Page 152 of Trust Me Always

Realization hits me and I don’t know if I want to laugh or cry.

Brady didn’t want to end this thing between us. He thought I would once I heard what his teammate had to say.

He’s wrong.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Cameron

We’reall chilling at Payton’s studio, having just finished the meal Ari cooked for us while following along to Noah via FaceTime. Noah who, two hours later, is still on the screen on her phone that’s propped up on a candle, plugged in to keep charged.

“I already went to the store to get everything but the turkeys,” Noah says with a smirk, looking over at Brady.

“Yeah, you stay away from my turkey, my man. I’m beating you this year, watch.”

Noah chuckles. “What do you think I’m going to do? Inject it with something before you get there?”

“See how easy he came up with that!” Brady snaps, trying to get us all on his side. “I’m telling you I should have won last year.”

Noah fights a grin, disappearing from the screen for a moment.

Deaton runs by with his stuffed elephant, and I reach out, pulling him in for some love.

“Well, with both of you making turkey and Noah’s ham, we should have plenty of meat.” Chase looks around. “We just need to double up on sides.”

“And dessert!” Paige lifts a pencil in the air, taking notes like she’ll be tested on this later.

“And dessert.” He nods. “Noah, you bake too or what?”

“I can,” he says, coming back into view with a glass of water. “Or I can ask Nate if his mom might be willing to make something for us,” he says, referring to Ari and Mason’s cousin. He plays forUSD, so he and Noah share an apartment since it’s close to the NFL team Noah plays for. “Unless someone else wants to volunteer…” When no one says anything, he chuckles. “Paige?”

We look toward the little ballerina, whose cheeks are as pink as her fingernails.

“You bake?” Chase asks.

“A little.” She tucks her hair behind her ear. “I’m happy to make a few things if there’s room in the kitchen.”

“You can always come down to my brother’s with us,” Payton suggests. “Or even Lolli’s place.”

Lolli is Nate’s future wife, and she and Parker, Payton’s brother, own beach houses just down the road from the one our parents gifted us.

“Okay, perfect.” Paige smiles, going back to her homework.

“Wait. You’re not staying in your room, Mase?” Ari asks her twin.

He shakes his head. “Deaton has a room at Parker’s, so we won’t have to bring anything from here, and with more people coming than just our crew this time around, it just makes sense. You guys are going to need all the extra space.”

“How many people are we talking?” I tickle Deaton, locking him in my arms as he wiggles like crazy, trying to get free but not really wanting to.

“Calmy, no!” He giggles, arching his back when I blow raspberries against his neck.

“No?” I flip him into my arms until I’m cradling him like an infant. “But Calmy wants all the love bugs.”

“Wuv bugs?!” he laughs, wiggling until I set him free, and darts across the carpet until he’s throwing himself in his mama’s arms.

Chase looks to Mason. “Fernando, Jeremy, Cedric, and…um.” He clears his throat, his eyes moving to Brady.

Brady’s gaze skates past mine and he lifts a shoulder, his attention going back to his phone. “Maybe one or two others, not sure yet.”

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