Page 37 of Offside Play (Love The Game #1)

Cody

C urling my fingers around the kitchen counter, I exhaled slowly. Breathe, Cody. You can do this.

It felt as if I’d blinked and gone from post-game takeouts for one to co-hosting post-match parties. Me. Hosting a party? What the fuck had I been thinking when I agreed to Jude’s plan?

Arms slid around me from behind, and Jude pressed a soft kiss to my nape. “Come outside. Everyone’s excited to see you.”

“Are they?” I said hoarsely.

“Cody.” He gently turned me around. “Course they are. They’re your friends, and they want to see you in your new home.”

“ Our new home.”

“Yeah. Ours.”

I’d cashed in some savings when Jude had insisted that he wanted us to be equal owners. Maybe some people thought it was too soon, that we were foolish to buy a place after a relatively short time together, but neither of us cared.

And here we were. In a house that belonged to us, with people from both sides of our lives descending on us and expecting us to host them. Fuck.

“What do I do? I don’t know how to host a party. I never even fucking go to parties.”

Jude ran his palm down my back, smoothing away some of my tension.

“I’ll tell you what you do. You go outside and talk to your friends.

That’s it. That’s all you have to do. The food’s been sorted by the caterers, the fridge is stocked with drinks, and Reuben’s made a playlist that, honestly, I don’t think we’re gonna have time to get through. ”

“That’s it?”

“That’s it. Now, give me a kiss, and let’s go.”

Sliding my mouth over his, I lost myself in kissing him, the remainder of my tension melting away. “Thanks. I’ll try?—”

“Just be you. That’s all anyone wants.”

“This place is amazing,” Ainsley’s girlfriend was saying when I stepped onto our patio.

Lars’s girlfriend placed her champagne flute down, tilting her head to the side. “I mean, listen to that. No traffic noise. It’s so peaceful. And private, too, with all these trees.”

“Private enough for topless sunbathing!” Ainsley shouted, fist-pumping the air, and I groaned.

“If you wanted me to take my top off, all you had to do was ask.” Jordan lifted his T-shirt, showing his chiselled abs, and Ainsley immediately smacked his hand away.

“No one wants to see you parade around in your underwear, bro. We already have to put up with you posing in your jockstrap before every game.”

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered as Ross came up beside me, accompanied by his wife, Abbie. He took one look at my face and started laughing.

“We did come over to say thanks for inviting us, but maybe I should ask if you need rescuing from your friends.”

I stumbled as a sudden weight landed on my back, arms encircling my neck, and then Reuben’s voice sounded right next to my ear. “You get used to us. Cody wasn’t sure to begin with, but now he’s my best bro.”

“I’m fucking not. Get off me.”

He hung on to me even more tightly. Asshole. “Nah, man. You supply me with maple syrup. That means we have a bond.”

“Fuck off.” I managed to dislodge his grip, but he slid around to my front, shooting me a grin before turning to Ross and his wife.

“Alright? I’m Reuben Mendy. Cody’s best friend.”

“Say it as much as you want. It won’t make it true,” I said darkly, and Ross laughed again.

“I like your friends. You should bring them to a game when the season starts.”

“Oi! Mendy! Stop fucking with Cody and come and help me and Theo with the drinks,” Jordan called from the doorway. His gaze slid to mine, a smirk curving over his lips. “Remind me later to show you my PowerPoint presentation about all the ways you can make your new house more sustainable.”

Fuck. Off , I mouthed, biting back a grin. Something I’d been doing since I’d first stepped outside.

When Reuben disappeared into the house, I turned back to Ross and Abbie. “He’s right, though. You do get used to them.”

Ross nodded. “They seem like a good bunch of guys.”

“Speaking of a good bunch of guys,” Abbie said, “Ross hasn’t stopped talking about the improvements you’ve made with the youth team. It sounds like there’s a bit of hero worship going on in your sessions with them.”

I shrugged. “They’re good kids. Enthusiastic and willing to learn. It makes my job easy.”

“He’s being modest,” Ross said. His gaze swung to the left, and I followed his line of sight to see Scott Osterberg, Cheltenham Storm’s other assistant coach, stepping onto the patio with a beer in hand.

Ross waved him over, and he made his way across the worn flagstones, coming to a stop next to Abbie.

“Evening, all. Sorry I’m late. The satnav decided to freeze on me, and I couldn’t work out where the entrance was.” He held up his beer to me in a toast, and I realised I didn’t have?—

Reuben appeared at my side, thrusting a chilled bottle into my hand before disappearing again. I blinked, staring down at it, a smile tugging at my lips.

“Cheers,” I said, clinking my bottle against his. “Thanks for coming.”

The automatic outdoor lights flickered on as day turned to night. Reuben’s playlist had begun playing softer, more mellow tunes, and most of our guests had drifted towards the patio furniture, arranging themselves on the mismatched chairs.

Jude pulled me down next to him on a rattan sofa, leaning his head on my shoulder.

“You okay?” he murmured, and I nodded. It was the truth. Right now, even though I was surrounded by other people, I felt completely relaxed. Accepted. Home .

I looked around us. Ross’s wife was deep in conversation with Grant’s wife, a half-empty bottle of wine between them.

Across from them, Scott and Grant appeared to be discussing their approaches to team psychology, from what I could make out.

At the far end of the patio, Jordan and Theo were sharing a single sun lounger, pointing up at the stars.

The rest of our guests were gathered around the table, engrossed in a game of cards.

“I can’t believe it,” I said aloud.

I wasn’t just surviving anymore, was I? I was living.

Jude raised his head to look at me. “Believe it. We’re gonna build so many amazing memories here.”

“Yeah. We are.” I did believe it.

Ross dropped into the free chair next to us.

“While I’ve got you here…Abbie mentioned that I talk to her about all the amazing things happening at Cheltenham Storm, but perhaps I don’t always tell the right people.

So I just wanted you to know that having you come to work with us has been transformational.

Not just for the kids, not just for the team, but for me personally, as a manager.

I feel as if we’re finally building something sustainable. ”

Next to me, Jude found my hand, sliding his fingers between mine and squeezing. The light pressure grounded me, and I was finally able to reply around the lump in my throat. “Cheltenham’s lucky to have you, Ross. You’ve got a great vision, and I know you’ll achieve it.”

He smiled. “We’re lucky to have you. I’m looking forward to seeing what you do with the team. You have a home with us for as long as you want it.”