Logan’s knee doesn’t stop bouncing the entire car ride to Reed’s high school. When I put a hand on his thigh, he looks over at me with an expression I can’t quite place. “You okay? Do you need to pee or something?”
The raspy tone of his chuckle shoots right through me and down to my clit. I’m always squeezing my thighs together around this man. It doesn’t matter how much time passes, I want him more each day. “No, I don’t need to pee.”
If someone had tried to tell me I’d end up with my cocky, blond one-night stand in LA and we’d be living with him in the Twin Cities, I would have called them crazy. But here we are.
The cold winter air is filled with the buttery scent of popcorn and the dull roar of hundreds of teenagers and family members. The scents and sounds are as familiar and comforting as those I associate with the hockey arena. Both have become secondary homes-away-from-home. Both immediately call up images of the two men I love more than anything or anyone else.
Logan’s hand is warm and firm around mine as we dodge parka-clad spectators and overly caffeinated teenagers who run through the crowd in search of their friends. Our group always sits in the same general area, and I grin when I see them all huddled together in the middle of the stands.
They’re completely oblivious to the curious looks from starstruck teenagers and the slightly hungry expressions worn by more than a few moms. Not that I blame them. All five of these guys are good-looking. They’re also great people.
“There they are,” Griffin shouts, waving his hands over his head, as though we may miss them. “About time.”
“We’re like five minutes late.” Logan rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. It doesn’t matter that these guys spend almost every waking moment together. The love they have for each other is obvious to everyone.
“Hey, guys.” I’m wrapped in hugs, everyone taking their turn, before we settle in at the middle of the group. “You ready for next week’s away series?”
“Ugh, no,” Lexi grumbles. “I have like three different wedding-related appointments that Ryder’s going to miss, and he’s so much more patient than I am.”
Ryder chuckles, pulling his fiancée closer to his side and pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “Your mom will be there with you, Oscar. If you get too grumpy, she’ll rein you in.”
“It’s not the same.”
“I told you I could go,” Isla pipes up. “I think it’s fun.”
“That’s because you’re a sadist.”
Isla, Mira, and I share a look before we all laugh. Lexi and Ryder are getting married at the beginning of July, and despite the long engagement, she’s still stressed out by it all. I know she’s hoping Ryder will take some of the planning off her table if the team doesn’t go all the way, but if they keep playing the way they have been, she may be disappointed.
The Rogues made it to the cup last season, and something tells me they could pull it off again this year.
I hug Bryson and Adrienne, and so does Logan, and they join in chaos of our group.
Our small talk is interrupted by the buzz of the announcement system and the roar of the crowd, and my heart rate picks up. I lean forward, watching for my little brother, ready to cheer him on.
When I asked him earlier if he was nervous, he said no. Their team has done really well, and Reed has really come into his own. Honestly, I think I’m more nervous than he is.
We jump up and cheer with everyone else when their team runs onto the field, outfitted in their green and white. Reed looks our way with a bright smile and gives a wave that reminds me of the little boy he used to be. Those moments are rarer with every passing year. He’s so tall now. We’re just about the same height. And he’s put on some bulk, thanks to the workouts he does with Logan.
Everything has changed so much.
The game kicks off, and the action is nonstop from the get-go. Both teams play their hardest, and it’s a pretty equal matchup. We scream and cheer when Reed scores the first touchdown, boo when the other team sacks our quarterback, and by the time halftime rolls around, I’m barely aware of the cold.
“All right, Washington High, we have a very special halftime presentation for you today. Not only will our cheer squad be performing with the band, but the football team will be joining in.” The announcer’s voice reverberates through the night, promising a great show.
Turning to Logan, I arch an eyebrow. “Did you know about this? Reed didn’t say they were performing with the cheer squad.”
Logan shrugs. “He may have said something? I’m not sure.”
Leaning forward in my seat, I watch as the cheer squad flits around the sidelines, laying poster boards face-down on the field, laughing and bouncing around on the balls of their feet. Then they pick up their pom-poms, get into formation, and the band begins to play from the stands.
The girls run through one of their normal cheers, working the crowd up the way they always do. Everyone in the stands is clapping and cheering right along with them, and I find myself smiling. I love that this has become a part of our routine. That the people around Logan and me show up for Reed, for us, as often as they can. When the game’s over, we’ll all go out for dinner or they’ll crowd around our dining room table.
It’s everything I never knew I needed.
The routine comes to an end, and the band starts a new song. This one is a little less raucous, and it’s not one I’ve heard them play before. The girls dance, tumble and leap, and then some of the football team comes out on the field. The crowd eats it up as the boys try their best to keep up with the cheerleaders, but most of them lack the coordination and flexibility shown by the dancers. It’s adorable.
Reed and Eddie are at the center of the football players, and I grin as they twirl and dip the cheerleaders, and I finally place the song the band is playing. “Just the Way You Are”by Bruno Mars. The couples on the field move around, and the crowd eats it up.
