Page 114 of Everything's Better With You
“No, of course,” Leslie said. “Take one of the cars. Hell, my brothers will take you if you want to go tie one on. They know all the good spots.”
Malcolm laughed. “I don’t know. Is it safe?”
Joe and Leslie looked at each other and burst out laughing.
“Just make sure you have a passcode on your phone,” Joe said. “And call us if you need a designated driver.”
“Absolutely.”
Hours later, Leslie and Joe sat on the beach, arms around each other, kissing lazily under the moonlight.
“This is the best Christmas I’ve ever had. Hands down.”
Leslie smiled against Joe’s lips. “Definitely the best since I met you.”
Joe pulled back. “I bet the Paytons have had some great ones.”
Leslie nodded. “Dad used to dress up like Mrs. Claus to bring out the gifts on Christmas morning when Barry and I were young.”
Joe barked out a laugh. “Mrs. Claus, huh?”
“Yeah, he claimed his legs were too nice to hide under the big red pants.” Leslie frowned. “His boobs were always crooked. That’s what I remember the most. The crooked boobs, the presents, and then sitting on his lap watching football.”
“Did you know even back then that you wanted to play?”
Leslie nodded. “I neverdidn’twant to play. It was always a given. Play as long as I could, go as far as I could. But when I retired, it wasn’t awful. I was totally at peace with my decision. I knew I’d always be involved with football somehow.”
Joe sighed and snuggled closer to him. They were still naked from their afternoon swim but this time they’d moved their lounge chair into the shade to avoid sunburns. Joe hated the idea of having to wear clothes around Leslie ever again, but he doubted that Christmas miracle would come true.
“I hope when it’s time for me to retire I can feel the same. It helps, you know, the coaching? The teaching? I don’t even miss performing when I’m doing those things.”
“You’re so good with the kids, Joe. Really. A natural.”
Joe smiled. “I never would have known if it hadn’t been for you planting the seed. So, thank you. For so much, thank you.” He ran his tongue over Leslie’s lips, withdrawing when Leslie would try to catch him, teasing him over and over until Leslie caught his tongue and sucked it into his mouth. They both groaned and pressed their bodies closer together.
“Everything really is better with you,” Joe said. “But I’d like to wash this sand off and—”
“Yes, God. Yes. Let’s do it.”
They hurried up the path, hoping the twins weren’t out in the brush with their cameras this time. They made it into Leslie’s room and into the shower without incident and after a quick rinse they fell into bed together, barely dried off, in a hurry to get closer.
Leslie’s phone buzzed on the bedside table and they looked at each other. “Oh no. What did they do to poor Malcolm?”
Leslie grabbed it with a sigh and unlocked it. A flurry of pictures showed up of Randy apparently passed out shirtless on the ground with an apple in his mouth, Sandy in only a grass skirt with apparentlynothing on underneath laying ass up on a lounge chair, and a selfie of Malcolm toasting the camera. All sent from Randy’s phone.
“We better watch this guy.”
Joe barked out a laugh. “He bested both of them?”
The last one was a selfie of Malcolm with Agnes toasting the camera, both wearing big smiles.
“Uh, is he looking a little smitten with your mom?”
Leslie frowned and shrugged. “I mean, he’s a nice guy. Younger than her, but hell. She deserves all the fun.”
“We deserve all the fun,” Joe said as he slid down the bed and pulled the sheet over his head. “And I’m about to have my fill.”
Leslie lifted the sheet and grinned, spreading his legs. “I want to watch.”
