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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

BECKHAM

A few weeks have passed since our conversation in my truck. I’ve tried to show her every day how much I love her. I still leave her little notes. And I even found a florist that keeps pink fucking peonies in stock, so I still surprise her with those as much as I can. With all these little things I’m doing to prove myself, I can tell she feels better about putting the past behind us.

But the guilt is eating at me. I need to tell her all of it, but the timing never seems to be right. The team is in the middle of playoffs season. We won our division after Thanksgiving, so we’re prepping for the quarterfinals now. Since our game is just after Christmas, we have to stay on campus during the holidays. Most of our families have come to visit, but our free time has been limited. Classes are over until January, but our training, studying film, eating, sleeping—that’s all we have time to do really.

My dad and sister and the Kings came down for a few days. They rented a house near campus, and we had a small Christmas celebration with them two days ago. Liam’s parents came up for the day a few days ago too. Archie’s though, they couldn’t make it. With the size of his family and the ages of his brothers, it’s hard for them to get away. I think his parents are planning to be at one of the playoffs games though, depending on how far we make it.

Tonight, Charlie’s put together a Secret Santa party for us. She got a tree for the house and tried to make it look nice, but Liam and Archie added beer-tab garland, and they taped unrolled condoms to the tree one day when she was at class. Dumbasses didn’t think about the heat from the lights and the latex condoms, and a few melted right off the branches. Charlie suggested that they were better off just hooking them on the tree because they wouldn’t be able to use them anyway if they were exposed to heat for too long. After she said it and looked over at Liam, he had a grimace on his face.

She said, “Please tell me you aren’t actually plucking them off the tree and using them.”

“I mean … maybe? But, look, in my defense, I didn’t think about the lights being an issue. If you think about it, it’s really your fault. You got a tree with fire hazard lights, Little King.” He stood there, pleading his case, and we couldn’t help but laugh.

Fucking idiots.

I do hope he was joking though. He’s a smart guy, but sometimes, we don’t think with the right head.

Liam also decided it would be a great idea to have an Elf on the Shelf. But instead of the little guy in the traditional elf costume, he bought the Snoop on the Stoop and Martha on the Mantel elves. The first night he brought them home, he propped them right on the bookshelf next to the TV. The Snoop elf has a joint hanging out of his mouth, and the Martha elf looks all prim and proper. I have to admit, shit’s funny.

When we woke up the next day, we found someone had leaned Snoop against the toaster in front of a piece of paper with oregano scattered on top while Martha was hanging from a mixer attachment, dangling over a mixing bowl with flour inside. It was funny until Archie turned the mixer on.

“Look, Martha’s a stripper.”

But then poor Martha got tangled in the attachment and lost an arm.

Charlie’s also been taking care of a lot of our meal prep since we’re gone most of the day and dragging ass by the time we get home. But for tonight, I offered to get us a premade meal from the grocery store in town. It comes with ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, mac ’n’ cheese, some green beans thing, and some rolls. The guys and I are getting it all warmed up, so all my girl has to do is sit her pretty little ass in her favorite chair and watch Christmas movies.

She wanted her girls to come over, but Lily went home for break, and Arbor and her family went away on vacation, so they won’t be coming. Charlie and those two have gotten really close, and I’m glad because Charlie really hasn’t had true loyal girlfriends before.

Casey invited Noelle to come down for the night, so we included her when we picked names for Secret Santa. She could go stay at her apartment in town, but she’s going to stay with us tonight after we open gifts. I heard Casey on the phone with her earlier, insisting on it. I can’t wait for the day he finally tells her how he feels about her.

From the kitchen, we have an open view into the family room. Charlie is sitting in her chair and turns to look my way, catching me staring at her. She blows me a kiss, which makes me smile, then turns back to watch her movie.

“Let me know if I need to come in there and rescue dinner.”

“Chuck, we got this under control. I’m like Betty fucking Crocker. You know I make the best meals in the house on my days.” Archie moves to stand next to me. Oven mitts on both hands, raised in the air.

He’s a big guy, so seeing him in gym shorts, a T-shirt, and oven mitts is pretty fucking funny.

“Excuse me! I’m the best cook in the house, Arch. How dare you?” She scoffs playfully. “And for the love of God, pull your hair back so I don’t have your hair in my food.”

Archie folds one arm across his stomach and slides one mitt off. He grabs the other with his now-free hand and sets the mitts on the table behind us. “Sugar, my hair doesn’t fall out. These locks make every girl on campus jealous. But for you, I’ll tie it back.”

His hair isn’t really long, but it is long enough that he can pull the sides back. And he just so happens to have a ponytail holder around his wrist, which he pulls off to tie his hair back. Charlie has turned around again, watching us.

He winks at her and asks, “This better, Chuck?”

“Much. Thank you. Besides, now I can see your handsome face.” She winks at him.

And I’ve had about enough of the winking. “Okay, let’s break up the winking, you two. Arch, go check on the ham. Boss, kick those feet up and watch your movie. Do you need more Christmas in a Cup?”

It’s Charlie’s favorite holiday drink. It’s basically homemade hot chocolate mixed with RumChata. Not gonna lie—it’s electric.

“I’m good for now. If I have too much more, I won’t be able to eat dinner. Thank you though, babe.”

She blows me another kiss. And I wink at her. I’m the only one who gets to give her winks, dammit.

I turn around and clap my hands. Casey and Liam are just standing around, shootin’ the shit, while Archie and I are doing all the work.

I walk over to Casey, grab his shoulder, and steer him toward the table. I give him a little shove. “Bro, go set the table or something. You’re just getting in the way, standing here.” I look over my shoulder and point at Liam. “And, Pitz, put the rolls on a cookie sheet so we can warm those up too. No one likes cold rolls. The butter won’t melt.”

Thirty minutes later, the table looks as good as it can for a houseful of football players and one beauty, but the food is hot, and I can’t imagine spending this day with any other group of people.

After dinner, Casey and Liam cleaned up the kitchen since Archie and I had done most of the food prep. I moved Charlie over to our oversize couch in the family room. I tried getting her to lie on me, but she refused because she would have to distribute the gifts.

Noelle arrived just as we were finishing dinner. Not sure why she was late, but I thought I heard her say Trey’s name. Now she’s sitting at the table, picking at some leftover ham, while Casey does the dishes.

As much fun as all of this is, I’m ready to take Charlie back to our room and get some dessert. I will never get tired of seeing her sprawled out on my bed, legs open, pussy wet and waiting for me.

“Beck, did you hear me?” Charlie squeezes my thigh that she’s resting her hand on, and when I place my hand on top of hers and start moving it toward my dick, she pulls her hand back and gasps. Her mouth falls open, eyes wide, and she leans into me. “Babe, you cannot be serious right now. We have gifts to open. Get control of yourself.” She pops a kiss on my lips and giggles.

“I need you, Boss,” I whisper. “It’s been, like, two days since I was inside of you.”

She doesn’t respond, just laughs again, grips my leg, and squeezes.

“You guys about done in there? I’m dying to see what everyone got for their person!” Archie shouts to Casey and Noelle.

Charlie stands from the couch and walks over to the tree. She bends down, and I can’t help but stare at her ass. The waistband of her jeans has dipped down, and I can see the top of her thong. I swear she’s trying to kill me.

Casey, Noelle, and Liam come into the room. Liam takes the chair next to Archie, a small table between them. And Casey and Noelle take the other half of the couch. They’re sitting close, but not close enough to touch. Her legs are pulled up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She’s facing Casey, and they share a smile. I haven’t seen her much lately, but this is the first time I’ve seen her truly smile in a while.

“Okay, I’ll just do a random selection. Remember, you can’t tell your person it was you until after we’re all done opening gifts.” She points to each of us while she talks.

My bossy girl.

“Ma’am, yes, ma’am,” Archie shouts and gives her a salute, which makes her roll her eyes.

She hands one to her brother. “Casey, yours is the first one. Open it up, then show everyone what you got,” Charlie instructs, then turns back to the tree.

He tears into the paper and pauses when he opens the top of the box. I’m not sure who got Casey, but I know it wasn’t me or Charlie. So, really, it could be anything, and by the look on his face, it’s not something he wants anyone to see.

He looks up, mouth hanging open. “You can’t be serious.”

“What is it, Case?” Noelle reaches for his arm to see in the box, but he quickly pulls it away from her.

“Uh, it’s just a flashlight. Inside joke because, you know, I don’t like my room to be dark.”

He slaps the box lid back on and looks around the room, mouthing, Motherfuckers , to all of us.

His gaze lands on me, and I shrug. I didn’t see what was in it, but after he said flashlight, I have an idea. And from the way Liam’s shoulders are shaking as he tries to hold in his laughter, my guess is that he’s the one who got it.

Charlie walks over to Archie next and hands him his gift, then hands one to Liam. “Open them one at a time, so we can see.”

Archie opens his, and it’s a box of Magnum condoms. He smiles, looks up at each of us, and shakes his head. I see him mouth something, but I can’t figure out what he said. I don’t miss Liam’s foot nudging Archie’s though.

“Thank you to whoever got me these. I appreciate your concern for my safety.” He holds the box up and nods, letting it drop into his lap.

“Is it my turn?” Liam asks, practically bouncing like a little kid.

“Go ahead.” Charlie gestures to the box in his hands, and then she turns back to the tree.

This box is a little bigger than the others, so I can’t imagine what it could be with our twenty-dollar limit, but Liam legit looks like a kid on Christmas morning with the way he’s tearing through the paper.

With the paper off, he holds up the box in his hands, turning it around. “I’m not sure what it is or who it’s from, but I love it!” He keeps one hand gripped on the side of the box, and with the other hand, he smacks the top of the box. “Love. It.”

“Baby, why don’t you open yours next?” I ask her.

I want her to open hers because it’s a gift from me. I have a few other things for her for Christmas Day, but I know she’ll like this one.

“No, I want to go last. You know I love watching people open gifts.”

It’s true; she does love seeing people happy.

She hands Noelle a gift.

Noelle looks up and smiles at her. “Thanks, Charlie. Hmm … what could this be?” She opens the small envelope in her hands. “Oh, I love Bath & Body Works! Thank you to whoever got me this!” Holding it in both hands now like it’s a golden ticket, she brings it to her chest and has a big smile on her face.

Charlie leans down and whispers something in Noelle’s ear, which makes her drop her head back on the couch cushion and laugh.

“I don’t think you were supposed to tell me, Charlie. Wasn’t that your rule?” Noelle keeps laughing, taking hold of Charlie, who is also laughing, and brings her in for a hug.

She walks over to me next since we’re the last two who haven’t opened gifts yet and hands me mine. It’s a thin box, the shape of a rectangle, and lightweight. I have no idea what it could be or who my person is. I rip off the paper and see a notepad-type thing in a box. I’m not really sure what it is, so I pull it out of the box.

“Oh, this is cool. It’s like a digital notebook or something. You can write in it, and it will sync to your calendar or notes on your phone or computer. This is awesome.” I hold it up and glance around the room. “Thanks.”

“Okay, since Charlie is the only one left, I’m just gonna tell you that’s from me, man.” Archie is turned toward me, holding his arm up for a high five. “Dude, I saw it and knew it was perfect for you. You are the most organized person I know. I thought it might be useful in class or whatever.”

To be honest, I’m a little surprised the thought that went into this gift. I love Archie, and he’s one of my closest friends, but he’s the funny, laid-back one. Sure, you can count on him for anything, but this gift actually does match me perfectly. I love notebooks and calendars and shit. I like knowing what to expect and when. My therapist said it was because there had been a lack of routine and structure when I was little. Maybe so.

I stand, and instead of giving Archie a high five, I pull him in for a hug and slap his back a few times. “Thanks, man. I love it.”

Pulling back, I look at him, and he’s just nodding with a proud smile on his face.

“You all think I’m just another pretty face with an amazing personality, but I see you all,” he says. He gestures with his fingers from his eyes to everyone individually, which makes us all laugh.

“I guess it’s my turn!” Charlie has her gift in hand and holds it in the air.

She makes her way over to me and sits on my lap. I wrap my arms around her and rest my chin on her shoulder.

She unwraps the box and sees a blank frame.

“Turn it around and press Start,” I instruct her.

Flipping the frame, she presses Start and turns it back over. Pictures of us start floating through the frame. Image after image of us at various ages. The one thing that’s the same in all of them is, my arm is always wrapped around her. Some of the pictures have Casey in them too.

“I just wanted you to remember that, no matter what, it’s always us. You are—and always have been—the very best part of my day. I love you, Boss.”

I bring my hand up to her jaw and turn her face toward me. Her eyes are shiny with tears, and I lean in and kiss her, then rest my forehead against hers.

“Hey, wait. Did that follow the twenty-dollar limit? I feel like some of you broke that rule.” Casey reaches over and grabs the frame out of Charlie’s hand. “This is pretty cool though, Beck. Top choice, brother,” he says with a nod and hands the frame back to Charlie. “I want to see the rest of the pics later though.”

“Beck, I love it so much. I love you so much.” She kisses me again, and without breaking the kiss, she turns her body to straddle me.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, break it up. We still need to say who we bought for. You can maul your girlfriend later, Linson.” Liam stands from his chair. “Okay, so, Casey, I bought for you. I don’t know why you don’t want to show the class. I thought I was helping you out. Clearly didn’t think it through with Noelle being here and all. But seriously, dude, it’s awesome.”

“Casey, just show us what it is.” Noelle grabs Casey’s arm and tugs.

His head is down, and he’s shaking it back and forth. “Pitz, I will find a way to get you back—I swear it.” He opens the box, reaches in, and pauses. “Noelle, please don’t think for a minute that I’ll be using this. My hand works just fine.”

She giggles, but looks confused. “What do you mean?”

Casey holds up what looks like an actual flashlight, but it is, in fact, an adult toy for men. The top of it looks like, well, a pussy.

I can’t help the laugh that comes out. “Sorry, Case, but that’s funny.”

He looks over at me incredulously. “How can you think this is funny under the circumstances? My sister is in the room, and my best friend, who happens to be a girl, is sitting next to me. Not. Funny, bro.” He waves the toy toward Liam.

“I don’t get why you’re mad, dude. I got you some lube, too, but since that technically put me over twenty, I figured I’d give that to you later. But, hey, before you use that, make sure you trim. I’ve heard that if you get your ball hair stuck in there, it feels like a wax. Hair rips right out.” He makes a jerking motion with his hand, eyes wide.

“This is a super-fun conversation, but I think I’m ready to move on. Charlie gave me my gift, and I gave Liam his. My gift might not be as entertaining as your gift for Casey, but I thought you might like to use it after your games. It’s a foot massager.” Noelle walks over to Liam, who is sitting back in his seat, and pulls it from the box. “See, you just slip your feet inside this little pillow and turn it on. And before anyone says anything about the limit, I got it on sale.”

Liam follows her directions and slides his feet in. “Babe, Noelle, I hate to tell you this, but it’s not working. Could be why it was on sale.”

“How are you a leader on the team?” she asks while shaking her head.

Liam scoffs. “I’ll have you know that not only am I one of the best college quarterbacks, but I also have a 4.0. There’s a whole lot going on here.” He gestures up and down his body with a laugh.

Pitz and Archie definitely make this house fun when we’re all together. I’m going to miss Archie next year. He’s one of the reasons I committed to Walker. Sure, I’d always wanted to go here, but there is no one better than Archie Griffith on and off the field. And I’m still hoping Liam sticks around, but this playoffs run, our coach has had Callaway starting, and I’m pretty sure Coach intends to start him in the quarterfinal.

“You’re not bad to look at—that’s for sure.” Noelle giggles and turns back to sit in her seat.

I look over to Casey, and his jaw his slack.

“I’m sorry, but who are you, and what have you done with my best friend?” He mocks.

Noelle looks at him with doe eyes. “What? I can’t appreciate a good-looking man? Don’t make me go all feminist on you, Casey King.”

Holding his hands up, he says, “Okay, you got it. I’m just surprised to hear you say something like that.”

“Leave her alone, Case. She’s having fun. A little flirting never hurt anyone. Am I right, Noelle?” Charlie winks at her, and Noelle smiles in response.

“Okay, so I think we’re all clear on who gave who what, yeah? King, thanks for the condoms.” Archie looks around, nodding his head. “I hate to break up this party because it really has been fun, but I do have a prior engagement. I’ll be back before practice tomorrow.” He walks toward the front door.

“Bro, where are you going? You’ve hardly been here between practices and classes.” Casey turns from his seat on the couch and leans over the back to face Archie.

A smirk kicks up on Archie’s face before he looks at Casey. “It’s all good, man. I just have places to be.” He doesn’t bother with a jacket despite the thirty-degree weather, but he does pull a beanie on his head and looks toward my girl. “Charlie, this was a real good time. Thank you, sugar.” He nods at Noelle. “Noelle, pleasure as always. You should come around more.” Then he looks around the room at the rest of us. “Dicks, I’ll see you tomorrow at practice.” Then he pulls on the door and walks out.

Casey turns back around and looks at me. “Do you know where he’s going and where he’s been lately?”

I shake my head, so he looks at Liam.

“Pitz, you know?”

Liam starts to busy himself and brushes off Casey. “Nah, I have no idea. Let’s get this cleaned up. I want to watch Christmas Vacation again before I crash.”

After we clean up all the wrapping and Casey goes to grab extra blankets and a few pillows for Noelle, we all settle in our seats. He tried to get her to stay in his room, but she refused, not wanting to make him sleep on the couch.

With Charlie tucked into my side and everyone in their spots, I tilt my head back to rest my eyes for just a few minutes.