“Okay?” I enjoyed how animated she got when she spoke about Barcelona, but this thing sounded weird. “It’s a tradition?”
“Yes.” She took the small log from my hand and set it on the ground, propping it up on its front legs. “The night before Christmas, they don’t actually have Santa come deliver gifts. Instead, they get gifts on Three Kings’ Day, which is in January. But that’s not the point. On Christmas Eve, they get sticks and hit Caga Tío. They beat the log in the hope he will poop out presents the following morning.”
I opened my mouth twice, closing it each time.
Becca pointed to the end of the log with no eyes and smiled. “They don’t get big presents. They are more like stocking stuffers.”
“Thank you?”
“I told you it was stupid.” Her joy disappeared, and a sad smile replaced it. “You’d said you didn’t have a lot of decorations, and I figured, heck, I have a million. I thought I’d give you my weirdest one to commemorate our holiday together. You don’t have to keep it.”
I’m an asshole.I cupped her face in my hands, gently guiding her to face me. Her eyelashes fanned over her red cheeks, but eventually, her eyes met mine. “Thank you.”
“You don’t—”
I brought my lips to hers, taking all the time in the world—telling her without words what her gift meant. Yeah, it was an odd gift, but it was one of the things that made her… her. She opened her mouth and deepened the kiss, her tongue swirling against mine until I groaned. “I appreciate the thought behind your gift.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” I ran the tips of my fingers down her neck until I reached her collarbone. Everything about her was delicate and special. But instead of running in the opposite direction, I wanted to learn more about her quirks. “It is by far the strangest gift I’ve ever received, but it doesn’t mean it’s not one of my favorites.”
She shrugged, and her face tinged red. “You’re lucky you’re such a good kisser or I’d probably be more upset.”
“Good to know.” I grinned and pressed another quick kiss on her mouth.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced down, rolling her large brown eyes.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The girls. They think it’s hilarious to do a group text wishing me a good holiday. They know how I feel about group texts. They’re the worst. One night, I put my phone on silent and woke up with seventy messages. Seventy!”
“Are they messing with you?”
“No. They really do think they’re being nice. See?” She held her device toward me and scrolled through warm wishes and pictures. “But instead of texting me separately, they do it as one message.”
“That’s nice.”
I couldn’t recall the guys on the team texting me, or any of the coaches, about anything other than excuses. A dull flicker of irritation threatened, and I swallowed it down. Maybe I should reach out to them? No. That wasn’t my leadership style and would likely cause a state of alarm. But if one of our shared goals was better communication, it wouldn’t worry them. I’d think about it, once my time with Becca ended.
“It is. I shouldn’t complain.” She bit down on her lip, her face twisting in concentration. “It does make it easier to send them all good wishes. Hold on, let me come up with something.”
She typed out a couple of different messages, talking to herself before deleting them. I glanced at my own phone, not expecting to see anything.
Two notifications from two captains. Dexter and Jack. It was simple and to the point, but it felt like so much more than just a simpleMerry Christmas, Coach.
“Huh.”
“What?” She set her phone down and glanced at me. “Get some news?”
“No. Two players texted me happy holidays.”
“Aw.” She bumped my shoulder with hers. “Things can’t be too bad if they’re reaching out, right?”
My surprise at the small gesture of good wishes confirmed that I was part of the problem. A simple message shouldn’t have been a big deal, and yet it made my brain race. I typed out athanksand hit send on the text. “It’s time for you to open up your gifts.”
She chewed her bottom lip, her teeth grazing the plumpest part of it. “Don’t we need to head to your sister’s soon?”
“Nah, we can take our time. They’ll want to do their own morning routine with the monsters. Plus, I’m a selfish man, and I want to see what the girls got you.”
