Three days later, Cate and I became a Twitter sensation all over again.
We’d arrived at the Magic Kingdom early in the day for a private hour in the park just for the team and their families. The guys with older kids rushed off to Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain Railroad for unlimited rides with no wait. Sarina, Sean, and I walked—and Cate waddled—to It’s A Small World, which was about all she could do.
After a boat ride through the little people, Sean begged me to take him on Space Mountain with all the other cool kids. Ri promised she’d stay with Cate by Cinderella’s Castle, and I could send Sean over with one of the other wives after the ride.
I’d done just that and then went to the back of the park for the parade, where I was greeted by Mickey and his helper.
“Good morning, Mr. Steele, right this way.” They led me to a float, and I hoisted myself up next to Chip and Dale. They were wearing sweatbands across their chipmunk heads and oversized replicas of my jersey over their furry bellies.
We started down Main Street USA as the park opened and the street flooded with people cheering and saluting us. Lance Johnstone, the center, rode behind me with Goofy, and they tossed beach balls styled to look like basketballs into the crowd.
Fans passed the balls up and down the sidewalk, and a few bounced back to me. I put on a show, pretending to dunk and sending them back out to the wave of fans until we made it up to the castle.
I spotted Sean sitting with Johnstone’s wife and kids, but where was Cate . . . and Sarina? I kept my eyes focused on Sean and when he saw me, he ran toward the float, but a Disney employee promptly blocked his way.
“Hey,” I yelled. “That’s my relative . . . my, um, nephew!”
“I have to go see Blane,” Sean yelled.
The Disney dude looked up at me, and I nodded. Sean took a running jump onto the float, and I bent down so he could whisper in my ear.
“Cate’s having the baby.”
I shook my head to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, and for the second time in seconds, shouted, “Hey!”
Disney dude hurried back and walked alongside the float, cupping his ear to hear what I had to say.
“I gotta get off this thing! I’m having a baby.”
When he nodded and spoke into his walkie-talkie, I jumped off the moving float and gestured to Sean to jump into my arms. Carrying him, I ran through the tunnel in the middle of the castle. On the other side, a Disney employee was waiting with a golf cart, which shuttled us to the rear of the park and into a waiting taxi. Apparently, Cate had already gone to the hospital by ambulance.
Sean fidgeted next to me, and I tossed him my phone. “Here, download some games or apps.”
He looked as thrilled as a pig in shit at the idea, and I grinned to myself. I can do this parenting thing.
At the hospital, I rushed the information counter to find where Cate was. Behind me, I could hear people murmuring, “Is that Blane Steele?” Phones clicked and people nudged each other, whispering, but I didn’t care.
The receptionist said obstetrics was on the seventh floor, and I didn’t wait for the elevator, just snagged Sean and tossed him over my shoulder as I rushed to the stairwell. I took the stairs two and three at a time, and he giggled as he bounced on my shoulder.
At the top of the stairs, I burst through the door to find Sarina pacing the hallway.
“Thank God you’re here,” she said, reaching out to take her son from me. “That girl of yours is ready to go. Seriously, fastest labor ever.”
In less than twenty minutes, Logan Sean Steele was born as Cate squeezed the shit out of my hand, calling me some very creative names.
Two days later, when we took our baby boy home wearing a miniature Orlando Magic sweatband, Cate whispered in my ear. “You better tell him to stay away from ball babies.”
No way my boy was going to be a soccer player, but he would definitely be a card-carrying member of the feminist party.