Chasing Home (NFL)

Childish Fun

“I've watched from a distance as you made life your own
Every sky was your own kind of blue
And I wanted to know how that would feel
And you made it so real
You showed me something that I couldn't see
You opened my eyes
And you made me believe”

– “Crazier” by Taylor Swift

Chapter 44: Childish Fun

            A week passed successfully without any major disruptions in my life. The Patriots lost the Bills, but I was not too worried about that at the moment. Tuesday night, Freya came home talking about her new boyfriend. It sounded like she was rushing things, but I was not going to judge her. This was what was going through my mind while I was at work the next day.

            “Hey, Lauren,” Rob greeted me as he entered my office.

            “Hey, Rob,” I said with a smile. He often came in just to talk with me, saying that it helped him to be my friend. I loved talking to him, so I did not object. “What’s going on?”

            “Not much,” Rob said as he sat down perpendicular to me. “Just trying to prepare for the next game. How are you doing?”

            “Not bad, thanks.” I did not want to go into my newest problem. He would not understand.

            “What about Freya? Has she been up to anything lately?”

            There was nothing unusual about him asking about our mutual friend, but there was something about his tone – it was more than curious and almost eager – that caught my attention. “She’s been great,” I said carefully. “She just started dating someone, actually.”

            “Oh.” He was still smiling, but there was something off about his tone. It was almost as if he was… disappointed.

            I chose my words carefully before responding. “Is everything alright?”

            “How long has she known this guy?”

            I shrugged. “The beginning of the semester.”

            Rob frowned, which was unusual for him. “She’s rushing into it. This is what she did last time, and that did not end well. She should slow down and get to know a guy first.”

            “I agree. I’m concerned for her as well. She’s the opposite of me – she latches on way too easily.”

            “She needs a guy she knows will be a good friend as well as boyfriend. Someone who will be there for her and so anything to make her happy.” He spoke with firm conviction and determination in his eyes.

            “Like you?” I said casually, deciding to throw out a line.

            Rob’s eyes widened. “What? No! That is not what I meant. Forget I said anything.” He stood up so suddenly that it caused me to flinch. “I have to go now, but it was nice talking to you. See you later, Lauren.”

            I blinked. He was gone before I could say anything else. I knew exactly what was going on. It may have been hard for me to read Tom, but reading Rob was easier than reading a billboard. I would have to think about exactly how to use this information. Maybe I would get more out of him later.

            A minute later, someone else walked through the door. This time, it was Tom Brady. I could not help but smile as I stood up and walked forward to greet him. “Hi, Tom.”

            “Hello, Lauren,” Tom said, smiling back at me. I was surprised when he hugged me, but I gladly returned it, feeling slightly disappointed when he pulled away. “How are you today?”

            “I’m good.” We walked over to the couch and sat down next to each other. “Oh, Rob has a crush on Freya.”

            Tom grinned. “That’s awesome.”

            “She just got a boyfriend who is not Rob. And he knows.”

            His grin faded into a frown. “That’s not good. I’ll talk to him later and try to cheer him up.”

            “Good.” I paused. Sometimes he came in here randomly to chat, but there was often something specific he wanted to talk about. “Is there something on your mind?”

            “Yes. I was wondering if you could my son for me next week.” He gave me a slight smile that seemed almost nervous.

            I blinked. “Your son?” I had forgotten he had a son. He had not talked about him at all with me. Of course, there were certain personal things I had not mentioned to him either.

            Tom nodded. “His mom has business in Boston, and she asked me to watch him. I would only need you to keep him in here with you during practice and to watch him during the game. He’s never seen me play live.”

            “I suppose that’s fine.” I could not find any reason to object, though there was something that bothered me about it that I could not place.

            “You know how to deal with children, don’t you?”

            “Yeah. I’ve looked after Cooper’s kids several times.” Somehow, this seemed different.

            Tom smiled at me. “Thanks, Lauren. I know you’ll love him.”
 
***

            Freya had a date with her boyfriend Tuesday night while I had plans with Tom. He was going to come over to introduce me to his son before I started babysitting duties the next day at work. I had not been home from class for long before I heard a knock on the door. I immediately headed to the door and opened it.

            “Hey, Lauren,” said Tom brightly. In his arms, he held an adorable brown-haired four-year-old. “This is Jack.” He smiled at the boy. “Jack, meet your new friend, Lauren.”

            Any apprehension I had previous vanished as I caught the little boy’s eyes. “Hello, Jack,” I said with a warm smile. “It’s nice to meet you.” I stepped off to the side so that they could come in.

            “Hi,” Jack said shyly. Tom set him on the ground before closing the door.

            “So, what are we going to do?” I asked Tom.

            The quarterback shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

            Was this a test? I tried to think back to the games I had played with my niece and nephews. I did not have any toys here, so I was going to have to use my imagination. Then a game came to me that I thought the boy might enjoy. “Jack, do you want to play horse?” I got down before him on my hands and knees. “Climb on my back.”

            “Horsie?” Jack said with interest.

            “Come on, buddy,” Tom said. He lifted his son up and placed him on my back. “Hold on.”

            As soon as I felt the kid hold onto my long hair like reins, I let out a loud “neigh” as I moved up on my “hind legs.” I smiled when I heard Jack giggle from my back. Then I began to move forward in a “trot.”

            After a minute of watching us, Tom got down on “all fours” as well. “Watch out; I’m a bull,” he said.

            I blinked as I stopped moving. “What?”

            “Horsie,” said Jack, pulling on my hair.

            I neighed and started walking again while keeping an eye on Tom.

            He paced around for a bit, and I held in a laugh when he tried to imitate a bull. Then he suddenly charged towards us. I was unable to get out of the way in the time. He rammed into me, knocking me to the ground while he grabbed onto Jack so that he would not fall. “I captured you!” he exclaimed victoriously.

            Jack laughed as his dad started to tickle him. I rushed forward on all fours to save him. I managed to get the boy from Tom and hold him in my arms. “I saved you!”

            “Thank you,” said Jack. I was surprised when he wrapped his little arms around my neck and buried his face in my chest. Tom smiled at me, and I could not help but smile back.

            “Do you guys want to stay for dinner?” I suggested. “I’m sure I can find something to make quickly. I think I have some dinosaur shaped chicken nuggets in the freezer.”

            Jack pulled his head back to give me an excited look. “Yay!”

            Tom raised his eyebrows at me. “Dinosaur shaped?”

            “Freya bought them,” I said defensively. “She said they’re for when Rob comes over.”

            Tom laughed. “That makes sense then. Bring on the chicken.”

            “Afterwards, we can play Candy Land.”

            Jack clapped his hands together. “Candy Land!”

            “Freya again?” Tom said with a smirk.

            “Yep. It was her favorite childhood game, and she had to bring it for nostalgic reason.” And good thing too. We were going to have some fun!
 
***

            “You’re going to have fun here,” Tom said to Jack as he dropped him off at my office as soon as I got to work. He had brought over some toys to preoccupy him while I was busy with players. He gave his son a hug before standing up and looking at me.

            “We’ll be fine,” I said to reassure him.

            Tom nodded. “See you in a few hours.”

            As soon as he left, I joined Jack in playing with his toys. Not much time seemed to have passed before someone else entered the room. “I didn’t know it was play time,” said Julian’s voice.

            I looked up at him and smiled. “Yep. It’s my new therapy routine. Play is an important part of your psychological well-being. It can help you relax and put you at ease so that you perform better.”

            “Really?” said Julian.

            I shrugged. “That’s what many psychologists believe, but I’ve never paid much attention to it. It’s just one day, so it’s worth a shot. Do you want to play?”

            Julian looked over the assortment of toys, a small smile on his face. “Sure.” His eyes landed on a large pile of blankets. “What are those for?”

            “Fort!” Jack said happily.

            Julian’s eyes lit up. “Ooo… Can we build it now?”

            I laughed. “Sure, but only for 15 minutes.”

            Julian grinned. “Great!”

            The three of us soon got to work. We built part of the fort and then played in it. After Julian left, there was a steady stream of players who engaged in the same activities with Jack and me. At the end of the day, they all came back so that we could play in the fort together. By then, there were blankets covering most of the room.

            “I’m back!” Tom’s voice suddenly rang out. There was a pause. “What’s going on here?”

            Rob popped his head out of the fort. “We’re playing in the fort we all helped build.”

            “Was this your idea?” Tom asked in amusement.

            “No, it’s was Lauren’s.” Rob crawled back into the fort where we were all congregated with players and toys everywhere.

            Tom crawled in after him. “Really?” he said, looking at me and Jack, who sat next to me.

            “Sure,” I said. “Sometimes, you have to let go, have fun, and enjoy the moment, right?”

            Tom smiled, and there was something in his eyes that could not place. “Didn’t I tell you that once?”

            I blinked. I had not thought about that, but it was true. I did remember that conversation. I also remembered admiring how he embraced life and took everything one day at a time. “Probably. Want to have some fun before you leave?”

            “Play!” Jack encouraged his dad.

            Tom chuckled. “Sure. I could use some play time.”

            His teammates cheered.

 
***

            The Patriots played the Jets at home that Sunday. I held Jack against my hip as I watched the teams warm up. Tom immediately came over to us after he was free to leave the field. “Hey, buddy,” he said, smiling at his son, who was dressed in a Patriots cap and Brady jersey. He did look quite adorable. I wore my custom jersey and a new red Patriots visor I bought recently.

            “You need to focus on the game,” I said, turning Jack away from him.

            “That’s no fair,” said Tom as he walked around me. “I need support from my biggest fan.” He then took the boy away from me.

            I did not complain, though, because I enjoyed watching him interact with the four-year-old. He was an adorable father. I thought it was great how hard he worked to make sure he was an important part of his son’s life.

            Several minutes later, Tom set Jack down beside me. “Be good now,” he said.

            “Go beat those stupid Jets,” I said.

            Tom flashed me a grin. “Of course.”

            The Patriots did end up winning 30-21. It was fun watching along the sideline with Jack. He would get really excited and cheer loudly, and I could not help but join him. After they won, Tom ran over to the kid, picked him up, and placed him on his shoulders. I smiled as I watched the celebration. Both seemed quite happy.
 
---

            Jack had to go home the next day, so he and Tom came over to my apartment to play one last time. Freya joined us for a little while, but then she had to go to her room and write a paper. The day seemed to have wore the four-year-old out, for he eventually fell asleep on the couch between Tom and me, leaning against me for support.

            “He’s great,” I said as I stroked back the boy’s hair with my hand, my eyes on him.

            “I know,” Tom said proudly. “You’re great with him. Do you want to have kids of your own?”

            I looked up at him. “Yeah. It was not something I had thought much about until recently. I did not want to think about what I would have to give up to have kids, but seeing Eli and Peyton’s kids born, and Jack… It is something I want. I really do think it will be worth it.”

            Tom nodded. “It is worth it. I don’t get to see Jack much as I would like, but I love every minute I have with him. I hope I will get to have more someday.”

            “You will. You’re a great father, Tom.”

            He smiled at me. “Thanks, Lauren. I think you’ll be a great mom.”

            I bit my lip and glanced down. I hoped so. I heard a door open, and I looked up again. Freya soon emerged from her room and entered the living room. She let out an “aww…” when she saw Jack. “You three are so cute together.”

            Tom chuckled. “Thank you.” He glanced down at Jack. “We should get going.” Just as he reached for him, the boy opened his eyes. “It’s time to, buddy. You’re going back to California tomorrow.”

            Jack frowned. “No,” he said as he clung to my arm.

            “Aw, can I get a picture?” Freya asked, holding up her phone.

            “Sure,” said Tom. He and I leaned in close to Jack, who fortunately looked at Freya as she snapped the picture.

            “It was nice meeting you, Jack,” I said to the kid as he stared at me. “I hope to see you again sometime.”

            Jack wrapped his tiny arms around my waist and said, “I love you, Lauren.”

            His innocent admission shocked me, and a lump formed in my throat that made it hard to speak at first. “I love you too, Jack.” I closed my eyes and held him close to me. I felt a strange emotion that I could not understand. Finally, I had to pull back and let him go.

            Tom had to hold onto him and pull him away from me. Jack reluctantly turned and held onto his dad’s neck as he carried him away. “You will see her again,” he assured him. He nodded at Freya and me in goodbye, and then he left the apartment