by Melinda Minx
My husband. Nothing more, and nothing less.
26
Five Years Later, Christmas Day
Coal brings a big pot of Glühwein outside and puts it down on the table. I see the steaming heat rising up into the frigid air. It’s become a real Christmas tradition for Coal to make his Glühwein for everyone, and this year he’s made a second batch with no alcohol for the kids.
Our kids, Vance and Elise, are playing with their cousins in the yard.
Vance is almost five years old now, and he’s throwing the football with Damien and Rose’s son Will.
Rita’s daughter, Sandra, is playing dolls with Elise on the porch.
“Mulled grape juice,” Coal says, putting the kids’ pot down. “Who wants some?”
“You really think kids can drink hot drinks?” Cynthia asks.
“Sure,” Coal says. “Gotta’ get them started so they can drink the real thing in a few years.”
I roll my eyes. “In a few decades.”
Rita’s husband, Carl, walks through the gate in the fence with a bunch of white ropes and yellow flags in his arms. The flag football belts.
“Hey guys!” he shouts. “Look what I found in the garage! Want to play?”
Coal, Damien, Rita, and I all give each other knowing looks and laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Rose asks.
“It’s just…” I start to say, but then I change my mind. “You know what, we should play. Let’s not keep score. We can do three on three, just play for fun.”
“Yeah,” Coal says. “That sounds good.”
“I can’t throw a football,” Rose says.
“You need to eat some hamburgers to build up sufficient muscle mass,” Coal says, grinning.
“Funny,” Rose says. “It’s not an issue of strength, just technique.”
“I can show you how,” Damien says. “Want to just play catch to warm up?”
“Sure,” I say. “Rose, if you can’t get the throwing down, we can show you how to catch. You don’t have to be quarterback.”
“Aunt Rose!” Vance says, shouting. “Me and Will can show you how to throw!”
Will holds up the tiny kids’ football the two of them were throwing. “You do like this!”
“No! Let me show her!” Vance says, grabbing for the ball.
Vance grabs for the ball, but Will dodges out of the way. “Will! Let me show them!”
“Hey,” Coal says, stepping in between the two. “No need to be mean, right? Why don’t you both show her? Will, throw the ball to Vance, and Vance, show how you catch. Then throw it back to Will, yeah?”
“I’m not mean,” Will says, frowning.
“No,” Coal says, “neither of you are, so show Aunt Rose how well you can throw.”
Vance holds his arms out, but Will hesitates.
“What’s wrong?” Rose asks.
“Vance…get closer,” Will says in a whisper.
Vance takes a few steps closer until he’s only a few feet away.
Will throws the ball, and Vance tries to catch it, but it slaps off his hands.
“Vance!” Will shouts. “We gotta’ do it again now!”
“You didn’t throw it right!” Vance shouts.
I lean into Coal and whisper, “Good thing we didn’t have two boys, huh?”
Coal laughs. “I don’t know, it’s pretty damn funny watching them butt heads.”
“Yeah,” I say, “but imagine this happening all day, every day.”
“They’d tire each other out,” Coal says.
“Maybe.”
“Wow guys,” Rose says. “I think I get it. Vance, can you throw me the ball and I can try?”
Vance’s face gets serious, and he cocks his arm and throws the ball.
It goes short, and Rose has to bend down to grab for it. She catches it on the tips of her fingers and brings it in.
“Nice, Mom!” Will shouts. “You can be the wide receiver, or the other kind of receiver, or the safety, or—“
Vance interrupts him. “Dad’s gonna’ be quarterback! Dad, you’re gonna’ quarterback, right?”
“I don’t know,” Coal says. “I thought Mom could be quarterback this time.”
“Girls can’t be quarterback!” Will shouts.
“Yes they can!” Sandra and Elise shout over in unison. They were one hundred percent uninterested in the game until they heard “girls can’t.”
They run over. Sandra grabs the ball out of her mom’s hand and says, “I want to be quarterback.”
“Hmmm,” Coal says. “Maybe we can all play together, kids and grownups.”
Damien laughs. “Sure, why not?”
“Sandra and Elise get to be the quarterbacks,” I say.
Vance and Will start to whine and moan.
“Mom!” Vance shouts at me. “No! She’s too little! She can barely throw the ball!”
Coal grins at me, then whispers, “Vance can only throw it a few feet, how much worse could Elise be—“
I hit him. “Don’t be a dick.”
“Hey kids,” Coal says, grabbing the ball. “Let me show you how to do a cool hand-off play. These are good even if you can’t throw the ball very far.”
“I can throw the ball far,” Will shouts.
“I’m not saying you can’t,” Coal says. “But even in the NFL, you see a lot of hand-offs. Will and Vance, you guys can be the running backs. That is one of the star positions…”
Rita and I smile as we watch Coal teach the kids. Every year since I’ve married Coal, Christmas has been wonderful, but this one is shaping up to be the best ever.
Also by Melinda Minx
Jacked: A Secret Baby Romance
Never stand between two brothers.
Especially when one’s a big bad lumberjack, and the other is blackmailing you.
I have to steal a priceless family ring—right off the lumberjack’s finger.
I’ll have to get close. Really close. Close enough to taste him.
I seduce him, I jack the ring, and I get away clean. Almost clean…
Also by Melinda Minx
Stay: A Second Chance Romance
I’ve made a lot of mistakes—a decade and a half of scars and ink.
I’ve hurt. I’ve killed.
But those aren’t the mistakes keeping me up at night.
Leaving her was the worst decision of my life.
But I’m back now, and you better fucking believe I'm staying this time.
Buy on Amazon or read free on Kindle Unlimited!
About the Author
Melinda Minx lives in Denver with her loyal Corgi. She writes late into the night with a hot cup of Earl Grey. Like her page on Facebook and join her mailing list to stay up to date on new releases and free promotions.
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