A Beautiful Funeral (The Maddox Brothers #5) - Jamie McGuire Page 0,91
cop. Panic wasn’t supposed to be possible for me, but I’d been nervous for four and a half months, knowing Diane was going to deliver twins. So many things could go wrong with a single birth, never mind two.
Diane leaned over, grabbed her belly with both hands, and moaned.
I pulled the gear into drive, and we raced toward the hospital.
Thomas slipped his arms around Trenton’s shoulders while Taylor stood behind his twin at the podium. Tyler repositioned the microphone’s thin, silver neck, tapping the foam cover before gesturing for Taylor to start. Taylor shot Tyler a look like that was not what they had agreed to, but he stepped up and bent down.
“Dad was the best assistant coach in the league. He had a busy schedule with weird hours, but I don’t remember him ever missing a game. He didn’t so much coach as carry the ball bags for Mom and cheer from the dugout. Everyone said we had the best parents. When Mom died, no one said that anymore, but to us, they were still perfect. When Dad stopped missing Mom so much, he picked right up where he left off. He coached our team”—he paused, breathing out a small laugh—“we didn’t win as many games”—the congregation laughed—“but we loved him, and he took us out for ice cream after every game, win or lose. He packed our lunches, drove us to football practice, and attended all of our games. When Dad was around, I was never scared, whether it was because he knew the right thing to do, or because he had my back. He was the toughest man I’ve ever known, and my brothers are damn tough. I know if he had to go out, protecting his family is the way he’d want it to be.” Taylor touched his knuckle to his nose. “We couldn’t’ve had a better dad, and that’s the truth. The same for our wives. And my kids couldn’t’ve had a better Papa. I wish we lived closer so they could have gotten to know each other better, but the time he spent with them, he made it count. That’s what I want everyone to remember about Jim Maddox. He made his life count.”
Tyler hugged his brother, and then he opened a piece of paper. His lips trembled, and he looked out at the crowd and then back down at his paper a few times before he spoke. He cleared his throat and then took a deep breath. Taylor put a hand on his shoulder, and Thomas did the same, then Travis and Trenton added their strength for their brother as well.
Tyler’s lips formed into an “o,” and he breathed out. “I love my Dad,” he said, his voice breaking. He swallowed and then shook his head. Thomas patted him on the shoulder for encouragement. “He had to divide his time between five sons and his wife, but I never felt like I had to wait for his attention. We weren’t rich, but I don’t remember wanting for anything. I remember when Mom died; I wondered if he would get remarried because he’d always said there would never be another woman like our mom. When Travis left for college, I asked him if he’d reconsider, thinking maybe he was just concentrating on his kids. He said the only woman he’d ever love was waiting for him in Heaven. I’m just … I love my dad, and I’m sad he’s gone, but I’m happy for them that they’re together now. They’ve been waiting a long time to be together again, and it comforts my heart to know they’re somewhere right now, unable to keep their hands off each other, grossing out all of your passed friends and relatives the way they used to do to us.” The crowd chuckled. “They never spent more than a shift apart from the time they met until Mom died, and I know Dad never got over it. So Dad, I’m glad … I’m so happy that you’re with Mom now. I know she’s telling you how proud she is of how well you took care of us, because you did.”
“Run!” Diane screamed, pulling her white ball cap with the blue bill off her head, waving it in a big circle, side-skipping toward first base. “Run, run, run, run!”
Taylor dropped the bat and took off, running away from the tee post as fast as his short legs could take him. He finally made it to the white square, jumping up