Chapter 31 #2
Sandy stood and Leslie rose to hug him. “I’m proud of you, Brother,” Leslie said. “You’ve done so much for me. Now it’s your turn.”
Sandy blushed and took his seat, tucking into his food. “I’m still going to be around. It’s an online program. Someone’s gotta help you with football when Randy starts up with baseball.”
Leslie pulled out a box and handed it to Agnes. “And Mom—”
Agnes put her arm around Joe. “My present is that Joe’s moving in. I finally have someone on my side.”
Joe kissed her on the cheek. “And I want you to come to LA with me for the next taping of Dance Machine . Then we’ll go shopping.”
“I haven’t been to LA in so long.”
Joe was grateful Agnes had accepted him so easily and was looking forward to spending more time with her.
Joe smiled up at Leslie, who was still standing.
“What does Joe get for Christmas?” Randy asked.
Joe already got his Christmas present. Leslie must have been thinking similarly because he blushed.
“Joe gets a week of pampering,” Leslie said and his look said all Joe needed to know. They were getting time together, time to be alone, time to spend with Joe’s new family, and time to let their relationship settle into a comfortable groove. Joe was ready for it all.
“And Malcolm gets a bestseller,” Sandy said and Malcolm chuckled.
“Speaking of, Mrs. Payton? Are you up for a conversation tomorrow?”
She smiled hesitantly. “Whenever you’re ready.” She turned to look at Joe and took his hand on top of the table. “I’d really like it if you’d sit with me while I talk to Malcolm about Rick.”
Joe placed his other hand on top of hers. “Anything for you, Agnes. Whatever you’re comfortable with.”
Leslie squeezed her shoulder. “We’re here for you, Mom.”
She nodded at him and took in a shaky breath. “I would rather you boys not be there. It’s too hard to be strong in front of you.”
The boys all spoke at once and she held up her hand. “I’m going to be fine. This is long overdue. I just hope it will help some of the other football families.”
“Very well. We’ll talk tomorrow. Now, I believe I was promised a game night?”
Joe sat with Agnes the next morning and held her hand as she laid out the tale of her tumultuous marriage to Rick Payton. Malcolm was definitely a great pick for this project as he asked very gentle questions and gave her time to collect her thoughts in between crying jags.
She was the strongest woman Joe had ever met, and he was grateful she’d asked him to be there.
Putting any of them through this hell was awful, but spurred on by her determination that she could help others, she was so brave.
She’d wanted Joe to hear it all, wanted to spare Leslie from having to relive it, and Joe wanted to honor her request. He fully understood where she was coming from.
Leslie could very well experience devastating effects from his years playing football.
His sense of urgency when it came to their relationship made so much more sense.
It also explained why he’d been so hesitant to tell Joe everything.
If he hadn’t already been in love with Leslie, he might have had to pause when it came to jumping into a lifelong commitment after hearing the terrible things the Paytons went through.
It was obvious Leslie was still terrified Joe would change his mind.
When he and Agnes emerged from the sitting room where Malcolm was doing the interviews, Leslie and the twins were waiting for them, terror in their expressions.
Joe imagined the awful fear they must have all experienced near the end of Rick’s life; two little boys who didn’t understand and two grown men having to watch their beloved father unravel before their eyes and having to protect their mother from physical harm.
Leslie hugged a sobbing Agnes first and then handed her over to Randy and Sandy.
“Can we walk?” she asked them, and they fell all over themselves to honor her wishes.
“Are you…I’m sorry, Joe.”
Joe pressed his fist against Leslie’s chest. “Don’t you dare apologize to me,” he said, and then he pulled Leslie into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, baby. You’ve been carrying all that around…I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
“We hadn’t even met yet,” Leslie said, his laughter thick with unshed tears. “I know if you had been in my life when this all went down that you would have done everything in your power to be there for me, just like you always have.”
Joe brushed Leslie’s fine hair back from his forehead. “You are the bravest man. And your mom…she’s a goddamned warrior.”
Leslie smiled and kissed the top of Joe’s head. “She really is. And she’s so happy for us, Joe. She pushed me to talk to you about this and I wasn’t…brave enough. I’m sorry. I should have done better by both of you.”
Joe pulled him down for a kiss and then held his face in his hands. “Stop it. That’s all done with. All right?”
Leslie nodded and then the two of them returned to the room and found Malcolm staring out the window over the lush greenery.
“Leslie, your mother is a goddamned warrior.”
Joe laughed. “That’s what I just said.”
Malcolm turned around and shook his head, his eyes red. “I’m going to put a lot of this in the draft, but I honestly don’t know how much to share. I don’t want your mother to be revictimized. I had no idea. The papers—”
“We kept it quiet. There was…pressure, but also, he was so loved by everyone. We wanted that memory people had kept intact. Now? I’m not sure that was the best move.”
“We don’t have to decide now,” Malcolm said. “And we still have to talk to Barry. When is he arriving?”
“Barry and Evelyn will be here tomorrow.”
Malcolm nodded and looked back out the window. “I need to… Yeah, I need to get out of here for a bit.”
“No, of course,” Leslie said. “Take one of the cars. Hell, my brothers will take you if you want to go tie one on. They know all the good spots.”
Malcolm laughed. “I don’t know. Is it safe?”
Joe and Leslie looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Just make sure you have a passcode on your phone,” Joe said. “And call us if you need a designated driver.”
“Absolutely.”
Hours later, Leslie and Joe sat on the beach, arms around each other, kissing lazily under the moonlight.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had. Hands down.”
Leslie smiled against Joe’s lips. “Definitely the best since I met you.”
Joe pulled back. “I bet the Paytons have had some great ones.”
Leslie nodded. “Dad used to dress up like Mrs. Claus to bring out the gifts on Christmas morning when Barry and I were young.”
Joe barked out a laugh. “Mrs. Claus, huh? ”
“Yeah, he claimed his legs were too nice to hide under the big red pants.” Leslie frowned. “His boobs were always crooked. That’s what I remember the most. The crooked boobs, the presents, and then sitting on his lap watching football.”
“Did you know even back then that you wanted to play?”
Leslie nodded. “I never didn’t want to play. It was always a given. Play as long as I could, go as far as I could. But when I retired, it wasn’t awful. I was totally at peace with my decision. I knew I’d always be involved with football somehow.”
Joe sighed and snuggled closer to him. They were still naked from their afternoon swim but this time they’d moved their lounge chair into the shade to avoid sunburns. Joe hated the idea of having to wear clothes around Leslie ever again, but he doubted that Christmas miracle would come true.
“I hope when it’s time for me to retire I can feel the same. It helps, you know, the coaching? The teaching? I don’t even miss performing when I’m doing those things.”
“You’re so good with the kids, Joe. Really. A natural.”
Joe smiled. “I never would have known if it hadn’t been for you planting the seed.
So, thank you. For so much, thank you.” He ran his tongue over Leslie’s lips, withdrawing when Leslie would try to catch him, teasing him over and over until Leslie caught his tongue and sucked it into his mouth.
They both groaned and pressed their bodies closer together.
“Everything really is better with you,” Joe said. “But I’d like to wash this sand off and—”
“Yes, God. Yes. Let’s do it.”
They hurried up the path, hoping the twins weren’t out in the brush with their cameras this time. They made it into Leslie’s room and into the shower without incident and after a quick rinse they fell into bed together, barely dried off, in a hurry to get closer.
Leslie’s phone buzzed on the bedside table and they looked at each other. “Oh no. What did they do to poor Malcolm?”
Leslie grabbed it with a sigh and unlocked it.
A flurry of pictures showed up of Randy apparently passed out shirtless on the ground with an apple in his mouth, Sandy in only a grass skirt with apparently nothing on underneath laying ass up on a lounge chair, and a selfie of Malcolm toasting the camera. All sent from Randy’s phone.
“We better watch this guy.”
Joe barked out a laugh. “He bested both of them?”
The last one was a selfie of Malcolm with Agnes toasting the camera, both wearing big smiles.
“Uh, is he looking a little smitten with your mom?”
Leslie frowned and shrugged. “I mean, he’s a nice guy. Younger than her, but hell. She deserves all the fun.”
“We deserve all the fun,” Joe said as he slid down the bed and pulled the sheet over his head. “And I’m about to have my fill.”
Leslie lifted the sheet and grinned, spreading his legs. “I want to watch.”