beautiful mistake - joe burrow

74

Although it was Bye Week, which meant the Bengals had the weekend off and therefore practice and the week was supposed to be more relaxed, it was the most exhausting week ever for Elle.

New articles came out about her daily, most of the time there wasn't even any new information in them, just things like what she did on the sidelines at the game against the Browns and then pictures of her.

It was scary to see that every day new pictures were published from a different perspective and everyone was still waiting for a statement from her. The players and the club didn't really help the press, as they also answered most of the question only barely or not at all.

Her follower count had grown to over 120k by now and more and more people were following her every day. Making her account private now would only make it more work and Elle was hoping that most would unfollow her again when they realized Elle wasn't posting anything anyway.

Since Joe and she both had the weekend off, they decided that they would go to Elle's parents' house in Mansfield. They would arrive Saturday and spend the day with Elle's parents before her brothers would also come on Sunday and the plan was that they would watch the games together before Joe and Elle would head back to Cincinnati.

"Listen to this" Elle sighed as she found the new article about herself on the internet. They were already on their way to her parents' house and Joe was behind the wheel of Elle's car. They had decided to go with theirs so the Porsche wouldn't make too much of a fuss in Mansfield.

"Elle Simmons: this is how she got into the NFL" she read the tabloid headline. "For several days now, she's been THE talk of the NFL. Cincinnati Bengals athletic trainer Elle Simmons became famous through a viral internet video and an instant sensation. Unfortunately, the SWAT team girl, the name with which Simmons became famous, still has not commented on the whole affair, but finally new information about her comes to light" Elle made an indignant sound. "Privacy is a foreign word to them."

Sighing, she read on. "Many wondered how such a young woman managed to get to the NFL sidelines at only 24 years old and we have the answer! It seems she was born with a passion for football, as it has now come out that her father is none other than the former coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Harry Simmons was a promising football player until a serious injury ended his dream of being an NFL player while still in college."

"Now they're even bringing my dad's past into the articles" Elle shook her head in bewilderment. "They're pretty ruthless about that" Joe said as he tried to remember just a few key facts so maybe he could shine later when talking to Elle's dad. His name was Harry, coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, serious injury.

"There's more ahead. The best part is yet to come" Elle sighed before looking at her phone again. "to note here is that the Bengals' Head of Rehabilitation, Nick Cosgray, was not only in the same college at the same time, but also Harry Simmons' roommate. So Elle Simmons' supervisor is an old friend of her father's. If you're already thinking, so that's how she got the job, you're not entirely wrong, but don't know everything yet" Elle groaned in annoyance.

"They're like you. That I'm just qualified, can' t be, of course. I kind of snuck the job" she rolled her eyes. Joe wanted to protest, but Elle's mood was already bad enough to start a discussion now, too.

She continued reading. "When you look at the players who played during the time Harry Simmons was coach for the Cornhuskers, one name immediately stands out. Zac Taylor. The current Cincinnati Bengals coach was a former college player under Elles Simmons' father. No wonder, then, that the University of Cincinnati graduate had landed a spot immediately after graduation on the team where her father had important connections"

Elle groaned. "It's just unbelievable. We fucking live in 2021, can't a woman be good at a job that has something to do with a sport that's for men?"

"it's not like it's about you being female, Elle. They were just asking themselves the same question I did at first. How do you end up on the sidelines of an NFL team so young and only a few months after graduating from college" Joe tried to reassure her.

"I bet you there wouldn't be so much gossip and comments if I were a man. People would have just said, that's just the way it is, he seems to have talent, otherwise he wouldn't be here. There, no one would have looked into my father's past to see how I might have gotten the job" Elle crossed her arms in front of her chest, pissed off.

"Well, if you were male, the video about you probably wouldn't have gone viral either and no one would be talking about it anyway" Joe added carefully. "You're probably right" Elle mumbled before changing the subject.

She didn't want to arrive at her parents' house in a bad mood and Joe didn't deserve for her to be so pissed off either. After all, it wasn't his fault that the press didn't trust Elle to be good at her job.

After another hour of driving, Joe pulled into the driveway of a typical American family home. "Welcome to the place where I spent my childhood" Elle pointed to the house with a grin as they both got out and got their luggage out of the trunk. "looks nice" Joe grinned and took Elle's hand as they climbed the steps to the porch.

he was slightly nervous, after all he was about to meet her parents. While he believed Elle's parents were really nice people, from the way Elle always talked about them, he was still excited. What if they didn't like him?

Elle squeezed his hand smiling before pressing the doorbell and not a moment later the door was already pulled open and a woman, she looked a bit like an older version of Elle, only the nose and eye color didn't match and the hair was gray not brown, beamed at them.

"I heard the car already. I'm glad you're here. Come on in" Elle's mother immediately pulled her daughter into a tight hug. "Hello, sweetheart" she smiled before giving Elle a big peck on the cheek. "Hey Mum" Elle grinned back before pulling Joe a little further forward.

"Mum, this is Joe" the glow on Elle's mother's face grew even bigger as she turned to Joe. "Joe, nice to meet you" immediately she pulled Joe into a warm hug. "Nice to meet you too, Misses...." before he could finish the sentence he was interrupted. "Call me Lauren, dear" she winked at him.

"Nice to meet you too, Lauren. Glad you let us come" Joe replied smiling. Somehow Lauren came across as a slightly more hyper, grown up version of Elle. "Anytime, Joe. I'm always happy to have my daughter visit. And you're welcome too, of course" she smiled at him before the two entered the house.

"Where's Dad?" Elle asked as she set her bag down. "In his office. He probably didn't hear the doorbell" Lauren replied before turning around.

"Honey, Elle and Joe are here, can you come please?" she called out and moments later the opening of a door could be heard before Elle's dad rounded the corner. Even though it wasn't the first time Joe had seen him, it wasn't until now that he noticed that Elle definitely got her eyes from her dad and his nose was identical to Elle's as well.

"hello, little one" like her mother before, Elle was pulled into a tight hug by her dad before he turned to Joe. "Joe Burrow, nice to meet you. I'm Harold Simmons, Elle's dad. Feel free to call me Harry though" he extended his hand to Joe, which Joe immediately shook. "nice to meet you too, Harry"

"Firm handshake. As befits a quarterback" Harry grinned. "Dad, please" Elle rolled her eyes laughing as she remembered Joe's dad saying the same thing to her. Must be a coach thing.

"Sorry, sweetie. Just needed to be noted" Harry grinned at his daughter.

"Who's hungry?" Lauren interrupted. "Oh, I'm starving" Elle rubbed her belly greedily. She grabbed Joe's hand and pulled him behind her. "House tour later. Food first" she explained to him with a grin.

Joe laughed. Elle's family seemed just as great as she was. He liked her parents already.

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