Page 28 of Falling for the Quarterback

Fuck, I need to stop all this waxing poetic and get a grip.

There’s laughter coming from inside the kitchen as I enter the front of our house and some pop music is playing on Spotify in the living room, but nobody is in here. The entire vibe in the house is vastly different than it was last year. That’s when this was considered the football house and there would always be a bunch of guys hanging out playing video games, eating pizza, and drinking beer.

Now things are…girly as fuck. It’s not a bad thing, just different.

Turning the corner into the kitchen, I see Kelsie and Grace standing side-by-side at the counter, making something that smells delicious, and Lucy at the sink.

“Hey, what’s cooking, ladies?”

Lucy whips around with a spatula in her hand. “We’re making a birthday cake for your sister’s birthday party tomorrow.”

My eyes grow wide in alarm, and I look down at the date of September twenty-eight on my watch. Oh shit. I completely spaced on that. Journey is turning nineteen tomorrow.

I groan. “Aww, fuck. I forgot and didn’t get her anything.”

Kelsie hoots out in an exasperated huff. “Just get her a box of condoms. She’ll need them.”

“What the fuck, Kels?” I choke out the question with a cough. “Why would you say that about my little sister?”

I look at Grace, whose brows reach the ceiling, and Kelsie swings around with a bowl full of chocolate cake batter. She tilts her head to the side and gives me a look like I’m the biggest idiot alive.

“Dude, she’s not nine. And considering she is going out on a date this weekend with the captain of the hockey team, she is going to need some protection.”

I suddenly feel dizzy and see red. “The fuck she is! Why the hell is she going out with Ben Hoffsteader?”

Kelsie pours the batter into a prepared cake pan as Grace assists by swiping a second spatula around the bowl to get it cleaned out and then swipes her finger over the rim of the bowl.

Gracie licks her finger while Kelsie replies, stealing the chocolate covered spatula back from Grace. “Because I introduced them earlier this week,” Kelsie says with a casual shrug. “Ben’s a nice guy, and he’d mentioned being interested in Journey.”

I dip my finger into the bowl of remaining batter and slide it over my tongue, allowing myself a second to calm my raging thoughts before I go caveman big brother on Kelsie’s ass.

“Wasn’t he the guy you dated before Hayes? Why would you give my little sister sloppy seconds?”

Kelsie throws a punch at my shoulder, but I use my quick reflexes to dodge away and she misses. However, she does manage to get a splatter of chocolate over my shirt from the spatula in her hand, which I wipe away on a dish towel.

Kelsie sets the empty bowl in the sink, Gracie wisely staying out of this discussion as she begins washing and drying the dirty dishes. Kels leans her back against the counter, fingers wrapped along the counter’s edge.

“Bro, you’re one to talk about sloppy seconds,” she argues and I almost grimace. She has a point.

I cringe, thinking back to what a total dick I was a few years ago, after Lucy and Emmett broke up while on our ski vacation. Like a douche canoe of a friend, I immediately jumped in and tried to win her over. Those were the days I was all about myself.

Thankfully, that never came to fruition, and they got together like destiny planned. I’m also glad both EJ and Lucy forgave me for being such a tool and we’re all still close friends. It could have easily gone the other direction.

“Anyway,” Kelsie continues, “Ben and I never really dated because I was in love with a hot football kicker.”

As if right on cue, Hayes walks into the kitchen carrying a backpack slung over his shoulder and heads straight to Kelsie, cupping her face in his hands and kissing her senseless.

It has Kels moaning with pleasure. The rest of us just groan at their pathetic PDA.

When he finally releases her, Mac says, “Hey baby. Mmm…you tastebonne.” He swipes his tongue over her lips again and she sighs, eyelashes fluttering.

“Jesus Christ, get a room, you two.”

Gracie giggles and finally chimes in. “I think it’s hot when a man shows his woman just how much he missed her. Killian’s really good with that part, too.”

A swash of pink colors her cheekbones and I roll my eyes at my friends, who are all lovesick humans.

But a part of me is jealous that they all can so openly show their affections with each other. I want to be able to do that with Lottie.

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