"Even though you hurt yourself, I'm proud that you are my sister. That was really brave of you, and you were faster than me. Why is that?" he asked, annoyed at the end. I laughed.
"I'm lazy, and that's a fact, but when it comes to people's safety, I become like a cheetah and act on instinct. So, I'm glad I was faster than you because if that hot coffee fell on the little angel's head... Let's just say that it would have been ugly and terrible. But, either way, thank you, Arlo, and please don't tell Theo nor Milo, especially Theo, because he has a game in about fifteen minutes, and he has to focus," I answered with a smile. "By the way, when we will get there?" I asked as I saw the light turn green, and Arlo drove.
"Don't worry, sis, I won't. And we will be there after the next junction," he replied. "I love you, sister," he added, and I smiled warmly at his words.
"Love you too, Arlo."
~~~
"Finally, you came! The game is about to — never mind, it started, now sit," Latoya said after the referee whistled. She was sitting next to Milo, Jude next to Holden, and Jess next to Holden and Alice. I sat next to Alice, and Arlo sat next to me. Wow! It took a lot of time to explain the seating arrangement. But why do I always complicate myself?
"No! I wanted to talk to him before, but I guess I have to do it now," I exclaimed, then stood up when everyone cheering sat in their seats. He will see me for sure.
"Lexi? What are you doing?" Milo asked in a nervous tone. I just smirked and shrugged him off.
I breathed deeply, then placed my palms around my mouth. "Theo!" Most of the crowd turned their heads to me. Theo was heading to stand at the center when he looked at me with wide eyes. He was begging me to shut up, but hell no. I would not be a good sister if I did. "You gotta beat their butts. Don't show mercy, but remember, we don't want to bail you out of jail, so there are limits!" I yelled with a smirk. It was so quiet. No one talked. Theo facepalmed himself, then looked at me.
"Why?" he asked, defeated.
"Because I love you," I replied with a sheepish smile.
A man who had his back to us grabbed Theo's shoulders and, in a loud tone that made us jump, said, "Theo, tell your girlfriend to stay quiet so we can begin."
Theo and I said, "Ew," at the same time. Not again.
"No, you dimwit! He's my big brother. His girlfriend is sitting right next to me," I denied, then placed my hand on Alice's head. Her eyes grew wide, and Theo was shocked.
"Since when?" they both asked. The rest of the crowd listened like it was a movie's premiere. It was a lot better, to tell you the least.
"Since now. Man up, bro, and ask her out! I know that you like each other. I'm sure no one minds a few minutes delay." The crowd nodded without saying anything. It was a fantastic sight, and I sounded like an exceptional leader. Way to be humble, Lexi!
Theo rubbed the nape of his neck and looked at Alice. He finally cleared his throat.
"Alice, will you be my girlfriend?" he asked the question, and Alice smiled widely. She nodded.
"I would love to. Now, please continue the game; we will talk later," she replied, and everyone cheered.
"Now, let's start, and you...." The man next to Theo turned and looked at me, and I was surprised to see him there. What was he doing here?
"Lexi?" Danny asked. I waved my hand. He was the man I met on the plane when I came here; he was with his four-month-old son, Gavin. And twenty-one-year-old brother, Zach.
"Danny? What are you doing here?" I asked, with a smile, completely forgetting about the game. My brothers looked at me like I had killed a bird. Theo put his hand on Danny's shoulder and squeezed it.
"Long story, but for now, we have a game to roll. Theo, let's go," he said, then patted his back. He can't possibly be the coach! He's twenty-seven.
~~~
He was the coach. It was halftime when I saw him shout at Theo's team for instructions. He was too serious but looked committed to his team. Watching the score display a tie, I felt something crawl underneath my legs. I yelled, which made our group snap their heads to me.
"What's wrong?" Arlo stood up, and I looked down. I saw another surprise — baby Gavin looking at me with an adorable smile, and I laughed. I stretched my arms out, got him out, and then kissed his cheek.
"How did you end up here?" I asked him, and he giggled. Alice, Jess, and Latoya cooed.
"I'm sorry for that. He's a troublemaker," a guy said from behind me. His voice was familiar, and I had my guess who he was. I turned around and smiled at Zach. He had not changed except for the short beard on his chin, which made him look over twenty-one years old.
"Hey, Zach, long time no see," I countered as I rubbed my nose with Gavin's nose. Zach seemed surprised to see me, but I sure was not because his brother was the coach. Now, that was a surprise.
"Lexi? What are you doing here?" he asked, and Jess came closer to me. She looked at Zach and crossed her arms.
"It seems you weren't here since the beginning of the game because she made one hell of an entry to her brother. He's the captain, by the way," she clarified. He nodded, then put his hands out for me to hand him the angel, but I declined by hugging him tighter.
Zach chuckled and gave up. We sat in our seats, and I turned to ask him how he had been. It had been three weeks — almost — since I last saw them, or was it a month? I did not know, but I knew that my birthday was in two weeks.
"Sorry to interrupt, but who the hell are you?" Jude asked before any of my brothers could step in and get all protective of me. They did not know who Zach was in person, but I did tell them about him, Danny, and cute, little Gavin. Jude sounded pissed and not happy to see Zach. Why?
"My bad for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Zach, and this is Gavin, my nephew. Along with my brother, Danny — the coach — we met Lexi on a plane a while ago. And relax; I swing the other way," he admitted. "So, don't worry about your girlfriend," he added, making me spit my imaginary juice, also known as spit.
"They are not together! Now that we have cleared things up let's just cheer for Theo and hope they win," Milo blurted out, and we all turned to watch the game at the same time Theo scored the tiebreaker.
~~~
We won. So, we headed to Latoya's workplace to celebrate. Danny, Zach, and Gavin tagged along after we explained everything to Theo, who thought that Zach and Danny had made a move on me. Like, come on, people, I was not the only girl in the world! Give me a break.