Beautiful Storm (San Francisco End Game #1)

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Luke

I arrive home after a run with Thomas and strip off my sweaty tee before making my way into the living room, finding Amelia breastfeeding on the couch.

The past three weeks were a whirlwind while I balanced my time between the hospital and practice, my games and other football commitments, and then settling Juliet in at home.

But I couldn’t be happier.

As I walk past, Amelia glances up from her book, smiling before her gaze drops to my chest, and she practically drools over my abs. Her lust-filled eyes rake over me as she sucks her bottom lip into her mouth and nibbles on the flesh.

“Fuck, Amelia. Don’t look at me like that,” I groan. “Especially while feeding our daughter.”

“Like what?” The desire in her eyes makes way for confusion before she pouts, making her even more beautiful, if that’s possible. But I hold strong. She’s only been home for a week and she still has weeks left of recovery. I refuse to be the one that delays it.

“You look like you want me to eat you.”

“Oh God, can you?”

“What?” My balls tighten and my cock twitches beneath my shorts. “Amelia," I warn.

“Oh, don’t get shitty with me,” she huffs, trying to hide her smile. “You’re not Mr. Innocent here, walking around looking like a hot and sweaty tall glass of water. When I’m really, really thirsty.”

I bite back another groan and shake my head, until a thought hits me and I smirk. “I’m guessing that means your passion for me didn’t weaken with Juliet’s birth.”

“No, it didn’t.” Her eyes drop to my chest again and she stares at me longingly. “But right now I’m wishing it did, because—”

“God, okay. Jesus. I’m putting clothes on before I break my own no touching rule.”

“Thank you.” She sighs in relief. “Preferably layers. All the layers.”

“As you wish.”

I jokingly roll my eyes when she smiles her thanks, but as I walk away, I can’t help but laugh. This woman is my everything. My girls are my everything. I don’t know what I’d do without them. And I never want to have to find out.

Abandoning my need for food, I detour to the shower and wash myself with a clenched fist, practicing restraint so I don’t pump my cock to relieve the tension, because Amelia can’t. Not yet. And it will be all the more sweeter when we can come together. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

After drying off, I get dressed in all the layers and head back into the living room, dropping onto the couch next to her. I’m just about to ask if Juliet’s asleep when she cries out, her tiny wail answering my question.

“Want me to take her?”

“Yes, please. I enjoy the sight.”

“The sight?” I raise an eyebrow, as I huff out a laugh.

“As if you don’t know what I mean. I wasn’t kidding when I said people would go crazy for a picture of you with a baby. Hell, I’m going crazy over it.”

I laugh as I reach out, letting Amelia shift Juliet gently into my arms. And my heart jolts just like it always does. I’ll never get used to this father and husband business—caring for someone or two someones more than I care for anything else in the world, including myself and football. And that’s saying something because I have always highly regarded both of those things.

“If I’d known how many women I could get by having a baby, I would have done it years ago. Judging by your expression, I’ll bet Juliet gets me ten times more attention than Shadow does.” I maintain my straight face as a thought hits me. “Holy hell. Imagine if I went for a walk with Juliet and Shadow.”

“Ovaries exploding everywhere.”

“Hell yeah. But it's too bad for them.” I shift Juliet into one arm and reach out to clasp Amelia’s hand. “I’m already spoken for. And I have no plans of that changing anytime soon.”

“Good.” Amelia lifts her lips in a half smile. “Because I have no plans to let you go.” She makes a show of letting go of my hand, laughing at how funny she is as she grabs the book she was reading. Some romance novel that she tells me will emotionally destroy her before she gets to the end. God knows why she finds that entertaining, but it is what it is. She offers me the book and smiles. “If you could just hold this in your free hand while I grab my phone, that would be greatly appreciated. I’m currently jobless, and I could make a killing selling that photo to the media. It’s the trifecta. A tough football player, with a baby, reading a romance novel. It’s the stuff dreams are made of. Or fantasies.”

“Still as annoying as ever, I see.”

“It’s why you love me.” She laughs.

“I’d love you no matter what,” I say and I mean it. “But like I said in the hospital, I also never want you to change.”

Amelia smiles before stepping forward to hug me, but I push her back. “Uh-uh. You have a photo to take. You never know when we might need the extra cash.”

She rolls her eyes before she bursts out laughing like it’s some big joke. But of course she takes the photo. And then her face drops and I know what’s coming.

“Any news?”

Thomas and I have been waiting on edge for Jefferson to announce he’s selling the team, but he’s still keeping quiet about it. My guess is he’ll wait until our season’s over, but it’s goddamn annoying to keep this secret from my teammates. With a new owner comes a level of uncertainty, and despite us being favorites to win the Super Bowl, who knows what’s going to happen. Coach is amazing, but he’s burned a lot of bridges to get here. And I know our GM has a few enemies of his own. The last thing I want is for us to be the top team this year and then become the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons.

“Nothing yet,” I tell Amelia. “And I can’t ask because I’m still keeping my mouth shut until it’s all officially announced, and at this stage that’s likely to be after the Super Bowl.” Which we fucking made.

“Which you are going to win.”

“Yeah we are.” I laugh. "And it's going to be that much sweeter knowing that you're there. In my jersey."

Amelia was reluctant to come at first, and I've got to admit I felt the same. But when Thomas, Dylan and I we're able to secure a private suite for our families, she jumped at the chance to come, knowing that Juliet would be kept away from the masses.

“Ugh." Amelia blows out a breath and I wait for her to sass me. "I wasn't going to wear your jersey but I guess I can. If it’s that important to you.”

She bites back a grin as she walks past, swaying her hips, and I drop the book to the table, reaching for her hand before pulling her into me. “I cannot wait for the day I can fuck you again. That jersey is going to see every surface of this house.”

She visibly swallows before licking her lips, her eyes hooded until she snaps out of it and pouts as she walks away. “You’re a tease. I hate you.”

“No, you don’t,” I call out after her. “You love me.”

She flips me her middle finger before disappearing, and I chuckle as my heart races. God, I love her.

Later that night, I’m making myself comfortable in bed when Amelia shushes me, having finally gotten Juliet to settle. After checking on her again, Amelia tiptoes over and lies down, a soft sigh leaving her lips as she rests her head on my lap.

“You’re not sleepy?” she asks, gazing up at me with a pinched brow, concern marring her features.

“Not yet. I’m just going to read for a bit.” I show her my book— So You’re A Girl Dad? —and she bursts out laughing before covering her face with her hands. “What’s so funny? I need to get ahead of this. Before long she’s going to be bringing her male best friend home, and we’re going to think it’s cute but find out years later that they’ve been in love the whole time and now she’s pregnant with his baby.”

“Wow.”

“Yep.”

“And when exactly did you fall in love with me? Because I only fell for you a few months ago,” she sasses, making me stare at her deadpan.

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“You broke my heart.”

“Couldn’t have done that if you hadn’t cared to begin with.”

“I hated you.”

“There’s a fine line between love and hate.”

“You are annoying.”

“That’s hardly fair because I can’t argue with that one.”

Amelia bounces her eyebrows before wriggling her head in my lap and making herself comfortable. “Can you read with me like this?”

“Yeah. I’m good.”

“Good.” I huff out a laugh as the corners of her lips pull into a smile and she adds, “I love you, Babe.”

“Babe?”

“What?" She mocks confusion. "You didn’t think you’d escape your own nickname, did you?”

“One can hope.”

“You love it.”

“Maybe,”I scoff, until the edge of her smile widens.

“Lainey once told me you claimed to reserve nicknames for people that annoy you.”

“She’s right.”

“So, Juliet annoys you?” Dammit. Busted.

“You know she doesn’t. I guess I can’t get anything past you, can I?”

“Never. After all, I am the smartest in the room.”

“Not a chance. I won that title when I asked you to marry me. Smartest idea any of us has ever had.”

Her eyes flash to mine, and the love reflected back at me is blinding. “It’s almost like you wanted it to work out this way. With us as a real family.”

“Hmmm.” I shrug, my gaze back on my book, giving her a noncommittal answer. But she knows that truth. I may not have planned this, but deep down, on a subconscious level, I knew there was no way I was ever going to let them go.

Like a storm, Amelia blew back into my life, but fuck, was it glorious.

Wait . Another storm? God, I’m fucked. My two girls are going to be chaos.

We’re both quiet for a few minutes, and the dead silence makes me stretch up to check the crib, finding Juliet sleeping peacefully. I smile before running my fingers through Amelia’s hair.

“I may not have been thinking long-term when I proposed our fake marriage, but the second you said ‘I do,’ I had the strongest feeling that there was no going back. At the time, I thought that was a negative, but it wasn’t. It was the start of something perfect.” Chaotic but perfect.

My smile widens until Amelia doesn’t respond, and when I glance down, her eyes are closed.

“Amelia?” Still no answer.

I bark out a quiet laugh. It figures. Of course she’d fall asleep when I try to be romantic. Even when she’s dead to the world she can sass me.

“It’s scary how much I love you. Both of you. But I do. And you’re stuck with me. Now please, for the love of God, will both of you have a long sleep.”

I smile to myself as I grab my book, and I’m just about to start reading when Amelia takes a deep breath. “We love you too,” she whispers sleepily, making me smiles. “But it’s hard to sleep when you keep talking.”

“Noted.” Her eyes remain closed but I catch the subtle nibble of her lip as she bites back her smile. “Night, Ace.”

“Night, Babe.”

Babe. I guess I’ll take it. She can call me whatever the hell she wants as long as she’s safe, happy, and in my arms. Forever .

A little while later, I’m on my third chapter when my eyes get heavy. I’m just about to move Amelia off my lap when my phone vibrates on the bedside table.

Reed: Now that Luke’s found his end game, we need a new group name. What do you guys think?

I chuckle quietly and start typing but Easton beats me to it.

Easton: My vote is to delete the group

Luke: OR…

Luke changed the group name to “Easton’s support group.”

Reed: Yes! Nailed it

Reed: This is going to be so much fun

Dylan: I’m staying for this, even though I won’t be on the team anymore

Easton left the group

Luke added Easton

Luke: You love us, there’s no use denying it. We’re here for you, man