Way To Go Tiger

Chapter 8

Travis's POV

The alarm on my phone buzzed, breaking the silence of the early morning. Ivy was finally asleep in her crib after another long night of restless crying. I barely moved, my body stiff from holding her for hours. I felt Taylor stir beside me, and I could tell she wasn't any more rested than I was.

I blinked a few times, trying to shake off the fog as I glanced at Taylor. She was lying on her side, her eyes half-open but already looking at me with that tired but soft smile I'd grown used to over the past few days. "You okay?" I asked, my voice groggy as I brushed a hand across her hair.

"Barely," she laughed softly. "But we made it through the night."

"Yeah," I said, sighing. "I wish I could stick around this morning."

She gave me a small nod, understanding. I was due at practice in an hour, and as much as I hated leaving her and Ivy, the grind didn't stop.

Before I got up, something popped into my mind. "Hey, Tay, I was thinking..." I hesitated for a moment, rubbing the back of my neck. "I wanted to see if it's cool with you if I invite Patrick and Brittany over later. I want them to meet Ivy. They've been asking about her, and I figured since they're here..."

Taylor's face lit up a little, which was a nice change from the exhaustion that had been sitting heavy between us lately. "Yeah, I think that'd be great," she said. "I haven't seen Brittany in a while, and it'll be nice to have some company."

Her approval gave me a sense of relief. "Alright, I'll let him know. They'll probably swing by this afternoon."

After a quick shower, I kissed Taylor on the forehead and peeked in on Ivy one last time before heading out to practice. Her tiny body was nestled in the crib, fast asleep, and it hit me—again—how much I hated leaving. But I had a job to do.

Practice that day was a blur. My mind kept bouncing between routes and plays and wondering how Taylor was doing back at the dorm with Ivy. Still, I made it through without too much distraction this time. I'd been thinking about what Coach Reid said during our meeting last night. I had to focus, I had to be present, but damn, it was hard.

As soon as practice wrapped up, I made a beeline for Patrick.

"Yo, Pat," I called, jogging up to him as he pulled off his helmet.

"What's up, Kelce?" he asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Hey, you guys still wanna come by and meet Ivy today?" I asked. "Tay's cool with it. I figured after practice, you, Britt, and Sterling could swing by. She's been asking about you guys."

Patrick's face lit up with a grin. "Hell yeah, man. Britt's been dying to meet your little girl. I'll text her now and let her know."

"Perfect," I replied, feeling a sense of excitement build. I hadn't had a lot of visitors since Ivy was born, and it was gonna be good to have some friends around for Taylor too. Maybe it would give her a little break from everything.

Back at the dorm, Taylor was on the bed, gently rocking Ivy in her arms. The moment I stepped through the door, I could tell she was wiped out, but there was a calmness in her now. Ivy was quiet for once, her tiny eyes fluttering open and shut as she snuggled into Taylor's chest.

I set my bag down and walked over, brushing a kiss across Ivy's head. "How's she been?" I asked, my voice low.

"Better today," Taylor replied, her lips curving into a soft smile. "She finally slept a little after you left."

"That's good," I said. "Patrick and Britt should be here soon."

Taylor looked down at Ivy, gently rocking her again. "She's gonna love all the attention. She's already the star of the show."