Tea Parties and Feather Boas (Luke Kuechly)

Chapter Eighteen: Smoke

•Baby, you're just like smoke, blowing on the wind
One minute, you're by my side and then you're gone again
You might be bad for me, but I just wanna breathe you in
Every time I reach out, I find there ain't nothing to hold
Boy, you're just like smoke•

"Miss Lydia! Miss Lydia! Miss Lydia!" Isla said excitedly. "Lets go, lets go lets go!" The five year old jumped up and down.

Lydia laughed as she checked her purse to make sure she had everything. "Be patient, we have plenty of time, Isla Bear."

"But I wanna go nowwwwwww."

"And we will. I just have to find our passes. Do you know where daddy put them?"

"I know! I put them in my special place so we wouldn't loose them."

"Well, once you get them, we can go," Lydia said.

"I'll be right back," Isla grinned, rushing up the steps in a flash of blonde curls and Panther blue.

No more then thirty seconds later, the five year old appeared with two Panthers' tickets in her hand. Lydia smiled, her keys and purse in hand as she waited.

"Here they are," Isla said, holding them proudly."Lets go now." She pranced towards the front door.

"I'll take those, thank you very much" Lydia plucked them from Isla's hand, laughing as she followed the little girl out of the house.

Twenty minutes later, the two girls pulled into the stadium parking lot. It was already packed full with tailgaters that had obviously been there for hours. Isla held Lydia's hand through the crowds of people, taking in all the events around her even though she'd seen them several times.

"We're gonna go to the Super Bowl. We're going to go to the Super Bowl," Isla chanted as they walked through the stadium.

"You don't know that. The Cardinals could win tonight," Lydia teased.

"Oh please, they barely beat the Packers in their own stadium. There's no way they win tonight," Isla said with all the confidence in the world.

"You never know Isla Joy," Lydia chimed.

"You're just salty because the Packers lost."

The nanny dispersed into laughter. "What did you just say?"

"You heard me." The girl said, nonchalantly.

Lydia shook her head with a smile, messing up Isla's hair as they emerged from the tunnel and into the first row of stadium seats behind the Panthers' bench. Several players were warming up in their sweats. The stadium still hadn't been open to the public yet. Isla eagerly scanned the players and coaching staff in search of her father. In a moment, her eyes lit up, and the small girl waved her hands wildly in the air as she rushed to the railing.

"Daddy!" She called.

Luke turned, a grin spreading across his face as he jogged over. "Hey there Isla bear. You wanna come help me warm up?"

"Of course," Isla sad.

Luke called over a security guard to unlock the swinging gate separating the bleachers from the sidelines. Isla practically jumped into her daddy's arms as soon as the gate swung open. Luke chuckled, kissing her cheek. "Do you need help getting down?" He looked at Lydia. 

"I'm fine, thanks," Lydia replied, sitting down, letting her feet hang over the edge before closing the gap between her feet and the ground.

Things between the two adults were tense. Lydia basically pushed the man away every time he came within a few feet of her. She felt bad for it, but the woman knew it was the only way to keep from falling back into bed with him. She was with Ben now. She really like Ben. HE deserved her utmost attention.