“We’ve gotta stop by Liam’s to get Jojo. I thought she would enjoy the farmer’s market.” And Jojo will enjoy it, she’s ten pounds of straight fluff and people love to fawn over her, and she loves the attention. The pomeranian mix has been the light of my life since Liam started bringing her around.
“Oh my gosh! She will, you’ll have to get her the homemade dog treats that I sent you a picture of yesterday. We got her some, but I don’t think she’ll have too many.”
“I’ll make sure we get her some mom.”
She carries on the conversation as she tells me her anddad’s plans for decorating the yard for Halloween, and I offer to help set up all of the wooden yard ornaments they have.
The timer for the oven dings, so I say goodbye to my mom with one last confirmation that we will see her and dad for dinner.
In the kitchen, Liam is using the oven mitts he brought over to take the pans out of the oven. The tops of them are golden brown and the faint smell of cocoa and bananas fill the space now that the baked goods are done.
Liams presents them to me, smiling widely and exclaims, “Banana nut bread, sans nuts and in its place is cocoa powder and chocolate chips. And this one is regular banana bread, but I used the fancy vanilla your mom gave me for christmas.”
“They both look delicious, baby. You did amazing.”
He puts them on the cooling rack and comes over to wrap his arms around my shoulders, pulling me down to give me a loud kiss on the mouth. “You and your sweet talk.”
I flush bright red, but I smile through the embarrassment. I’ll never get over hearing his flirty tone.
“Ready?” I ask, grabbing his arms from around me and pressing a kiss to both of his knuckles. He covers the bread with a lid and nods, looking at me expectantly.
“Ready.”
14
JERICHO
The rain pounds down hard on us, the sharp pin pricks leaving a cold tremor in their wake. The thunder cracks, louder than before and I glance up at the sky. The dark clouds are vicious, painting the typically cerulean blue to a bruised purple.
“If it starts lightning I’m out,” Connor yells to be heard over the downpour. When it started raining, Hollis declared that whatever team left first lost. And of course Connor isn’t going to let Hollis have the win that easy. We’ve been going at it for about two hours. My chest burns and my leg aches from the intense workout we’re getting, but I feel free under the fading light.
Liam is home today–his sister came into town so they’re spending time together before she has to leave again. Even if he didn’t have a reason to be here, I doubt I could have dragged him out in this weather to sit in the stands and watch me and my friends pass around a football.
“Then you accept defeat!” Hollis yells, getting into place to start the next play. I crouch down, waiting for my cue to go. I squat down, giving my leg a quick second to cooperate as I getinto position. Most days my prosthetic doesn’t give me any problems, and for that I’m thankful. But on days when the weather is set to downpour, it can be harder on me. Thankfully, my friends are on the same page as me and don’t treat me differently because of a disability. I’m still just one of the guys, and having a missing limb isn’t going to change that.
Ace squats in the space beside me as we glare down at Connor. Our other teammate, Ezra isn’t as confident as he takes his spot directly across from Connor. The other guys, Noah, Elijah, and Lucas are staring down at us as well, goading us. They think because they’re just a year or two younger that they’re better? I’ll be damned before I let these pip squeaks steal my win from under me.
“Over my dead body, Hollis,” Connor calls before the play starts. Connor calls the hut, and drops back into the pocket. The opposing teammates rush us, trying to block us before we can get to Connor. I run, trying to catch him before he throws the ball. His orange shirt is within distance for me to grab. We don't tackle, we dotouch.It’s way easier on me this way since all I have to worry about is running and not someone trying to knock me to the ground.
My hand is a breath away from him, I can feel the fabric flowing across my fingertips as he darts past me. A bolt of lightning dances across the sky, the bright yellow a beacon of destruction. An explosion of thunder follows behind it, the rattling loud enough to shock the dogs from the house across the street, their barks competing with the deafening weather.
Connor still runs though, quickly passing me and our line of defense until him and Hollis are the ones racing towards the end zone. Their movements are precise, shoes against grass propelling them forward as their muscles strain against the force. Hollis reaches out, intending to catch Connor by the back of his shirt, but it’s too late. I watch, standing to the side withElijah as Connor crosses our makeshift finish line, scoring a touchdown.
Either Hollis’ momentum is off, or he’s trying to be an asshole, because he runs right into Connor, knocking him down and both of them crashing to the ground. There’s a moment of stunned silence, until Ace decides to run over and join the dog pile, smashing Connor and Hollis further into the mud and making a mess with the three of them. The other guys join in, trying to pull Ace and Hollis off Connor, but instead they end up all rolling around and getting coated in mud and grass. Their laughs are loud, filling the previously loud space with the sound of joy and happiness.
“You’re all riding in the bed of my pick up on the way home,” I call out to the group, walking over to them and peering at them from a safe distance.
“Whatever, we brought blankets. We all knew the weather was going to be bad,” Noah says, grabbing Ezra around the neck and rubbing his fist across it, messing up his blonde hair. Ezra tries to bat him off, but since he’s about five inches shorter and forty pounds less than Noah, he stands no chance.
When they’re all done rough housing, the storm has moved on to its next location. The wet grass and dim sky are the only proof it was ever here to begin with.
Connor tries to dust himself off, rubbing his hands against his shirt. It’s not helping the mud disappear, it's only pushing it further into the material until it will be hell to get out. He’s frowning down at his shirt and Hollis walks over to him, rubbing his hands gently against Connor’s. They’re totally having a moment while everyone watches, including Noah and Ace, the two men rubbing their hands together maniacally. They’ve been trying to get us to get in on their bet for Connor and Hollis to start dating, but the only two besides them who have joined is Elijah, and the way he’s pouting right now I would assume he’s probably losing the bet.
Connor finally notices the entourage that’s formed and his face flushes red before he steps away from Hollis, clearing his throat and scanning the group. His eyes land on me. “Your place is closest.”
“Seven dirty men are not coming into my house,” I deadpan, leaving them behind to follow me as I go towards my truck. We won’t all fit in the cab, but that didn’t stop them on the way over here. The park is usually crowded, so we take turns carpooling. Today just turned out to be my lucky day.
“We’ll shower! And Hollis will buy pizza.”
