Chapter 29
TWENTY-NINE
Hottest guy on campus:
Hey, gorgeous. Why aren’t you in my bed?
Me:
Better offer.
Hottest guy on campus:
Damn, woman. That’s cold.
Me:
I figured you would understand better than anyone. My mom’s been cooking for days. SO MUCH FOOD.
Hottest guy on campus:
My stomach just growled, for real. Also, my dick’s hard just from texting you.
Me:
Proof or it didn’t happen.
Hottest guy on campus:
Dick pics… always a bad idea, Genevieve.
Me:
Like vag pics *shudders*
Hottest guy on campus:
Not the same at all. Speaking of… feel free to send some my way.
Me:
Tit for tat.
Hottest guy on campus:
Tits okay too, I guess. Make sure you get front and side view… I very much enjoy a little side booby.
Me:
How’s Valley?
I don’t want to ask specifically about how things are with Adam, but he must read between the lines.
Hottest guy on campus:
Okay. We stayed in tonight and played video games. Adam hasn’t punched me yet.
Me:
I heard my mom say you guys are having a team dinner to celebrate Thanksgiving. That’s nice.
Hottest guy on campus:
Beats the dorm food. Don’t tell Brenda.
Me:
Brenda?
Hottest guy on campus:
My favorite lunch lady.
Me:
Of course, you have a favorite lunch lady.
Hottest guy on campus:
Eyes keep closing. Gonna sleep. Don’t forget
The following night I’m lying on the couch watching TV when there’s noise outside. A car door followed by deep voices. I get up and peer out the window. Adam’s Jeep is in the driveway, and I see his big frame climbing out of the driver’s side. Heath, Rauthruss, and Mav follow.
I run to the door and fling it open as they approach. “What are you doing here?”
I hug Adam first. As excited as I am about the man behind him, it’s been three years since Adam and I have celebrated a Thanksgiving together. He always stayed at Valley because of his hockey schedule.
“Decided to come up for the night, enjoy Mom’s sour cream apple pie. We have to go back tomorrow night to have dinner with the team.”
“Figures you found a way to have two Thanksgiving dinners.”
Adam heads inside, so do Mav and Rhett. Heath lingers with a sexy smirk. “Hey, Genevieve.”
I throw myself at him.
“Couch, Payne.” Adam’s voice comes from behind me. “Mav and Rhett, you guys can take the guest room.”
Adam gets Heath a pillow and blanket, and I stay downstairs as Heath spreads out on the couch bed.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you. Also, I didn’t know until about three hours ago. Your brother said he was heading up and asked if we wanted to come with him.” He shrugs. “I was half expecting him to stop on the freeway somewhere and kick me out of the car.”
“So you’re here because of my brother?” I sneak a hand inside his shirt and up his chest.
“Yep. He really does it for me.” He winces. “Shit, I can’t even joke about it while I’m hard.”
“Come up to my room.” I start to stand, but he doesn’t budge.
“I don’t think I should.”
“Because of Adam? He’s had more girls in his room than Sephora on sale day.”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’m guessing it’s a lot.”
“Yes.” I pull again, but he shakes his head.
“It’s not just Adam. I’m a guest and I don’t want your parents to think I came up to get in their daughter’s pants.
“Oh my god, when did you turn into this good guy?”
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m still bad.” He pulls me down on top of him and quickly has me pinned underneath him on the couch bed.
He doesn’t kiss me, though, just stares down at me.
“I’m so excited you’re here.”
He grins. “Me too.”
I wake up to the smell of pumpkin and turkey and am instantly giddy. A real Thanksgiving with the whole family. And Heath.
Adam and the guys are already up, their doors open and rooms empty as I pass by on my way downstairs. I slow as I get to the last step. Heath’s pulling a gray T-shirt over his head and holding his phone up to his ear.
When he spots me, he smiles, and my insides turn to mush.
“All right, I should go. The guys are waiting on me.” He continues staring at me as he says goodbye to whoever he’s talking to. I meet him halfway as he pockets his phone.
“Was that your mom?”
“Yeah.”
“She must miss having you home for the holidays. My mom’s ecstatic Adam’s here. She’s been in the kitchen all morning making extra pies.”
“Hope she doesn’t mind we came along.”
“Are you kidding? She’s thrilled. My mother’s happiest when she has lots of people to dote on.”
He wraps his arms around my lower back. “What are you up to this morning? Can you save me from some lame football game outside?”
I gasp. “Lame? It’s an honored tradition.” I take his hand and pull him to the door. “You can be on my team. I’ve never lost.”
The neighborhood football game on Thanksgiving morning is a tradition as far back as I can remember.
When I was little, I’d sit along the sidelines and cheer on my dad and Adam and whatever boy I had a crush on at the time.
But sometime in middle school I decided to join the other brave girls out there. I love it.
“Morning, sunshine.” Mav jogs up to us.
“Morning,” Heath says, voice cracking. He clears it a few times. His gruff morning voice is my favorite.
“Glad you got your sexy ass up; we need a QB.”
Heath shakes his head. “I never played football.”
Mav punches him. “I know, but you’ve got those QB good looks like Tom Brady.”
“Did they already pick teams?” I ask.
“Nah,” Mav says. “They’re fighting over Adam.”
“You four are the most athletically inclined people we’ve had in a while.” I scan the yard to see who made it to play this year, and my gaze snags on someone I didn’t expect. “Bryan’s here?”
The question is more to myself than the guys, but Heath asks, “Who’s Bryan?”
“My ex.” Bryan and I make eye contact and he starts toward me. Seeing him for the first time in three months has my emotions whipping around like I’m on a merry-go-round.
“Hey, Ginny.” Bryan envelopes me in a hug, pressing his large body against mine and squeezing tightly. Apparently he feels none of the awkwardness I do. I can’t decide if that’s comforting or not. “It’s so good to see you.”
“I didn’t expect you to be home for break.”
“Just for the day. I fly back tonight.”
“Oh.” I shift uncomfortably and wring my hands to have something to do. “How’s Idaho?”
“Eh… you know.”
“Actually, I don’t.”
“Well, it’s not Arizona. How’s Valley?”
I sneak a glance at Heath out of my periphery. He’s got his arms crossed and a hard expression on his face. “It’s great. I really love it.”
“Yeah?”
I nod.
“That’s awesome.” He does a blatant once over of my body. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” I smile politely. He looks good too, but not in that way where I want to rip off his clothes. And the guy who I do want to do that to is standing beside me. I turn to him. “Bryan, this is my friend Heath.”
“Hey, man.” Bryan juts his chin in acknowledgment. “You play hockey with Adam, right?”
“That’s right.”
“The guys were talking about you earlier. Sounds like you’re going to be the opposing QB. I’ll try not to make you look too bad.” He takes a step back and winks. “Good to see you, babe. I’ll call you. Maybe we can hang while we’re both in town for winter break.”
I wait until he’s gone to face Heath, prepared to stroke his ego, but he’s… smiling?
“Your friend, huh?”
“Did you want me to introduce you as my make-out buddy?”
He chuckles and winces at the same time. “Guess not. You dated that douche?”
“He’s… not so bad.” I play down any lingering resentment because the last thing I need is Heath or my brother to make a scene.
And honestly, it’s not so much resentment as just dislike for the guy.
Sure, he had his own reasoning for how things ended, but let’s be real, he did it in a super shitty way. I can see that so much clearer now.
“He’s a douche.”
“Is this jealous Heath?” I wave a hand in front of his broody frame. He glares toward Bryan’s retreating back.
“What? No, of course not.” But he continues to stand close while we set up the game.
We’ve got enough people to play with two full teams and a couple alternates. Rauthruss and Heath end up on my team and Adam and Mav on the other with Bryan.
“We’re just waiting on my dad,” Adam says and glances toward the house. “Ginny, did you see him when you came out?”
“No, I haven’t seen him this morning.”
Adam’s brows scrunch together. “That’s weird.”
“He probably had to run to town for something Mom forgot. Let’s just start, I’m sure he’ll show up.”
Adam doesn’t budge.
“I will go check on him.” I nudge Heath playfully. “Don’t screw up my winning streak, Payne.”
I hurry back up to the house and to the kitchen where I can hear Mom and her sister, Zoe, talking and cooking. Mom’s wearing a half apron chopping onions while Zoe sits on a stool peeling potatoes.
“Hey.”
They both look up as I enter.
“Morning. Game over already?” Mom asks.
“No, we haven’t started yet. We’re waiting on Dad. Do you know where he is?”
Mom and Zoe exchange a look.
“What?” I ask when neither of them immediately answers.
Mom shakes her head. “I don’t know where he went, but it’s not like him to miss the big game. Start without him, and I’ll text and let him know the team’s missing him.”
I grin. “Okay. Thanks, Mom. Are you staying for dinner, Aunt Zoe?”
“No, your uncle Wyatt and I are heading to his mom’s. I’ll stop by Sunday before you head back to school.”
As I go out, Dad’s pulling into the driveway. I run to him, pleased to see he’s dressed to play in an old T-shirt and shorts. “You’re late.”
“How’s the team looking, kid?” He gives me a one-arm hug as we walk toward the game.
“We’ve got a few ringers thanks to Adam and his friends.”
At the next break in play, Adam finds us on the sidelines, and he and my dad hug. Adam’s taller and broader than him now, which is just another way things have changed over the last three years.
“Good to see you, son.”
“You ready to get your ass kicked, old man?”
Adam and my dad smack talk like they’re both twelve, but it’s so good to see them together. Our whole family home at the same time.
“You’re on Ginny’s team,” Adam tells him.
Our team huddles up, and Dad and I substitute in.
As we play, I have this sublime feeling of total completeness.
Like I’ve never been this happy. Maybe it’s just nostalgia and the sense that this is a rare moment.
Adam will graduate, become a doctor with insane hours, and get married or move far away and who knows when we’ll all be here again.
Maybe another three years. Maybe longer.
Heath isn’t as good of a QB as Bryan, as painful as that is to admit, and Adam is way better than I remember. While we grab water, Heath gives me a rueful smile. “You might want to think about a trade if you want to keep that winning streak.”
“I would never leave my team in the final quarter,” I say, faking shock then wrapping my arms around his sweaty neck. He grins and I kiss him in front of everyone. I definitely got the better QB and I’m not shy about letting the other team know it.