Jay opened his mouth, most likely to argue, before giving up. “Be nice.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Go warm up. Get lots of touchdowns.”
Jay rolled his eyes and mouthed,I’m sorry, to Aaron before jogging away to join his team. His powerful muscles flexed as he jogged, and Aaron didn’t realize he was staring until Jasmine cleared her throat and pulled him toward the bleachers.
“So, you and my brother?”
She wasn’t wasting any time, launching into an interrogation before they even sat down.
“We are…friends?” Aaron said the word carefully, trying it on for size, and flashed a big smile to cover up his hesitation.
“Yeah, Layla filled me in on the mysterious furniture-shopping friend.” She didn’t even try to hide her smirk. “How did you meet?”
Despite the innocent question, the mischievous glint in her eyes told Aaron this was a trap. No doubt she’d already asked Jay the same question and wanted to compare their answers.
They should have prepared for this.
“At a bar,” he said nonchalantly, glad for the years of practice hiding his emotions behind a professional mask.
She quirked her eyebrow. “Wow, you got your stories straight and everything.”
Aaron’s relief was short-lived before more questions followed. Thankfully, Jasmine mostly asked about his life, so he didn’t have to worry about getting anything wrong.
The match kicked off, and their attention shifted. Aaron quickly got into the spirit of the game, cheering for Jay’s team whenever they managed to take control of the ball and move it in the right direction, and jumping to his feet in celebration the two times Jay scored a goal.
Even someone who didn’t know the first thing about soccer would be able to tell this wasn’t a professional event. The players dashed around with wild enthusiasm, missing most of their shots, and Aaron loved every second of it. No one played out of obligation or as a chore—the men and women on the field clearly enjoyed the chaotic energy of running around and the thrill of connecting with the ball and moving it toward the net. There were significantly more goals than in a typical soccer match, and each one was celebrated as if they’d just won the gold medal at the Olympics.
The atmosphere was infectious. Even Jasmine got into the spirit, whooping and clapping along with the crowd. Jay’s nephews stood at the sidelines, eyes locked on the action, vibrating with excitement. A few feet away, a small group of children kicked a ball back and forth in their own version of the game.
Jay jogged up to Aaron and Jasmine during a break, sweat dripping down his face, the damp fabric of his shirt clinging to his chest. There was something about broad, sweaty men that got Aaron’s motor running while simultaneously breaking his brain. A drop of sweat trickled down the hollow at the base of Jay’s throat, beckoning to Aaron, tempting him to lean in and taste the salty skin. To his horror, a soft, needy moan nearly escaped him at the prospect of licking Jay’s neck, and he quickly cleared his throat.
“Shouldn’t you be talking strategy with your coach or something?” he asked, doing his best to keep his eyes on Jay’s face.
“That’d be pretty difficult considering we don’t even have a coach.” Jay laughed and lifted the hem of his shirt to dab at his forehead, putting his glistening abs and a flash of thick chest hair on display.
Aaron’s throat went dry. He was quickly losing his tenuous grasp on self-control. Another ten seconds, and he would embarrass himself by lunging at Jay and trying to climb him like a tree.
“This is actually a lot more entertaining than I realized,” Jasmine said, inadvertently saving him. “I’m sorry I called your hobby the most boring thing in the world. I wish I could stay till the end, but I have to go now if I want to be ready in time for our dinner reservation.”
She put an arm around Aaron and squeezed him in a side hug, making him promise they would see each other again soon. When Jay pretended to move in for a hug, she jumped back with a squeal. “Don’t you dare!”
Laughing, she turned to her sons and called them over.
“Behave for Uncle Jahan, and maybe he’ll get you pizza for dinner. I love you. Be good.” She bent down to plant a kiss on their foreheads.
Aaron snapped his gaze to Jay, lifting an eyebrow in a silent question. Jay shrugged, waving his sister off before turning back to Aaron. “Do you mind keeping an eye on them? Dave’s wife said she’ll watch them, but just in case they’re determined to run away and start new lives in Canada, I’d feel better if someone else was paying attention.”
“Do they even have passports?” Aaron quipped before nodding. “Of course. I won’t let them out of my sight, but Idon’t think we have to worry about them moving a muscle. They seemed completely captivated.”
“Alright, boys, come meet Aaron.” Jay ushered his nephews forward. “This is Cyrus and Darius, some of my favorite nephews.”
They glanced up at Aaron for a single second before shifting their attention back to Jay. “Uncle Jahan, are you gonna score more goals? Can you score a goal from all the way across the field?”
“I’ll try, how about that?” He ruffled their hair and turned to Aaron. “Will you stay until the end?”
“Of course.” Aaron offered a soft smile. “I simply must see you score a goal from all the way across the field.”
Jay gave a mock salute and left to join his teammates in a huddle, leaving Aaron alone with two children staring up at him. He had zero experience with kids of any age, and the prospect of trying to make conversation with someone thirty years younger than him was slightly horrifying.
