Right as Raine (Aster Valley 1)

Once they’d moved from the dining room to the kitchen, Gent turned back to me. “I thought you were out, though?”

I sighed and leaned back in my seat. “I am. That’s not the problem. Mikey is my coach’s youngest son.”

Gent winced. “Oh. Shit.”

“Yeah. But there’s more. Mikey had a relationship with the last football player he worked for, and I think he’s embarrassed by hooking up with me because he’s afraid people will think less of him for sleeping with his boss. Twice.”

“What are you going to do when you get home?”

I closed my eyes and rubbed my hands over my face. It was nice to finally be rid of the sling. “Beg him?” I suggested with a laugh. “I can’t even think about the possibility of this being temporary. But I can’t ask him to hide either.”

Gent seemed to think it through for a minute before meeting my eyes with a twinkling glance. “Then we need a plan.”

As we brainstormed and laughed together, not really coming up with any kind of actual plan other than Gent’s advice to fuck the media and do what made me happy, I realized how refreshing it was to be around guys I could be completely open with. Even though they’d been strangers only that morning, Gent and Winter were easy to be around. My closest teammates all seemed pretty cool with my sexuality, but it was different being with guys who really got it. I didn’t have to put any of my thoughts or actions through a filter, and I hadn’t realized how exhausting that was.

Once they’d said their goodbyes and Winter had said he’d be back for another therapy session the following afternoon, Gent and Winter hopped into their pickup truck and headed down the drive into the starry night.

“God, that was fun,” Mikey said, turning back into the warm house. “I like them a lot.”

I agreed. “And your soufflé was puffy enough to impress the pants off them.”

Mikey’s reaction was oddly pensive, but I knew deep down he was proud of himself for how it had turned out.

I reached out for Mikey’s waist and turned him back toward me. “C’mere.”

His lips tasted like sweet chocolate from the cup of cocoa he’d had after dinner. I kissed him as long as I could until he started getting antsy.

“Take me to bed,” he said, ripping his lips off mine. “Now. Please.”

I chuckled and tightened my arms around him. “That was really nice.” Before he had a chance to think I meant the kissing, I continued. “Dinner with another couple, I mean. It felt…” I shrugged and felt my face heat. “It felt really normal and… I don’t know. Grown-up? Is that cheesy?”

Mikey stood on tiptoes to get closer to meeting my eyes. “Yes, but I agree. It kinda felt like a double date. I thought it would be weird, but it wasn’t. Makes me wish we lived here. Everyone’s so nice and welcoming.”

I couldn’t tell if he was being serious or not, but I liked the idea we were of the same mind about it. Life here in Aster Valley was very different than our life back home, and I was grateful we had several weeks left to enjoy it.

Suddenly, I remembered how close Christmas was and how much Mikey adored the holiday. Despite being in the middle of the season, Christmas was a big deal at our house back home. Mikey usually decorated like a pro, setting up several trees around the house and twirling garland and lights everywhere. If we happened to be home for Christmas Eve, he made a huge feast and invited everyone over.

“Let’s go get a tree tomorrow before the game,” I said excitedly. “We’ll pick up lights and decorations in town and put it in the kitchen near the fireplace so we can see it every night.”

His eyes lit up until he remembered something. “I told your parents we’d go there for Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. Your sister and the kids are coming over for brunch. There’s no reason to decorate this place if we’re not going to be here.”

I pushed his hair back from his forehead and dropped a kiss on the smooth skin there. “Don’t care. We’ll still do a tree here, okay? We can enjoy it until Christmas Eve.”

The idea of missing the game tomorrow made me itchy, but I tried not to think about it. Winter had told me my arm and shoulder were doing better than expected, and I was in good shape to bump up a level on the conditioning. My hand was another story, but we were working on it. All I could do in the meantime was keep up my food intake and exercise, study the game film the coaches sent me, and be ready to return as soon as I got the green light.