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

Chapter 43

forty-three

NORAH

Meeting Gabriel’s friends was a shock to my system. I’d seen the three men on television, and once at the stadium in Vegas from the stadium but in person? In person, they’re larger than life. Like Gabriel, they were tall, all over 6’3”, lean, and the muscles…. Lord, there were a lot of muscles in the living room.

Gunner and his wife Dani were the first to arrive and were the couple I was most familiar with via social media. Together, they look like royalty. But I wasn’t expecting them to be so nice. They’d immediately engaged me in a conversation about Evergreen Lake and how Gunner had played a golf tournament there the year before but never made it to the bistro.

Devin and Vee were next. Vee is Gunner’s sister, and it was easy to tell that these two couples are together all the time–until Tony and Jenna joined us, and they all took over the living room. Tony is the oldest player on the team. Even though he has the most kids, he doesn’t have a dad bod roll anywhere on his body.

“How’re you enjoying KC?” Jenna crosses her legs and eases under Tony’s arm as they snuggle on the sofa together.

“Well, I haven’t seen much of it.” All I’ve seen is Gabriel’s bedroom. Visions of endless orgasms fill my head. The rose. Gabriel’s fingers. His tongue. His hard cock, filling me to perfection.

I shiver as Gabriel’s fingers thread through the loose curls dancing against my neck. Gabriel’s sofa is soft with deep cushions, so leaning against him is easy. Not that it’s ever hard. Hard. My mouth goes dry. How soon do they leave, and when will Gino go to sleep? I’ve become a slave to my body’s response to him, and I don’t care one bit.

Lord. I inhale and push the thoughts away. “But what I’ve seen, I’d have to say I love it so far.”

“Thank you.” Gabriel winks.

Tony barks out a laugh and kisses Jenna’s temple. “Be careful, or you’ll end up with four kids running around the house, and you’ll never have time to explore….” He pauses for a second as Havana and Gino walk into the room. “The city.”

“Daddy. Norah.” His eyes light up as he sees us and runs at full speed, ending with a launch into our laps.

“Hey, Son.” Gabriel ruffles Gino’s soft curls and dismisses Havana for the rest of the night.

“Dude.” Gunner shakes his head. “It’s good to see you like this. Happy. Settled. Comfortable with your son.”

“Yeah.” Gabriel’s face is grave as he hugs Gino. “I messed up with this guy, but luckily, he’s a resilient kid.”

My heart swells seeing them together like this and watching the transformation of their relationship over the last few weeks leaves me feeling blessed. Gino leans over and grabs my face. “Kiss?”

“Of course.” I kiss his perfectly bowed lips and lean back into the cushions.

“Lord,” Jenna sighs as she watches us.

“Don’t.” Tony drops his arm from around her and blocks her view of us. “No, you don’t. I’m already overrun by females. I can’t risk another girl taking over my home.” He shudders forcefully. “Can you imagine the teen years?”

“Shut up.” She elbows him in the side. “You know you love tea parties, tutus, and dance parties.”

His eyes slide to hers. “We need testosterone.”

“Then go to a clinic and make male embryos.” Devin rests his ankle on his knee.

“Devin.” Vee glares at him. “Do you realize injections hurt? And all the hormones needed to produce the eggs?”

“Exactly.” Jenna scoots upward on the cushion. “I’m a nurse, so I’ve seen how difficult it is to prepare for egg harvesting and–”

“Seriously?” Gunner raises his hands, palms facing upward. “The first conversation we’re going to have with Norah is about in vitro?”

“Right.” Devin wrinkles his nose as Gino climbs off Gabriel’s lap and makes a beeline to the toy box. “Sorry if we made you uncomfortable.’

“Well….” I lick my lips. “I can’t say I’m uncomfortable, but I must admit, this is not the conversation I anticipated when Gabriel told me a few of the guys from the team were coming over tonight.”

“You probably expected burping, beer, and endless talk about football.” Dani lays her hand on Gunner’s thigh. “Sadly, they’re domesticated now and no longer the cocky football gods who only know how to flex their muscles and run their mouths.”

“I was expecting more football talk.”

Gabriel kisses the top of my head and brushes his lips over my ear. “They can go on like this for hours.”

“Speaking of football.” Gunner leans forward, causing Dani to groan.

“Do we have to? I spend all day at the stadium in the training room, and when we go home, we talk about the opponents. I’d rather talk about babies.”

Gunner eyes her sideways. “Why do you want me to take you home and get you pregnant again?” Her eyelids lower. “You’re pregnant again, aren’t you?”

“Maybe.” Her lips curve upward as congratulations fill the room. “I found out this afternoon.”

As they continue to chat, I turn my head toward Gabriel after he rejoined me on the sofa. “This is nice. I’m enjoying your friends. I understand why this is hard to walk away from. The comradery. The team concept of working together. The competitiveness.” I straighten and turn to face him. The night we left Florida, he’d told me he was seeking a one-year deal. “Do you think you can play more than one year?”

“Sure.” He shrugs. “Physically, I’m capable of playing for the foreseeable future.”

“Then do it. We have our entire lives to live in Evergreen Lake, but this is your one opportunity to do a sport you love.” Adrenaline fills me as a new future spreads before me.

This wasn’t even on my radar, but now that I’ve seen it, I can’t get it out of my head. “I want to come to your games and watch you play. I want to bring Gino and let him see his father snatch passes out of the air. And…. I want to bring our baby to the stadium and know that he or she had the opportunity to be there, even if they’re too young to remember. We’ll know, and you’ll have the rest of your life to run a restaurant with Marco and to coach little league hockey and football.”

He cups my cheeks. “Are you sure that’s what you want? Because I’d gladly finish this year and call it quits if you wanted.”

I shake my head. “Finish this year and try for a two-year contract. Then when Gino starts school, we’ll be in one place all year.”

His thumbs run over my cheeks as his friends, soon to be my friends, chatter and laugh in the background. “I love you.”

“I love you.” I throw my arms around his neck and sigh.

When I met him, I swore I didn’t want to travel away from Evergreen Lake, and while I love it there, and that’s where I want to raise our children, I want to experience the thrill of cheering Gabriel on when he knows I’m in the stadium for him.