Page 23 of Home Town Advantage (Fourth Quarter Fever #1)

TEN

SULLEY

W e were eliminated from the playoffs this afternoon. It was a bummer, but our team overachieved for a first-year franchise. We’re still learning how to work together, and I’m truly excited about the future of this team.

I received the league’s Rookie of the Year award. While it’s always nice to be recognized for my efforts, I prefer team success as opposed to my individual success.

Nonetheless, making it to the playoffs was considered a victory. Reagan Daulton came into our locker room after the game to tell us how proud she is of us and how excited she is for next season.

We all plan to take a little time off and then reconvene after the holidays to start training as a unit for next summer’s season. We only had a few weeks of practice as a team before this past season started. We need time to learn each other.

I’m equally excited about my new group of friends. We do everything together. Philly is starting to feel like a home, more than I thought it would.

The Camels are a few games into their season now.

They’re playing well. Adding Champ to the roster has taken some of the pressure off Vance and Daylen.

With defenses having to stack the line to stop Champ, Daylen is only receiving single-man coverage.

He and Vance have connected on a few huge highlight-worthy plays already.

They’ve won three of their first four games and are sitting at the top of their division.

They have a game tonight. Gatorade purchased a club box and invited me to attend as their guest. I told them I wouldn’t come without my teammates.

They agreed to include our whole team and even sent us all McCaffrey jerseys.

Given that Vance has a partnership with Gatorade, I suppose them giving us his jersey shouldn’t be unexpected.

My Gatorade commercial with Tyrese Maxey came out this week to much praise.

It’s very cute, with us passing the Gatorade bottle back and forth down the court.

He’s such a nice guy, and we had fun during the shoot.

It was also a great payday for me. Enough for me to put a deposit on my very own house.

It’s a walkup brownstone, and I haven’t been this excited about anything in a long time.

Reagan nearly had a coronary when I told her it wasn’t in a secured building, but the initial craziness and hoopla surrounding me has died down, and I don’t want a condo in some fancy building.

I’ve hated where Palmer and I have lived for the past month.

My new place has history and character. Somewhere that feels homey and comfortable for me.

I settle on the house in January. My plan is to spend a little time in Rome with Shane after my upcoming photoshoot in southern Italy, and then I’ll head home for the holidays, returning to Philly after the new year to begin training with my teammates and to move into my new house.

I’m torn about wearing Vance’s jersey, something I used to do religiously but haven’t in more than five years. In the end, I throw it on because Gatorade sent it and something shifted between Vance and me a few weeks ago when he took me to see his house .

The devastation he still carries over Finn’s death is very real.

His love for my brother is very real. I hope one day he’ll explain to me why he slept with Maddie, but I’m stuffing that aside for now.

Frankly, I’m starting to wonder if maybe she didn’t drug him or somehow otherwise manipulate him into sleeping with her.

I swear I never thought he liked her. I don’t think I imagined the glances he and I would share when Maddie was being selfish and whiny around Finn.

Vance not being in Francesca’s life is baffling to me, but perhaps I’m missing something.

I think Vance is holding onto a secret. It’s just a feeling I have.

It’s like a big, incomplete puzzle, and I know I don’t have all the pieces.

Perhaps if we rekindle a bit of a friendship, he’ll confide in me.

Layla has arranged for us to meet the boys at a bar after the game.

She said if they win, it will happen. If they lose, it won’t.

With only seventeen games in the regular season, each one matters a lot, and they take losses very hard.

I think there are also a lot of expectations placed on them this season.

The Anacondas just won another softball league championship. We were there cheering them on. It wasn’t even close. Kam went on a home run tear in the championship series and carried the team to victory.

Arizona and Layton are getting married soon and were kind enough to invite me, but it’s when I’ll be in Italy. I’m sorry to miss it. I’m sure it will be a blast. She also told me that she’s pregnant. I’m so excited for her. That will be one beautiful baby, considering the parents.

We’re sitting in the club box as Layla is explaining that we’ll go to the bar next to the stadium if they win, when Kennedy looks at her. “Wait, we’re going straight from here? I thought I’d have time to go home and get ready. I only took a ho shower.”

I ask, “What’s a ho shower?”

She smirks. “Everything but the hair.”

I can only shake my head at her.

Layla says, “We’re going straight there. It’s not like we’re clubbing tonight. It’s just drinks at a local sports bar. What’s the big deal? I texted you about it this morning.”

Kennedy blows out a breath. “I must have missed it. I swear, I’m such a dingbat lately.

I had a date the other night with a guy I met on Tinder.

He walked me to my door and asked if he could come inside.

I told him we just met and asked if he could do it on my tits. He said he meant inside the house.”

I giggle, but Palmer gasps. “You didn’t really say that to someone you just met, did you?”

Kennedy winks. “Sure did. And he ended up coming on my tits anyway.”

Palmer looks at her in awe. “I could never have sex with some random guy I met online on the first night I met him. Are you dating him now?”

Kennedy makes a look of disgust. “No. I went to his place the next night, thinking I’d be up for another round, but he has one of my red flags in his apartment, so I’m done with him.”

I bite back my smile. Red flag conversations have become our norm. “What was the red flag?”

“He had,” she winces, “a futon as his main couch.” She says futon as though it’s a bad word. “Hell to the no.”

I let out a laugh. “I’ve had a futon in almost every apartment I’ve ever lived in.”

“You just graduated from college. This guy is in his thirties. He has an established career. Unacceptable. Red flag. I turned around, left his apartment, and then blocked his number.”

Palmer sits up straight and bounces a bit with excitement. “I’ve been thinking about your red flags, Kennedy, and I found another one of mine. A man who orders tater tots at a restaurant. It’s very unmanly. I don’t care for it at all.”

Kennedy narrows her eyes. “All of yours surround food. Maybe you have an untapped food fetish.”

I nod in agreement. “It’s true. Yours do revolve around food. Maybe a man eating manly food does it for you.” I growl. “Rawr. Like tearing into a big piece of steak. ”

Palmer bites her lip. “Oh my god, I do think that’s hot. Maybe I do have a food fetish.”

Layla lets out a laugh. “I think you might. I personally hate men who are rude to waiters. When they act like they’re above one, it’s such a turnoff.

Honestly, I love how kind and generous Presley is to waitstaff.

On our first date, we had the worst waitress in the history of the world.

It took forever for her to take our orders, she then messed them up and was so incredibly rude to us throughout, even though we gave her no attitude.

Presley never lost his cool and then left her a giant tip.

When I asked him why, he said he couldn’t imagine she was going to keep her job for long and would probably need the money.

” She clutches her heart. “I thought that was so sweet.”

I nod. “It is sweet.”

The girls then talk about men who make everything about them as being a red flag.

Those who never ask questions about you.

I can’t help that Shane pops into my mind.

He does that. All our conversations are about him.

He gets short with me when I discuss what’s going on in my life, almost as if my success is an insult to him.

He never asks about me and how I’m doing in Philly.

Shane doesn’t know everything, but he knows I was struggling seeing and living with Vance.

He’s never once mentioned it, even when I lived with Vance.

He doesn’t ask about my brother. We’ve been dating over two anniversaries of Finn’s death, and Shane has never once reached out.

Vance, on the other hand, sends me a card every year on the anniversary. I know he sends one to my parents too.

As if he knew I was thinking about him, I notice him glance up at our box and stare right at me. He offers a little wave before tugging at his jersey and cracking a small smile. I look down at myself. He likes that I’m in his jersey.

I think I like it too. A little too much.

VANCE

Christ. My cock swells in my uniform pants at the sight of Sulley in my jersey. My mind keeps drifting to what it would be like for her to be on her knees sucking my cock wearing that same jersey.

I break eye contact and shake my head in disbelief. Focus, Vance. It’s a big game against a division rival.

I shift my hips, suddenly realizing how unforgiving football pants are.

I tug on them to give myself some room and hear Daylen chuckle. “Are you at full salute from seeing the object of your affection in your jersey?”

“She’s not the object of my affection,” I spit in response.

“Yet you knew exactly who and what I was talking about.” He smirks. “Hmm. Interesting.”

“Fuck off, dickhead.”

“I think it’s the head of your dick that wants to fuck.”