“You belong next to me, Curtis. In every way possible.” I pick him up and place him on his desk, pushing his coat off his shoulders so I can get closer to him. “I’m sorry about Mel. Anything she said or implied wasn’t true. My mom was so angry when Mel said you’d dropped off a pie. She wanted to meet you.”
“Mel didn’t know who I was,” he says.
“No. That is true. But the polite thing to do would have been to invite you in.”
“Do you think she knew? That you maybe were with a guy.”
I shrug. “No, and it doesn’t matter. I came clean to my mom about what Mel did and the reason for our divorce. I will tell you the story later, but there’s something more important that I think you should know.”
“Okay.”
God, his eyes hold so much trust.
“It’s a few things, actually. The first and most important one is that I love you. I love you so much. I can’t stand the thought of not seeing you every day, waking up to you, or hearing you mumble about ridiculous things. I love you to the point I want to know your best friend. I want her to visit you as often as she can. I want you to pursue your dreams and be happy. I just hope they also include me. I hope we can make our Christmas bubble last forever.” He opens his mouth to talk, but I put a finger over his lips to stop him.
“I’m also infertile. I always wanted children but didn’t know I couldn’t have them until recently. When I got divorced, it became one of those things I accepted I’ll never have. But I’ll just put it out there, Curtis. If you want to be a dad, I’ll be the best dad our children could ask for. If you don’t, then that’s also okay. Whatever we decide together will always be the right thing. I will never want anything more than you. Do you hear me?”
He looks up at the ceiling. “I always thought my grandma was up there looking out for me. Now I know it’s true, and she really outdid herself this time.”
Then he looks at me, his eyes red with unshed tears. “I ran away to Connecticut because someone I thought I loved made me feel like I was nothing more than a stepping stone to getting what he wanted. Now I know that every moment in my life was designed to take me to this exact spot where I can tell you that I love you back. I will give you as many children as you want because the only way I can see my future is with you, Riley Dempsey.”
Our mouths meet in a soft, loving kiss that becomes hungry and desperate. Teeth clink together, nipping and biting. He tastes just how I remember. My favorite flavor of all time.
Strawberry Bubble.
“Take me home, Coach, and fuck me like you wanted that first time. Let’s pretend we’re in that shower.”
“How did you know I wanted to fuck you then?” I nip at his neck, sucking his skin so it leaves a mark.
“It was in your eyes.”
I grab his coat and help him put it on, zipping it up until he looks like the most delicious human burrito.
Before we leave, Curtis notices the new additions to our stationery. Pen holders. One that saysI’m hiswith an arrow pointing to the other that saysHe’s mine.
“Just so we’re clear, this doesn’t mean you get cake every day now,” he says.
“What? Are you kidding me?”
He goes up on his toes to kiss me. “But you can eat my ass any time you want.”
“I’ll take that.”
By the time we come out of the building, there’s no one around.
Thank god the Principal is a Marinos fan, and I managed to get him a shirt signed by all the guys on the team.
I’d get shirts signed by all the teams in the NFL for the chance to get my Bubble back.
“God, I can’t wait to be inside you again,” I say, pulling him by the hand over to my car. We can get his tomorrow.
“Then we better be quick. Then again, my dick has been neglected for over a week. It won’t take much for me to come as soon as I have your monster cock filling me.”
“Christ, Bubble. You’re going to make me come in my pants.”
We get to my place in record time. Since my new favorite sport is carrying Curtis everywhere, I lift him up when we get out of the car and don’t let him go until we’re inside the bathroom in my bedroom.
Clothes are discarded, and I think my shirt is now missing a button or two. Curtis turns the shower on, and we wait until the water is warm before we go under the spray.
