Page 52 of Coach Me (Boston Blues #2)

Dex

“Look, Daddy! Look! I’m painting!” Miles beams at me with a paintbrush in hand and the craziest lines of yellow on the wall in front of him.

“That’s perfect, bud. Keep up the good work.”

It took a total of three seconds after Lucie walked out the door this morning for Miles to insist on setting up his classroom.

I didn’t exactly plan on painting it, but it took an hour max to get the very few things Lucie had in this room to mine, then shove all the furniture into the office room down the hall.

With the room completely empty, the white walls looked so boring. I know Lucie loves the view, and I’d let her decorate it however she wants, but the all-white walls had to go.

After an hour at the hardware store, then another hour spent taping everything off, here we are—painting the main wall this sunrise yellow.

“Lucie’s going to love this!” Miles squeals, tugging at the bandana tied around his face. “Can I take this thing off now? ”

I turned on the fan in the room and the vent from the bathroom to help with the fumes, but I thought I’d go the extra step for Miles. He’s definitely not a fan.

“Sorry…if you want to paint, you have to wear the bandana.”

Miles groans as he slaps his brush back and forth aggressively on the wall.

Hell, the dramatics this kid has sometimes. I blame Callie. My phone dings in my pocket.

Luce

Took a little detour with Jensen, now we’re going to grab some lunch at Zenith with Reagan. Should be back after that.

Take your time. Just a heads-up, I might be taking this remodel thing a step too far.

That’s okay, I also might have taken this day off a step too far.

Jensen didn’t make you go running again, did she?

Ha ha, very funny.

Miles and I paint for another hour and manage to get the first coat on. I’m hoping the splotchy spots where Miles painted will even out with another coat, but if not, then I guess I’ll figure that out later.

Miles helps me wrap the roller and clean off the brushes, all while complaining about having to stop. He continues to mope over it the entire way back to the living room.

“Careful, Miles, you might trip on that bottom lip if you’re not careful. ”

Miles spins around with a huff. “I can’t trip over my lip, Daddy. That’s not possible.”

I kneel in front of him, giving his shoulders a little wiggle. “It is when you’re sad for no reason. I promise we’ll paint again.”

Miles hangs his head. “But what if Lucie doesn’t like it since it’s not done?”

“Kid, I assure you, Lucie’s going to love it.”

And just as if I speak her into existence, Lucie walks in the front door. “Hey, I’m home.”

Miles’s hanging shoulders go up, and his frown flips with bright eyes. “Lucie! You have to come see what we did!”

He barrels into her so fast that she nearly falls backward. “With this much excitement, I can’t wait to see.”

Lucie wraps her arms around Miles. Wait…is that? “Luce, did you get a tattoo?”

Miles steps back. “Like Daddy’s tattoos? I wanna see!”

Lucie looks at me with a smirk. “I had a bit of a yes day. Any guesses on what it is?”

“You know I’m not good at this game.”

Lucie scrunches her nose with a smile. “The deja-vu should be a hint itself.” Lucie turns her arm, giving a clearer look at the two small turtles on the inside of her forearm. Tiny dots are sprinkled to give the illusion of wind blowing some clover and daisies around them.

“You got Pip and Pop!”

Lucie laughs. “I sure did. What do you think?”

“It’s so cute!” Miles bounces around. “Little Pip and Pop stuffies. Pip and Pop tattoos. Can I get a tattoo?”

“No,” Lucie and I say together.

Miles grumbles something under his breath, but I let it go .

“You’ve got growing to do before you can get tattoos, bud.” I step around him to get a better look at Lucie’s arm. “Jensen did a good job. It’s very you, Luce.”

“I thought so.” A small blush comes to Lucie’s cheeks, and she shrugs. “It was for me.”

“Even better. I love when you’re selfish.” I wink.

Lucie gives me a little shove as her cheeks let out a full blush. “Hey, why does it smell like paint in here?”

“Ope!” Miles grabs Lucie’s hand. “Come on, we have a surprise!”

While Miles drags Lucie down the hallway, she angles her head back. “What did you do?”

“Guess, baby.”

Lucie scrunches her nose at me, then lets Miles drag her the rest of the way. When we reach the doorway, Miles lets go of Lucie’s hand and jumps into the room, yelling “Ta-da!”

“Oh my goodness.” Lucie looks back with wide eyes. “You painted a wall yellow?”

“I helped,” Miles says with this proud grin.

“I can see that.” Lucie flashes her eyes to me as she bites back a smile, then lets it go when she kneels in front of Miles. “It’s perfect. I love it so much.”

“I really wanted to keep painting, but Daddy said we had to take a break.”

I shake my head. He might have tattled on me, but at least he didn’t ask her to paint more.

Lucie boops his nose. “You know your dad has a point. We should let it dry then we can do another coat of paint. Maybe I can help this time too?”

“Yes! Yes!” Miles squeals. “Can we do it tomorrow morning?”

Lucie laughs. “We’ll see. We also have some stuff to pick out for school too. I promise we’re going to have so much fun decorating this place together. We have plenty of time.”

I know she didn’t mean to, but Lucie’s words hit me hard. We have plenty of time. It’s a strange feeling. Everything over the past five years has felt like the only way I could operate was on a day-by-day basis.

Thinking of what my life would be over the years, I just saw Miles.

I still do, but now I see Miles in little league practice with me, and whichever one of my teammates wants to help me make some kids' day by coaching. I see Lucie in the stands holding another member of our family, along with, I’m sure, the rest of Miles’s fan club.

I see Lucie in my hat at every single game. I see our kids falling asleep with her on our couch, waiting for me to carry them to their beds. I see them all hating my food, but loving Lucie’s. I see the fucking turtles in this classroom. I see Lucie and I on the balcony every chance we get.

Shit, all of that just because she slid me her coffee cup.

“Lucie.” Miles fiddles in front of her. “Can we learn something today?”

Lucie stands back up. “Of course, we can. Why don’t you go grab a box of crayons and some of the construction paper, and meet me at the counter?”

“Okie!” Miles takes off around me, then right out the door.

Lucie gets one shake of her head before I’m right there, pulling her in for a kiss. My hands caress her cheeks as her arms wrap around my back. I kiss her slow, because she’s right—we have plenty of fucking time. Well, sort of.

“Lucie! Where are the crayons?” Miles yells all the way from the other side of the penthouse.

Despite her stress about meeting my parents, Luce was her usual ray of sunshine, which they adored. Not that anyone but Miles’s opinion would change my mind about Lucie. I know it mattered more to her.

We barely make it to Callie and Will’s place on time. Every glance at Lucie in that yellow dress I love had me seriously considering Beck’s car sex text.

By the time we make it to the elevator, I can’t stand not touching her for a second longer. I pull her to me by the jean jacket she threw on before we left.

“So, if we were to skip out on game night…”

Lucie rolls her eyes toward me. “Dex, can I not wear yellow ever?”

“I’m pretty sure I’ve begged you to never stop actually.” I lean in, kissing her until the elevator dings. “It’ll find its way to my floor later, I suppose.”

Lucie sends me a mischievous little smirk. “It’s almost as if I hoped that would happen.”

Fuck. Lucie Anderson was never going to be the death of me—no, she’s brought me back to life.

Lucie knocks on Will’s door before walking in. Seems like almost everyone’s here already, sitting at the kitchen table. Callie sits in the middle of Beck and Will, and Jensen is to Beck’s right while Adam’s on hers.

Callie stands up to greet us, then holds up a deck of cards. “Perfect timing. Tripp and Emma should be coming up now. Poker is tonight’s game. ”

Lucie looks back at me. “Maybe we should bail, I have a terrible poker face.”

“No,” Jensen hollers all the way from her seat. “No bailing.”

“Come on, baby. You can bet as much of my money as you want. No poker face required.”

After Lucie and I grab our seats, Tripp and Emma file in, and Beck deals out the first hand. “So, who’s watching Miles tonight?”

I wait to look at my cards until they’re all passed out. “My parents. I’m sure he’ll barely make it past eight tonight. He helped me paint a wall in Luce’s old room today.”

The moment the sentence leaves my mouth. I know I should have worded that differently.

“Oh, moving her in your room already?” Beck dances his eyebrows.

“Come on, really?” Will throws his hands up toward Beck.

But then Adam joins. “Dude, I helped move my sister into this very apartment to live with you two months ago.”

Will sends a wink to Callie. “Touché.”

Lucie reaches her hand over to my thigh. “Him and Miles are working to get that room turned into the new classroom. Seems the white walls were a little too boring, though.”

Tripp picks up his cards and nudges Emma. “Ems could paint you something.”

Emma’s cheeks blush. “I could if you want, but if you don’t?—”

“No, I think that’d be great.” I send a look to Lucie and she nods.

“That would be awesome actually. I love the yellow, but Miles was a little heavy-handed in some places. I’m not too sure how many coats we need to make it even.”

Emma sits up in her chair a bit. “Okay, we can talk about it later this week then.”

Beck flips over the first three cards and Lucie leans over to show me her seven and two of clubs. “I don’t know what to do with this.”

Before I can reply, Will speaks. “Well, when you say that to the table, you fold.”

Lucie sticks her tongue out at him, then sets her cards back down. “Fine, I’ll just wing it.”

Jensen perks up next. “Oh, Luce, did you show everyone what we did today?”

Lucie holds out her arm for everyone to ooh and ahh over. I mostly love watching Lucie as her face lights up when she talks about it. I hope she never stops this list of hers if it means she smiles like that when does things for herself.

Jensen tosses her card in the middle. “I tried to talk her into nipple piercings too, but she was being a big weeny about it.”

My eyes cut to Lucie. Her mouth gapes open. “Hey, I let you stab my arm repeatedly with needles. I wasn’t that big of a weeny.”

Beck glances back at his cards, then shrugs. “Oh, don’t worry, she’ll be back. I didn’t get my piercings until after a couple tattoos.”

Callie whips her head to Beck. “Piercings? Tattoos? What do you mean? You have those?”

Beck fakes being offended. “Callie Bear, have you really spared me so little of your attention?”

The scrape of Callie’s chair being pulled closer to Will fills the silence. “Obviously. ”

Beck tosses his cards to the middle. “They’re all where you can’t see anyway, Cals. I’d rather not catch a right hook from Will—I won’t even offer to show you.”

Jensen sends Beck a look. “Alright, I’ve seen your slutty thigh tattoo, but there’s no fucking way you’re pierced.”

Beck gives her that cocky grin of his. “Want to find out, Jennie? I’ll show all my slutty tattoos and piercings if you ask nicely.”

I can see Jensen clench her jaw from here. “In your fucking dreams, Beckham.”

Lucie leans over to me, but she keeps her eyes on Jensen’s reaction. “Is he?”

“I’m not answering that, baby.”

“Fair.” Lucie sits back up with a chuckle. “Anyway! Miles and I have been trying to talk Dex into playing again.”

Ah hell, not this again. Before I can even rebut, everyone piles in.

Beck takes the most offense first. “Why the hell have you not immediately agreed to this?”

Will surprisingly also joins in, even though I was a little worried he might hate this idea. “I second Beck. Actually, bring up the aggression. Why the fuck not?”

Tripp snaps his fingers. “Ems, get your dad on the phone.”

“No, for fuck’s sake, can you all chill out?” I shoot Lucie a look, and she just smiles back at me. She’s lucky I love her so damn much. “I’m perfectly happy where I’m at. You all can drop it now.”

The room sits in silence for five seconds max.

“Nah.” Beck waves his hand. “Hate that. Next option.”

Jensen nudges Adam. “Wait, can he even come out of retirement? ”

Adam shrugs. “I mean, yeah. Olsson, I’m sure, would extend him a contract easily.”

“I’m not above forgery,” the love of my life adds.

Beck snaps at poor Emma this time. “Great. Emma, get your dad on the phone.”

Callie pulls out her phone in a flash. “Quit snapping at her, this is her first game night. I’ll do it.”

Fucking hell. “Okay!” I yell, getting everyone’s attention. “I’ll tell you what, you guys win the World Series and I’ll play again.”

The room goes silent again before Beck extends his hand. “Alright, Dad, bet?”

I shake his hand, then murmurs of strategy and team meetings start.

I pull Lucie’s chair closer. “You’re going to pay for that one, baby.”

She looks at me with this wicked smile. “You told me to be more selfish. I want to see my favorite player pitch again.”