Page 25

twenty-five

. . .

Viv

My stomach flutters with nerves as I approach the Mattapan townhouse. I haven’t been back here since the day I found out about Tony and my past connection. Although I know Tony and I are solid now, although Cari and I get along and I liked Al the one time I met him, I can’t help being nervous. If my siblings didn’t like my partner, I’d listen to their opinions why. I’d at least hear them out.

If Cari and Al don’t like me with Tony…

I can’t even think about it. Yes, we’re new, and I’m already in over my head, but I can’t picture doing this without him. In such a short amount of time, he’s brought so much happiness into my life, I don’t know what to do with myself.

The front door swings open without my having rung the bell. Cari beams at me.

“You going to stay out here all night?” she teases.

Forcing a smile onto my face, I summon all of my bravery. “Maybe.”

My teammate laughs, shaking her head. “Come on in.”

The house looks the same as it does before, but where I was too panicked to notice the little details, now I drink them in. There are photos on the mantel and on the wall. A few throw pillows and a soft-looking knit blanket. A basket full of cat toys.

Shadow, the little black kitten, isn’t so little anymore. She comes running toward me, then stops just in front of me, staring up at me. I stare down at her, meeting her eyes. After a moment, the cat bats at my leg with her paw and then darts off.

Through the small kitchen, I can see Tony at the stove, sauteing something that smells fantastic. I watch his back muscles flex through his T-shirt as he expertly controls three different pans. I think I might drool.

“Damn, girl,” Cari says, shaking her head. “You’ve got it bad.”

“Yeah, I do.” I’m not ashamed of how much I care for him.

Does it scare me? Yes.

Am I hiding it? No. Hell no.

There’s a rumble on the stairs and then Al appears in a T-shirt and sweatpants, his hair wet. He stops short at the sight of me.

“Viv. Hey. Great to see you again.” Before I know what’s happening, he tugs me into a light hug.

There’s a clatter in the kitchen and I turn to see Tony watching us, glaring in our direction.

“I don’t think he likes this very much,” Al teases, slinging his arm around my shoulder.

Tony’s eyes meet mine and his hard glare softens. I’m not about the jealousy game. I never want him to question exactly how I feel about him.

Shrugging off Al’s arm, I make my way into the kitchen, wrapping my arms around Tony’s waist from behind. He leans back into me, turning his head so he can kiss me.

“Hey.” His voice rumbles through me. “You made it.”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” I rest my head on his shoulder. “Whatcha making?”

“Chicken fajitas.” His shoulder lifts beneath my chin as he stirs the peppers and onions.

“Smells good.” I breathe him in, his familiar, spicy scent undercut by fragrant garlic and cumin.

“Can I get you a drink?”

“I’m good for now, thanks.” I’m content to watch him cook, but it’s not really safe to cling to him like a barnacle, so I move to the kitchen barstools.

Cari slides onto the stool beside mine. We had a good practice today. The team is really gelling and we’re starting to nail the plays. We’re still in the reconditioning period, where everyone is getting used to the intense physicality of the sport again. Not all of us had summer off for the Sevens season, so the few of us who did compete are still in pretty decent shape, but it takes a while to get back into the groove of things.

Our first match isn’t until early February. We’ve got plenty of time to get dialed in.

Al plops down at the kitchen table, looking at his phone. He makes a surprised noise.

“What’s wrong?” Cari asks her brother.

“My agent just got an offer from Pump It Up Protein,” Al says slowly. His eyes flit to mine, then Tony’s. “He’s asking if you have an agent, Car.”

“Not yet. I don’t think I need one.”

She had a couple of Name, Image, and Likeness deals in college, but she managed them on her own. I don’t think she’s done any sort of endorsement since graduating last spring.

Al laughs. “Well, you better sign, quick. They want to do a Gonzales family promotion campaign.”

Tony whips his head around. “They want to do what?”

“They’re highlighting the fact that all three of us are professional athletes.” Al shakes his head. “They specifically mentioned your promotion with them.”

“Did you sign the contract?” I ask my boyfriend, who nods.

“When I made the team this morning, I called Alycia and she sent over the contract. We’re all set.”

My smile stretches from ear to ear. As much as I’m happy about the endorsement campaign for my own selfish reasons, I’m happy for him too. I want him to receive the recognition he so clearly deserves for how hard he works.

“This could be life changing for you guys. I know the money is only part of it, the exposure opportunities are huge. This is only the start.” I wholeheartedly believe that. This could bring them to a whole new level. Alycia is a bulldog and will reach out to everyone to help get him opportunities. He can earn enough to pay for vet school.

“Do you do campaigns with your brothers?” Cari asks me.

“I did one with the twins for Pump It Up and I did another with Janine for an airline. She’s the swimmer,” I explain. “We did a few campaigns before the last Olympics, since we were both there. The press loved the sisters competing together, not against each other storyline.”

Janine did not have a good Olympic experience. She didn’t qualify for her best event, and the one she did qualify for, she didn’t win any medals. She likes to say just getting there was an accomplishment, and it is, but I know she’s on the quest for redemption. She’s ready to prove all the doubters wrong. I couldn’t be more ready to watch her dominate her field.

Al hums. “So you think we should do it?”

I shrug. “It’s up to the three of you. Pump It Up is a brand I actually believe in. They pay well, they treat me right, and I genuinely like the product.”

“She has, like, seventy different protein powders from them,” Tony comments from the stove.

I smile. It’s not that many. “It’s not a hardship to work with them.”

“My agent has been trying to work on some new endorsement opportunities…” Al says.

“Alycia—that’s my new agent—she mentioned that she has a whole list of ideas for the three of us,” Tony says.

My eyebrows go up. “Really? That’s so cool!”

“But only if all three of us are on board.” His eyes flick toward Cari. “I’d understand if you’re not interested. It’s a lot. You get to live a relatively private life right now. That might change.”

“I can do it,” she says with all the optimism and positivity of someone who has no idea the kind of power she wields. “I want girls to see women succeeding in sports. If I can do my part to show the world that women are just as strong and capable as men, I will.”

“So you’re in?” Al glances at me, then Tony.

He shrugs. “If you guys both want to do it, sure. I don’t think they want me though. People don’t care about gymnastics.”

“They do,” Al says firmly. “It’s all of us or none of us.”

Tony sighs. “Then yes. Let’s do it.”

“This will be great,” Al says, typing on his phone. He grins over at me. “You’re pushing him out of his comfort zone. I like it.”

“Not pushing,” I correct. “Just… supporting.”

Tony gives me a soft smile before turning back to the stove. He bustles around the small kitchen, moving the food to serving platters. There’s barely enough room for one person to move around, much less two, so I don’t offer to help, even though I want to. I don’t like being waited on.

The small table is set for four already, and as Tony brings the food to the table, Cari gets up and heads to the fridge.

“Can I get you anything to drink?” she asks me.

“Water would be great, thanks.” I catch Tony’s arm on his way past me and he curls his arm around me, leaning into me as much as I’m leaning on him. He presses a soft kiss on the top of my head before releasing me.

These stolen moments, a quick snuggle or a sweet display of affection, mean the world to me. With every one, I’m slowly starting to drop my guard. I’m finally starting to believe him when he says he’s not going anywhere.

As we sit at the table, Tony sets his hand on my leg. We haven’t shared a lot of sit-down meals together. He typically arrives at my apartment after his restaurant shift and isn’t hungry for food, only for my pussy. When we have breakfast after a sleepover, we’re usually standing at my kitchen island before we run out the door for training.

This is nice.

And as Al and Cari talk around us, it’s nice being with them too. I don’t see my siblings very often, we’re all spread out across the country, so it’s nice to feel like part of a family unit.

“You know,” Al says slowly, and I force my attention back to the conversation. “We’re playing Colorado next month.”

“My brother plays for Colorado.”

He grins. “I know. What’s the chance we can get together with him?”

I blink. “You want to get together with my brother?”

“Yeah. Gotta see if he approves of this pendejo .” Al nods toward Tony. “I can’t wait to see the big brother inquisition.”

“Chuck is younger than me.” I focus on that part. My hand falls to Tony’s leg and I squeeze. “There will be no inquisition. I’m happy, so he’ll be happy for me.”

“I can handle it,” Tony says through a scowl. “He can interrogate me all he wants. He won’t scare me away.”

My heart gives a loud thump and my throat gets choked up as I lean over to kiss him. He kisses me softly, cupping my cheek.

Across the table, Al gags. “We get it, you’re in love and shit,” he says. “We don’t want to see it.”

Tony withdraws, flipping his middle finger at his brother. “Fuck off,” he growls, but there’s no heat in his voice.

Cari grins, shaking her head. “They’re cute. Leave them alone.”

When Al opens his mouth, she pinches his arm. And from the wince on his face, I’m guessing it hurts. Dutifully, he shuts up and focuses on his dinner.

The chicken fajitas are great. Tony also made a pot of brown rice, black beans, and an extra platter of veggies. There is a little dish of homemade pico de gallo, freshly sliced avocado, diced onions, cilantro, and fresh limes. A folded kitchen towel holds warm corn tortillas.

“I didn’t know you could cook,” I comment to Tony. “This is delicious.”

He gives me a shy smile. “Gotta eat.”

“You’re going to have to cook for me more often,” I tease.

His face goes pink, and he nods. “If you want me to.”

I cook because I have to, not because I enjoy it. Food is fuel. It’s not a hobby for me.

“I do.” Squeezing his leg again, I return my attention to the fantastic meal he prepared. I can taste the love and care he put into it.

After dinner, Al puts away the leftovers and Cari loads the dishwasher. I offer to help, but they all turn me down. Tony tugs me onto the sofa and pulls me into his arms. Shadow, his little kitten, jumps into his lap and starts kneading his thighs. I try to hide my flinch, and when the kitten doesn’t make any moves to scratch or bite me, I slowly start to relax. She’s not a murder kitty like the one we had growing up. I don’t have to be scared of her.

“Want to watch a movie?” he asks, reaching for the remote.

“Sure. Whatever you want.” I rest my head on his shoulder, breathing him in.

Shadow purrs and I chance a slow stroke of the top of her head. She leans into the contact, her motor going.

Tony and I haven’t had a lot of time to just hang out, clothes on. I’m a little relieved to realize I still like him with his clothes on. It’s more than physical chemistry. There’s something here.

And from the way he’s glancing at me out of the corner of his eye, hiding his smile, I think he’s feeling it too.

Al and Cari join us for the movie, an action-adventure film with lots of explosions and terribly misogynistic comments, where the female character is clearly meant to be a sex symbol and not an actually fleshed out person.

After one particularly heinous scene, Tony winces. “I did not know the movie would be like this. I regret everything.”

“We can turn it off,” Al says. “The Triumph are playing.”

So we turn on the basketball game, and as I settle back against Tony, it turns into a much nicer evening.

At ten, Cari stretches and gives a fake yawn. “Okay, I’m out,” she says, giving me a pointed look.

Oh. Does she want me to go home? Am I not supposed to stay?

“I’ve got earplugs and a white noise machine ready,” she goes on. “But I’d really rather not hear any noises, if you know what I mean.”

My face heats. Fuck . She’s not kicking me out; she’s expecting me to stay the night with her brother. Somehow, that’s even worse.

“We’ll keep it down,” Tony says, his entire body coiled and tense. “Good night.”