Page 57 of Gridlocked on the Gridiron

His pupils dilated. “What?”

“Beg for my forgiveness.”

He tsked as he dropped to his knees in front of her. “I thought you wanted me to keep my hands to myself tonight.”

“Yes, use your words.”

“Not the kind of begging I hoped you meant, but fine.” He clasped his hands together. “Lucia Middle Name Moretti, please forgive me for teasing you about how well I know your body. I will never mock you in that high-pitched voice ever again.”

“Liar. And I don’t have a middle name.”

His eyes remained steadfastly on hers, and he stuck his bottom lip out, pretending he was about to cry.

She rolled her eyes. “Fine, we can switch it.” She closed out of the reality TV show and searched for one of her beloved romcoms.

“You just like seeing me on my knees.”

She absolutely did. She loved him on his knees in front of her. And while that thought in and of itself wasn’t scary, the realization that came from it was. She actually liked Colton. Like, maybe less in a platonic hey it’s fun to spend time with you as a friend way and more in a shit I may be developing feelings for you that I don’t comprehend but are definitely not okay way. Every moment she’d spent with him, she learned something new and endearing, a puzzle piece to help her see the whole picture of Colton Beaumont.

And none of that boded well for her, because their end date was fast approaching, and he’d only ever agreed to this because he felt bad about the part he’d played in causing their…situation.

She made a point to remember to text Isa about their plans for her visit to Charleston. If there was anyone who could help her get her head on straight, it was Isa. And maybe she’d invite Jenna and Leigh just to prove to herself she had friends in Charleston who weren’t her fake boyfriend. The fake boyfriend who she would only be seeing in professional settings after January.

She sank lower into the plush couch at the thought, wrapping the blanket tighter around herself and ignoring the concerned look Colton tossed her way as You’ve Got Mail began playing.

Chapter twenty

Colton

Colton didn’t typically get to see his family for Thanksgiving since the chances of him, Landon or Maya playing on the day of were high, and without the support of his siblings, he wasn’t really interested in having a tense dinner with his father.

Which meant he usually ended up at Rudy and Jenna’s house for a slightly late Thanksgiving dinner, often with Cooper and some of their other teammates in tow. This year, Lucia’s father was on a cruise for the weekend, so she’d agreed to accompany him to the Barrett household. He knew her only other option was to sit alone in her house all day, but he had still been ecstatic when she’d finally conceded.

Lucia had also asked him on several occasions if the reason he wasn’t going to his father’s house for the holiday was because of her outburst. To which he continued to respond honestly that, no, he just couldn’t stand to be around his father for very long, especially if none of his siblings were there with him.

When he and Lucia arrived, Jenna immediately put them both to work mashing potatoes, making casseroles, and warming bread—notably passing the easier jobs to him, as she’d learned over the years that he wasn’t the best in the kitchen.

Colton spent most of his time bothering Lucia, bumping into her, or rearranging the utensils she was using. When she got tired of his antics, a barely there smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, she banished him from the kitchen, telling him to make himself useful and play with the kids.

Cooper was already outside kicking a soccer ball around with the twins and Hayley. Cooper, Colton, and Lucia had all gotten there a bit earlier to help out where they could before Jenna’s friends and more of the team showed up. The Barretts didn’t usually host too many people, but every year, more and more showed up.

As couples and families trickled in, Colton split his time between playing with the kids, getting the adults drinks, and setting up the folding tables and chairs in Rudy’s massive living room. Rudy was so busy helping Jenna that Colton was happy to take over hosting duties. Plus, setting up the living room meant being able to subtly glance over at Lucia as she helped in the kitchen.

After a couple of hours of letting people into the house, he opened the door to a very familiar and very distressed face.

“Mai? What’re you doing here?”

Her eyebrows remained knitted even as she tried to smile at him. Voice raspy, like she’d been crying, she asked, “Does Rudy have room for one more?”

Colton wrapped an arm around her shoulders and walked her inside. “Of course,” he said softly. He led her down a quieter hallway. “Tell me what happened.”

Maya cleared her throat and shook her head. “I don’t really feel like talking about it. I just—I needed to get away from my friend group, and you were the first person I could think of, and I knew you would probably be at Rudy’s like you usually are for Saturday Thanksgiving, and…” She inhaled a shaky breath. “Is Lucia here? I’d like to pretend everything’s okay. I don’t want to talk about it,” she reiterated.

Colton looked over her reddened cheeks and tired eyes, battling with himself on whether he should press her or not. He wasn’t used to his vibrant and happy sister being so sad, and he felt his protective instinct increase. Still, he wanted to respect her wishes.

“Okay, that’s okay. Let’s go hang out with Lucia.”

They walked back toward the kitchen, Lucia’s worried glance finding them before it morphed into excitement at seeing his sister.

---