Either the rumor had started out as true and expanded or someone left out that the entire block surrounding Dillion's was part of the outdoor celebration. It didn't seem to matter to Finn as he shifted his car into park at the other end of the street. The neighboring lots were overflowing with people just arriving. The street parking had been overrun by double parked cars trying to save room for those coming later.

Police officers were leaning near the metal barrier fencing that was only used for the Fourth of July parade. They were offered food as people passed by. Our teammates were greeted with a raised glass of whatever was closest and cheered as they entered the extension of our favorite restaurant in town. The soft smile was unstoppable as I unbuckled my seat belt. The thought of a greasy, gooey burger had wormed its way from my thoughts into my stomach.

Finn's hand landed on mine and his fingers curled around to give mine a squeeze. Those beautiful emerald eyes were clear and sparkled for the first time in days. The tension that had made him stiff and uncomfortable had evaporated. The copper locks needed to be cut, but I did enjoy playing with it when I could. Like on the bus ride home. The only thing missing was that brilliant, carefree smile. I really believed that by winning State he would be able to stay in the present. It wasn't a big enough distraction though.

My rambled semi-conscious thoughts had been a confession that we had both been trying to pretend wasn't an issue. There was an unspoken determination, on my end, to not let the six months be a battlefield littered with egg shells. Arguing wasn't going to solve our problems. Facing them head on, this early, was only going to lead to premature decisions that I wasn't ready for. I'd spent two weeks without him and I wasn't looking forward to a year of that. A year. Maybe more. There was always that chance. I shook my head before giving him my own smile.

"Are you ready," I asked, twisting my hand in his so that my fingers could wiggle into place between his. The corner of his mouth twitched before his head bowed a little to keep me from seeing if it was the smile I loved or the one he'd become accustomed to sharing with the world. His thumb stroked the top of my hand and a shiver ran through from the rough skin tracing circles.

"Can we talk for a minute?" He looked back up and any signs of a smirk had been wiped clean.

"Honestly, I'd like to be in a food coma before we talk," I sighed. My fingers started to loosen their hold only to freeze when his grip tightened more. Keeping our hands joined felt promising. The gut wrenching feeling was an overreaction. My wandering mine was lost in a fog of what ifs as I tried to remind myself that I knew the boy across from me better than that.

"Lainey," he spoke softly as he shifted in his seat. His over hand appeared from behind his back with a bundle of papers. Licking his lips nervously, he eyed the stack of papers before handing them over to me. He let my hand go at that point and leaned back to rest his back against the door. "Coach handed those over when we got back. He and Corey have been getting them since last night."

My eyes darted over the email addresses across the top and the insignias in the left hand corner of each email body. They all seemed to start the same way. Interest in Finnigan James being on their roaster. Hopes of staking their offensive team with the right players. Needing a wide receiver with his skills.

The purple N and W combo of Northwestern. The gold and black hawk from Iowa. The badger that looked like it came off a cereal box in the sixties of Wisconsin. My make-believe argument about the Wolverines fighting off the Trojans to make a better offer was suddenly real as I studied the blue and maze M on a sheet from the middle of the pile.

"Are you serious?" The fanned out mess fell to my lap as I gawked at him. He gave a shrug as if this wasn't a huge deal. I squealed his name before I glanced back at the various emails. "You have offers."

"I mean, they aren't official offers." Pulling his keys from the ignition, he slipped them into the pocket of his jacket. "They do open a lot of doors for next fall."

"Is it what you want though?"

"I told you, Laine. As long as they cover my schooling, I don't care where I end up."

"There was one from Alaska in here," I teased in a poor attempt to lighten the mood.

"Why is it that even when you are winning the battle you still find a way to lose?"

"Years of beating life to the punch, I guess." He snatched away the pieces of hope he'd originally handed over then shoved them into the glove box.

"What do you say we forget about throwing punches and go celebrate with your paranoid brother and our annoying friends?"

There it was. That perfectly gorgeous smile that made my stomach do flips. My Finn was back. All of him was mine again. And now I had to share him with the entire town. I had considered begging him to take me home so we could just be us. So we binge junk food and watch really awful movies that we'd both seen thousands of times.

This whole thing was as much as his doing as those who brought the spare chairs and tables. They were waiting for the star receiver to make his appearance. The old men were probably chomping at the bit to hound him for the play-by-play from his perspective.

"You're wound up," he stated, planting a kiss to the top of my head.

"Am not," I mumbled back as we inched closer to the section of road dedicated to the party.

"Are too," he chuckled into my hair. I elbowed him gently which only made him laugh harder and pull me closer. "You go find Zoey, Heather and the guys. I'm going to get you some loaded fries."

"Extra bacon," I demanded as he let me go. He gave me a salute before heading toward the entrance of the hole in the wall restaurant that had become one of my favorite places.

There was a tug on my jeans and I looked down to see one of the little girls from the game last night. I have no idea who she is or how she kept seeming to find me. What I do know is that her big blue eyes stared at me like I was the prize of prizes at the fall festival. Crouching down to meet the girl's stare, I tucked hair behind my ears.

"Hey. Were you at the game last night?" The little girl nodded, nibbling back a grin. "I thought you looked familiar. My name's Blaine. What's yours?"

"Lilly," she mumbled.

"Lily. Like the flowers?"

"Not like the flower," she sighed with a little shake of her head. For being so young, that sigh sounded like it would come from one of the older timers. "Like Bob Lilly."

"The tight end?" She nodded dramatically, then let out another huff of air. Clearly being named after one of the Cowboys legends was already taking its toll on this poor little girl. "Totally not fair."

"Why?"

"Because you're named after one of my favorite players," I answered, throwing my arms out to my sides just for them to land on my hips while regained my balance in my crouched position.

"But he's a boy," she whined with a pouty bottom lip.

"Want to hear a secret?" Lilly leaned a little closer when I waved to her. Cupping one of my hands around my mouth I whispered, "Blaine is actually a boy's name."

"Really?" Those baby blues widened even farther and I nodded.

"You know what though?"

"What?"

"It doesn't matter if you have a boy's name, or a girl's. It is your name. You can make it whatever you want. It's all about who you are on the inside."

I poked her nose and that brought a smile back to her face. She stood back up and glanced around to find Finn doing the same. He caught sight of her and a visible weight was lifted as he shook his head. Holding up a paper boat, he summoned her to the table.

"Are you here with your parents?"

"My whole family."

"Do they know where you are?" She looked guilty for a second then recited what she was probably told when they got here.

"Don't leave the fenced-in area and always check in. Don't talk to strangers or leave with them."

"Aren't I a stranger?" I tilted my head to study the little girl whose face was slowly turning into a tomate.

"I guess so, but grandpa said I could come say hi."

"Grandpa's always know better than dad's, don't they?"

Lilly nodded again then took my hand as I offered it to her. We walked over to the corner that my friends had staked a claim to. I gestured to the chattering child beside me in a warning that our conversations had to be filtered until she went to check in.

"Little Lester has a fan," Shane chuckled.

"You're Shane," Lilly spoke in a soft voice as I sat. She climbed on to my lap as she pointed to all the guys in turn. Names were followed by numbers then compliments of the plays from last night. My sudo brother looked terrified by how much Lilly knew and had to excuse himself. Zoey poked my brother's cheek when heat started racing up his neck when Lilly turned her sights on him and scolded him for letting several touch happen on his watch.

"Is it just me," Joseph whispered loud enough to Finn that I could hear him as Lilly continued her lecture, "Or does she sound eerily familiar?"

"Yeah, but why?"

The answer sauntered up to our table casting a shadow over our drinks and food. All of our eyes turned to see an exhausted looking man wearing a shirt that the boosters had been giving away during half times last year. His jeans were faded to the point where I felt bad for the material. My brother's head fell to hide the grin growing from the stupidity we were all feeling at that moment.

"Lilly," Coach Gilly cooed to the little girl squirming on my lap to face him.

"Pops," she squealed. Her arms swung open and he scooped her up into a tight hug.

"Pops," Joseph snorted, but stopped quickly when Coach turned a glare in his direction.

"Go find your mama. It's about time for you to head home."

"I don't want to," she pouted. He set her down and nodded toward me.

"Say good night, Lil."

"Night," the little girl sighed. I got up and knelt in front of her. The second my arms opened to her she fell and gave me the strongest hug her tiny body could manage.

"It was very nice meeting you, Lilly. I expect to see you at every game next season."

That seemed to cheer the little girl up. She waved to my brother and friends before literally skipping off in the direction her mother must have been in. Gilly was rubbing the back of his neck as he kept a watchful eye on her as she traveled through the crowds. Standing back up, I eyed my coach.

"She's got your leadership skills, Coach," my brother mused from his spot behind me.

"She wouldn't shut up about meeting you, again," Coach Gilly grumbled as a hand slid over his face.

"Is she really named after -"

"My son. The Dallas fan," he groaned. "We're from Chicago, damn it. He couldn't have named her after Payton, Emery, or Leslie. No. It had to be a damn Cowboy."

"I'd disown him," Joseph piped up again.

"Considered it." His attention shifted back across the mass. The softening expression on his worn face when he spotted his granddaughter made me smile. "Then I wouldn't get to see my granddaughter."

"Don't worry," Finn drew all eyes to him, "You're bound to have more grandkids, right? Maybe one will be named after me, Coach."

"Nail down a school first and we'll discuss it." Coach Gilly jabbed a finger in Finn's direction before turning it on each of us. When it slowed on me he grumbled out that he would see me for two-a-days in August before leaving.

Finn's hand found mine and he gently guided me back to my seat then moved his chair closer to mine. With his arm resting across the back of my chair, I leaned closer so I could rest my head on his shoulder. Everything was starting to feel normal. I didn't think I would be able to recognize the sensation that others seemed to know all about.

For the longest time I thought I would forever be a shard of a broken family. A girl that wouldn't fit into the world beyond her bubble. I had Cam and Heather, but I had them before my life was flipped upside down. I had my brother, too, but he had his own friends. The shard that didn't belong anymore. Then I fell for Finn, and football. Suddenly I had a purpose and a family. I was no longer just a shard left behind after a storm. I was being fitted into a beautiful new piece made up of others.

Looking around me, I don't think I would have changed a single thing that had gotten me here. Heather would still be hung up on Shane. Cam wouldn't be with Keegan. Hell. My brother probably wouldn't have asked Zoey out if I hadn't dragged him with me to paint. By the end of the spring, we would all be facing down new challenges. We'd face them together though, because that's what families did. That's what we were after all. Joseph, Heather, Cam, Keegan, Lucas, Zoey, Finn, me and even Shane. One, big family.