30
NICO
Unknown number: Miss me yet?
Me: Who’s this?
Unknown number: Don’t be silly, handsome. Your key is still warm in my hand. Just say the word and it’s all yours. And so am I.
Me: Leave me alone, Sonja.
D elete. Block.
Saint: T-minus four days boys. Loving, don’t hate me. Remember it’s all business. I will take no pleasure in walking off the field as a winner as you drag your sorry ass off through the losers tunnel.
Me: Man. You sure are confident for the second best rookie receiver. Who’s the first again?
Saint: For now. Don’t get too comfortable sitting on my throne.
Diva: Man I love hearing you two compare dick sizes while I’m sitting back, climbing that rank.
Me: Did you hear that Papas? I could have sworn this was a bros only group, but it seems like a diva has entered the chat.
Saint: Something we can definitely agree on.
Diva: Throw darts. I’ll just keep dodging them left and right. No sweat off my back.
Me: Literally no sweat ‘cuz your receivers are the ones carrying the team.
Saint: Daaaaaammnnnn!
Diva: What did you say? I couldn’t hear over the sound of my bank account going cha-ching cha-ching.
Saint: I love it when mom and dad fight.
Me: Hmm. You must’ve missed the commercial I’m in for Fuel sports drink. They only sign elite athletes, so it wouldn’t surprise me that you didn’ t see it.
Saint: Nah. He missed it because they don’t get a signal down in the country.
Diva: Sure sure. Make fun boys. One day you’ll understand. It’s a grown man’s thing. But keep playing with your Legos and maybe you can build yourself a future.
Me: Whatever you say, gramps.
Saint: old man on rocking chair gif
Diva: king counting his riches gif
Me: celebrity accepting an award gif This has been fun but I have to go be great. See you in four days.
“It was so wonderful meeting you.” Scottie wraps Valentina in a hug and she freezes, just like she did upon meeting my parents for the first time.
“Yes. Same. Travel home safely. I’m sure we’ll see you…some time.” Valentina awkwardly pats Scottie’s back and pulls away, relief all over her face. “Noelle, good luck on your story. I can’t wait to read it.”
Valentina reaches out and gives Noelle a handshake.
It’s warmer than one you’d give an employer in an interview, but definitely still a bit on the cooler side.
When she gets passed along to the guys, they give her the same hug as Scottie and she responds with that I don’t know what to do with my hands look.
I know she just needs some time to get used to all of this affection.
“Love you, man,” I tell Saint, hugging him as he smacks my back a little too hard.
“Yeah, Iknow. And sorry we had to beat you today, but turnabout is fair play.”
“It happens. Now the scoreboard is even. Guess we’ll have to see what post-season brings. But no matter who wins or loses –spoiler; I win– I still love you.”
“And this is why he’s known as the Love Man.” Saint laughs and winks at me. “Deep down he’s just a sweet and cuddly little love bug.” He pinches my cheek and I jokingly push his face away and pull Soba in for a hug.
“See you soon, Diva.” I quickly whisper in his ear, “Thanks for helping me with Val. I’m not such a shit boyfriend after all.”
A proud smile fills his face like a dad watching his son grow. “Always, man. We’re brothers.”
We give our last goodbyes and I take Valentina’s hand. Leading her through the tables as we wind our way out of the restaurant, we stop in front of the valet and I pass them our ticket. When she shivers, I pull her close and tuck her to my side.
“It’s not that cold. Spend a winter in Philly and this feels like summer in comparison.”
“I’m a SoCal girl who moved to South Texas. Anything below sixty degrees is The Shining cold.” Her eyes shine so bright as she looks up at me and I want to bottle it forever.
She’s everything I never knew I wanted. Strike that. She’s everything I never knew I needed. Dad always told me that when the right woman comes into your life, you’ll feel it. It will creep into your heart and smack you in the face like a sonuvabitch, but that it will be worth every minute.
The car pulls up and I help my girl, tucking her in and throwing the valet a look that says if you want those eyes in your head, look away .
It’s something I’ve perfected since being with Val.
She turns fucking heads everywhere we go, and damn I can’t believe my good luck to be the asshole by her side.
But let some asshole step in her direction and I’ll scoop their eyes out with a rusty knife.
I rev the engine and peel out of the restaurant and Val grabs the door, throwing me a glare.
“Is the screeching of the tires like a Nascar driver really necessary? We aren’t drag racing.” she asks.
“Says the woman with the hot as fuck car with an engine she doesn’t even know how to use.” The way she always tries to hide her smile forces my pants to grow uncomfortably tight.
This time, instead of me gripping her hand in mine and holding it for dear life, she takes mine. The relief that I feel in my chest is overwhelming. She’s finally here. Here with me.
“Are you sure your friends don’t mind that we’ve left dinner early? I feel bad for cutting out, but I know your family is waiting for us.” I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss the back of it.
“No, mi Reina. They understand. I needed to see my boys. This is the longest we’ve been away from each other since we were like…seven. So mom and pops understand.”
I knew my parents were coming for Thanksgiving the moment we got our schedule. That wasn’t a question. But when Nick and Nik informed me they’d also be in town, my parents knew I’d want to spend time with them.
“Besides, Mom said she was working on something special for you and needed the extra time to prepare.”
Yes, it’s a little late to be eating a second dinner, but mom said it gave her time to prepare a meal that she began prepping last night. Dad gripped about it, but mom told him to suck it up and eat at the stadium. I’m assuming the food trays in the suite were left with only crumbs.
“Okay. As long as everyone is fine.” I hear her exhale and decide now might be the perfect time to broach something I noticed at dinner.
“So, um, I have something to ask and I don’t want you to be offended.”
“Well when you preface it like that…it definitely means I’ll be offended. But ask away.”
I take a deep breath and ask, “Did you not like my friends? You seemed a little…standoff-ish?” My teeth clench and I wince.
She pulls her hand away and I know I’ve screwed up. Why didn’t Nick tell me about what words are off limits during our lessons?
“Standoff-ish? Why would you say that? And of course I liked them.” She crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the car door.
I turn the volume down on the music and decide that I’ve already plunged the shovel into the cold, hard dirt, why stop now.
“You weren’t very talkative. And anytime Scottie tried to pull you into a conversation, you didn’t really give away too much.
Short answers and not really much in return in way of questions of your own.
It just seemed like you would rather have been anywhere but there.
” I hear the popping of her jaw as it clicks with anger.
“Listen, I’m not the kind of woman that’s going to make instant besties with someone I just met.
You can ask Lucy. She had to bully me into a friendship.
She said she’s never met a more stubborn woman in her life.
But that’s me. So if you were hoping I’d invite them over for a sleepover and romcoms with face masks, you don’t know me at all.
” She turns her head to look out the window and I need to find a way to redeem myself.
“No, I-I know that. It’s just…I really want you to like them. I think Scottie is it for Soba and though he fights it, Papas has already been whipped by Noelle. They’re always going to be in our lives.”
“You say always like we’re going to die in each other’s arm like the fucking Notebook .”
I chance a look at her and tell her in all honesty, “Well, yeah. That’s my plan.”
“For fuck’s sake,” she whispers.
“Look. You can try to deny it all you like but I know it’s true. I’ll quit talking about it, but there is nothing you can do to stop me from feeling it.”
She stays quiet, only the low hum of the music playing, and I decide to lighten the mood. I grab my phone, searching for a song with one eye on the road until I find it. (I know, I know. But this is for the greater good.)
I tap the play button and set it back on the charger then wait.
A woman’s voice sounds and I can tell she doesn’t recognize it. A man with a heavily accented voice replies and I see her turn her head slowly in my direction. The conversation between the two goes on for a few more seconds, then the opening bars of the song play.
“Did you really just play Milli Vanilli?” She sounds completely offended, and I love it.
“Girl…you know it’s true,” I tell her and before long, she’s cracking up.
“You are the cheesiest guy I’ve ever known.”
“As long as I’m your cheese baby, I’ll be just fine.” I give a wink and suddenly we’re back to holding hands and smiling.
I open my mental notes and log, never call a woman standoff-ish . I’ll have to give Soba some shit for that one.
We get closer to my place when I hear the ding of an incoming text on my phone. “Can you check that for me, baby? It may be my parents wondering where we are.”
She picks up the phone and holds it up in front of my face to unlock it. My screen saver is a picture of her and I from our trip to Cozumel. The trip that changed the course of my life.
She’s silent as she reads the text and remains so for a minute. It’s worrisome and I begin to panic. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Not unless you think some chick texting you with ‘ I miss your cock. My pussy can still feel it’ as a problem.”