“Game’s a tradition,” Gabriel had said, placing a hard kiss on her mouth. “Everyone plays except the one who’s refereeing. We occasionally excuse pregnant women and those with broken limbs, but that’s on a case-by-case basis.”
Now he stood with the oval-shaped ball under one arm, his other one slung loosely over Charlotte’s shoulders. “Where the hell is Sailor?”
Looking around, Charlotte saw that Sailor’s wife and daughter, Ísa and Emmaline, were already here.
It was Alison who answered Gabriel’s question. “I asked him to bring Brian. They should be here soon.”
Charlotte expected Gabriel to lose his good mood at the mention of his father, but he just shook his head. “Don’t let him scam you, Mom, okay?”
Alison smiled, expression poignant. “I’ve learned that lesson well—but for better or worse, he did help give two of my boys life.” She came over to hug Gabriel. “Two wonderful boys who have hearts big enough to let him in even after what he did.”
Squeezing his mom, Gabriel said, “Those hearts come from you.”
Charlotte spoke only once Alison was out of earshot. “You’re a good man, Gabriel Bishop.”
A shrug, but he smiled. “I’m a better man because of you.” Kissing her to the accompaniment of giggles from Esme and Emmaline, he said, “You were right about the anger eating me up. It was poisonous.”
Sailor arrived then with Brian. Gabriel helped get the frail-appearing older man settled into a chair, a blanket over his lap, then put two fingers just inside his mouth and whistled. “On the field. Brian’s refereeing.”
Everyone tumbled out onto the open playing area. When Charlotte hesitated, Daniel, whom she’d met properly earlier, grabbed her hand and tugged her forward. “We’re playing touch, no tackling. Esme, show everyone an example touch.”
The little girl ran to Emmaline and tapped her cousin on the hips with both palms before breaking contact. “No holding, Uncle Danny,” she said seriously. “Just touching.”
“Jeez, Boo, I only did that once.”
Biting back a laugh at Daniel’s aggrieved tone, Charlotte listened as Gabriel said, “Normal rules. Pass before you’re touched, six touches to score or ball has to be turned over, no forward passes. Did I forget anything?”
Emmaline jumped up and down. “You gotta tap to start again.”
“Right.” Tugging one of her pigtails, Gabriel demonstrated the tap.
Alison was the one who split them into two teams, dividing the couples. “A little healthy competition,” she said with a wink.
Charlotte ended up on the team that got to wear pink armbands. Also on her team were Sailor, Esme, Daniel, and Alison.
“I’m the slowest,” Alison said, “and Danny’s got wings on his feet, so we even out.”
“You’ve also got me,” Charlotte pointed out. “I love rugby, but I’m not a player.”
“Give us a few years and you will be,” Sailor predicted. “Always pass to Esme if you can—the munchkin’s slippery when she gets going.”
“Here we go,” Gabriel called out and the game began.
The first time Danny passed the ball back to Charlotte, she dropped it forward, leading to it being turned over to the opposing side.
Esme patted her hand. “It’s okay, Charlie. I do that sometimes too.”
“Hey, less talking, more playing, Butterfingers!” Gabriel called out.
Charlotte narrowed her eyes at the grinning taunt. “You’re going down, T-Rex!”
He winked at her and, tapping the ball with his foot to restart the game, spun it back into Jake’s steady hands. From there it went to Joseph, then to Emmaline, who pumped halfway down the field before yelling, “Mommy!” and passing to Ísa right before Alison tapped her.
Ísa would’ve made it over the try line if her husband hadn’t gotten his hands on her.
“Sorry, honey,” Sailor said, stealing a kiss, “this is war.”
“Watch it, mister.” Expression fierce, Ísa restarted the game, but a series of touches by the pink team meant they regained possession of the ball.
Charlotte caught the pass this time, got it to Esme, who was a tiny rocket. She passed to Sailor, who threw to Danny, who sent it back to Charlotte again, their team moving across and up the field. Able to see the try line, Charlotte ran her hardest. She was almost there when strong arms lifted her off her feet.
“Uncle Gabe is cheating!” Esme cried out while Charlotte tried not to laugh.
“Here!” She threw the ball down into the little girl’s hands.
Face gleeful, Esme grounded the ball on the other side of the try line just as Gabriel finally let Charlotte down. “I thought this game had rules,” she said to him.
He kissed her. “Most of the time.”
They played for another twenty minutes, Emmaline scoring for the other side when Gabriel fed her the ball right on the try line.
All other try attempts were foiled by quick, legal touches, or very illegal body blocking—or in one case, by Sailor throwing Ísa over his shoulder and running off toward the trees.
“I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard,” Charlotte said afterward, having collapsed on the grass to soak up the sun, Gabriel on one side and Danny on the other. She really liked Gabriel’s youngest brother. Despite the fact he was starting to build up a serious profile, with all the attendant media and female attention, he was a genuine sweetheart. She hoped he never lost that gentleness of nature.