John Hillin
There may not be two better cover models for a summer issue than Eric and Jessie James Decker.
He’s a retired football player with the physique of a guy who’s still on the field. She’s a country singer, best-selling writer, fashion entrepreneur, and South Beach Diet spokesperson whose abs rival those of her husband—and belie the fact that she’s a mother of three. Together the reality TV stars make a stunning pair and their chemistry is undeniable. That was apparent during a socially distanced interview (via phone) in Nashville.
The couple, who met through friends, married in 2013, but according to Jessie there’s a chance they may have crossed paths on a summer vacation long before that.
“I used to go to Minnesota for a couple of weeks every summer. My dad's side of the family would all rent these cabins in a little town called Longville. We would go tubing, and sometimes we would sit around the campfire and it was so much fun,” she says. “What’s really funny is that Eric grew up doing the same thing. He lived in Minnesota, but his family would go to a neighboring town [in the summer] and we always wonder: were we there at the same time? Did we ever run into each other at like the local Walmart?”
The image of these two in a summer teen romance is the stuff CW soaps are made of, but Jessie says it’s not likely.
“I would have remembered seeing him. I would have probably fell over at 14 seeing that hot guy. I was so boy crazy. I totally would have remembered him!”
John Hillin
So their summer love stories started a bit later in life. And now they’re making their own family traditions with their children, Vivianne Rose, 6; Eric Thomas II, 4; and Forrest Bradley, 2.
“We love living in our city, Nashville is home, but I’ve been growing up going to the Destin area since I was a kid,” says Jessie. “We have a house there and I get real excited about taking the kids to the beach every day, getting the popsicles and eating watermelon and barbecue.”
But just because they’re on vacay doesn’t mean the Deckers aren’t working. On a family vacation the real work begins, and these two know their roles.
“I’m the child wrangler,” says Eric. “I’m in the water about eight hours a day with the kids to try and wear them out.”
And while he does that, Jessie takes care of the over-21 crowd.
“My family always relies on me to make my margaritas,” she says. “I mean they're margarita-ish, they're mostly tequila with lime juice, but for some reason nobody can seem to bring the flavors together quite the way that I do. That's definitely my signature cocktail.”
John Hillin
For fashionista Jessie, the beach is the perfect place to rock her new line of swimwear. The Kittenish founder has been selling out of swim styles since their debut early in 2020. After years of success with apparel and accessories, Jessie knew her line—with stores in Nashville and Florida—had to expand into swim.
“I like to make sure I provide something everybody wants—everybody needs,” she says. “Everyone needs sunglasses; everyone needs shoes; everyone needs bathing suits. What I love about our swim [collection] is there’s something for everybody. We’ve got one pieces that are more covered up if you’re not comfortable showing too much skin, and we’ve got the really sexy ones. We also have mommy and me coming. We want to provide as many suits for every kind of woman out there so that she feels good when she puts on her suit and goes to the pool or to the beach.”
The Deckers may spend time in Florida during the summer, but nothing rivals their love for their adopted hometown.
“I just love the energy of Nashville in the summer,” says Jessie. “There’s so many festivals and fairs.”
With three kids, the Deckers spend much of the season in the Music City sunshine and it’s no surprise that Eric plays camp counselor.
“When we’re in Nashville we’re on the playground, playing baseball or basketball, or in the backyard,” he says. “I want my kids to be outside. I grew up outside and I feel like it’s important to get them out of the house. I like going to Cheekwood or Radnor Lake.”
When they get away for a date night, the Deckers love to hit up Santo in Green Hills or the M Street restaurants.
“Nashville’s restaurant scene—there’s a lot of great places,” says Eric. “We’ve got a lot of upscale dining and very trendy restaurants."
And for a cocktail they head high above the city to L.A. Jackson’s rooftop bar where they can look out onto the bustling Gulch (including the Kittenish boutique).
“I love seeing all the people super excited to be there and all the trucks going by,” says Jessie. “It’s turned into a Southern Vegas, and I know some of the locals get annoyed, but I don’t. There are so many tourists that come around, but I don't mind because I love the energy that they bring.”
“The city is so much more vibrant,” adds Eric.
“This is our home and our community, and I love that other people are appreciating it as much as I have over the last 10 years,” says Jessie. “It’s just fun.”