Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
L andon
“Hey, Henry.” I wave to him at his spot behind the counter.
With Tessa’s fingers laced with mine, I lead her to a table in the back corner.
It’s hard to tell when any of my teammates will show up, and I want her all to myself.
They’ve yet to meet her officially as mine, and part of me wants to shout it so the entire world can hear, but the other part of me wants to keep her for myself.
There has only been one incident where the press got a photo of us, but you can’t see her face.
I want the world to know, but at the same time, I don’t want that intrusion into our lives.
They print complete shit, and I have no doubt there will be something printed that will threaten what we have. It’s not a risk I want to take.
Not with her.
So, for now, I’m going to keep her all to myself.
Well, until this weekend, that is. My Tweet is getting national attention.
They’re going to want to know my connection to the shelter, and I’ll tell them.
That gives us time before the world thinks they have a right to invade our privacy and meddle in our lives.
I hate it, but I love football. It’s the price I pay to play a sport I love for a living.
“Tessa, nice to see you again,” Henry greets her. “This guy treating you right?”
She smiles and nods. What she doesn’t know is that he’d ream my ass if there was any other answer than yes. “Perfect gentleman,” she replies with a kind smile.
“Now I know you’re pulling my leg. This guy?” He points at me.
“Right?” she agrees with him. “I was surprised myself.”
I should give them a hard time, but the smile on her face makes any amount of ribbing worth it.
“All right, here’s a menu. What can I get you to drink?”
“Water for me, please,” Tessa says.
“Same for me, Henry, thanks.”
“I want to try something different. Any suggestions?” Tessa asks, her eyes scanning the menu.
“It’s all good. I’ve never had anything that came from Henry’s kitchen that wasn’t.”
“Really? Okay.” She scans the menu again. “I think I’m going to go with chicken tenders and onion rings.”
“Excellent choice,” Henry says, placing our drinks and straws in front of us. “What about you, Landon?”
“I’ll have the same. Barbecue sauce, please.” I hand him my menu.
“Tessa? Barbecue?”
“Yes, please.” She opens her straw and places it in her drink, taking a long pull. “How was your day?”
It’s a question I’ve come to expect from her; she actually cares about how my day went, not the money or the fame, but how it affected me. “Good. I didn’t do a lot. I went to the gym and worked out, then did a little cleaning.”
“Cleaning? I thought you had someone who cleaned for you?”
“I do, but this kind of cleaning is all on me. I just went through some of my clothes, moved some things around.” What I don’t tell her is that I cleared out a couple of drawers for her and made some space in my closet and in the bathroom for her things.
I want her to feel comfortable at my place, and this is just another way of me showing her.
I want her. I want her in my house, in my bed, in my life, and by my side.
“Look at you being all domestic,” she teases.
I just shake my head and smile. “What about you? The phones were crazy?”
“Almost as soon as your Tweet went out, the lines were lit up, and it was like that all day. Turns out, the quarterback for the Cougars has a pretty big fan base.”
“There’s only one fan I’m interested in.”
“JJ’s loyalty lies with his daddy’s team, so you’re safe.”
Reaching across the table, I take her hand in mine. “Just you, Tess. You’re the only one who matters.”
“Barker!” I hear yelled across the quiet room.
Turning, I see Trent and his wife, Luna, making their way toward us. “Trent, Luna, this is my girlfriend, Tessa,” I introduce as soon as they reach the table. Trent raises his eyebrows in surprise but otherwise keeps his cool. “Tess, this is Trent Caudill, our right tackle, and his wife, Luna.”
“Nice to meet you.” Luna offers Tessa her hand, and they shake.
“And this little one?” Tessa points to Luna’s pregnant belly.
“Baby Caudill. We’re not finding out until delivery.”
“Oh my gosh, I’m not sure I could do that.” Tessa smiles kindly.
“It’s been tough, trust me. I’ve almost caved a few times, but this one”—she points over her shoulder at Trent—“keeps me on course.”
“It’s exciting to find out the day he or she’s born. There are too many things in life that are instant gratification. There’s something to be said for the waiting… and the suspense.” Trent pulls Luna in close, and I happen to agree with him.
“I guess I never put much thought into it,” Tessa states. “When are you due?”
“Five days before Thanksgiving. It’s bad timing with it being midseason, but you can’t exactly make these things happen on a timeline. We tried for months. The plan was for the off-season, but life had other plans.”
“Do you want to join us?” Tessa offers.
“Sure,” Luna agrees.
Just like that, the women have hijacked whatever plans Trent or I had for the evening, but from the way he’s looking at his wife, he doesn’t seem to mind.
I don’t either. Trent is a good guy, and his wife is his world.
I don’t have to worry about him hitting on Tessa or telling her any wild stories.
I’m not one to hop from bed to bed, but I’m not a saint either.
Tessa scoots her drinks across the table and climbs out of the booth. I stand, letting her inside to where she pushed her drink, and then slide in next to her. Luna sits across from her, and Trent from me.
“So, how long have the two of you been together?” Luna asks, her eyes flashing to me, and then her focus turns back to Tessa.
“We’ve been talking for a while, but officially, me getting to call her mine, this weekend.” I lean over and kiss Tess’s temple.
“Aw,” Luna sings. “You two look so cute together.”
“Welcome, how’s my favorite mom-to-be?” Henry asks Luna.
“Hanging in there.”
“Here’s your water and glass of milk,” he says, placing them in front of Luna. “What can I get you, Trent?”
“Just water, thanks, Henry.”
“You two know what you want to eat?”
“Cheeseburger and fries. Run the burgers through the garden,” Trent orders for them.
“Coming right up.” Henry turns and walks away, only to come right back with a tall glass of water for Trent before he disappears again.
The ladies fall into conversation, as do Trent and I. We spend the next hour chatting about anything and everything, and with each second that passes, I want more of it. I want more of being a unit, a couple with her. I want more nights like tonight with Tessa by my side.
“They were really nice,” Tessa says in my SUV on the way to my place. “Luna’s got that pregnancy glow.”
“That’s a real thing?” I ask her.
“Yeah, couldn’t you tell?”
“No, but I’m a man. I’m not meant to notice those kinds of things, unless it’s my woman,” I add.
“Oh, I see, so there’s still hope for you.” I hear the humor in her voice.
Hitting the button to open the garage door, I pull in and turn off the engine.
As if she’s stayed with me hundreds of times, Tessa climbs out, reaching into the back for her bag.
She doesn’t wait for me as she heads for the door that leads to the utility room.
I take my time shutting the garage door and grabbing my bag from the back, as well.
I stop off in the laundry room and empty the contents into the hamper.
“Tess,” I call out when I don’t see her in the kitchen.
“In here,” she calls back, and I follow her voice down the hall and into my bedroom. Her bag is on the bed, and she’s pulling items out of it. “I’m overdue for that shower,” she explains, not bothering to look at me.
In a way, that makes this easier. “Hey, so I cleaned out a couple of drawers, you know, in case you wanted to keep anything here.”
She stops messing with her clothes and turns to face me. “Mr. Domestic.” Her tone is teasing, and I don’t know what I expected, but it’s not that.
“There might be some closet space, too.”
“Might be?” A grin tilts her full, kissable lips.
“There is. I told you I moved some things around today.”
“For me?”
“Only for you.” I reach out and pull her close, kissing her soft and slow.
“Hold that thought, QB. I need a shower.” She grabs what she needs and heads to the bathroom.
“Wait,” I call out just before she disappears behind the door. Reaching into my dresser drawer, I pull out the same shirt she slept in last time and toss it to her. Her only reply is to smile and continue on into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
I’m tempted to put her clothes away, but I want her to do it. I want her to feel comfortable here. I know I’m moving us right along in this relationship, but I can’t seem to help myself. The more time I spend with her, the more I want. It’s like she’s an addiction. One I don’t want to break.
Ignoring the nagging feeling to put her things away, I strip down to my boxer briefs and T-shirt, tossing my dirty clothes into the basket in the closet. I turn off the overhead light and turn on the TV instead. It gives off just the amount of light she’ll need to put her things away.
The bathroom door opens and, even with the low glow of the TV, I can see she’s beautiful in my T-shirt, her wet curls piled on top of her head. I don’t take my eyes off her as she makes her way to the bed and finishes unpacking her clothes for tomorrow.
“Where should I put these?” she asks.
Realizing I told her but never showed her, I climb out of bed and meet her at the dresser that the TV sits on. “This side is yours. All four of them.”
She peers up at me under long, wet lashes, and I swear my fucking heart stutters in my chest. “You’re beautiful.”
“Thank you, Landon.” She quickly turns away and makes quick work of placing her clothes in the top drawer and tossing her bag on the floor beside the dresser. When she turns back around, I step forward and wrap my arms around her.