𝑱𝑼𝑺𝑻 𝑭𝑶𝑹 𝑨 𝑴𝑶𝑴𝑬𝑵𝑻 (18+)

Epilogue

Jess on the other hand was smooth sailing in her relationship with Adam. Devon and I attended her and Adam's wedding a year ago in Florida, getting a first-hand look at their everlasting love. She may have looked like an angel on her wedding day, but she gave me hell during the months leading up to it. I was her maid of honor so any four A.M. freakouts she had were directed to my line, and I was responsible for making sure things went smoothly when she was going full-on bridezilla. The tantrums, panic attacks, and early morning phone calls were all worth it, because seeing her and Adam on stage confessing their love to their friends and family was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. It got me thinking about my own future and Devon and I's timeline for when we were going to tie the knot. We weren't in a rush or anything but when all of your friends are getting married, it tends to be the only thing you think about.

I pulled into the garage of our starter home and ran inside the house, checking my voicemail before running up to the bathroom. I spent some of my free time teaching a college-level course on early childhood education, so my email and voicemail were always what I checked coming home from school. Once I'd finished that, I tore my clothes off while I made my way up the stairs, throwing them in our bedroom to deal with them later. Devon was going to kill me if I were late and I didn't feel like being the recipient of a guilt trip. I attended every game of Devon's that I could and when I wasn't able to make it he didn't throw much of a fit. I didn't understand why this one was so important but like the supportive NFL girlfriend I was, I was going to show up and cheer my man on as loud as I could.

The strangest part about being the girlfriend to a professional football player? My life was no longer private, just like his. People wanted to know how I coped with his busy schedule and if I worried about him cheating. They wanted to know when we were getting married and dubbed every bloated picture of me as a pregnancy announcement. It was exhausting and invasive but I tried to look on the bright side, no matter how hard it was.

I got out of the shower and dried off quickly, taking my time with moisturizing my body. Once I was done I slipped on the outfit I had planned out yesterday, did some quick makeup, and was back out the door to the football stadium. I wasn't worried about beating the crowd, I sat near the front during every game I attended like the spoiled girlfriend I was. I was worried about why there was so much riding on this particular game compared to the others?

What did you have up your sleeve Devon Washington?

With a few minutes to spare I parked my car in the garage and rushed into the stadium, stopping when I saw my friends and family already in the seats in the front. I slowly approached them, questioning if the stress was making me see things until my mother shot up and hugged me.

"What are you guys doing here? I mean Tony, Liv, and Sandra I get but you guys never make a game?"

My mother brushed me off as if I'd offended her and took a seat next to my dad. I did my rounds saying hello to everyone, trying to find out why they were all here. Tony and Sandra who were happily back together were tight-lipped, adamantly telling me they were just there to support their son. Olivia, who was now nineteen and gorgeous, also didn't have any secret reason for being here other than supporting her brother. Realizing, I wasn't getting anywhere with the Washingtons I turned my attention to the Whites, targeting the youngest of them all. I scooped up the five-year-old Kristine and promised her all the candy in the world if she told me why everyone was at the game today. Before she could spill her guts, Tyler grabbed her and handed her to Rachel shaking his head.

"Bribing a five-year-old? I expected more from you."

"Are you going to tell me why you're all here or not?"

He smiled and returned to his seat, taking his niece in his lap. "Not at all, and she's not snitching either."

Rachel, James, and Laura also proved to be no help at all, only distracting me with idle chat until it was time to rise for the National Anthem. There was no use trying to get anything out of Tyler and Maya, and I damn sure wasn't going to find out from Adam and Jess so I sat and pouted, hoping someone would feel bad and spill the beans. Even Caleb and Dana refused to tell me anything, those traders.