Everything Has Changed

Mr Birthday

October 5th 2025
Kansas City, Missouri

Travis had always used to enjoy his job. The excitement of the game, every single day something new and invigorating was occurring. It had been his dream since ehe was a little boy back in Cleveland Heights, Ohio... to follow in his brother's footsteps and stand alongside him. But now, there were times where he slightly hated it. That day being one of them.

Travis had never been one for a big celebration for his birthday. Contrary to what many believed, Travis had been a rather shy boy when he was a younger child and so he never really wanted a huge party or celebration for his birthday. Even as an adult, with his confidence boosted as the years he occupied the planet multiplied, he still enjoyed a more intimate affair with his closest friends and family members. But that day, he had practise and mandatory training. They had lost a game two days previously, and as a consequence, they had extra training that day. The day also happened to be his birthday. 

The plan had originally been for him, Taylor and Luna to enjoy the morning together with the rest of their family and friends who had all flown in to celebrate joining them later on for a small party at their house in Kansas City. But all of that had to be cancelled. All because one guy fumbled the ball and they had lost the game to the Miami dolphins by 1 point. It had been a frustrating loss but Travis knew that there would be other games, and that they just had to try harder and work harder next week. His biggest goal for that season had been to keep his passion for the game, in the game. No more taking his frustrations home with him. He would let it all out and then return home to Taylor and Luna, happy and ready to face a new week and game. With his 36th birthday now upon them and his thirteenth season with the Chiefs in progress, Travis was not sure how many seasons he would have left in him, even though his contract extended until 2028. He was determined to take every game as if it was his last game. If he took another injury to his leg, or his knee like he had done two years ago, there would be no telling if he would ever play football again. 

Whilst Travis had been at the training facility in downtown Kansas City, Taylor had remained at home with Luna who was surprisingly still contently sleeping in her bassinet. It wouldn't be long before they would transferring Luna out of their room completely, and she wasn't sure if any of the three of them were ready or prepared for it. Luna enjoyed her crib, taking nearly all of her daytime naps that weren't on the road in there but it would still be difficult. Taylor enjoyed the close proximity to Luna when she slept, only needing to reach out a hand and she could feel her little girl. The soft rise and fall of her chest; a sure sign that she was in fact still breathing. But Travis also enjoyed it too. He had tried to put in the strict, stern parent pretence of not allowing the baby in the bed but she knew that he secretly enjoyed it when they had a bed invader squished in between them that they could stare at all night long. 

But there Travis was, at the Chiefs training facility, looking at the clock and waiting and waiting until he could get into his car and get home to his girls. Meanwhile Taylor was in full preparation mode. She had seen that weekend how sad Travis had been at the teams loss against the Miami Dolphins. It had been an incredibly close game but in the end they had lost. Travis had lost games before and he had become very good at dealing with it and compartmentalising the loss before he got home, especially now Luna had been born. It wasn't the loss that as bothering him. It was the fact that he would be training and working on his birthday: his first birthday as a father. Her dad had told her that the first birthday you have as a parent hits different. When your child gifts you something and you see their face light up at all of the excitement even though it's not for them. Nothing else is really ever about you anymore. 

Luna had woken up multiple times throughout the night, still teething hard and now she had two little teeth beside each other on the bottom set of gums. Travis had taken the brunt of the parenting that night, because in his words, he wouldn't be around later on to help her then. Luckily Luna was deciding to have a lie in that morning after her all nighter party in their bed and downstairs watching law and order with Travis, leaving Taylor the perfect amount of time to formulate her plan. Travis wouldn't be due home until 3pm that afternoon and Patrick was in on the surprise so she knew she could count on him not coming home a second earlier. All of Travis' friends had flown in the day before, all posting on their stories that they were away or at home as to not give the game away. They would all be arriving just after lunch. Taylor had ordered some balloons and picture boards that had been hiding in the storage cupboard of one of the rooms in their basement. She knew that Travis wouldn't go down there when she wasn't around. He hadn't like to let on, but he was secretly a bit afraid of the dark. Too many horror stories as a child courtesy of Jason was what Travis had told her when they had first started dating over two years ago. Taylor turned on the baby monitor on their camera monitor, placing it on the kitchen counter before getting to work on assembling the decorations. She had mostly ordered the decorations from lots of small businesses in the Kansas or Kansas City area, preferring to shower Travis' birthday with small easter eggs and nods to his home. His friends from high school like Ski and harry would be his reminders of Cleveland Heights and growing up in Ohio. The balloons were all assembled around the communal areas of their house where people would be gathering and so Taylor moved onto the photos. She had had a mixture of Polaroids and regular photos ranging from childhood ones that Donna had sent her when she was in on Taylor's plan and some that were recent ones including the funny photos of Travis throughout her pregnancy and when she was in labour to pictures of him with Luna, only minutes after she had been born, still looking all pink and wrinkled. They all made her heart melt, looking at all of the different stages of Travis throughout his life, all the ones that led him up to the place he was in now. Turning 36 years old with a girlfriend and a daughter. A girlfriend that would before long turn into a fiancé...