Tangled with the Tight End (Evergreen Lake: Under the Mistletoe)

Chapter 10

ten

NORAH

The Next Day

The second Eden opens the door, the scent of pumpkin pie and homemade bread fills my senses with delight. Delicious comfort food is one of the reasons I’ve always loved the holiday season.

Yes, I’m always surrounded by baked goods, breakfast foods, soups and sandwiches, but this is different. This is Thanksgiving food. The food you gorge yourself on once a year. I should’ve tossed on a pair of leggings instead of jeans.

Eden smiles widely with Angelo on her hip. “Come on in.”

“I’d love to.” I shiver as she shuts the door, and I unwind my scarf, quickly disrobing my outer gear.

“Are you ready to impress me with your baking skills?”

“Of course.” I toss my coat, scarf, and gloves onto a nearby chair and clap my hands in front of Angelo. “Right after I see this adorable little guy.” He giggles and lifts his arms toward me.

Once he’s settled against my chest, I sigh. Life isn’t fair. Eden didn’t want kids when we were younger, and it was my perpetual dream to find Mr. Right, get married, and have three kids. My Leave it to Beaver moment. Okay. I didn’t want to be a stay-at- home mom, and I cuss too much to be June Cleaver. But the idea stays the same.

I wanted a dream relationship with a man who adored me and our children. At one point, I was even going to be a teacher because I loved kids so much–until a student-teacher episode turned me in another direction. I want my own children–not the weird ones that wiped their noses on my sleeves and coughed with their mouths wide open. My 17-year-old self was unprepared for that dive into reality.

I kiss his cheek loudly to a peal of laughter and follow Eden to the kitchen. Where she has his highchair decked out with snacks and toys.

Nothing turned out how we expected. Eden became the elementary school teacher, married a man she met at a charity golfing match, and is living my dream life. But being jealous of her good fortune doesn’t accomplish anything.

She crosses her arms over her chest as I continue to rain kisses on him. Angelo is different. I don’t care if I get his germs.

“Enough.” She rolls her eyes. “You spoil him with attention.”

“And you don’t?” I arch my eyebrows and give her a look.

“Fine.” She laughs and waves her hands in the air. “He’s spoiled with attention. Neither Marco nor I let him be, and his parents are on their way to town, so it’s only going to get worse. He rarely walks unless someone is holding his hand.

“He’ll be fine.” I nuzzle the side of his neck and inhale his sweet baby scent. If I don’t find Mr. Right, I can adopt or do in vitro fertilization.

After depositing Angelo in the highchair, I wipe my hands on my jeans. “Let’s get cooking.”

We chatter about town gossip as we gather the ingredients for the apple pie. Eden can cook most things, but make a homemade apple pie with flakey crust and melt-in-your-mouth apple filling? That’s my specialty.

As we peel apples to boil, she glances over at me. “You aren’t thinking about dating Sawyer, are you?”

“No,” I sigh and drop the knife to the table. “I’m not. Even if my prospects of ever getting married are as dire as being lost in the Sahara Desert, I’m not dating Sawyer. I was feeling sorry for myself.” I straighten my shoulders. “But it’s fine. I’m content being Auntie Norah.” I’m not about to bring up having children on my own. Not when we’re getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner.

I freeze and forget how to breathe. Am I considering this? “Besides….” I give her a cheeky look. “I’ve forgotten what it feels like to be with a man, so I’m not missing anything.”

“That’s bullshit.” She slices into the apple with force.

“Be careful. We don’t want a trip to the ER to brighten the holidays.”

“Well.” She glares. “You’re full of shit.” She quickly flicks a glance at Angelo, who’s distracted by his toys and is probably a year away from repeating everything he hears, unlike Gino.

My heart skips a beat at the memory of Gabriel dropping me off at the bistro before he and Gino returned to the lodge. He thanked me for the short tour of the town and bent closer.

For a second, I thought he was going to kiss me. But when I licked my lips, he stepped back and grabbed Gino’s hand. Not that I blame him. I don’t look like his ex or any of the wives or girlfriends of the other players. I’m too plain. Boring. Unsophisticated. Hell, I’m not a model or a social media influencer. I work in a kitchen over a hot oven. My hair smells like bacon and cookies.

“You’re 24 years old, not 40. There’s plenty of time to find Mr. Right.” She pauses for a second and clears her throat.

“I heard you and Gabriel hung out in town yesterday.” She rests her hip against the island. “What do you think of him?”

My entire body stiffens. What am I supposed to say? He’s not what I thought? He’s better than I thought. He’s…. Sexy. He is good with his son, despite what he thinks. And he’s got both feet out the door.

I inhale and slowly exhale. Answer truthfully but vaguely. “He seems like a great guy. He loves his son and is a good parent. Better than he thinks he is. And despite our first encounter, he’s not nearly as grumpy and rude as I believed he was.”

“Really?” She arches an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I tip my head sideways and wait.

“So….” Her eyes sparkle. “Do you think he’s cute?”

“Are we in fifth grade?” Deflection seems like the only suitable answer.

“Don’t be sassy.” She smirks and waggles her eyebrows. “It’s a dead giveaway.”

“Fine.” Damn it. This is Eden, my best friend. She’s been there for every crush I’ve ever had, so there’s no point in lying to her, despite it being dangerous territory to discuss the assets of her brother-in-law and not look like a foolish cleat chaser with no chance.

“He’s good looking. Too good looking. And nearly perfect.”

Her face is serious as she kneads the pie crust. “What would you change about him?”

“Don’t get mad. There’s nothing wrong with him. But there’s no point in exploring anything with him. He’s visiting you and Marco. He’s not here for something long-term, and I’m not looking to hook-up with another out-of-towner. It’s too depressing. Even if the sex would be phenomenal.”

My cheeks heat until I’m sure I look like a lobster. Somewhere along the way, my vagueness went a little too descriptive.

She bites her bottom lip as Angelo shoves a handful of Cheerios into his mouth, leaving one stuck to his chin. “So, you’ve thought about sex with Gabriel?”

“Of course….” I shrug. “I’m female, and he’s a sexy-as-sin football player. Every woman that meets him thinks about having sex with him.” Thought about it. Dreamed about it. Woke up in a sweat, wishing it was true. “It’s the hands, arms, and thighs.” I smirk, “And, of course, that tight end, but it’s stupid to think about it. He’d never be interested in someone plain and boring like me. And his life is in Kansas City.”

“I’m going to ignore every comment you made about you not being good enough for him.” Eden lays the crust in the pie pan. “This is the last year of his contract.”

“So?”

“He could retire. What if he decides to move here to be closer to us?”

My heart lodges in my throat. “Why would he do that?” The blood pumping in my ears makes it hard to hear her response. Is he planning to retire? Would he move here? That would change everything.

“Marco says he’s hurt his knee several times, and it’s about time for him to think about his future. Especially after what Sloane put him through. He’s going to push him to consider it while he’s here. The last thing we want to see is him permanently injured. He’s made decent money, and this is a great place to live.”

Never mind. It’s not Gabriel who wants to hang up his helmet. It’s his brother, and we know how well family interference works at getting someone to do something. My momentary, soaring heart crashes to the ground.