Chapter 23
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
DEREK
Thanksgiving break came two weeks after the championship win, and I was nervous.
Not about going home, though explaining Rosie to my parents would be its own adventure. But about the Friendsgiving dinner the team had organized.
It was tradition. Every year, the guys who couldn't go home would gather at the soccer house for a massive Thanksgiving feast. It used to be just us the team, but this year, Aaron had extended the invitation to all the girlfriends too.
Including Rosie.
"You're overthinking this," Max said as we set up tables in the backyard. "Aaron invited her. He wants her here."
"I know. But this is the first time we'll all be together socially since... forever." I adjusted a chair that didn't need adjusting. "What if it's weird?"
"It'll be a little weird. And then it won't be." Max clapped me on the shoulder. "Relax. Today's about being grateful for what we have. And you have a lot to be grateful for. And the celebration party was already fine. You’re all fine."
He was right. I did.
The doorbell started ringing as people arrived. Everyone brought something and the house slowly started to fill with people and music started playing in the background.
My eyes stayed glued to the door, and I watched everyone come in.
Nova and Maddox came together, though they were still insisting they were "just friends." Liam brought Brooklyn, Alfie brought Paige, and Max's parents even drove up to join us.
And then Rosie arrived with Aaron.
She looked beautiful in a simple blue sweater dress, her hair down in waves. She caught my eye and smiled, and some of the tension in my chest eased immediately.
"Hey," she said when she made her way to me and reached to wrap her arms around me. "Is this okay?" She stopped mid-hug, asking if it was okay to be openly affectionate.
"More than okay." I pulled her into a tight squeeze of a hug and kissed the top of her head. "You look amazing."
"You're biased."
"Extremely." I kissed her lips gently, aware that Aaron was watching but no longer caring.
Rosie grinned at me, us both ignoring her brother’s stare as she kissed my nose. “So no more hiding.”
“No more hiding,” I said, patting her on her backside and making her laugh.
“But you just enjoy playing with fire, don’t you?” she teased, pressing her body to mine.
“Don’t tempt me, Thorn,” I groaned into her ears. “I need to prepare for a weekend away from you. It’s a dangerous combination.”
Her fingers sunk into my hair and she pulled me down to her eye level, before resting her forehead against mine. “You can do it.”
“And here I thought you were going to offer me something dirty after dinner…” I pouted.
“Hey, love birds!” Maddox walked by. “Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should undress each other with your stare and eyefuck each other.”
Rosie’s cheeks heated and she buried her face in my shoulder as I laughed. “Don’t embarrass my girlfriend, bro.”
“Sorry, forgot she still thinks she can fool everyone with her good girl act,” Maddox grinned and Rosalie lifted her head giving him a death glare.
“Don’t you have anywhere else to be?”
“No,” Maddox replied sweetly. “Because dinner is about to be served, if you guys are done being all lovey-doey.”
“Not even close,” Rosie fired back with a grin, but stepped away from me. “But I’m hungry.”
Silent laughter shook my body as I loved seeing her stand her ground against my best friend. It was funny.
“Proud of you, Thorn,” I kissed her cheek when Maddox turned to walk towards the table that slowly filled with people.
Rosie winked at me and placing her hand in mine, we joined the others.
Dinner was chaotic in the best way. We'd cooked way too much food including turkey, ham, three kinds of potatoes, countless sides, and enough pie to feed an army. Everyone squeezed around the tables we'd pushed together, passing dishes and talking over each other.
When the food was served, Coach stood up to make a toast.
"I'm grateful for this team," he said simply. "For your talent, yes. But more importantly, for your character. This season tested us in ways we didn't expect. But we came through it stronger. More united. And that's what I'll remember long after the championship banner is hung."
"Here, here!" someone called out.
"Now, before we dig in, I want to go around and have everyone share one thing they're grateful for this year."
Groans went up, but Coach was insistent. We went around the table, each person sharing.
Liam was grateful for Brooklyn sticking with him through four years of long distance.
Nova was grateful for the drama department casting her in the spring play.
Max was grateful for Ivy and for finally letting himself be vulnerable.
When it got to Aaron, he stood up. "I'm grateful for my family. For my sister, who's stronger than I ever gave her credit for. And for my teammates, who are also my brothers. All of you."
His eyes met mine when he said it. A clear message: we're good.
"I'm grateful for second chances," I said when it was my turn. "For my knee healing. For Dr. Morrison's patience. For a team that had my back even when I was struggling." I looked at Rosie. "And for finding someone who really sees me and loves me anyway."
Rosie's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm grateful for Derek," she said softly. "For teaching me that losing one dream doesn't mean giving up on dreaming. For showing me that it's okay to be scared and brave at the same time. And for loving me through all my chaos."
"And for helping Derek with his game," Aaron added, making everyone laugh. "Seriously, those Pilates sessions turned him into a machine."
“Maybe we should make it mandatory for the whole team,” Max added with a grin.
The tension broke completely. People laughed, jokes were made, and the rest of dinner was easy and comfortable.
After we'd eaten ourselves into food comas, people migrated inside to watch football or outside to toss a ball around. I found Aaron in the kitchen, doing dishes.
"Need help?" I asked.
"Sure." He handed me a towel.
We worked in silence for a few minutes, falling into a familiar rhythm.
"Thank you," I finally said. "For today. For including Rosie. For making an effort."
"She's my sister. Of course I included her." Aaron scrubbed a pan vigorously. "And you're my best friend. Even when you're being an idiot."
"Fair." I almost chuckled but held back.
"But Derek?" He turned to face me. "I need you to promise me something."
My stomach clenched. "What?"
"Promise me you'll take care of her. Really take care of her. Not just now, when everything's new and exciting, but later too. When things get hard."
"I promise. Aaron, I love her. I'm in this for the long haul. And I know I wasn’t always this reliable guy and that you probably imagined someone different with her, but she changed me, man. There hasn’t been anyone else since my injury, and I don’t want anyone else. Just her."
"Good. Because if you hurt her, I'll kill you. Best friend or not."
"Understood." I dried a plate, then added, "And Aaron? Thank you for giving us a chance. I know it wasn't easy."
"It wasn't. And there were days I wanted to punch you." He grinned. "Actually, there are still days I want to punch you."
"Also fair. And if I ever hurt her, I’ll be the first to ask you to punch me."
"But I can see how you look at her. How she looks at you. And it's real. That matters more than my bruised ego."
We exchanged a smile, and slowly things started to shift back into their old ways. We finished the dishes and joined everyone in the living room, where a massive game of charades was underway. Rosie was trying to act out something, flapping her arms wildly while Ivy and Nova shouted guesses.
"Swan Lake!" Daisy yelled.
"Yes!" Rosie collapsed in laughter, and the others all clapped.
I dropped onto the couch, and she immediately curled into my side. Across the room, Aaron caught my eye and nodded in approval.
We were okay. All of us.
And I was finally able to hold my girl the way I wanted to, the way she had deserved from the beginning.
I watched her play charades with the girls, and between every round, she came back to my arms. We kept the PDA to a minimum, but holding her was enough after months of avoiding her.
I loved being able to kiss her cheek when she got something right and just throw my arm around her and pull her to my side whenever I felt like it.
And she loved it too; I could tell from the way her eyes sparkled with happiness every time she looked at me.
Later that night, after everyone had gone home and Rosie and I were alone in my room, she traced the scar on my knee.
"Does it still hurt?" she asked softly.
"Sometimes. But less than it used to." I covered her hand with mine. "The physical pain is mostly gone. It's the mental stuff that lingers."
"I get that." She pulled up her dress and showed me her hip, where a thin scar marked her surgery. I always took extra time kissing her scar, reminding her that she’s perfect just the way she is. "Mine too. Some days it aches. Some days I forget it's even there. But it's part of me now."
"Battle scars," I said with a smile.
"Survivor scars," she corrected. "Proof that we made it through."
I pulled her closer, breathing in her vanilla scent. "I'm grateful for you, Rosie. Today and every day."
"I'm grateful for you too." She kissed me softly. "For being patient with me. For not giving up when I was a mess."
"You were never a mess. You were healing."
"We both were." She chuckled. "We still are."
"Yeah, but we're doing it together now. That makes it easier."
She settled against my chest, and we lay there in comfortable silence, listening to the distant sounds of the rest of the guys rummaging around the house.
"Derek?" she said eventually.
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for today. For fighting for us. For making it possible for me to be part of your world."
"You were always part of my world, Thorn. From the moment you showed up with those terrible cupcakes."
She swatted my chest. "They weren't terrible."
"They were pretty bad."
"But you ate them anyway,” she smiled at me.
I kissed the top of her head. "Because you made them for me. That mattered more than how they tasted.”
She was quiet for a moment, snuggling closer to me, before saying. "I'm going to make you better cupcakes. I've been practicing my baking skills."
“You pan ai chocolates were pretty good,” I agreed with a grin.
“Want to know a secret?” she giggled into my chest. “Those were frozen ones from the Café, I just put them in the oven. I’m not a baker, but I really want to learn how to bake from scratch. No pre-made mixes or frozen food.”
"I'll eat anything you bake, Thorn. Good or bad, if you make them, I want them."
"That's a dangerous promise. I might test that,” she smiled.
"Test away. I'm not going anywhere."
And I meant it. This right here, with the two of us building something real, was exactly where I wanted to be.
Forever.