Chapter 28

IT WAS MID-DAY when Avery and Hailey finally loaded Avery’s car to head back to South Jersey. Leaving the bed this morning was certainly not the easiest task of the day, but they managed to after another round of making love and a short nap. After getting out of the room in time for checkout, they managed a late brunch in the hotel restaurant with a few other wedding guests.

Hailey spent every moment of that morning touching Avery in some way, whether it was holding hands, leaning against him while they ate or an arm around his waist while his rested across her shoulders. He couldn’t keep his hands to himself either. After fifteen years of platonic friendship, it was like the floodgates had opened and they couldn’t spend another second not taking advantage of their new connection.

Once they were on the road and headed home, Avery slipped his hand into Hailey’s, intertwining their fingers. She smiled at that physical connection and looked at Avery’s profile to see he was smiling, too.

Hailey didn’t want to break the comfortable silence, but there was something she was curious about.

“So, how do you think everyone will react at soccer tonight?

Avery’s smile grew as he stole a quick glance at Hailey before returning his eyes to the road.

“There’s a chance they will be even happier than we are, which is really saying something because this might be the happiest I’ve ever been.”

Hailey beamed at Avery before adding, “So far.”

When Avery glanced again at Hailey, she sent him a wink that had him squeezing her hand in his.

“So far,” he agreed.

“What if we messed with them? They’ve had plenty of fun at our expense.”

“Hmm. Maybe. Mess with them how?”

She thought for a minute before rattling off some ideas. “We could pretend the wedding went terribly and we’re not even friends anymore and it’s all their fault for pushing us together.”

“Ha! I don’t know when you thought I switched places with an actor, but I couldn’t pretend that even if I was Leonardo DiCaprio.”

“Avery, be real. If you were Leonardo DiCaprio, I’d be way too old for you and you’d have no trouble pretending at all.”

They both laughed before Hailey continued. “We could pretend the night went so well that we went too far. Matching tattoos, wedding date set, we’re going to rescue a dog.”

Avery took a deep breath. “Don’t tease me with a good time, Hailey.”

He sent a meaningful look her way that told her he’d say yes to any of those ideas.

“Although, I don’t think I could do a matching tattoo. I don’t even know where to stick the stack of stickers I’ve collected over the years. There’s no way I could settle on permanent ink,” Avery said while chuckling.

“That’s a good point. Okay, my last idea is that we just tell them. What do you think?”

Hailey could feel his hand squeeze against her own again. “Works for me.”

———————————

Hailey and Avery looked at each other one more time before taking a deep breath and entering the rec center where the night’s game was being held.

After making it through the door and the small turnstile that no one understood the need for, Hailey anchored herself to Avery’s hand before they made their way through the arcade that sat at the front of the facility. Up ahead were the different play areas, and a left would take them face to face with where their team was likely waiting for them.

Hailey had absolutely no reason to be nervous, and neither did Avery, but she could feel the sweat start to build between their hands. She wasn’t even sure who it belonged to at this point.

As they turned the corner, they were met with the normal display of athletes strewn across the floor and against the wall next to the soccer field. The only difference was, everyone’s heads perked up at their arrival.

Hailey could feel the heat of their stares on her and Avery before everyone’s eyes tracked their interlocked hands. Even the team they were playing tonight seemed to be watching with rapt attention.

Cole managed to break the stunned silence. “Is this real? Are you guys finally together?”

Hailey and Avery glanced at each other before turning back to the small crowd.

Avery proudly stated, “Finally.” Then, it was pandemonium.

Abby pointed at the employee sitting at the soccer clock, who nodded and then pressed a button that had the rec center’s sound system blasting Cool and the Gang’s “Celebration.”

Elena unfolded a sign that said “FINALLY” in big block red letters while Josh unfolded another that said “CONGRATS.” The rest of the team, and the team they were playing tonight, pulled out pom poms, noisemakers and foam fingers.

A loud pop dragged their attention to Cole who had unleashed a freaking confetti cannon and now it was raining confetti and streamers.

Party hats were thrown on their heads and everyone started hugging, celebrating with complete abandon.

Hailey and Avery were gaping at the scene around them, unable to come up with any words for the situation aside from laughing at the absurdity of it.

Avery’s brain managed to align itself with reality first and he turned to her with a gobsmacked look on his face. “I told you. They’re absolutely crazy.”

Hailey found herself getting lost in Avery’s eyes, again. She was really going to need a map soon. “Nothing wrong with a little bit of crazy, especially since that’s how I’m feeling about you.”

Avery smiled before gathering her up in his arms and pressing a hard kiss to her lips.

All they could hear was wild cheers rising around them.

When they finally parted, Cole was in front of them.

“Just as hot as I always imagined it would be,” Cole said, completely shameless.

“Dude,” Avery said while shaking his head in amusement.

“Aww, don’t mind Cole. He’s just jealous that I finally got you.”

“Well, one of us finally deserved to, don’t you think?” Cole prodded, making Hailey think of that one night they all attempted to play spin the bottle. What an epic mess that was.

The three of them cracked up until Hailey and Avery took another look around in amazement.

“How’d you guys organize this?” Avery asked.

“I called yesterday to talk to Mick, the owner, and explained the situation and how his very good customers were experiencing true happiness. All I had to do was promise to clean up, but we’re absolutely doing drinks after this game. Even the other team wants in. I had them at beer and noisemakers. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to vacuum before our game starts.”

Cole wandered off around the corner before returning with a vacuum and getting right to work, while everyone else started to get ready for the game.

Abby and Elena walked over next to offer their congrats. Well, Elena walked, Abby flew, and suddenly Hailey had a face full of blonde curls as Abby ensnared her in a big bear hug.

“I’m so happy for you. You deserve someone who is going to treat you as well as you should be treated. This is like a fairy tale!” Abby took a step back from the hug but kept her hands on Hailey’s arms.

“Are you going to be okay leaving him for so long when we go to Italy? You’re finally together and I feel like we’re stealing you!”

“Oh my gosh, you’re not stealing me. I think we can handle twelve days apart,” Hailey said.

“Yeah, because I’ll be here waiting when she gets back. But, I would like dibs on the next vacation,” Avery said while grinning at Hailey.

“Don’t worry, we wouldn’t crash someone’s honeymoon,” Elena added helpfully,

Hailey’s face flushed at the idea. She knew Avery was thinking seriously about the future, but to think it could happen so fast left her a little too lightheaded for her comfort, especially since they were about to play soccer.

“Okay, okay. Let’s get ready to play!” Hailey said before plopping down on the ground to switch out her shoes and stretch a bit.

Avery settled next to her to do the same and leaned over so no one else could hear him.

“I am gonna miss you while you’re gone, you know?” he said, with what looked like an unsure look on his face.

She reached over to squeeze his hand before lacing up her indoor cleats.

“I know. I’m gonna miss you too. But, I’m going to get an international data plan and send you pictures of everything I see and one day we’ll go back there together.”

His face softened and he seemed to relax a bit. “I like the sound of that. You can find all the best places to eat ahead of time.” He offered with a wink.

Hailey was definitely the most excited for the Italian food. Sure, there was the beautiful architecture, art, music, nightlife. But, food trumped all of those things.

“I’m going to eat so much pizza and pasta. Hope you still like me when I come back ten pounds heavier.

She felt Avery’s hand reach her chin as he gently turned her to face him.

“You could gain one hundred pounds. I love you, not your body. Okay, so I do love your body a lot, too, obviously.” Hailey giggled. “But, that’s not why I’ve wanted to be with you forever. It’s your soul. You’re my soulmate and I’ll love you no matter what you look like.”

Hailey absolutely melted at Avery’s sweet words. That was certainly not how things had been with Gage, or even her mother. She felt like so much of her worth was based on her looks. But, with Avery, she wouldn’t have to worry about that.

Somehow, knowing Avery loved her for more than her looks made her feel more beautiful. Especially with the way he was looking at her. That was a man who knew what he wanted and what he wanted most was her. Suddenly, she was a lot more hopeful for the rest of her life.

———————————

The game was one of the most fun games Hailey had ever played. The pre-game festivities left both teams in a playful mood and they were constantly laughing with each other and cheering for each other. Thank goodness they were playing the blue team tonight, instead of that green team full of monsters. It would have been a way less relaxing game.

Hailey enjoyed it even more when Avery set her up for a goal off her head, and when the ball connected with the back of the net, he was the first one to reach her, lifting her off the ground and spinning her before laying a quick peck on her lips. Trotting off back to their side of the field, she heard him say, “That’s my new favorite way to celebrate. Hope you don’t mind.”

It wasn’t just the running around that had Hailey flushing. “I think I could handle that.”

By the time they reached the post-game celebration at their go-to bar, everyone was in a good mood. The game was tight, but laid back as each team traded goals all night. The Cherry Stems came out on top, but it didn’t sour the blue team from the idea of joining theirs for post-game drinks.

They pulled a bunch of tables together and there was a mix of red and blue jerseys. A cute guy with blond hair seemed to have an eye for Elena and Hailey noticed him pull his chair a little closer to her as he sat himself down. That’s when she heard a soft growl and turned to Cole just in time to see him shake a scowl off his face.

There was a story there, but Cole didn’t seem to want to tell it. And Elena wasn’t exactly what you called a “sharer,” so they would all probably wonder forever.

After they got their drinks, Hailey asked her usual: “Who wants my cherries? I got two this time.”

Two hands shot out toward her quickly, one being Cole’s, and the other Abby’s on the other side of the table. She dropped a cherry in each of their hands and enjoyed the burst of excitement that flared off each of them. After Cole ate his and dropped the stem on his beverage napkin, Elena cleared her throat.

“Don’t you want to keep that to practice with, Cole? You could use it.”

Cole looked like a deer in headlights for a moment before a devilish grin took over his face. “You worried about my skill level, Bubbles? I’m happy to show you anytime, sweetheart.”

If Hailey ever owned a house with a fireplace, she would never use matches or a lighter to get a fire going. She would just get Elena to come over, because the glare she was sending Cole absolutely had to burn.

It didn’t help that no one knew why he called her Bubbles. Those two were an enigma.

The blond guy felt the tension and Hailey supposed he had enough awareness to see a subject change was needed, but he picked the wrong direction.

“Speaking of cherries, how come you guys call yourselves the Cherry Stems.”

Hailey and her teammates looked around the table at each other and laughed, giggling like twelve-year-olds that just heard a dirty joke for the first time.

Avery responded to him first. “We all went to Cherrywood High, and we’re the red team so we figured it was logical. But, we also had way too many cherries at a party right before we all left for college and things got … competitive.”

Josh doubled over in laughter while Cole’s face seemed just a little bit redder. Meanwhile, Elena somehow looked both smug and irritated at the same time. How did she do that?

Luckily, the server showed up at that point to take food orders so the conversation was forgotten by the blond guy. By the looks of it, he seemed interested enough in Elena that she might see him again off the soccer field.

As people put in their food order, Hailey glanced once more between Elena and Cole and realized that night with the stems was the last night where things seemed … civil between those two. Maybe something happened that night she didn’t know about. She’d save that question for Elena during their upcoming travels, but she couldn’t help repeating the events of that night in her head to see if she missed something.