Page 138 of False Start

“I love you,” Kyle said, pulling back to frame my face. “So,sofucking much. Do you know that?”

“Mmm,” I said, nuzzling his nose. “How much do you love me?”

He arched a brow. “What do you want?”

I bit my lip. “Macaroni and cheese.”

“Baby, I’m about to make you thebestfucking mac and cheese of your life,” he promised, and he sealed it with a smack against my ass before he was toting me into the kitchen, kissing me every step of the way.

December

Kyle

“Bro, you are so soft.”

Leo shook his head at Braden — who was currently holding Clay and Giana’s newborn with tears streaming down his face.

“Fuck you,” Braden sputtered, swiping his face with the sleeve of his hoodie. He cradled the little bundle of blue like a football and stared down at that baby like his entire perspective on life had changed the moment he’d held him.

Honestly, it might not have been far from the truth.

I’d felt that shift several times over the last year. First, when I met Sebastian, when I saw part of Madelyn reflected in his eyes and his smile. That doubled as Sebastian and I got closer, tripled when I told him about his sibling on the way, and quadrupled when he asked if he could start calling me Dad.

And when Madelyn and I had gone to our twenty-week appointment together and seen our baby girl on the ultrasound screen… I was done for.

I didn’t dare pick on Braden in that moment, because I knew I’d be even more of a mess the second the doctors placed my daughter in my arms.

“Don’t act like you wouldn’t bawl your eyes out if I was pregnant,” Mary said to Leo, handing him a glass of champagne before taking a sip from hers.

“He bawled his eyes out when you moved out of The Pit,” I combatted. “So, yeah, I’m with Mary on this one.”

Mary smirked as Leo flicked me in the arm.

December in the Rockies was beautiful. Fresh snow covered the trees and mountains outside the windows of the massive cabin Clay and Giana had found for us, and a fire roared by the Christmas tree as the house hummed with the warmth of conversation.

We were all in the middle of busy seasons. The race for the playoffs was on, and every single one of our teams had a shot — whether we were top seeded or fighting for a wild card slot. But when Giana had Atlas, she’d insisted that we all find time to pause and get together in-between Christmas and New Year’s.

We had a new family member, and Giana wanted to set the precedent now that when this happened, wefoundthe time whether we had it to spare or not.

Some of us were only here for one night, but we were here.

By the fire, Giana, Madelyn, and Riley were curled up on the couch and chatting, all of them sipping hot chocolate.

Zeke, Holden, and Sebastian were on the floor in front of the girls with their eyes cast up toward the television. They were playing Donkey Kong on the ancient gaming system the cabin had provided.

Julep was in the kitchen washing dishes and smirking to herself as she watched her husband getting far too into the video game, and the rest of us were gathered around the dining table still half-littered with remnants of the dinner I cooked.

“So, how are you feeling, Dad? Other than exhausted,” I added, clapping Clay on the shoulder.

His smile was tired but filled with joy I’d never seen as he stared at where Braden still held tight to Atlas — who was now wide-eyed and looking around while his little legs kicked, and soft baby gurgles left his mouth.

“I’ve never been this tired in my life,” he admitted. “Not even during my first semester at NBU when I was trying to figure out how to juggle football and college classes.” He shook his head on a smile. “But I’ve never been this happy, either.”

“He’s become quite a pro at changing diapers, I hear,” Julep called from the sink.

Clay brushed his shoulder off. “I can have him changed in sixty seconds flat.”

“Well, you get to show us your record-breaking skills in action,” Braden said, wrinkling his nose a little as he passed Atlas to Clay. “Smells worse than the locker room.”