"You... you...?" Claire stammered, her eyes growing wider and wider. "My dad... you... A baby?!"
"You heard right. Luckily, your ears still work perfectly," Andrew replied sarcastically.
Claire closed her eyes for a moment to process the news. She completely ignored Andrew's remark and, when she opened them again, looked first at him and then at Gloria, forcing herself to stay calm.
"Is this some kind of joke? Show me proof that this is real," Claire demanded, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. "I don't know... a pregnancy test, an ultrasound, something that proves this is real."
It wasn't an unreasonable reaction.
Claire's distrust of Andrew was completely justified. He had already fooled her before with elaborate pranks, like the time he managed to convince her that Haley was pregnant with Steve's baby while pulling the strings from the shadows.
On top of that, Claire and Andrew had developed a fierce, highly competitive rivalry when it came to elaborate pranks, both on Halloween and April Fools' Day.
The idea that Andrew had convinced Gloria to take part in one of them didn't seem impossible to her at all.
Andrew didn't even bother defending himself against the accusation. Considering his track record, his aunt's paranoia was perfectly understandable. Gloria, however, was deeply offended by the suspicion.
Gloria, on the other hand, became indignant immediately. "A joke?! Do you honestly think I'd joke about something like saying I have a baby in my womb?! I don't take part in those ridiculous pranks!"
Andrew immediately turned his head toward her and placed a finger over his lips, "Shhh... Not so loud."
Claire let out a long sigh, waving a hand dismissively to calm her nephew's concern, "Relax. Phil and Luke went to the park a little while ago, and Alex is locked in her room studying with her headphones on. She won't hear a thing," she explained.
Alex was completely immersed in full study mode, as though her life depended on it, even though classes had only started earlier that month.
More than once, Claire had found Alex's bedroom door locked from the inside. She had to knock repeatedly, and almost kick the door down, just to get Alex to take off her headphones and let her in.
Gloria was about to raise her voice again after realizing no one else was around to overhear the conversation. She was still offended that her word had been questioned, but Claire quickly raised both hands to stop her.
"Okay, okay! I believe you. I'm sorry..." she apologized immediately.
That was enough for Gloria to huff, fold her arms, and nod with a certain amount of satisfaction.
Claire only needed a second to think it through. Gloria would never participate in a prank of that magnitude. Besides, when she had mentioned the pregnancy, she had clearly been nervous and excited at the same time. She would have to be an extraordinary actress to fake something like that.
And Andrew wasn't stupid enough to repeat the exact same prank theme he'd used before, which would have had a very high chance of fooling absolutely no one.
"So...?" Andrew asked, raising an eyebrow.
Claire finally finished processing the news, "Okay... This is wonderful! You're pregnant! Congratulations!" she exclaimed with a broad smile, opening her arms to hug Gloria.
This time, Gloria returned the smile with genuine happiness and accepted the embrace.
"Wow!" Claire said as they pulled apart, her eyes immediately drifting toward Gloria's belly.
"It was a complete surprise!" Gloria admitted, her eyes shining with happiness.
Claire nodded repeatedly as she settled back into her seat, "I can imagine. I'm sure it was... So, what did my dad say?"
Gloria slowly shook her head, "I haven't told him yet. I'm worried he'll think this isn't good news at this stage of his life," she confessed uneasily.
Claire immediately shook her head, "Oh, no. Please don't be silly, Gloria. He's going to be absolutely thrilled. You'll see," she replied confidently.
Gloria seemed relieved by those words. She smiled, took Claire's hand for a moment, and then stood up. "I knew you'd react like this. I'm going to the bathroom for a moment. I'll be right back."
A few seconds later, she disappeared down the hallway.
Andrew turned toward Claire. "He's going to be thrilled?" he repeated with a faint smile.
He knew his aunt. He knew she had only said that to calm Gloria's nerves, but deep down she didn't actually believe her own words.
Claire let out a sigh. "No, he's not going to be thrilled," she admitted immediately. "I just wanted to give her some peace of mind. I need to warn Dad ahead of time so he can prepare himself mentally and not blurt out something stupid that ends up costing him his marriage."
"I think you're exaggerating a little," Andrew replied with a quiet chuckle. "Besides, I honestly think there's a pretty good chance he will be excited."
Andrew actually agreed more with what Claire had told Gloria than Claire herself did.
"Seriously, Andrew?" she asked incredulously. "You know your grandfather. We both know he won't be able to hide what he's thinking. He'll say the first thing that comes into his head."
Jay Pritchett had never had a filter. When he didn't like something, he said it bluntly. He never meant to hurt anyone; it was simply the way he was. The problem was that his brutal honesty almost always ended up hurting someone.
"Just think back for a second," Claire added, crossing her arms.
Andrew didn't need to try very hard. Memories of his grandfather's trademark comments immediately came flooding back.
[Flashback]
A few weeks earlier, on a Sunday night, Andrew was at his parents' house for dinner.
Mitchell had invited his sister and his father over. Gloria, Manny, Phil, and the Dunphy kids hadn't attended.
In the dining room, with the table elegantly set, the plates, silverware, and salad already prepared, the adults were enjoying glasses of red wine while waiting for the main course.
That was when Cameron walked in from the kitchen, beaming with pride as he carried a large steaming dish.
"This is an authentic French-Canadian delicacy called poutine," Cam proudly declared as he placed it on the table.
"Mmm... it looks delicious, Cam," Claire commented, trying to sound as polite and encouraging as possible.
Mitchell had already picked up his fork, ready to spear a serving, while Andrew stared at the food with a healthy appetite.
Then Jay spoke.
"It looks like vomit, so don't expect me to put a single bite of that poutine in my mouth."
The dining room fell completely silent.
Cam froze for a couple of seconds. Without saying a single word, thoroughly offended, he picked the bowl up with both hands, turned around dramatically, and marched out of the dining room.
Mitchell let his fork fall onto his plate with a dry clink, letting out a heavy sigh.
Claire and Andrew exchanged a silent glance, both knowing the family dinner had officially gone to hell.
[End of Flashback]
Andrew remembered that dinner and couldn't help admitting it was only one among dozens of similar examples.
A few months earlier, when Claire had decided to completely change her look by changing both her hairstyle and hair color, Jay's very first comment upon seeing her had been a mocking snort, asking whether she was trying to make herself look older.
'That old man really doesn't have the slightest bit of tact,' Andrew thought as he stared up at the ceiling.
Sometimes he wondered whether his grandfather completely lacked the ability to read the room or anticipate that his words would offend people. He was almost like an elderly Sheldon Cooper.
Andrew hadn't met Sheldon in person yet, but he already knew about him and knew he wasn't very far away: a weirdo his own age, eighteen years old, already working as a researcher with a doctorate at Caltech.
Who knows? Maybe sometime this year or the next he'll meet him if he ends up crossing paths with Leonard at Caltech somehow.
Getting back to the comparison, Jay and that one-of-a-kind genius did share one thing in common.
The difference was that while Sheldon couldn't process sarcasm because of a cognitive short circuit, Jay was simply a stubborn, rough old man raised the old-fashioned way who chose to ignore social filters out of sheer laziness.
That odd comparison couldn't help but bring a faint smile to Andrew's face.
It didn't take long for Gloria to return, and the three of them immediately began discussing the best strategy for breaking the big news to Jay.
It had been a good decision to tell Claire first.
Gloria and Andrew had come to that conclusion because, unlike Mitchell, Claire was practical and rational when it came to dealing with problems.
Mitchell, whether he wanted to admit it or not, always ended up being far more dramatic and pessimistic.
Out of Jay's two children, Claire had always been the one closest to him.
For much of his life, Mitchell had shared a much stronger bond with his mother, DeDe, while Claire had inherited a good portion of her father's personality: competitive, proud, and incredibly stubborn.
Precisely because they shared so many traits, they clashed frequently, but they also understood each other better than anyone else.
They talked for quite a while. Although Claire initially tried to reassure Gloria, she soon switched into her controlling mode and began devising a meticulous contingency plan, worried that her father would ruin the moment with one of his trademark insensitive remarks.
Andrew, however, was convinced they were both wrong.
It was perfectly reasonable for them to worry about how Jay would react to the idea of becoming a father again at his age.
But Andrew knew from the memories of his previous life watching the original series that Jay had always carried deep regrets about the kind of father he had been during Claire and Mitchell's childhood.
Back then, Jay had been buried under work in his pursuit of becoming a millionaire. He had been distant, emotionally reserved, and rarely around.
Now, his situation was completely different.
He no longer needed to sacrifice his life for work. He had time, stability, and the opportunity to do things right.
Besides, Andrew had seen with his own eyes just how much Jay had changed.
Jay had started lowering his guard a long time ago. He got along much better with his children, and in Andrew's case, the old man had made a genuine effort ever since the boy was five years old to build a deep bond with him.
Thanks to their shared passion for football, combined with Andrew's personality being highly compatible with Jay's, they had ended up developing the strongest grandfather-grandson relationship in the entire family.
Even with Manny, who wasn't even his biological son, Jay constantly made an effort to be a real father to him.
For all those reasons, Andrew eventually convinced both women to abandon any elaborate plan.
The plan they settled on was much simpler.
They would organize a family dinner later that week with everyone present. Gloria would break the news there.
"Everyone's going to be happy, Grandpa included. He's going to be far too shocked by the fact that he's becoming a father again to blurt out one of those comments of his," Andrew concluded, and with that, the matter was settled for the time being.
Claire walked Gloria and Andrew to the front door.
She watched them get into the car, and just as the engine started, a thought crossed her mind, 'Wait... Gloria told Andrew first? Why?!'
She had always believed she was one of the people closest to Gloria. They were adult friends, almost the same age, whereas Andrew had only just entered that stage of life.
So... why him?
Her competitive instincts kicked in almost immediately.
However, only a few seconds later, she found herself smiling and shook her head.
'Well... it's Andrew. Besides, looking on the bright side, I'll be able to brag to Cam and Mitchell that Gloria told me before she told them,' she thought, comforting herself.
Why did she feel such an overwhelming need to turn absolutely everything into a competition?
It was a mystery that even she couldn't quite solve.
The days passed quickly until Thursday arrived.
That night, the Dunphys, the Pritchett-Tuckers, and the Pritchetts would all gather for dinner at Jay's house.
Meanwhile, sports headlines continued talking about UCLA and Andrew.
Following their dominant road victory over the Houston Cougars, the Bruins had climbed from No. 12 to No. 10 in the AP Poll.
Only two spots.
But breaking into the national Top 10 was important.
Andrew had already started classes, and the atmosphere on campus was completely different from taking summer courses. Now there was noticeably more activity, and the campus felt much more alive with the arrival of new students and the official start of the semester.
Walking between the campus buildings without drawing looks of recognition was practically impossible. Every day, at least one student stopped him to congratulate him, ask for a picture, or simply wish him luck in the next game.
The excitement was contagious.
After years of mediocrity, UCLA finally felt important again.
As usual, Cam hadn't missed the opportunity to collect everything related to his son.
As soon as Andrew arrived at his parents' house so they could head to Jay's together, Cam appeared proudly waving a newspaper clipping.
"Look at him, look at him! Another one for the collection," Cam said.
LOS ANGELES TIMES • Sports
UCLA BREAKS INTO THE TOP 10 AS ANDREW PRITCHETT-TUCKER SHARES ESPN'S NO. 1 HEISMAN WATCH SPOT WITH GENO SMITH
Following UCLA's dominant 67-3 victory over Houston, the Bruins officially climbed to No. 10 in the AP Poll, cementing themselves as a national contender under the leadership of Andrew Pritchett-Tucker. The true freshman dismantled the Cougars in just two quarters of play, prompting East Coast analysts such as Lou Holtz to argue that the freshman is being underrated because of his age and has actually been more valuable to his team's success than Geno Smith.
Andrew let out a small chuckle as he read the headline, "Nice... and hi to you too."
He thought his father was exaggerating a little by saving every newspaper clipping he could find, though by now he was used to it.
The same went for the atmosphere around UCLA.
He completely understood the excitement.
The Bruins had returned to the national Top 10 after who knew how many years.
But, as far as he was concerned, it was still far too early to celebrate.
The week also brought another haul of individual awards, making Andrew's start to the season look even more dominant.
He was once again named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week.
It was the third time he had earned the honor in just four weeks.
Though, to be honest, it was hardly even news anymore.
What other freshman could finish a game with five touchdowns while playing only two quarters?
The answer was simple.
None.
In fact, many analysts and fans believed Andrew should have won the award in UCLA's loss to Nebraska as well. Despite the defeat, he had thrown for over three hundred yards, accounted for three touchdowns, and kept the Bruins in the game until the final drive with a legitimate chance to win.
That week, however, the honor went to Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, whose Ducks had climbed to No. 2 in the nation after moving past LSU in the rankings.
Mariota wasn't just any player, either.
After spending the entire 2011 season as a redshirt, he had become the first true freshman to start Oregon's season opener in twenty-two years.
Mariota turned in an outstanding performance, throwing three touchdowns without an interception while leading Oregon to a 42-29 victory.
Even so, a significant portion of the media argued that Andrew deserved the award.
Not only because of his statistics, but because of the circumstances.
He had played on the road at Nebraska, in one of the most intimidating stadiums in the country, against a Top 25 opponent, while carrying a UCLA program that was nowhere near Oregon's level.
The debate ended there, and now, after only four weeks of competition, Andrew had been named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week three times.
That was beginning to enter historic territory.
It was also worth noting that the award made no distinction between true freshmen and redshirt freshmen.
Both competed for the same honor.
Normally, the winners were nineteen- or twenty-year-old redshirts, players with an extra year of physical development and experience adjusting to college football.
True freshman starters were already a rarity by themselves.
An eighteen-year-old dominating the conference in that fashion was even more extraordinary, and he had done it without the slightest controversy.
The vote had been unanimous.
But that wasn't the only honor of the week.
Andrew was also named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week once again.
Unlike the freshman award, this one wasn't limited to newcomers.
He was competing directly against every offensive player in the conference: sophomores, juniors, and seniors alike.
And despite playing only the first half against Houston, his offensive production had surpassed that of every other player in the Pac-12.
With that, he once again completed the conference weekly double.
He now had three Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week awards.
He was just one away from tying the record Matt Barkley had set during his best season, when he won the award four times over the course of an entire regular season.
The national awards, however, did not go his way.
Neither the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback of the Week nor the Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week went to him.
Both honors were awarded to Florida State quarterback E. J. Manuel. His statistics were not the deciding factor.
What ultimately tipped the scales was the context.
Manuel had led a primetime comeback victory over then-No. 10 Clemson, the very ranking UCLA now occupied following Clemson's defeat.
Those kinds of victories carried enormous weight with the committees responsible for selecting the national awards.
Dominating a clearly inferior opponent was always appreciated.
But historically, institutions like the Davey O'Brien Foundation and the Walter Camp Foundation had prioritized outstanding performances against elite opponents, especially when there was a compelling narrative involving pressure, a comeback, or a decisive game.
That was why it wasn't unusual for even many Heisman winners to earn those national awards only once or twice during their best season.
"Come on, come on!" Lily urged as she ran toward Andrew and threw herself at him.
Andrew crouched just in time to catch her before the impact and effortlessly lifted her into his arms.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" he asked with an affectionate smile.
"I want to eat already and go to bed as fast as possible so tomorrow gets here and we can adopt Larry," Lily answered bluntly, with complete seriousness.
Andrew raised an eyebrow, "Larry?"
Mitchell, who was picking up the car keys from the table at that moment, nodded, "Yeah, Larry. That's the name she already gave the cat we're going to adopt. We decided that not long ago. We were going to tell you."
"Mm, I see," Andrew said, a little surprised by the news.
As they left the house, Mitch and Cam explained the situation.
For the past few days, Lily had been absolutely determined to get a cat. After a great deal of persistence, she had finally managed to get both of them to agree.
The only thing neither of them understood was why she was so determined to name it Larry.
They hadn't even seen the cat yet, and Lily had already decided on its name.
So Lily's absolute top priority was to finish dinner as quickly as possible, go back home, get some sleep, and finally wake up so they could go to the shelter and meet her future companion.
...
At Jay's house, Gloria was putting the finishing touches on dinner.
The Dunphys had already arrived.
At one point, Claire decided to deviate slightly from the plan they had agreed on.
"Dad, Dad, come here for a second. I need to talk to you in private," Claire murmured, nervously taking him by the arm and leading him to a discreet corner near the front door.
Jay looked her up and down, raising an eyebrow with obvious suspicion at her tone.
"What is it now?" he asked in his usual blunt manner.
"Someone is going to tell you something extremely important tonight," Claire replied immediately, locking eyes with her father and emphasizing every single word.
She quickly glanced over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening before focusing on him again.
"And for once in your life, I need you to react kindly."
"I'm always kind," Jay replied, dragging out the words and mimicking the same exaggerated emphasis his daughter had used.
"No, you're never kind," Claire shot back without giving him even a second. "The person who's going to tell you this is very sensitive right now, so please... could you try to be caring and understanding?"
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Jay looked toward the front door as though someone had just handed him an escape route.
He let out a snort, nodded reluctantly, and used the interruption to end the conversation, "Yeah, yeah... I'll keep it in mind."
Without waiting for a response, he walked straight to the entrance and opened the door.
Jay welcomed Mitch, Cam, Andrew, and Lily inside.
After exchanging the usual greetings, while they were still standing by the entrance, Cameron couldn't hold it in any longer.
"We want to adopt a cat."
Andrew slowly turned his head toward his father.
'Why is that the first thing you say?' he thought.
If he were adopting a pet, he would never announce it as the very first sentence after walking into someone else's house for dinner, especially not in that dramatic tone, as if it were some huge revelation.
It wasn't that he disliked animals.
The context just didn't call for it.
Maybe he'd mention it later, in the middle of a casual conversation, if someone asked how things were going.
Besides, Cam was saying it to Jay.
Hadn't he learned anything over the years?
Andrew could practically predict his grandfather's response:
'And why should I care?'
Or maybe...
'Did I ask?'
To everyone's surprise, however, Jay's eyes widened with what appeared to be genuine excitement, "Well... isn't that wonderful?" he said with almost suspicious enthusiasm. "I'm really happy for you. That's a great decision. You have my full support."
Cam smile began as one of happiness before slowly turning into an expression of confusion.
Mitchell didn't know how to react either.
Andrew blinked a couple of times, puzzled.
"I think it'll be a wonderful addition to the family," Jay continued. "I'm sure I'm going to love that cat. I just hope the little one over there doesn't get jealous."
He pointed toward the stairs.
The four of them instinctively followed the direction of his finger and found Stella, the French Bulldog, watching them from above.
It was strange to remember that, at first, Jay hadn't even wanted that dog.
Now he adored her.
'What the hell...?' Andrew thought.
Instinctively, he looked over at Claire.
Curiously, she was making a tremendous effort to look absolutely anywhere in the room... except at him.
Then all the pieces fell into place, 'Perhaps...?'
Claire had probably warned Jay that someone was going to tell him some very important news and had begged him, for once, to react kindly.
And Jay had assumed the big news was about adopting the cat.
But Manny, who had been standing on the staircase watching the scene, interpreted Jay's comment in a completely different way.
He frowned and said in an offended tone, "Oh, this little one will be just fine now that he knows where he stands... in the shadow of your new baby."
Jay turned toward him, visibly confused, "What are you talking about?" he asked, completely at a loss. He hadn't even realized Manny was standing there.
Mitch and Cam wore the exact same expression.
Andrew, on the other hand, widened his eyes slightly, 'Since when does Manny know about the baby?'
As far as he knew, only he and Claire were aware of the news.
The only possible explanation was that Gloria simply couldn't keep it to herself and had ended up telling her son.
While everyone was still trying to figure out what was happening in the foyer, Phil, Luke, Haley, and Alex emerged from deeper inside the house.
Gloria also arrived, having overheard the conversation.
She looked at Jay and answered the question that had been left hanging in the air as naturally as if they were discussing the weather.
"He's talking about... I am pregnant."
Andrew closed his eyes for a brief moment, 'Why is nobody following the plan?' he thought, pinching the bridge of his nose.
The silence that filled the foyer lasted barely a second.
"Oh, come on!" Mitchell exclaimed, his eyes going wide.
"Pregnant?!" Cameron repeated in complete disbelief.
Jay took a step forward without taking his eyes off Gloria, "You're joking."
"Oh... that's gross," Luke muttered with a horrified grimace. "I didn't know Grandpa could still do those things."
"Don't be disrespectful, Luke..." Phil whispered, though he immediately turned back toward Gloria wearing the exact same stunned expression.
"Actually, the most surprising part is that it happened naturally. Male fertility doesn't disappear with age, but after the age of forty-five or fifty, sperm DNA fragmentation increases significantly, which generally reduces fertility and raises certain genetic risks. Combined with Gloria's age, a pregnancy is highly unlikely," Alex commented, not looking nearly as shocked as everyone else despite not having known about it beforehand.
"Oh my God!" Haley exclaimed, covering her mouth with both hands, unable to take her eyes off Gloria and paying no attention whatsoever to the biology lesson her sister had just delivered.
"I'm not joking!" Gloria exclaimed. "And if you can't accept this news and be happy about it, I can raise this baby by myself! I've done it once before, and I can do it again!"
She took a deep breath and raised her voice even more.
"I come from a long line of strong Latina women who were abandoned by their husbands!"
"Is that something to be proud of?" Luke asked, confused.
Andrew, who had already moved over beside the Dunphys, barely turned his head, "Shut up, Luke..." he muttered under his breath.
Jay remained motionless for a few seconds.
"Are you finished?"
"Yes!" Gloria replied.
"Can I speak now?" Jay asked as he took another step toward her.
Gloria took a deep breath and lifted her chin, "Go on."
"This is the best news I've received in a long time," Jay said.
This time, there wasn't a trace of the artificial enthusiasm he had shown when he thought they were talking about the cat. His voice was completely sincere.
Gloria blinked in confusion, "It is?"
Jay nodded slowly, "Ever since I turned sixty-five, I've heard a lot about what the future supposedly has in store for me, and I didn't like any of it..." he said. "It was as if everyone had already decided that my life was entering its final stretch."
He paused briefly before looking back at her, "And now you come along and tell me I'm about to have a new beginning..."
He gently took Gloria's hands.
"...with the woman of my dreams."
He fell silent for a few moments, searching for the right words.
Finally, he let out a small laugh, "I think I'm going to cry."
"I'm already crying," Phil commented, his hands on his hips and his eyes glistening.
Andrew smiled as he watched the scene.
Beside him, Haley discreetly wiped away a tear, and he gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"Isn't this beautiful?" Cam murmured, looking at Mitch.
Mitch simply smiled and nodded.
"This is going to be wonderful!" Jay exclaimed as he grabbed Gloria by the shoulders and gave her a gentle shake.
"I'm going to get fat," Gloria replied with a defeated expression.
Jay burst into laughter, "Well... it'll be wonderful in almost every way," he corrected himself before pulling her into a tight embrace.
"Aww," Haley sighed.
"I told you so!" Andrew exclaimed, pointing at Claire with a triumphant smile.
Claire made a small face of resignation, "Yeah, yeah, you were right."
In the end, her father really had taken the news well, and there had been no need for so much worrying.
In fact, he had taken it incredibly well.
"Hold on a second," Cam interrupted, folding his arms. "Why do I get the feeling several people already knew about this before we did?"
Andrew whistled while looking off to the side.
Claire cleared her throat, "So... are we going to have dinner or what?"
The conversation had to be postponed.
Together, they finished setting the table, and shortly afterward everyone sat down to eat. Naturally, there was only one topic of conversation throughout the meal.
The approximate due date, whether it would be a boy or a girl, possible names, and how the family would change with the arrival of a new Pritchett.
However, once the initial excitement faded and the subject of the pregnancy was temporarily exhausted, Jay steered the conversation elsewhere.
He looked at Andrew and asked, "How was practice today? How are you feeling about the game against Colorado?"
The conversations stopped almost instantly.
Every eye at the table turned toward Andrew.
After all, football had occupied a central place in the family for years, practically ever since he was in elementary school.
And now, more than ever, it deserved that place.
Everyone knew they might be witnessing something that could become NCAA history.
The possibility of Andrew becoming the first true freshman ever to win the Heisman was real. Just thinking about it was enough to inspire awe.
The trophy had existed since 1935.
Nearly eight decades of history, and not a single freshman had ever managed to lift it.
The idea that a member of their own family might be the one to break that barrier was difficult to wrap their minds around.
"Good," Andrew answered calmly. "The game should be over by the second quarter, just like it was against Houston."
He said it so matter-of-factly that it sounded more like an objective assessment than a display of arrogance.
No one at the table interpreted it as cockiness.
They simply knew Andrew too well.
Besides, the analysis wasn't unreasonable.
The Colorado Buffaloes, UCLA's next opponent, were in the middle of a disastrous season.
They came into the game with a 1-3 record. Their only victory had been by a single point the previous Saturday.
They had lost their season opener, then suffered one of the biggest upsets in the country by losing at home to Sacramento State, an FCS program, and a week later they were blown out 69-14.
On paper, they were one of the weakest teams in the entire Pac-12.
And to make things even worse for the Buffaloes, they now had to travel to a completely sold-out Rose Bowl, a stadium buzzing with excitement over the season the Bruins were having and eager to watch the star player whom many already considered the face of the Pac-12.
"That's what I like to hear!" Phil cheered, raising his glass. "Although I do feel just a tiny bit sorry for those Colorado guys."
Gloria shook her head, "In Colombia we say you never turn your back on a wounded tiger," she said with a smile. "If you have the chance to put the game away, put it away. Crush them. Never let your opponent believe they still have a chance."
Andrew let out a chuckle, "I'll keep that in mind."
Then, as if an idea had just occurred to him, Andrew raised his hand.
"Hey, what do you say that if I win the Heisman, you let me choose the baby's name?"
The table fell silent.
No one had expected such a proposal. That silence lasted barely half a second.
"Deal," Jay replied immediately, extending his hand across the table.
Andrew smirked and shook it, sealing the deal.
"No way!" Gloria protested at once. "You two just made a deal about my baby without even asking me!"
Claire looked at her father in complete disbelief, "Five minutes ago you were on the verge of crying over your future child... and now you're giving away the right to name the baby just like that?"
Jay shrugged, "If this kid brings a Heisman Trophy to the Pritchett family, he can name the baby whatever he wants."
"Jay!" Gloria exclaimed.
"Well... within reason," Jay corrected himself. "Nothing like Optimus Prime or anything along those lines."
Laughter erupted around the table.
"Hey, I'm not that big of a Transformers fan," Andrew protested, pretending to be offended.
Haley raised an eyebrow, "Sure you aren't. It's not like you bought a yellow Camaro identical to the one from the movie."
"Or like you seriously considered buying a Peterbilt 379," Alex added.
Andrew grimaced.
For a brief moment, he actually had seriously considered buying Optimus Prime's legendary truck.
"That's beside the point," Andrew muttered. "And I was thinking of more normal names. You can't name a baby that. Something like... Anakin."
"That doesn't really help your case, son," Mitchell commented.
The conversation continued with jokes and laughter until dinner finally came to an end.
After that night, the days passed quickly.
The game against Colorado came and went, and the weeks continued to roll by between classes, practices, and an NCAA season that grew more demanding with each passing week.
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