“Fuck, yeah. I’ll just have to check that Elle’s feeling up to it, but if so, count us in,” I tell my best friend with a genuine smile. I haven’t seen Tora in ages. She left for Harvard at the beginning of the year and she’s been keeping her head down, determined to be the best damn criminal lawyer in the US, and in order to do that, she’s deemed that she will no longer be getting involved in any of our bullshit shenanigans. Though, I can’t possibly understand what she means by that. Jesse and I are never getting up to mischief. We’re good little boys, right down to the core.
“Awesome. I’ll let Kaylah know. She wants to know who’s coming so she can cook.”
My gut sinks. “No. Keep that wench out of the kitchen. Last time I ate her cooking, me and my wife ended up sick for days.”
“Come on, man. You and I both know you were sick because you guys ate from that shady Mexican stand the night before. Kaylah’s cooking is fine. I eat it all the time.”
“Stop kidding yourself, Jess,” I scoff. “Kaylah’s a big girl. She can handle a bit of tough love.”
Jesse sighs. “Alright, fine. Her cooking is fucking terrible, but don’t tell her I said that. She’ll castrate me if she knew.”
I choke back a laugh. ‘That’s fucking weak, man. What do you usually do when she cooks?”
Jesse chuckles before a brief silence, letting me know that he’s probably checking his back to make sure he’s well and truly out of hearing range. “I give it to the dog and then tell her I need to workout.”
“Workout?” I grunt.
“Yeah,” he laughs. “You know the overhead shelving I had built into my gym?”
“Yeah…?” I say slowly, already grinning, picturing the shelves he had installed in his new place last summer and what a bitch the whole project was.
“It’s filled to the fucking brim with snacks.”
I shake my head, really not surprised. Out of all the guys, Jesse’s the one to do something as stupid as hide his bad habits in the one place he goes to solve those bad habits. “Dude, do you have any idea how dangerous that is? If she finds that stash, you’re fucked.”
“Tell me about it.”
I pull into my driveway and enter the pin for the front gate. As the big fuckers open wide, inviting me in, I find myself staring up at the house that I never dreamed I’d ever be able to afford. Elle and I bought this place earlier this year after I was signed to the NFL and all our fucking dreams came true.
I still have a hard time believing it actually happened, but the long and hard as fuck training sessions are quickly helping me to realize that this is real. I thought college football was tough, but the NFL…This is a whole new playing field and it’s going to be the toughest, but most rewarding thing I’ll ever do. I’ve worked my ass off for this since I was a kid and to have all that hard work pay off and see my name on that contract was one of the best moments in my life, second to watching Elle walk down the aisle and becoming my wife, of course.
I kick my ass into gear and drive through the open gates before they start closing on my car and cause some serious damage. I try to snap back to reality and focus on what I’m doing and the second that happens, I notice Elle’s car parked out front, rather than tucked safely in the garage where it’s supposed to be, yet despite how frustrating it is, I can’t stop grinning at the sight.
Elle’s been off work for the past week and while I love that she’s killing it with her work, I also love coming home at the end of the day to find her here waiting for me. I’m so fucking proud of her. Three years ago, Elle officially became a professional choreographer and she’s been the best in the business ever since.
Her routines have won nationals for the past three years and she constantly has cheer squads, schools, dance academies, and colleges desperate to nail her down, but she remains freelancing because she absolutely loves it.
I park my car beside hers and make my way inside. It’s been a long day and I can’t wait to get lay down for a few minutes before heading back out to Jesse and Kaylah’s place for dinner, though I don’t doubt it’ll turn into drinking with the boys while the girls bitch and moan about us inside.
I guess nothing has really changed over the past five years.
As I walk through the house, I look around for my wife, only I can’t seem to find her anywhere. “Babe?” I call out, dumping my things on the kitchen counter as I pass.