Page 24 of The Throwback
FIFTEEN
BAILEY
“You gotsome dick last night, didn’t you?” Dia asks as I sit down beside her. The whole group decided to meet up for brunch before we see Tanner and Grace off on their honeymoon later today. Blaze and Mads already left for Disney World early this morning. We’re definitely missing their presence, but it’s tradition for the Super Bowl MVP, and it’ll be a fun little engagement trip for them.
“I did,” I reply quietly, smirking.
She turns her body in her chair so she’s facing me. “Was it good?” She pauses. “What am I saying? Of course it was good. I’ve got him pegged as”—she looks over to Jett while he stands at the buffet, making my plate—“one of those guys who gets hard just from servicing you.”
My eyes go wide.
“How the fuck do you do that?” Grace says, sitting across from us. She looks at me. “She knew Tanner’s dick was pierced without even seeing it. She’s like somekind of kink philosopher. Like Socrates.” She snaps her fingers, pointing at Dia. “Cockrates. That’s what I’m calling you from now on.”
“More likeHostradamus,” I suggest with a laugh, making her reach over the table for a high-five.
“I take that as a compliment,” Dia replies as her husband sets her food down in front of her. He sits, followed by Maverick, who looks absolutely exhausted as he drags his hands down his face.
“Where’s Bella?” Grace asks.
He groans. “In bed. She was up puking all night. I asked her if she wanted to come down, but she said that if she even had to look at a piece of bacon, she’d blow chunks all over the table and ruin brunch. She insisted I come down to eat, but I’m too tired.”
“That’s so weird,” I say. “I didn’t even see her drink at the wedding.”
Dia shoves a forkful of eggs into her mouth. “She’s not hungover. She’s pregnant.”
Maverick shoots up in his seat, eyes as round as saucers. “What? Did she tell you that?”
She rolls her eyes. “No, but it’s not rocket science. She’s been moody, tired and she cried for two hours last night after Elvis made his toast using nothing but song titles. Add in the barfing—congrats, Mav. You’re going to be a daddy.”
“Fuck me,” he says, realization hitting him before he smiles and stands. “I need to go back to the room.” He takes off, pushing out the door in a hurry as Dia chuckles quietly. She really does know everything about this group.
“Here you go, baby,” Jett says, sitting down beside me and setting both of our plates on the table. Tanner follows, serving breakfast to his new wife as we all dig in. I listen to them talk about the past and the future, happy to be included in some of their offseason plans. It’s hard to believe it’s only been eight days since I met them. It feels like I belong, the way they welcomed me with open arms.
“Thank you,” I reply, stretching over to kiss his cheek.
“You feeling better after our talk this morning?” he asks as I cut into my Belgian waffle.
I take a bite, chewing before I answer. “Yeah, kind of.” I shrug. “It’s going to be hard during the season, but at least for now you can spend some time in Florida so I can make sure you’re nice and sick of me before training camp starts.”
He scoffs. “Not possible. I’ll never get enough of you.”
I woke up this morning with a heavy heart, not knowing how any of this would work. But Jett promised me that he’s committed to doing whatever I need to feel secure with him. He’ll travel between Tampa and Boston during the offseason, staying with me when he doesn’t have workouts or organized team activities. It’ll be harder when July rolls around and he’s working six days a week, but we’ll get through it. I’m not against moving to Massachusetts if we decide that’s the best option. I just want to be sure we’re ready before I make such a life-altering change.
“No matter what happens, I love you, and I’ll dowhatever I need to do to remind you of that every day. If that means catching a red-eye just to give you a hug, so be it. Okay?”
I nod, smiling softly. “Okay.”
“Good,” he says, pointing to my plate with his fork. “Eat your breakfast, then we’ll go have some fun. We have four whole days before we have to eventhink aboutthe real world.”
We finish our food, saying our goodbyes to Tanner and Grace as they head off to Bora Bora for their two-week honeymoon. Dalton and Dia have to go back to Boston today to do some interviews, and I’m guessing Bella and Maverick will be spending time celebrating when she’s feeling better. So, it’s just me and Jett, spending the rest of my vacation in Vegas before we return to Tampa on Friday.
It’s been a crazy week, but I’m feeling hopeful for the future. I imagine us years from now, married with our own kids, bringing them to that same beach town where we met and making lifelong memories. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be lucky enough to find the same thing we did, hiding behind a birch tree, completely unknowing of the happiness that awaits them when they’re ready.
I loved that boy then, and I love him now, even with all the time we missed out on. We have the rest of our lives to make up for it, and a million more kisses to share.
EPILOGUE
BAILEY - SEPTEMBER