Chapter 34 – Brianna
One month later…
***
“Ugh. I can’t get it right,” Sawyer says.
I wipe sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and jog toward the volleyball that’s just rolled under Sawyer’s brand-new trampoline.
It’s the same one that Seth and I spent an entire Saturday installing while bickering over instruction manuals and laughing through mosquito bites a few weeks ago.
Sure, it was a mundane task, something simple and domestic, but it reminded me of the Greys, and the thousands of other married couples who get to do completely ordinary, everyday tasks together and find the romance in them. And that’s exactly what we’d done.
When the sun had dipped low and the air turned heavy with humidity, we found ourselves out back with the instructions and some tools.
One thing led to another, and suddenly we were hooking up on top of the new trampoline.
Let me just say... buoyancy? Seriously underrated.
I think back on that evening under the trees…
“Just like that. Fuck, baby. Look at you taking me so well. Look how turned on you are. Your pretty little pussy all flushed and pink for me. That’s it—throw it back.
Fuck. Just like that. And this ass…” He slides a hand over my hip, fingers finding the butt plug he’d slipped inside me that morning.
“Dammit. Taking that plug so well. You like that, don’t you? ”
He’d toyed with it, a low groan leaving his throat.
“That’s good. Get yourself nice and open for me. I’m going to need it later when I fit my cock in here. Do you think the neighbors are watching? I hope they see the way your pussy milks my cum. The way it keeps it just for you.”
I hadn’t realized how much I needed a little bounce in my life until I was gripping the mesh frame, legs wrapped around him, both of us breathless and laughing between kisses and thrusts.
It was a little more difficult than I expected—keeping our rhythm steady with all the give beneath us—but we figured it out.
And most importantly it was fun. Messy. Imperfect.
Absolutely unforgettable. A first for me and him.
And later that night, he took my ass just like he’d promised.
With care, slowly, another first for me. And one that I know won’t be the last.
That’s what I’ve always wanted. To turn quiet, everyday moments like building a trampoline, folding laundry, fixing a leak, and raking leaves into something sacred and sexy simply because we get to do it together.
Working side by side toward some shared, household goal, no matter how small it might seem to the outside world.
That thought changed my entire perspective about what Seth and I were building and had me looking at him differently.
Not just as someone I was falling for, but someone that I could build a life with.
Live with. Wake up beside on a sleepy Sunday morning and argue about paint swatches and who’s going to take the dog out to pee.
Because that's what we've been doing. We haven't made it official at work yet, but we told Sawyer.
We had to—keeping it from her was getting impossible and neither of us wanted to lie.
By the time we sat her down in the backyard, the new dog Seth bought her sprawled between us, she'd already rolled her eyes and told us she knew because she has eyes, duh.
“You’re not sucking. You’re just tired,” I say, stooping down to grab the stray ball. “We should take a break. This heat is brutal today.”
“But Coach said I need to keep practicing if I want to start next game.”
I tuck the ball under my arm and shake my head, watching her from across the lawn. It’s been over an hour since I picked her up from after-school practice, and we’ve been out here in the backyard ever since working on digs and drops while the crockpot simmers chicken and roasted vegetables inside.
Seth had an away game last night. The head trainer didn’t need me to travel for this one, so I offered to stay back.
It gave me the chance to watch Sawyer and gave Seth one less thing to worry about—like childcare or school pickups or whether she’d miss a quiz because she’d be on the road.
He was also more than happy knowing I’d be in his bed without him.
A little too happy, honestly. Then jealous when he realized he wouldn’t be there to enjoy it.
He’s due home sometime late tonight, long after Sawyer’s bedtime, and I already know what he’d say to her if he were here instead.
“Part of getting better is knowing when to take a break,” I tell her gently.
“You can’t improve on exhausted legs. You need to rest and fuel up so that your body can recover.
Volleyball’s important but so is taking care of yourself.
And I hate to be the buzzkill, but I’m pretty sure we still have some math homework to check. ”
She groans. “Ugh, you sound like my mom.” Then she grins. “I’ve always wanted to say that.”
There’s a shyness on her face now like she’s not sure if she should have said that part out loud. My stomach flips, partly out of nerves and partly because that means the world to me.
“I don’t remember my mom, and Elena didn’t count. She was... well, she ignored me and mostly just focused on my dad.”
“I’m sorry, Sawyer.” I bite down on my lip. I know there’s still some unknowns with Seth and his position on the Mayhem, but I don’t want Sawyer to worry about me leaving. “
She smiles. “It’s okay. Sorry if I made things weird. I know you’re my dad’s girlfriend now.” She wrinkles her nose playfully. “But you also feel like my friend.”
I throw an arm around her shoulders and steer us toward the house and the air conditioning. “That means a lot to me because you feel like my friend too.”
She smiles up at me, and I feel it deep in my chest because I understand this feeling intimately.
This is something that she’s yearned for.
I feel that same way every time me and my dad connect over a lunch at the facility, or a quick text message where he asks how I’m doing just to check in.
It’s the feeling of finding something you didn’t realize you were missing.
After dinner, where she shares about the book we’re reading for our tiny six-person book club, we clean the dishes together. Then she heads upstairs for her shower and to finish her homework in her room.
“See you in the morning!” I call out to her.
I spend the next hour tidying the house so it’s nice for when Seth gets home.
I wipe down counters, fold the blanket tossed on the couch, fluff the pillows like a lunatic who’s pretending this doesn’t matter when it really, really does.
I want him to come home to something steady.
I want him to want that with me. The mundane and usual but make it romantic.
It’s almost eight o’clock when I finish and hear a knock on the front door. I frown checking the time. Couldn’t be Seth yet. I head for the front, peeking through the window before answering and see his brother instead.
“Levi?”
I pull the door open and instantly throw my arms around him. He doesn’t look surprised to see me.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” I ask with a laugh, stepping back.
His shoulders are tense. “I got suspended again.” He steps inside the home. “What’s that smell? It’s amazing.”
“Chicken and roasted vegetables. I made it for Sawyer and Seth to eat when he gets home.” I close the door behind him and head for the fridge. “You want some? Sawyer already ate.”
“Would I ever,” he says, wide-eyed. “Why would Seth ever leave town when you’re cooking like that? Away games are always shitty eating.”
I laugh. “It’s not like he has a choice. Thankfully, he isn’t getting suspended every other game like you.”
I start reheating the plate I packed for leftovers. He slides onto a stool at the island and digs in the second it’s warm, devouring the food like it’s the first full meal he’s had in days.
“Do you eat in Boston?”
He shakes his head and wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “No.”
“No girlfriend?”
“Nope.”
I lean against the counter. “But you’re such a catch.”
He gives me a cheeky grin. “Tell that to the women.”
I laugh easily. “Does Seth know you’re here?”
“No. I was planning on telling him once you let me in.”
I raise a brow. “So, you knew I’d be here.”
He smiles. “Of course. My brother’s obsessed with you.”
I feel my cheeks turn red. The past month has been a blur of sneaking around between games and practices as much as we can afford.
When Sawyer’s had sleepovers or afternoons with friends, Seth’s shown up at Natasha’s house, his hoodie still warm from practice and his brown eyes hungry with need.
Other nights, I’ve climbed into his bed, not ashamed of what we were doing.
And when we couldn’t see each other in person, between his travel schedule or late nights working, we had our usual standing date nights—watching the Wellingtons or the Grey’s, staying on video call until we both came and one of us fell asleep.
Every night, I’ve offered him some kind of recovery care—massage, heat, dry needling—and every morning, he says he feels better. Says he’s playing better. Says I’m the reason for the saves out on the ice. My dad hasn’t brought up his trade again. I just hope it’s enough to keep him with the Mayhem.
It’s been a lot. In the best kind of way. And I’ve completely, entirely, hopelessly fallen for him during these simple, quiet moments together. I can’t imagine a world without him or Sawyer, and I know I need to tell my dad that just as soon as I know Seth’s safe.
“I like him a lot.”
He grins. “I know.”
I smile and lean back against the counter. “So, is this your go-to when you get suspended? Burglar your brother’s house for a hot meal and company?”
“You mean pick fights with my little brother so I can show up unannounced and pretend I don’t miss him? Yeah.”
“You miss Seth?
“Hell yeah. And Boone. I’m jealous they get to live in the same city. It used to be us three, all the time. And now I’m the one on the outside.”