Cole shook his head. “No, just got here.” He couldn’t take his eyes off Patrick as he stared at him. The tension was thick, and I knew what he was waiting for. So did Patrick.
When the big linebacker stayed put opposite him, Cole looked away, then cleared his throat before elbowing me. “We need to get started.”
I glanced at Patrick, who looked torn up, then up at Phantom. “Come on, Rockstar. Time to make sure your string fingering finger still works.”
I smiled and burst out laughing at his joke.
Michael held out his hand to Patrick to shake. He took it and tried to smile as the rest of the defense began to walk by. He stiffened when number sixty-two walked by, muttering under his breath. The scowl on his face had me convinced he was an asshole.
“See you guys later. I’m going to go shower,” Patrick said with less enthusiasm than before.
As Patrick headed off toward the locker room, my stomach knotted. “Something isn’t right with all this,” I said to Michael.
He must have felt the same way. “Yeah, I agree.”
I looked up at Aidan, whose happy expression had morphed into concern. He glanced at Jesse, who had just returned.
Jesse looked over his shoulder and narrowed his gaze. “That guy is an asshole,” he proclaimed, then looked at Michael. “Phantom, let’s see what we can dig up on Mr. Clay Turner.”
Michael turned to get a last glimpse of the guy, then nodded. “My pleasure.”
By the time the stage was on the field, we were ready to rock and jumped into the compilation we’d been rehearsing for the halftime show. We stopped a few measures in and restarted as the sound technicians balanced out the microphones.
An audience of players and staff had gathered in the seats directly in front of us, as did Greer Rowan, the owner of the Pirates. After we’d finished, we decided to run through it again in the morning before the stadium opened, just to make sure the sound was good.
When we walked out, Patrick was leaning against the front of his Range Rover, obviously waiting for Cole. His arms were folded over his chest and the smile that lit up his face when he saw him broke my heart.
I looked at Cole, who let out a sigh and just stared back. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Dinner at our house after the game. Our parents are cooking up a storm as we speak.”
I smiled and nodded. “Yeah, can’t wait.”
He clapped me on the shoulder as I watched him walk toward the love of his life. Michael put his arm around me, and I leaned in as Cole approached Patrick. When they got to the passenger side, Patrick opened the door. Before Cole could get in, he pulled him back against his chest. Cole turned in his arms and looked up at him. I couldn’t tell what they were saying to each other from the distance and the dim lighting, but I saw them kiss and hug one another.
“They’re gonna be alright, babe,” Michael whispered in my ear. “Just wait. You’ll see.”
I nodded as he led me to the Tahoe, his arm draped over my shoulders with mine around his waist. When we made it to the truck, he opened the door for me, and I climbed in.
“Let’s go home, Rockstar.”
I smiled and nodded. Home with Michael sounded perfect.
CHAPTER20
MICHAEL
I’d alwaysloved holidays as a kid, and Thanksgiving was one of my favorites. My mother would force my sisters and I to help her cook, then we’d watch football the rest of the day.
I’m sure she was doing that today with my nieces and nephew. I could see her in her favoriteWonder Womanapron I’d given her one Christmas, making pecan pie and all the foods we loved from the time we lived in the South.
“What are you thinking about?” Adam asked as he turned his naked body in my arms to face me. He draped his tattooed arm over my body and snuggled closer to me, burrowing his face into the space between my neck and shoulder. He gently bit down on the sensitive skin at the juncture, making me growl.
I hesitated before answering, hoping I didn’t say something that would make him think about his past. “Thanksgiving when I was a kid.” I kissed his forehead as he skimmed his hand up my back to hold on to my shoulder.
“Tell me about it,” he murmured into my skin as the sun inched its way into the room.
I smiled. “We had to help cook before we were allowed to watch football. I was in charge of peeling the boiled eggs because my sisters would destroy them before they got the shells off, making them look more like moon rocks.”
Adam chuckled. “Is that where you got your love of cooking?”
