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Without hesitation, I walk over to him and kiss him. Right in front of his friends. Totally normal.

For me, this public display of affection still comes with a fair amount of nervousness. It’s new, unfamiliar, and it stresses me out. But every time, I remind myself that I have every right to kiss my boyfriend within the four walls of my own home, and that we’re safe here.

“Congratulations, you were fantastic,” he whispers against my mouth, running his fingers through my beard. It’s fascinating how much he loves it.

“Ah. Hold still,” Carly commands. “I’m almost done and we’re out of here.”

“No, you guys can stay a little longer,” I say, without really meaning it. After the game, I’m exhausted and want some peace and quiet.

Ricky pats my shoulder as he walks by. “It’s okay. We won’t stay much longer. But yeah, congrats on the win. That was important today, wasn’t it?”

“Yep. Well, every game is important right now. But if we win the next one, we’ll be conference champions. We were already that close last year. Then it’s off to the finals.” The thought is exciting, and yet it makes me nervous. The analysis of what went wrong last year is on everyone’s mind on the team. We want to eliminate old mistakes, but at the same time, there’s no point in getting too hung up on them. The teams we’re playing this year are different from last year’s.

We’re more mature, a year further along. Despite that, or perhaps because of it.

The adrenaline from the game has finally left my body. A glance at my watch makes it clear that there’s a reason for the sudden heaviness in every fiber of my body. It’s past one in the morning. “Hey, Carly, Ricky, do you guys want to sleep here? It’s late.”

The two of them are up and putting glasses, bottles, and plates in the sink.

Carly shakes her head. “No, no way. We’ve already ordered an Uber. But thanks anyway.”

We all say goodbye at the door, and Parker turns to me. He looks at me with tired but sparkling eyes. “How much longer will I need a babysitter when you’re not around?”

I head into the bedroom. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Hmm.” He follows me. “You don’t have to worry so much.”

“And you should go to bed earlier,” I reply.

I take off my suit and toss the pieces carelessly onto an armchair in the corner.

Parker tilts his head and eyes me. I point to his arm with my chin. “No funny business. Come to bed.”

“You’re such a killjoy.” He grimaces. “Although my arm does hurt strangely today.”

Alarmed, I jerk my head toward him. “What’s wrong? Should we go to the hospital?”

“No. It’s just weird. Sometimes it’s almost completely fine. Now it feels like the nerves and fibers are actively growing back together. Not a pleasant sensation.”

“That’s probably because they’re doing exactly that. That’s a good thing. Come here.”

Without hesitation, he steps toward me. He turns his left side slightly outward so his bandaged arm doesn’t get between us. I hold his head and cup his cheeks. We kiss, as if we hadn’t seen each other in days. The fact that we’re both getting hard isn’t important right now. As unfortunate as I find it, we can’t have sex every time he turns me on. Which is twenty-four seven. “How are you feeling otherwise? Dizziness? Tiredness? Exhaustion? Headaches?”

“Everything’s okay. I promise.”

“And your dad? Was he here?”

Parker nods. “Yeah. He went straight to the hotel after the game.”

“He’s more than welcome to stay here.”

“Maybe next time. He’s working on becoming a Monarchs fan.”

I can’t help but grin.

Parker gives me a gentle punch. “The poor old man. From a coyote to a monarch. That’s a lot to process. Give him a break.”

“I’m not saying anything.”