What’s up for the rest of the night?”

“Dessert first,” I answered. “Mom says the chocolate cake here is to-die-for ... Peanut Butter Mousse, Chocolate Ganache and Crème Anglaise.”

“That’s sounds intriguing,” Heather said. “After that?”

“I thought we could celebrate by going dancing at the club in Eden,” I suggested.

“What about our families?” Heather asked. “Don’t you think the twins are wondering how things are going? How is your mom going to get them to bed if they are wondering whether they are getting a new mom?”

“Fair point,” I agreed. “Talk with our families this evening and go dancing tomorrow night?”

“That’s a plan,” I agreed.

Mom was correct about the cake. It was scrumptious. We lingered, finishing the bottle of champagne. We headed back to Paradise after I settled the bill. I left a big tip for waiter. He had been superb.

“I suppose we are looking at a wedding after your season ends?” Heather commented as we were driving to my place.

“An in-season wedding wouldn’t work too well,” I said. “A wedding after practice and film study? A one-day honeymoon on my day off? I don’t think so.”

“Soon after the end of the season or closer to summer?”

“I’d just as soon get the wedding done sooner than later,” I replied. “Every day we are apart hurts. I want to spend my life with you.”

“We will have to see what we can work out,” Heather said. “A wedding in February or March doesn’t leave much time to prepare.”

“I am sure between you, your mom and my mom, you’ll work things out,” I said. “Will and Kyle already warned me to say, ‘Yes, dear. Whatever you want, dear.’ I suspect my brothers know what they are talking about.”

“Will and Kyle do have good heads on their shoulders,” Heather agreed, smirking. “Let’s head for your house and let your ... uh, our boys know about the news.”

“Our boys ... I like that,” I said. “I know the boys will like that too.”

We headed back to Paradise. Heather called ahead and warned my mom to allow the twins to stay up a little later, if necessary. We came bearing news. She also called ahead to her parents, to let them know we would stop by after we got the boys to sleep.

The twins rushed the front door when we got home, dressed in their pajamas and ready for bed ... almost.

“Are you going to marry our daddy?” Noah demanded after giving Heather a hug around her waist.

“Are you?” Connor parroted as he hugged her too. “Will you be our Mommy?”

“Yes, Noah,” Heather replied. “Yes Connor, I am marrying your dad. We will see about what you call me later, after your dad and I are married. Right now, I am still Heather to the two of you.”

Mom, Dad, Liz and Liz’s boyfriend, Chris Sanders, followed into the hallway as Heather explained about our evening and the upcoming nuptials.

I wasn’t surprised to see Liz or Chris. Chris came home from college with Liz to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family. They were staying together in Liz’s room this weekend. I was surprised to see Penny, Will and Abby. Penny brought Davey and Jessie up and was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with her parents, three doors down from us. Will and Abby were staying over at Abby’s parents’ place this weekend. The little kids didn’t come when Penny, Will and Abby got the call to come over to help Heather and I celebrate our engagement. Davey and Jessie were with Penny’s mom. Rose and Danny were with Abby’s dad and mom. Hunter was at the back of the crowd, yawning. The poor little guy was tired but couldn’t go to bed with all the commotion.

The only family member missing was Kyle. He was out in Denver, preparing to play Andy Reid’s Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. He had been home last week, during his bye week.

We moved the family gathering to the family room and everyone found seats and we answered a million question about our plans – most of the answers hadn’t been determined yet. At 8:15 I announced it was bedtime for the boys. Heather took Noah and Connor upstairs to bed while I carried Hunter. He was half asleep already. We did a bedtime story. Hunter was asleep before Connor finished reading the first paragraph. It took much too long to quiet the excited boys and get them to sleep.

Heather stopped at the downstairs bathroom before we headed over to her parents. I noticed Chris nod towards me and motion for me to come over. I followed him to the hallway where we were alone.

“I knew there would be a lot of fuss here this weekend but I thought I was going to cause it,” Chris stated as he looked me in the eye.

“Oh?” He reached into his pocket and pulled a small block box out.

“I planned to ask Liz to marry me at dinner tomorrow night,” Chris said. “After all this ... should I?”

“Of course,” I insisted. “You love my sister. You’re a great guy who will treat her well. Why should Heather and me getting engaged stop you two? Are you sure Liz will say yes?”

“She will ... I think,” Chris responded. “We have talked about our future ... together. She doesn’t know about tomorrow night. It’s just ... getting engaged ... and married is a big step.”

“Liz is the right girl for you?” I asked.

“Yes,” Chris responded.

“You love her?”

“I do.”

“Ask her,” I said. “I have no regrets in asking Heather. I feel great, now that our future is set. Where are you taking Liz for dinner tomorrow?”

“Um ... I don’t know,” Chris said. “I don’t know restaurants in Lancaster. Do you have a suggestion?”

“John Jefferies on Harrisburg Pike in Lancaster did well for Heather and me tonight,” I said. “Call them first thing in the morning and make reservations,” I suggested. “Tell you what. I’ll spring for the champagne so the two of you can celebrate after she says yes.”

“You will?”

“Anything for my future brother-in-law,” I responded as I shook his hand.

“Thanks ... thanks, Andrew,” Chris responded just as Heather came out of the bathroom.

“Enjoy your dinner tomorrow night, Chris,” I said as I gave me fiancée a hug and a kiss. “Let’s go give the good news to your parents.”

“What were you shaking Chris’ hand for?” Heather asked as we headed outside for my car.

“I’ll explain in the car,” I answered. Once we were clear of my house, I explained what Chris planned for tomorrow night.

“He’s popping the question too?” Heather laughed. “To a girl who swore she wasn’t going to get serious about guys until she finished law school?”

“The very same,” I answered. “It seems feelings change when you find the right person, who happens to be going to the same law school.”

“They do,” Heather agreed.

“Chris is the right guy for Liz,” I replied. “It’s easy to settle down when you find the right person. I know, I found the right person for me and I am delighted.”

When we got to Heather’s house, we found Bob and Debra Miller had called in reinforcements to help us celebrate our news. Heather’s brother Jon and his wife Amy were there too. Brian, their oldest son and fourteen now, was left to babysit Ben, who was nine.

We made the grand announcement to everyone. “Brother-in-law ... I like the sound of that,” Jon said as he shook my hand.

“You know, this means you are losing an assistant cubmaster,” I said. “I am stealing your sister and taking her to Los Angeles. I am sure there is a pack out there that could use an assistant cubmaster.”

Jon laughed. “I signed on to ‘help out a little.’ I didn’t mind helping Justin and then Jim out when he ran the show. Next thing you know, Jim is moving on and the pack needs someone experienced to run it. Damn! I was experienced now.” He laughed evilly. “You’re experienced now too. Don’t be surprised if they don’t want to give you a promotion when you sign your boys up for Cubs out there.”

“I might even be able to make that work ... out there,” I responded.

After a round of congratulations, the women took over and started planning for the wedding. Bob, Jon and I were left behind as spectators as the ladies planned. We kept our mouths shut except to agree on cue with whatever the ladies discussed. At least it worked that way until we got to money.

“I don’t want to step on your toes, Bob,” I said. “I know the father of the bride usually takes pride in providing a nice wedding for his daughter, but this thing is going to grow considerably bigger than normal. I have high school teammates and coaches to invite. College coaches and teammates, to say nothing of my professional coaches and teammates. I insist at minimum in covering the costs of my football related guests.”

“That is fair, Andy,” Bob agreed. “I won’t argue with you about that. I suspect between your guest list and the fact that this is the one wedding Deb will get to plan, it is going to be a doozy. Seems that my oldest offspring robbed his mother of her chance to play mother-of-the-groom.”

“We were young and dumb,” Jon laughed. “The start of our marriage was rough but I wouldn’t change a thing if I had it to do over.”

“Brian is turning out to be a pretty nice young man,” Bob observed. “No worries about him getting some girl pregnant like his old man?”

“Oh God!” Jon laughed. “It will be a miracle if he gets through high school without knocking some girl. Since he got promoted to varsity and he scored a winning touchdown, the girls have been hanging all over him.”

“Wait! What?” I stuttered. “I thought Brian was playing on the JV team. What this about him and varsity?”

“The varsity’s starting tight end got hurt in the first playoff game against Governor Mifflin,” Jon explained. “Coach Turner called Brian up from JV to fill in.” He laughed. “He did well. He caught the winning touchdown to beat Shippensburg two weeks ago.”

“That’s impressive?” I replied. “His first game on varsity?”

“My big sports hero son pretty much has the pick from the pretty ninth and tenth grade girls,” Jon said. “I couldn’t guess how many he’s bedded since we beat them.”

“The best part of being a grandfather?” Bob laughed. “It is getting to watch your offspring go through the same pain in the ass trials as they gave you.”

I laughed along with Bob. “You wait, buddy,” Jon teased. “You get to deal with two horny teenagers in not too many years.”

“In due time,” I agreed amiably. “I still get to enjoy them as little boys for a few more years.”

“Are you going to come see tomorrow’s game?” Jon asked.

“We probably should, Andy,” Heather added. “It might be a while before we get to see our nephew play again.”

“I hadn’t planned on going, but I guess we can,” I allowed.

The women hadn’t reached any final decisions but they had ideas for when they sat down with my mom. Heather and I hung out with her family until 9:30 PM. Heather grabbed an overnight bag and came back to my house for the night. Mom and Dad sent us down to the basement, with a warning to lock the door so the kids wouldn’t get an eyeful if they wandered downstairs tomorrow morning.

It was OK for Liz and Chris to share a bedroom down the hall from the kids, but my room was too close. I understood. When I was growing up the kids’ room was mine and I remembered how you heard EVERYTHING Will did with Abby and Kyle did with his many girlfriends through the thin wall separating the two bedrooms.

I got a call before we got too busy. “You coming to tomorrow’s game, Andy?” Justin Baer asked after I answered his call.

“I guess,” I said. “My sweetie wants to me to see her, um ... well our nephew play while I have the chance.”

“Your nephew?” Just laughed. “You finally popped the question to Heather.”

“I did,” I replied, grinning from ear to ear. “Tonight. Heather said yes.”

“Of course, she did,” Justin responded. “Damn, dude, that is great news. I hope you and Heather make it to the game. The kids will get a kick out of having one of the school’s NFL players at the game.”

“I guess you don’t get that very often,” I said. “Usually we are kind of busy on a Saturday at the end of November, getting ready for our own game on Sunday.”

“I understand,” Justin said. “By the way, dude, congrats on beating Dallas yesterday. That was epic.”

“Where is the game?” I asked. “I forgot to ask Jon earlier tonight.”

“Hershey Stadium,” Justin laughed. “I suspect you can find the place.”

“Yeah, I think I can find it,” I laughed. “See you tomorrow.”

Heather and I celebrated by making sweet love twice before we fell asleep. I was up early the next morning. I made a big breakfast for Heather and the three boys. After cleaning up my mess, Heather and I headed to the jewelers in New Holland to purchase an engagement ring.

We spent an hour reviewing options and settings before Heather finally settled on the one she wanted. The ring would be ready in a few days. I signed a check for a small fortune. It is a good thing I have a big fortune to cover the cost.

Heather and I made two big decisions on the way home from New Holland. My best man and Heather’s maid of honor would be the two people who got us together just before we started high school – Eric and Sammy Connell.

Heather and I took the twins out to an early lunch so we could talk with them more about what was coming. They had a million questions about us, our family, the wedding and the move to California. Heather and I answered the questions we could and did our best to guess at what might happen and when we would know for sure. The boys weren’t enthusiastic about the move last night, but today they seemed to be warming to the idea.

Heather and I brought my boys along to watch the Paradise Wolverines play Manheim Central for the District 3 championship. I ran into three guys I played with back in high school, Cody Stevens, Kevin Peachey and Garrett Houseman. Villanova did not make the playoffs so Cody was home. Kevin and Garrett did not play football in college, so they were home this weekend.

Heather and I sat with Jon, Debra and Ben. Billy Baer played spectacularly, racking up 192 yards and two TDs. Brian contributed with some good blocking on Billy’s runs. He was one of the heroes of the game, catching 7 passes for 121 yards, including one for a TD and another for a two-point play after the final Wolverine’s touchdown. The two-point play put our Wolverines up four points with 0:33 left on the clock. We beat Central 32-28.

Our moms had been busy this morning. Heather, my Mom and I had a meeting with Heather’s mom at 7:00 PM that evening to start planning our wedding. I was mostly a spectator while the ladies planned. We agreed on a number of items. We would try to get the Eden Resort for the reception. The wedding would be at our church. We would ask Reverend Hollinger to officiate. He had retired October 1st, but still filled in part time at local churches. Our church was looking for a new minister, so we knew it wouldn’t be any problem to bring in someone from outside. Not that the Rev was an outsider, after spending the better part of twenty years as the pastor at our church.

I took Heather out for dinner and then we went over to the club on Route 23 in Eden for some dancing. I had a flashback to Vicky Sponaugle as we were standing outside, waiting our turn to show our IDs and pay the cover to get inside.

“Do you have any objections to me inviting African-Americans to our wedding?” I asked.

“Why would I?” Heather asked blankly. “Aren’t most of the Rams teammates you plan to invite African-American?”

“They are,” I confirmed. “Not everyone is so open-minded. I just wanted to be sure.”

“No, I am fine with whoever you invite,” Heather responded. That was a relief to know.

Heather and I had a good time dancing and mingling with the crowd at the club. I didn’t get recognized once, which was fine. I knew that wouldn’t be the case out in LA. I was the leading receiver on the Rams and my face was getting well known around town.

Liz had big news for Heather and me when we returned home. Chris had worked up his courage and asked for Liz’s hand in marriage at John Jefferies earlier that evening. Chris thanked me again for the bottle of champagne. It was excellent. Liz and Chris figured they would have their wedding in July. They understood with two brothers in the NFL, that they would need to work around our schedules if they wanted to see me or Kyle.

Heather and I headed downstairs to our basement lair and celebrated our engagement properly, three times before we fell into an exhausted sleep. Heather drove me to the airport in Harrisburg early Sunday morning. I had a 7:15 AM flight to Charlotte and then another to LA.

I returned Monday morning to a budding controversy. Dylan Harris had gotten his cast off his hand but faced four to six weeks of rehab before he could play again. Mark Shaeffer had cleared concussion protocol and was ready to play again. Jay had played spectacularly since replacing Mark. On Tuesday, he was named the NFC Offensive player of the Week for his victory over Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. In two games my friend had completed 45 passes on 66 attempts for 669 yards and 6 touchdowns with no interceptions. His QB rating was an unworldly 131.4. How do you bench someone with those stats? The answer to that question was, Coach Tolbert didn’t. Mark would back up Jay for our game on Sunday against the Cardinals.

I passed word around the team about my engagement and warned them to expect wedding invitations for our nuptials sometime in February or March. I did some research too. My condo was in the Las Virgenes Unified School District and my boys would most likely go to White Oak Elementary School, about three-quarters of a mile from my condo. The web said it was a good school. I called in a favor at the local Scout office. I had done a promotional video for Back to School night in the fall. The local district executive was assigned to help me find a Cub Pack for Noah and Connor.

The Cardinals season hadn’t gone well. They won three games since we faced them in the second week. They were firmly in last place in our division. They lost twice to Seattle, lost to San Francisco and once to us. Losing all your division games wasn’t the formula to winning season. Ed stayed at QB. Their offensive line was a mess and Ed was getting beat up.

Ed Fritz caught up with me on the field during warm-ups. “Kyle told me congratulations are in order,” Ed stated as we shook hands. “After ten years, you finally caught Heather. Can you keep this time around?”

“Yes, I think I can,” I agreed, laughing. “I’ve matured some since I pursued her back in high school. Actually, we both have. How about you? You still running around with a different girl every weekend?”

“Uh ... not so much,” Ed replied. “I’ve been dating this girl who works for the Cardinals in their ticket office for the past couple months.”

“What’s her name?”

“Rosario ... Rosario Cruz,” Ed answered. “I hope this works out. She’s pretty special.”

“I hope it does too,” I agreed. “Good luck today, but not too much luck.”

“Yeah,” Ed agreed, smirking. “Tell your defensive line I’m a nice guy. They don’t need to pound me into the turf.”

“I’ll pass the word along,” I promised. Both of us went back to warming up for our contest.

I didn’t quite get around to telling Chris Long and his line-mates that Ed was a nice guy. They didn’t pound him into the turf ... too much. The game went the way the prognosticators expected and our fans desired. Our team dominated the Cardinals from beginning to the end of the game. We won 34-16. I caught another touchdown to bring my season total to twelve. I was leading the NFC. Kyle, with thirteen, was leading the AFC and the league. I also passed a thousand yards receiving. That feat took me fifteen games last season. This year I passed the milestone in eleven games.

The only blemish on the game was that Jay threw two interceptions. The first wasn’t really his fault. Mike Wemberly had a well-thrown ball tip off his fingertips and into the hands of a Cardinal safety. The second one was just a brain fart. Jay threw the ball directly to the cornerback covering me when I ran an out route and he threw to an in route. It happens sometimes.

I kept up my nightly calls home before my boys’ bedtime each evening. I also Skyped with Heather most nights after the boys went to bed. One of the evenings she reported her mom found out the Eden Resort and our church were both available on March 11, 2017. Heather and I agreed to have her mom make the arrangements. That would be our wedding date.

Next up for our team was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This was an away game. This shortened our week of preparation. The Bucs weren’t an elite team by any stretch of the imagination but they weren’t doormats either. Quinton MacElree, their fourth year QB, had his team at 5-7. They had beaten Denver, San Francisco and Seattle, all excellent teams. They also lost to the Cardinals and the Raiders, two of the weaker teams in the league. It was hard to prepare for them. They seemed schizophrenic. Which team would we see?

Unfortunately for our team, we played the team that beat the Broncos, 49ers and Seahawks. The game was a one o’clock game on the East Coast. That was always challenging for a West Coast team, though we had beaten Atlanta and Buffalo on the East Coast this season. Jay threw a pick-six interception on our first drive. Our team was discombobulated and never got in synch during the game. We lost 20-10. I caught passes for over a hundred yards but didn’t score any touchdowns. Jay played like an undrafted rookie free agent, completing 17 of 31 passes for 221 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.

A very chastened team took the red-eye home to Los Angeles. We knew we had blown a good opportunity to pull ahead of our division rivals. Our schedule was going to be challenging. We hosted Seattle next Sunday and then played the Patriots in Foxboro on Christmas Day followed by finishing the regular season in San Francisco.