Page 72 of Hat Trick
Chapter forty-one
Luca
Novy is hosting his annual "end of regular season" cookout he has every year before the playoffs. We make it to the playoffs every year, so this yearly tradition closes out our regular season and gets us pumped for playoffs.
And it's sorely needed. We're all tired, nursing some sort of injury or other, and we need to sleep for a thousand years. Novy's pool party/BBQ is a chance for us to blow off some steam, act a little goofy, and get our minds right for the playoffs.
Emily and I play in the pool together for hours, wrestling, racing, launching her in the air before she flips and lands in the water behind me. It's the happiest and most care-free I've ever seen her. After Annie's birthday party an unspoken understanding happened between Gabe, Carter and me. We aren't going to hide our relationship anymore. At least not in the privacy of the Titan's team. We see our Titans brothers more throughout the year than we see our actual brothers, so being open and honest with them means something. And hiding a serious relationship from the people in your life that care isn't cool.
Novy's party is our first real time testing it out. After she and I play and flirt together in the pool, we get out and dry off just as Novy's done with the burgers and brats. Gabe fixes her a plate and sits on a lounge chair, positioning her between his knees. The memory of that night where we confessed what we love about her flashes to mind andmy entire body heats. I casually place my paper plate over my lap in hopes no one can see my erection.
I scan the crowd, looking to see if anyone is noticing or going to start shit. Everyone saw her sitting on Carter's lap at our house, so the jig is officially up. She's been seen intimate with all three of us. Ben and Jonesy seem to be watching her closely, but no one looks like they're going to make a scene.
I breathe a sigh of relief. I really didn't expect any drama but was terrified none-the-less. Emily's confidence is still in its early stages of life and any attack or drama or anything that might threaten that could do damage.
After chatting with Novy and Lauren for a while, I notice Emily's entertained by the other WAGs. I'm grateful they're accepting of her, too. Women can be catty when they choose.
I stand up and tap Gabe and Carter on the shoulders and motion for them to follow me. I lead them to a corner of the yard away from the crowd.
"What's up?" Carter asks.
"We need to talk about a future with Emily."
Carter's eyes widen but Gabe simply nods, crossing his arms in front of his chest.
"What about it?"
"I mean. We're all together, right? And we want it to last forever? Are you going to keep paying her when she's your wife? What does that look like? Legally we can't all marry her. Does one of us marry her? How do we show her we're all in it for good without a wedding band? When does she stop being your nanny and start being Annie's stepmom?"
Gabe grins at Carter while Carter simply rubs the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable.
"Shit, man. I don't know."
"I mean. You are in it for the long run, right? We all are?" I ask, looking between Carter and Gabe. Maybe I was wrong about them. Maybe I'm the only one thinking about happily-ever-after.
"I mean, yeah. Of course. I just..." What fucking doubts could Carter be having? There's no one like Emily. Not for another lifetime. Anger flares in my chest. "Just...do you think she's there, too? Thinking about forever? What if we bring it up and it spooks her?"
Oh. Shit. He's probably right. Emily's still self-conscious some of the time. And new to relationships. Well, healthy ones at least. And fiercely independent. If we told her we were taking away her source of income because we think of her as Annie's stepmom and not nanny, she would fret.
"Alright. So how do we get her comfortable with the idea? Plant seeds of happily-ever-after?" I ask.
Gabe and Carter are quiet for a moment.
Then Gabe sighs as if we're all idiots. "We start treating her like she's already our wife. Ask her if you need her to watch Annie. Ask her opinion about raising her. We take her out on dates, give her our credit cards, treat her as if she's already ours. Because she is."
"She already has my card." Carter argues.
"Yeah, but that's for things for Annie. What about Em?"
Carter shakes his head. "She'll never be comfortable spending our money on herself."
"Then we help her get comfortable. We start calling her ours. We treat her like she's the queen of our castle, because she is."
I look at him doubtfully. "That's it? We just start acting like it's forever, and she'll believe it?"
"It's a start." He offers with a shrug. "We'll tell her and show her every day that she's our everything and one day she'll wake up and believe it."
I nod. He's right. We've been treating her like she's still Carter's nanny. Still our friend-with-benefits. Still our girlfriend. When she's really our everything.
