Way To Go Tiger

Chapter 10

Travis's POV

The last week of training camp was always the hardest. My body was worn out, my mind stretched thin, and my heart felt like it was constantly being pulled between two worlds—football and my family. Taylor had been incredible, handling so much of the weight when it came to Ivy, especially with her feeding schedule. Ivy was still eating every two hours, and Taylor had switched to a mix of breastfeeding and bottle-feeding, which allowed me to get more sleep at night. But despite the extra rest, the stress of camp and being a new dad was wearing me down.

Every day felt like a blur—wake up, practice, head back to the dorm where Taylor and Ivy were staying. I loved them more than anything, but the demands of camp made it hard to be as present as I wanted to be.

When I walked into the dorm room that evening, everything was quiet. The lights were dim, and Taylor sat on the bed, looking absolutely drained. Ivy was finally asleep in her crib, the first time in what felt like hours that the dorm was free from her crying.

I was exhausted from practice, but all I wanted was to hold my baby girl. I missed her. Without thinking, I walked over to the crib and gently lifted Ivy into my arms. Her tiny body squirmed in my grasp, and before I could even register what I'd done, her soft whimper turned into a full-on cry.

Taylor whipped her head toward me, her face a mix of frustration and exhaustion. "Travis, I just got her to sleep," she said, her voice strained.

Shit. I didn't mean to wake her up. I just...missed her.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, bouncing Ivy in my arms in an attempt to calm her down. Her wails only grew louder, and the tension in the room was palpable.

Taylor stood up, crossing the room quickly. Without saying a word, she gently took Ivy from my arms. As soon as she had her in her embrace, she started rocking her back and forth, murmuring soft words to soothe her.

I watched in silence, feeling guilty and a little useless. Taylor had been doing so much on her own. And the truth was, she was right to be upset. I hadn't even thought about the fact that she'd been the one handling everything while I was away at practice all day.

"She's been crying all day," Taylor said softly, her voice a mix of exhaustion and defeat as she continued rocking Ivy in her arms. "I'm trying, Travis, but I just...I can't do this by myself anymore."

"I know," I said quietly. "I'm sorry, Tay. I didn't think. I just wanted to hold her."

"I know you did," she sighed. "But I can't keep doing this alone. As much as you want to help, you can't be here during the day. You're at practice, and when you're back, you need sleep. And I get it—you need to rest for camp, but that leaves me here, dealing with Ivy by myself."

Her words hit me hard because she was right. I wanted to be there for her and Ivy, but camp had consumed so much of my energy and time. I thought I was helping by letting her handle the nights, but in reality, she was carrying so much more than I realized.

"I've been thinking..." Taylor's voice trailed off as she finally got Ivy to quiet down, her tiny body curling into Taylor's chest. "I'm going to head back home tomorrow. My mom's coming to stay with us for a few weeks."

I blinked, processing what she was saying. "Your mom?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to ask her for help at first. I thought I could handle it on my own, but I can't," Taylor admitted, her voice heavy with exhaustion. "It's not fair to Ivy, and it's not fair to you. You can't do much when you're at camp all day and need to sleep at night. And I can't keep doing this by myself."

The guilt settled deeper in my chest. Taylor wasn't one to ask for help easily, so I knew she must've been feeling overwhelmed. "Tay, I didn't know you were feeling like this."

She shook her head. "I didn't either at first. But after these last few weeks, I've realized I can't be everything for Ivy on my own. And with you at camp, we need more help."

"I should be doing more," I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "I hate that you feel like you have to do this alone."

"You're doing what you can, but it's just not enough right now," she said softly, not in a harsh way but with a kind of acceptance that cut deep. "It's okay to need help. I do. And my mom wants to be here for us, so I'm letting her."

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of the situation. "Okay. If that's what you need, then I support it. I don't want you to feel like you're drowning."

Taylor gave a small, tired smile. "Thanks. I just think...it's what's best for Ivy right now."

I wanted to protest, to tell her that I could handle more, but deep down, I knew she was right. Training camp wasn't going to slow down, and I couldn't keep expecting her to shoulder everything alone. Her mom coming to help wasn't a failure—it was the right thing for all of us.

"I love you," I said, stepping closer to her and wrapping an arm around both her and Ivy. "And I'm going to figure out how to balance this better. You shouldn't have to carry all of it."

Taylor leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. "I love you too. And we'll figure it out. It's just...a lot right now."