"Let me go mommy!"
Olivia's grip tightened on the small, wiggling hand.
"Let goooo!"
"Stand still or I'm getting your grandpa to take you to the car." There was no way the mother was leaving her spot, but she would happily send any of her family members away with her youngest daughter.
"I wanna go up there!"
"GiGi," Sienna hissed.
Jackson stood next to them, playing with the lanyard around his neck, ignoring the feisty women he called his family.
"It's not fair mommy," Gianna whined.
"Not everything is fair, baby girl. One day it'll be your turn to do something that your siblings can't," Olivia lectured. The moment was nerve wracking enough, so she tried her best to sound calm.
Because several yards in front of them, Spencer sat at a table on an elevated platform with a microphone positioned in front of him. He was already dressed down after the game in his black hoodie with his chain hanging from his neck. On his wrist was his favorite watch, and between his arms was his carbon copy.
Sitting quietly, Caleb matched his father in a black hoodie and chain.
"Mr. James, what do you think was the key to today's win?"
Spencer rattled off an answer about how the team was nothing without their defense, and then nodded at the next reporter.
The woman stood and smiled. "Hi Caleb."
Olivia stopped breathing, and the room went silent while they waited for the little boy to respond.
"Hi," he mumbled at the table. The microphone barely picked up his soft voice, but everyone in his family had heard it. Gianna opened her mouth to speak, but Olivia squeezed her hand, quieting her.
"How do you think your dad played today?"
Spencer smiled and tilted his head towards Caleb, who stared off at the wall, lips sealed. Anxiously waiting for her son to say something, Olivia shifted her weight from one foot to the next. But after thirty seconds, nothing came.
"He'll give me a full review at home," Spencer chuckled into the mic, saving his son and drawing a laugh from the room.
Olivia exhaled and hoped her son would turn in her direction so that she could give him a reassuring smile. Or maybe she wished that Spencer would turn and give her a reassuring smile. Because she deserved that much after he completely caught her off guard.
Their agreement had always been that they would keep their kids away from the media. They would let them catch glimpses of their dad, but they would keep them out of it. So imagine her shock when she walked into the press room, expecting to find Caleb waiting with Billy, only to see him sitting up on the stage, facing the mass of yelling reporters.
And at first, she had been upset. Her sweet baby boy was shy, and he didn't need people badgering him. But then, as the conference went on, she noticed that he didn't seem uncomfortable. He sat still, frozen like a statue. But far from uncomfortable. He was absorbing everything, in his own quiet way.
And while his dad continued to go back and forth with the reporters, Caleb let his gaze drift around the room, taking in the all the cameras and people holding up phones up to their faces. A nice looking man smiled at him, and he raised his hand, giving a hesitant wave. A collective chuckle rolled through the room and he froze, snapping his head over his shoulder to finally look at his family members. They were all staring at him with wide smiles.
His father continued to speak above him, and his eyes lingered on his twin, who was waving her arms dramatically at him. A smile tugged at his lips. GiGi was silly.
Next to her, Jackson gave him a double thumbs up, and next to him, Sienna nodded encouragingly. Most of the time, his older sister had an attitude with his siblings, but she was always kind to him. He nodded back at her, and she clasped her hands under her chin, smiling.
"You can do it, Caleb," she mouthed.
He blinked back at her. From so far away, he couldn't interpret what she was saying, but her warm facial expression was all he needed to gain some courage.
So when he heard a pause in his dad's speech, he leaned towards the microphone. "My daddy plays with me in the backyard," he whispered.
Proud, Spencer nudged him. "A little louder buddy."
"My daddy plays football with me at our home," Caleb repeated.
Spencer smiled. "That's right. This past bye week, I had a replacement coach..."
Caleb looked at the crowd then wrapped his small hands around the microphone, cutting his dad off. "But I play better."
Several jaws dropped, and in the wings, Olivia froze.
"Oh boy."