15. Bailey

Chapter 15

Bailey

B ailey hoped AJ wasn’t going to kill him. He knew he should have asked before doing what he’d done, but they hadn’t had a chance to talk privately in a week and he’d always felt like it was better to seek forgiveness than ask permission.

(He’d gotten into a lot of trouble as a kid, come to think of it…but he had always been forgiven for his crimes in the end.)

Letting himself into the Jacobs home, he followed the sound of Christmas carols and laughter. Every step closer relieved tension in his shoulders. As unthinkable as it would have been even six weeks earlier, August Jacobs had become his person, and he couldn’t imagine having to give him or his kid up.

So what he had done was either going to come off as a wonderful grand gesture, or piss AJ right off.

?por qué no los dos? He thought to himself drily, snickering at his own thoughts. He snickered a little harder when he realised that, if he had to explain the Old El Paso reference to AJ, the older man might not even get it. Did the Brits get the same TV ads that Aussies did? Probably not. Then AJ would be ‘Not happy, Jan’ .

Ah, he cracked himself up.

“Well, you look like you’re havin’ a Merry little Christmas all on your own,” AJ’s voice was full of amusement, and Bailey looked up from the pile of gifts he was carefully carrying to catch the older man’s sexy smirk. “Can I help you with any of that?”

“My own Merry Christmas?” Bailey played dumb, hopping to keep AJ from looking too closely at the presents. He walked over and placed them strategically around the tree, putting the largest box —the one with the air holes— to the back. When he was done, he stood up and checked the coast was clear before wrapping his arms around AJ’s waist and lowering his voice suggestively, “Maybe tonight?”

“I meant with the parcels, but that works for me,” AJ played along.

The present behind the tree made a tiny mewling sound, which Bailey covered with a cough. Thankfully, the house was air-conditioned, and the kitten had water and food inside its box. It would be fine where it was for a few more minutes, but Bailey felt it would be inhumane to leave it there for too long. He just wanted to enjoy these few stolen moments with AJ first.

He snuck a quick, chaste kiss from the older man’s lips, then asked, “Can you help me get the pav and stuff out of the car? It’s not assembled yet. I’ll do that after the barbie.”

“You’re laying the Australian on a bit thick, aren’t you?” AJ teased him but started to lead the way towards the front door again. “I’ve already agreed to this travesty of a Christmas lunch. It doesn’t need the pageantry.”

Bailey smirked back at him. “Did you suddenly get posh? Words like ‘travesty’ and ‘pageantry’ seem a bit much for you. Oi!” he ducked the hand AJ aimed at his hair. “Watch the hair. It took me ages to get it just right today.”

He’d wound tinsel through his bun. It would be a bitch to get out later, but he was in the festive spirit.

AJ eyed him with amusement. “I’m sure it did, pet.”

The endearment warmed Bailey from the inside out. Still, he was feeling playful. “Are you implying it doesn’t look awesome?”

“ No, never.”

Bailey snorted.

From his car, they collected the bags of groceries he’d brought with him, as well as the pavlova base he had baked from scratch. When he’d told his mum that he’d been planning on buying a pre-made one from Woolies, she had sent him her tried and true recipe and jokingly threatened to disown him if he ‘cheated’ with the store-bought version.

“They don’t have the satisfying chew of a proper meringue,” she’d complained. “Too much fluff on the inside.”

Bailey had never realised how very particular his mother was about pavlova until then.

But, after three attempts, he thought he’d mastered the art of a proper Peters pav.

Hey, that’s catchy. Proper Peters Pav, he thought to himself. If my soccer career goes arse up, maybe I’ll go into marketing.

They carried everything past the living room and into the kitchen, and Bailey put the large bowl of whipped cream and the containers of all the pre-cut fruit he’d prepared earlier into the fridge.

“Before I show you how to set up an Aussie Christmas the way my family’s always done it,” he said, “can you call Ava in? I want to give her her present.”

AJ’s eyes narrowed. “It can’t wait until after lunch?”

“Um…not really.”

“What have you done, Peters?” Even though the question was asked with a flirty tone, it was jarring to hear AJ use his surname off the pitch.

Nevertheless, Bailey was saved from having to confess as Ava barrelled in through the multi-fold alfresco doors that led to the outdoor dining area and the backyard beyond. AJ, it appeared, had gotten his daughter a trampoline for Christmas. Not a huge one, but one of those spring-free models with the safety net walls and a shade cloth over the top.

Ava’s hair was a tangled mess and her cheeks were pink from exertion as she raced over and threw her arms around Bailey’s waist, ignoring his startled ‘oof!’ as they collided. “Bailey! Bailey! Did you see what Daddy gotted me for Christmas? It’s a trampoline!”

“Oh, that’s from your dad and not Santa?” Bailey asked.

AJ scoffed. “No way was I lettin’ some old geezer take the credit for that stroke of genius,” he muttered.

Ava shook her head. “Nope. Santa bringed me—”

“Brought.” AJ corrected her.

“— brought me a Barbie house.”

“Oh,” Bailey grinned, having helped AJ pick the gift out online, “that’s awesome, princess. You’re very lucky.”

“Uh-huh,” she agreed breezily. “But Daddy gotted me—”

“Got.”

She huffed this time. “—got me a trampoline and I’ve been doing tricks. Come see!” She grabbed his hand and tugged, but he stood firm and gently pulled her in the direction of the living room instead.

“Come see what I’ve got you,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too nervous.

AJ was going to kill him.

Sure enough, when he carefully slid the box around from the back of the tree and helped her open it, revealing the grey ball of fur inside, AJ groaned, even as Ava squealed and leaped into Bailey’s lap, pressing kisses all over his cheeks.

“I love her!” she cried, having spied the pink collar around its tiny neck. “Daddy, Bailey gotted— got me a kitten!”

“I can see that,” AJ did not sound impressed. “Why don’t you play with the kitten and think of a name for her while I go…uh… thank Bailey privately, yeah?”

“Don’t let her outside,” Bailey added as he allowed AJ to drag him out of his chair and down the familiar hallway.

Bailey had been expecting to be torn a new one the second the door shut. He was not expecting to be pushed onto the bed and then kissed within an inch of his life.

“You are a right pain in the arse, you know that?” AJ breathed heavily when he finally let up his kiss assault. “I should be mad about you doing that but…fuck, how can I? You’ve made her day. Her year, even. It’s almost like you love her as much as I do, and that…that’s such a fucking turn on, pet.”

Bailey shrugged sheepishly. “Honestly, I was just gonna get her a car for her Barbies like we talked about. But the RSPCA had a pop-up stall outside Kmart, and I saw the kitten and I couldn’t leave her there. And you’re right: I do love Ava. She’s an awesome kid, and the more time I spend with her and with her sexy dad” —he winked playfully— “the more I love you both. So, I got the kitten, and I promise that I’ll come over and do the litter trays like we joked about and—babe?” Bailey cocked his head as he looked up at AJ, who had stilled and was staring at him with an unreadable expression. “You okay? Please don’t be mad about the cat. I know I should’ve asked—”

“You love me?” AJ’s quiet question was almost a whisper.

Bailey’s throat ran dry, and his heart pounded. He went back over his ramblings in his head and realised that he had blurted the confession in the middle of it all. He wished that he knew what AJ was thinking, but there wasn’t any way he was going to retract the admission.

“I do,” he replied. “I love you. And I know that you’re my coach and it’s not…well, it’s not great, is it? But I was thinking of asking about a transfer or—”

“Don’t you fucking dare. You’re the team captain here. Your career—”

“Means jack shit if I have to give you up to keep it.”

AJ shook his head. “No. No way. We’ll work something else out, but I’m not letting you walk away from the peak of your career for me. And, no, I’m not giving you up, either, in case I’m not making myself clear.” AJ’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he seemed to steel himself. “I…I love you, too, Bailey. You and Ava have been the best things to ever happen to me.”

The relief which washed over Bailey was immense. His limbs felt like jelly, and he grabbed for AJ’s hands, then pulled him back down so they could kiss again, this time soft, and slow, and sweet.

Resting his forehead against AJ’s, he said, “Let’s go have a proper Aussie Christmas, then, yeah? And afterwards” —he smirked and placed his lover’s hand over the bulge of his cock— “you can get your present, too.”