Chapter 39
Everly
My husband is the son of a major league baseball hall of famer, not a trailer park abusive degenerate.
It’s wild but honestly tracks. Way more than the guy I met at gunpoint at a small-town carnival.
His mom may have even tried to name him after who she thought or suspected his real father was—though we may never know.
I don’t know if he’ll ever see her again to ask.
Maybe he doesn’t need to. Jason “Jase” Ross, retired Angels legend and head coach of their minor league team, the Sun Rays, is more than willing to share his family with Julian and tries to almost daily.
He keeps inviting him to things, including him.
Julian has yet to fully embrace his new family, but I can tell he’s warming up to the idea.
Thanksgiving may have been the turning point.
I asked all our friends to come to our house the week before for Friendsgiving, since everyone would likely have family plans for the actual holiday.
Once they all left and it was just the two of us—Allie and Ashley flew back east to see some of Luke’s extended family—he brought it up on his own.
“Jase wants us to come over tomorrow. Meet the whole family.”
I set my pen down on the notebook I was brainstorming in and turn to face him as he sits next to me on the couch. “The whole family, huh?”
“Yep. His wife, Shanna, their three kids, maybe his parents. It’s a lot.” His elbows rest loosely on his knees, belying the tension I know courses through him.
“What’s your gut tell you?” Even though I’m watching him closely, I yelp when he snags me off my seat and pulls me into his lap.
“To stay here with my hot wife. Naked.”
I straddle his lap, curling my fingers around the nape of his neck as he presses his face between my breasts. I let his breath warm the skin through my shirt and close my eyes, scraping my fingernails along his scalp until he moans. “Mmm.”
“Or”—I pull back to look at him, my eyes flickering between his—“we could stop by with a set time to leave and then come home and get naked.”
“What’s our excuse to leave? I’m guessing you’re not suggesting we tell them we have plans to get naked.”
“Yeah, what’s our excuse? It’s gotta be a good one and I don’t want to lie.”
“Me either.”
“Ooh, I know. The crisis center I interned at freshman year does a meal thing every Thanksgiving. We need to help.”
His eyebrows pinch together, making an eleven between them.
“No, I’m serious. They always need help. If we’re having a good time, we don’t have to leave.”
“Okay, I’m in. I love that.” He kisses me soundly, picks me up off his lap and sets me back down where he snagged me from. It’s still so damn hot that my man so effortlessly lifts me. He stands, rubbing his hands along his pecs restlessly. “I’m going to dip into the studio, grab a workout.”
“Want company?” I close my notebook, preparing to join him.
“No, if you have work to do, go ahead.” He waves a hand at me and turns to leave.
“Husband?”
He stops, pivots and dips his chin to his chest, blinking at me slow. “Yes, my wife?”
My cheeks heat. I’ll never tire of hearing that. His wife. “Let’s work out together. I’m betting it’s just the stress reliever we need.”
“And by we you mean me.”
I just shrug and stand, take his hand and pull him toward the door.
As workouts go, this one was scorching. Auz and Callie will be sorry they missed the opportunity for content, because this man of mine can make just about anything hot.
Damn, he’s fucking beautiful. My sports bra is soaked with sweat.
My limbs are quivering. Julian, while slicked with sweat, doesn’t look winded in the least. His muscles bulge, veins pop and the hair at his nape glistens with moisture.
Yet he calmly wipes down the equipment and puts things where they go while I sit on the bench, suck air into my lungs and chug water while I wait for my heartbeat to return to normal.
“Sauna?” He’s standing by the doorway of the weight room when I raise my eyes to his, lungs still heaving, water bottle dangling between my knees.
I nod, lips parted.
“Need a boost?” His eyes crinkle at the corners. He’s enjoying this way too much.
I flip him off as I stand on shaky legs and move toward the door.
“Was that an invitation?”
I shrug one shoulder and crook my brow as I amble through the door he holds open for me.
Just as I make my way past the exit, he snakes his arm around my ribs and snatches me off my feet, cupping his other arm under my knees.
I drop mine on his shoulders, curl them around his neck and get lost in his ocean eyes.
He’s more relaxed now after the grueling workout, his features calm.
He’s playful. My heart swells in my chest with relief.
This beautiful creature deserves so much good, and I wish that for him with everything inside me.
That exercising is his stress reliever proves to me he was never a product of his environment.
Whether he recognizes it or not, he sought other options than self-medicating with drugs and alcohol or fits of rage.
He’s more like the father he didn’t know than he realizes.
It’s what I’ve always seen in him—since that first day in Fit watching him be so patient with his older clients and so diplomatic with his cougar clients.
His heart is bigger than any muscle he’ll ever build.
He sets me on my feet in front of the sauna door and pulls my sports bra over my head.
I glance behind me like I’m checking if we’re alone, even though I know Allie, Ashley and not even one employee is on the property.
Going commando in the sauna will always feel taboo, but somehow that makes it better.
By the grin on Julian’s face, he’s thinking it too but loves our partners-in-crime ritual.
Lying in bed later, I listen to the quiet thud of his heart, tracing his tattoo with my finger while he stares at the ceiling.
We don’t talk. I let him mull over how everything might go tomorrow.
I know it’s unnerving him. I know he overthinks everything—especially when it comes to letting people in, possibly setting himself up to be hurt.
I also know this family won’t hurt him. I don’t know them any better than he does, but sometimes you can just tell people are good to their core just by being around them.
That’s what Jason Ross is—good to his core.
I don’t say it out loud, but I’m so happy this man I love more than anything will have this kind of family in his life.
To feel like he comes from a real family.
I’m his family. So is Allie and Luke. Even our friends.
But for him to feel like he came from something better than what he thought?
I want that for him. So I say nothing and let him work it all out in his head so he can feel as calm as possible before we walk in there tomorrow. I already know it’s going to be great.