Page 68 of O Goalie Night
“We don’t encourage retaliation at school, Foster.”
“Of course.” He clears his throat. “That was very wrong of her.”
“I can still hear you snickering.” I shake my head. “Have you replied to Cody yet?”
He’s silent for a beat. “Not yet.”
His answer doesn’t surprise me. Foster’s lost so much and been on his own for so long, it seems perfectly natural for him to be hesitant about letting his brother back in his life.
“He waited ten years to reach out. I figure I can give myself a week to reply. Right?”
“Of course.” I reach my hand in his direction blindly and he takes it, kissing it before intertwining our fingers.
“I missed you.”
I’m aglow from within. I missed him, too, more than I would have thought possible. “You should have woken me when you got in last night.”
“Nah. You had to work this morning. Plus, you looked so peaceful when I looked in on you.”
“You looked in on me? Really?” I debated sleeping in his bed last night in the hopes that I’d wake up when he got home. In the end, I decided not to. This thing between us is so new and I didn’t want to overstep.
“I did. Your hair was a disaster and you were face down in your pillow, ass up in the air. I should have taken a picture because you were a sight to be seen.”
I try to wrench my hand away, but he holds on to it with ease, pulling it back up to his mouth to kiss it again.
“You’re awful,” I tell him, even though I can’t stop smiling.
“You’re perfect.”
I’m not sure how long we’ve been driving when he stops the car and kills the engine. He instructs me to keep my blindfold in place and I obey. As much as I hate surprises, he’s put the effort in and I’m invested now.
He opens the car door and lifts me straight out of my seat.
“Foster!” I squeal as he cradles me against his chest. “I can walk!”
“Where's the fun in that?”
I hear a door open and then I’m guessing we’re inside given it’s much warmer now. He sets me down and starts to unbutton my coat.
I’m getting nervous. Where exactly are we and what are we doing here? What if there are people here ready to jump out and scare the bejesus out of me?
“Ready?” he asks and I nod, unsure. He undoes the blind fold and I blink several times to focus my eyes as I take in my surroundings.
What the hell?
“We’re…we’re at your house?” We’re standing in his foyer.
“Surprise,” he smirks and he kicks off his boots and walks away.
“I…what?” I slip off my boots and follow him into the living room. “What was the point of all of…oh.”
Foster is standing in the middle of his living room looking expectantly at me. Behind him is the mostbeautiful fir tree I’ve ever seen. It’s at least nine feet tall, branches gracefully sweeping downward in a symmetrical cascade. It's huge, taking up a third of the room. I take in its dark green needles and breathe in its fresh, fragrant scent.
Stacked on the floor and coffee table are brand new boxes of Christmas decorations and lights.
My vision clouds and I blink several times in an attempt to clear my eyes. My mind reels and my thoughts are a jumbled mess. I can’t speak, only stare and blink.
“I thought you could help me liven the place up a bit.” He runs a hand over his face before crossing his arms over his chest. “I tried to pick a tree like the ones you’ve pointed out. And I didn’t know what kind of decorations you liked, so I pretty much bought out the entire store. I might have gone a bit overboard.”
