by Kaci Rose
After lunch, I find Avery and my mom in what was her grandpa’s study.
“Any idea what you want to do in here?”
“I think I want to keep it an office. I don’t need as many bookcases, but I still need to go through the books. I think I’d like to keep a bookcase full of his books in here. I know he would write in the margins of some, so those I want to keep for sure, but I want to brighten it up.”
“Well…” Mom starts, looking excited. “We can do that by removing the thick curtain and replacing it with something a bit lighter, and some lighter furniture. Maybe a pale gray paint on the floor and large rug under the desk and chair to save the wood floor, and then another rug over by the bookcases to define a seating area. If you want to make it more feminine, we could add a chandelier and some faux crystal accessories.”
“I love that idea. You will help me with this, right?”
“Of course! Do you want to go through some books in here, we still have a few hours before we have to head next door?”
“Yeah, can you guys start going through books and set aside any that have my grandpa's writing in the margins or are autographed?”
“On it,” I say and kiss her temple.
✽✽✽
We are getting ready to head next door for dinner and Avery and my mom have decided to get ready together. I’m downstairs in the living room staring out the front window watching the cars go by.
Every day I’m in this house it feels more and more like home, more and more like Avery. I’m starting to be able to see a future with her, a life with her here. Our kids playing in the front yard in the snow during the winter or in the sprinklers in the summer, maybe with a dog running around with them.
I can see summer nights on the back porch swing while the kids catch lightning bugs and watching the stars come out. Barbeques, birthday parties, and sleepovers. I want it all with her. I want the NFL so badly, it would be a dream to be drafted by the Tennessee Titans so I could stay here in Nashville, buy my mom a place nearby, and then fix this house up for Avery any way she likes.
I want to spoil her and give her the life I know she is starting to see in this house. I see it cross her face when she starts thinking about what she wants to do in each room. I love watching it dance in her eyes as she slowly gets more and more excited about making this place her home.
I turn when they come down the stairs and I have a hard time catching my breath. She is in dark jeans that look like they were painted on, a loose red sweater, and short ankle boots. There are curls in her hair, and she looks so beautiful. I hope I get to see her come down those stairs and knock my breath out many more times in our life.
“You ladies look amazing. May I have the honor of escorting you next door?” I hold out an elbow each to Avery and Mom.
As we walk over to the Burns’ house, I can’t help but think how perfect this all is.
Chapter 17
Avery
I have always loved having dinner over with Greg and Laura. They are so warm and bubbly, but right now, watching them talk football with Denver, is one of my favorite moments. He is in his element talking about his games and other players.
He is next to me on the couch with my hand in his and while he is talking to Greg and Eric, his thumb is running over the back of my hand. Eric hangs on Denver’s every word about college football. I figure now is as good a time as any to give him his gift.
“So, a little birdie told me your favorite wine, Laura.” I smile and pull her wine from the bag I brought with me. “And your favorite cigars, Greg.”
“Oh, Avery dear, thank you so much! This is perfect, I’ve only one bottle left!” Laura says.
I smile. “Now, the rest of this bag is for Eric.”
“Thank you, Miss Avery.” He pulls out Denver’s Jersey, and his face lights up. “Thank you!”
“There is something else in there.” I can’t help but smile when he pulls out a Sharpie marker with a confused look on his face. When he looks at me, I look at Denver and when Eric realizes Denver is going to sign his jersey for him, he gets so excited he starts bouncing up and down.
“I can’t believe I’m going to have a signed jersey from the Lightning Bolt, oh my God! Mom, Dad, get pictures!”
They spend a few minutes with Denver signing the jersey and taking pictures and Gina watches the whole thing with a huge smile on her face. I scoot down the couch to sit next to her.
“Do you ever get used to this?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “I’m sure you see it more than me, being at school with him. When he comes home, he’s just Denver. He does dishes, takes out the trash, helps with yard work. He doesn’t act any different and I don’t treat him any different.”
“There isn’t as much fanfare at school as you might think. It’s a small town there and being here in Nashville is the first time I’ve seen people fawn over him. Well, other than the Jersey Chasers.” I roll my eyes.
“Ahh yes, he’s complained about them before. Said he wants someone who wants to be with him for him. Not for a ride to the top or the money. Then in the next breath, he’s always be telling me how you weren’t like that and that he needed to find a girl like you. The longer you were with Kyle I think the more he started to think it wasn’t going to happen with you and him.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t know. I felt the connection but to think he wanted me, that he was waiting for me all this time. There’s no way I could have known.”
“I know, and he is loyal to the team, so he would never have let on.”
When Denver comes to sit next to me again his mom winks.
“What are you ladies whispering about over here? Care to share with the class?” he jokes.
“You and how proud of you we are.” I kiss his cheek and watch a light pink stain his cheeks which makes me smile even more.
Over dinner, Greg, and Laura share stories about me growing up. From the time Eric and I built a whole family of snowmen in both front yards after the big snowstorm several years ago, to how excited I was when Eric was born and how I got to hold a baby.
I smile and shrug. “I was an only child and always wanted a brother or sister. Eric’s the closest thing I got.”
Eric’s face lights up. “It always felt like I had a sister with you around. I never cared that I was an only child. It sucked when you went away to school.”
“Well, the plan is I will be back when I graduate next year but then you will be the one going off to school. Any plans on where you want to go yet?”
“I plan to apply to both University of Tennessee and Mountain Gap. I’d love to stay close to home. But my adviser said I need to apply to ten places total and not plan on getting a football scholarship offer.”
“I was told that too,” Denver says. “I applied at UT, Mountain Gap, Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, a few in Florida, Mississippi, well basically all the southern universities plus Ohio, because they have a great football team. But I knew I wanted Mountain Gap so when I got the offer, I took it and didn’t wait to see what else came in.”
“Do you regret jumping on it so fast?” Greg asks.
“Not for a second. It was where I wanted to be, close to my mom, close to Nashville and Knoxville. It was my first choice, so I didn’t see the point in waiting to see what else came in. I knew freshman year I’d made the right choice.”
He looks over at me and my heart races. That choice led him to me. It was set in stone from the time I was a kid and knew I would go to Mountain Gap. I never thought about attending any other school. It’s where my parents met, it’s where my grandparents met. That thought makes me laugh.
“What is so funny, beautiful?”
“I never thought I’d go anywhere else. My parents met at MGU and my grandparents too.” I shrug and watch Denver’s eyes soften.
He leans over to whisper in my ear. “And now we’ve met. The tradition continues.” Butterflies take over my stomach. He surely can’t mean what I think he does. We just
started dating he can’t be that sure about me. He’s a football player and has his NFL career ahead of him, god only knows where that will take him. It’s crazy to be thinking like that. The rest of the dinner the conversation flows and reminds me that this is my favorite time of the year.
✽✽✽
I am on the way to the airport to pick up Mom and Dad. Gina insisted on staying behind and make sure dinner is ready, and as much as I wanted Denver to come with me, he said I should have some family time and he wanted to help his mom in the kitchen, so I didn’t argue.
I park and make my way to where everyone else is waiting on their loved ones to come through the gate. The Nashville airport has become a second home to me since I’ve been at school. Anytime I want to come home, my parents fly in and I meet them here. They have no problems taking a taxi but there is something about meeting family at the gate that I love.
Mom sees me before I see her because I hear her call out, “Avery!” causing heads to turn. She runs up and wraps me in one of her huge mom hugs. Then holds me at arms’ length for a full mom inspection. This has become routine since I went away to school.
“Your hair is longer,” she says.
“Yes, I like being able to pull it up when I’m studying.”
“You’ve gained weight.”
I roll my eyes. “Blame Kelsey bribing me with cupcakes, but now I’m dating a football player now, I’ll lose it trying to keep up with him.”
“You will do no such thing. I’ll have a talk with that boy, you need to put on a few more pounds. You’ve always been too skinny!”
“Speaking of… where is this boy?” Dad looks around.
“Back at the house, his mom insisted on cooking dinner for you and he stayed to help her saying he wanted us to have some time together.”
“Which means he knows we’re going to be talking about him.” Mom drapes her arm over my shoulder and leads us to the door.
“Any bags?” I ask.
“Nope. We sent some stuff on to your house, it should be there in a few days. That way we could just have the carry-on luggage and switch things out while we are home. Just put the box on the kitchen counter when it comes, dear,” Mom says.
I laugh as we head out to the car and as a true southern man, my dad insists on driving, so I end up in the back seat of my own car on the way home.
“So, tell me about this boy, how did you meet? How did you start dating? What exactly happened with Kyle?” Mom rapidly fires questions at me.
“Ugh, Kyle cheated on me many times, apparently. I know things were different after Grandma died, but he pulled away instead of helping me through it. It was over when he didn’t come to the funeral, but I had too much going on to deal with it.”
“I never liked Kyle,” Dad grumbles.
“I know, Dad, and that was always in the back of my mind. Grandma told me it’s important for the right guy to get along with those closest to me. That’s you guys.”
“Oh, so what about Denver? He’s a cutie!” My mom can barely contain her excitement.
I grin. “We met freshman year at the freshman welcome party. The football team was doing dares to the new freshman and his was to kiss me. He came over and we talked for a bit then he fessed up to the dare, so I kissed him and there was something there. I thought so at the time, anyway. But he got a phone call and left. I met Kyle and we know the rest.”
“So how did you reconnect?” Mom urges me on.
I smile. “He was on the team with Kyle, so we were on friendly terms,” I tell them about how he got my number and was texting me as Titan and helped me ditch Kyle and get out of a bad blind date. It doesn’t escape me that my dad took the long way back to my house as he listens to every word. I finish my story just as we pull on to my street.
“He sounds like a good guy, but I’ll reserve my judgment until I meet him.” My dad gives me a pointed look in the mirror.
“I wouldn’t expect anything less, Dad.”
“You guys put the lights up?” Mom asks.
“Actually, Eric and his dad did when they found out I was coming home. They even got us a tree and put lights and tinsel on it. They left wood for the fireplaces too.”
When we pull up the driveway, Denver is out the door to greet us. He opens my mom’s door first and she greets him with a big hug as my dad opens my door for me.
“Come on, let’s get inside. I hope it’s okay I started a fire in the fireplace, you said they were checked and working, the temperature is supposed to drop and there is just something about a fire on Christmas Eve,” Denver says.
“It’s perfect!” I smile back at him.
“Mom made a roast, her rolls, and dessert. She loves cooking in that kitchen.” He takes my hand as we head into the house.
I laugh as the warm air greets me and we take off our coats and shoes.
“It almost feels like she is still here,” my dad says softly right next to me. “With the fire going, the tree up and the smell of dinner from the kitchen.”
My eyes tear up. “It does, doesn’t it?”
“No more tears please, sweet girl I don’t think I can take them today.” Denver runs his thumbs under my eyes, making my mom smile.
“Sorry, this is Denver. Denver, this is my mom and dad.”
“Nice to meet you.” Mom smiles at him and doesn’t hide the fact that she is checking him out.
“She been crying a lot?” My dad asks with concern on his face.
“Yeah as we go through things, some memories. Though I won’t lie, I love hearing her talk about those memories and growing up here.”
“Oh, hi! I’m Gina.” Denver’s mom says as she comes out of the kitchen. “Dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
She hugs my mom and shakes my dad’s hand, and her and Mom disappear into the kitchen, and I know that look in my dad’s eye.
“That my cue to go help in the kitchen,” I say. “Be nice to him, Dad, he isn’t Kyle.”
“We’ll see about that.”
I turn to Denver. “I want to say call me if you need help, but really you’re on your own.” I kiss his cheek and head into the kitchen.
“Where’s the wine?” I ask.
My mom hands me a glass. “Figured you’d want this with them in there together.”
“Thanks.”
Gina smiles. “That boy would walk through fire for you, Avery, he will hold his own just fine against your dad.”
“You haven’t met my dad. Though I’m sure Denver has had plenty of meet the dad experiences.” I look back toward the living room but can’t hear anything. I know he’s only had one other girlfriend but I’m sure there have been other dates.
“Actually, this is only his second meet-the-dad that I know of. He had a steady girlfriend in high school, but when he got the football scholarship, she became a stage five clinger and was talking about changing school for them to be together. It was like she became a Jersey Chaser overnight. He broke up with her and refused to date until he got to college, then he met you.”
“He didn’t date anyone all this time?” Mom asks, shocked.
“Nope, he’s always been talking about Avery. Did she tell you their first date he brought her home to meet me?”
“He promised me fried chicken to get me out of a bad blind date, then said you had won awards for it, how could I say no?”
We chat a bit more about school and Kelsey as we work on setting the table and getting things ready, and I can’t help but stop and take a look around. Both our families melding together so well. The house, for the first time since grandma passed, feels warm and is full of love, laughter, and life, just like grandma always wanted, just like I always told her I wanted.
“Thank you, Grandma.” I send up a whisper of thanks before the boys join us for one of the best Christmas Eve dinners I can remember in a long time.
Chapter 18
Denver
I wake up and it hits me that it’s Christmas morning. I look at the angel
in my arms and I know I have everything I could ever want right here. It hits me hard and without an ounce of doubt that she is it for me. She is mine.
It’s been slowly washing over me since we have been here in Nashville. I know it’s too early, we just became official on this trip and it’s been just over a month since she’s known I’m Titan, but I knew she was special the first time my lips touched hers.
All the time she was dating Kyle, I watched her, got to know her, and fell in love with her from a distance. I don’t think I wanted to admit it to myself but that’s what it is. Love.
I love Avery Hayes.
I look at her asleep in my arms and if I didn’t think she’d shove me out on my ass, I’d ask her to marry me today. She has been burned by Kyle and I know it’s hard for her to trust in general, much less a football player. Then there is the NFL draft, it leaves so much in the air, but I know I want her by my side, I need her by my side.
I’ll fight for her, for us, and prove that her taking a chance on me was the best choice she ever made.
I rub her back, as much as I want to let her sleep, I want to give her gift alone.
“Hey, sweet girl, it’s Christmas.”
“Mmmm, merry Christmas, Denver,” she mumbles as she opens her eyes.
I reach over to the nightstand where I put her gift last night.
“Merry Christmas.” I hand it to her.
“Denver...” I watch her open it and find the necklace with my football number on it. “Oh, Denver, I love it.”
“I know when I hit the NFL the number will change, but this is who I am now. Who I was when we met and when I finally became yours. It’s our number, Avery, number 18.”
“It’s also how old we were when we met.” Avery smiles and my breath catches. She’s right. 18 really is our number.
“And...” She trails off and reaches for her phone. Then shows me a text message. It takes me a minute to realize it’s the first one I ever sent her, sent on September 18th.