23. Fight For Her

The next few weeks were a blur of bliss, a whirlwind of stolen moments and endless laughter. Willa had become such an integral part of my entire being, woven into the very fabric of my heart and soul, that I could hardly remember what it was like before she"d waltzed into my life and turned it upside down.

And in bed? Fuck. I don"t know how I"d lived without a woman like her rocking my world. We took turns being in charge in the bedroom, and every time I felt like we discovered another layer of ourselves in each other.

I"d never had more fun in my life, ever. Even playing football. Although, according to my brothers, a well-laid Kingman in love was always on top of their game. I certainly was. I felt fucking invincible.

So fucking alive.

I gave Seven a scratch on the head, but he couldn"t be bothered with me. After the incident with the kittens, he"d taken to picking up my socks, carrying them around the house meowing, and then dropping them into the corner of the room where he"d spent that happy night with his brood. "I know buddy. I promise we"ll get you some kittens to foster for real in the off-season, okay?"

He wasn"t buying it. I"d have to pick him up some new toys or treats or something to win back his love. Maybe after my date with Willa tonight. I"d never gone on dates before, and I had one planned for a new horror movie, where I had visions of her crawling into my lap when the film gave us a good jump scare.

My phone buzzed with an incoming text, and my heart sank as I read her message.

Hey babe, I"m so sorry but I have to cancel tonight. Xander and my parents just showed up with one of those family four packs of tickets to the Miners game. Raincheck on the movie.

I stared at the screen, my jaw clenched. This was the third time in as many weeks that Xander had swooped in with some last-minute plan that derailed our alone time.

Last weekend, it was a family dinner that he insisted Willa couldn"t miss. The week before, an impromptu visit to her grandparents in the Springs. And now this.

I tried to push down the growing unease in my gut, to remember that family was important. But as I tossed my phone onto the couch with a sigh, I couldn"t shake the feeling that there was more to Xander"s sudden attentiveness than met the eye.

The next day, I was going to follow Everett's advice to fight for her and decided to bring it up, but casually. I gave Willa a wave as I entered the shop because she had a line of customers here for her new concoctions from the increasingly cat-themed menu. I went over and stretched out on the couch. Today had been particularly rough practice, and I was happy to sit down for a minute. This week"s rescue cats instantly crawled all over me, and I gave them all the attention they wanted.

Trixie and Jules were here too. They"d made the coffee shop a regular haunt for working and homework. Trixie had her laptop open, her brow furrowed in concentration as she typed away, while Jules had a textbook and a stack of notes spread out in front of her. But I knew full well they were both world class eavesdroppers. Even more reason to keep my questions about Xander casual.

A few minutes later, Willa brought over a mug of something that smelled Christmassy and flopped down beside me, instantly curling up. "You have great timing. This is the first real break I"ve had all day."

"Good. So, how was the basketball game last night?" I asked, trying to keep my tone light.

Willa"s eyes lit up, her smile wide. "Oh, it was weirdly great. The game moves so fast, and I find it completely bizarre that I"m turning into a sports girlie."

I nodded, my own smile feeling stiff on my face. "That"s great, babe. I"m glad you had fun."

She gave me a look that said she saw right through me. "I missed you though. I hate canceling on you."

I swallowed past the lump in my throat. God, I was being a jackass. Of course she should spend time with her family. Family was life. I"d never ask her to choose between them and me.

I just... wished I could be her family too. But she felt like mine. It wasn"t that. No, I guess I wished her family wanted me to be a part of their lives. Mine had pulled her right into the fold, but hers held me at arm's length like some kind of intruder.

The bell over the door jingled and one of Willa"s bakery partners walked in with a stack of boxes under her arm. "Oh, gotta go. The cookies for the Besties" listening party that Pen is hosting this weekend are here."

I watched her walk away, savoring the way she swayed her hips, but also bummed that this was all the time I got with her. See, jackass?

Before I even had a second to wallow, Trixie and Jules grabbed up a cat on either side of me and plopped down in their places on the couch.

"Hey, guys," I said, sitting up straighter, awaiting the Kingman inquisition I full-well knew was coming. "What"s happening?"

Jules stared at me like she was trying to read my mind. "I know that look. What"s wrong?"

I sighed, running a hand through the hair of the cat on my lap. "It"s nothing. Just... Xander and Willa"s parents."

Jules stole the drink Willa left for me and took a long sip. "Yum. Now, what about them? Is her brother still giving you a hard time?"

I glanced over at Willa who was, as usual, charming the wits out of the person she was talking to. They"d probably offer to bring her cookies for life by the time she was done with them. But that also meant she"d be too occupied to hear, and I really needed to talk this out. Might as well get advice from some smart and savvy women about my woman problems. "Not exactly. It"s more like, he"s always around, you know? Constantly making plans with Willa, monopolizing her time."

Trixie frowned, scratching the ears of the cat crawling up her leg. "That"s weird. I thought Chris said he was starting to come around."

I shrugged, my gut twisting. "I wanna believe he is. But it feels like every time Willa and I make plans, Xander swoops in with some family thing that she can"t say no to. And I"m pretty sure I"m being a dick thinking she has to spend all her time with me and not them."

Trixie exchanged a look with Jules, her expression thoughtful. "First of all, you"re the least dick-ish guy I know. But have you talked to Willa about it? Told her how you feel?"

I shook my head, picking at a loose thread on my jeans. "I don"t want to upset her. She"s so happy. The other day she said something about how she feels like they"re actually grownups now, and not acting like little kids anymore."

Jules leaned forward, her eyes serious. "Hayes, I get that you want to be supportive. But if Xander is purposely trying to come between you two, Willa needs to know."

"Maybe he"s not doing it on purpose," I argued, even as the words rang hollow in my own ears. "Maybe he really does want to spend more time with her. She has been out of the country for the past few years."

Trixie raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. "And he has to do that by constantly interfering with your plans? Come on, Hayes. You"re smarter than that."

I sighed, my shoulders slumping. "I know. I just... I don"t want to be the guy who makes her choose between me and her family."

Jules reached across the table, squeezing my hand. "You wouldn"t be making her choose, Hayes. You"d be asking her to set healthy boundaries, to make your relationship a priority."

Our relationship was a priority to her already, wasn"t it?

"Jules is right," Trixie chimed in, her voice gentle. "And honestly, it"s not just Xander. Carin Rosemount has always been kind of... manipulative, especially when it comes to her kids."

My head snapped up, my eyes widening. "What do you mean?"

Jules nodded, her expression grim. "Don"t you remember back in school, she was always pulling stunts like this. Making Willa and Xander feel guilty for having lives outside the family, for wanting to do their own thing. Willa especially. If she wasn"t at every one of Xander"s football games, her mom made her feel like dog shit."

A cold sense of dread settled in my stomach as the pieces started to fall into place. The constant last-minute plans, the guilt trips, the way Willa"s face would fall every time she had to cancel on me.

"I never realized," I murmured, more to myself than to them. I"d spent long hours hanging out with Xander in high school, but almost all of them had something to do with football. I just always figured he was as focused on the sport as I was. And my family was always at my games, so it hadn"t occurred to me Willa was being forced to be there. "I didn"t have a fucking clue."

Trixie reached out, patting my arm. "Of course you didn"t. You were just a kid, and the Rosemounts are good at putting on a show. But trust me, there"s a reason Willa was so eager to get away, to see the world."

I sat back in my chair, my mind reeling. All this time, I"d been so focused on being the supportive boyfriend, on not rocking the boat, that I"d missed what was really going on.

Willa"s family, whether intentionally or not, was slowly but surely pulling her away from me. And if I didn"t do something soon, I was going to lose her.

Jules, as if actually reading my thoughts, leaned in, her expression serious. "Hayes, have you talked to Willa about Christmas yet? About her spending it with us, at the game? I"m pretty sure her dad would enjoy it. He had a lot of fun at the last home game."

I blinked, still thinking about how much I"d fucking missed about my own friend"s and now my girlfriend"s lives. My answer was absent minded. "Not yet. Why?"

She exchanged a loaded glance with Trixie, her jaw tight. "Because if I know Mrs. Rosemount, she"s already got some elaborate family Christmas planned. One that Willa won"t be able to say no to without a huge guilt trip."

My heart sank as I realized she was right. If I didn"t talk to Willa soon, make our own holiday plans, I might very well end up spending Christmas without her, while she was off being forced to play happy family with her parents.

"Okay," I said, my resolve hardening. "Okay. I"ll talk to her tonight, make sure she knows to ask her family to join us, and how much it would mean to me to have her there at the game."

Trixie smiled, her eyes soft. "Good. And Hayes? Don"t be afraid to fight for her. Willa loves you. She just needs to be reminded that she gets to choose her own happiness."

I nodded, my chest feeling tight.

That evening, as Willa and I sat curled up on my couch, I decided to broach the subject, hoping this went better in person than it had in my head.

"So, I"ve been thinking about Christmas," I started, like this was going to be any average conversation. "We"ve got a home game on Christmas Day, and it"s going to be a bit different this year, with me playing and all."

Willa tilted her head, her brow furrowed. "Oh. Right. I hadn"t really thought about how there"s always football on Christmas Day. I guess that"s your family playing. So you don"t do Christmas?"

I took a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. "We do. The whole family gathers in the suite at the stadium, whichever we"re playing in. We watch the game, exchange gifts, eat way too much food. It"s kind of our thing."

She smiled, her eyes soft. "That sounds amazing. I love that you all have that tradition."

"It"s silly, but... we have this white elephant gift exchange. And everyone always saves the worst gifts for whoever is playing, as a kind of joke. We save them for when everyone is together that night."

Willa laughed, her nose crinkling in that adorable way I loved. "Okay, that"s actually hilarious. What kind of gifts are we talking?"

I grinned, memories of past Christmases flashing through my mind. "One year, Declan got a singing fish trophy. Chris ended up with a "Buns of Steel" workout DVD. And Everett... let"s just say there was a bedazzled jockstrap involved."

She snorted, her body shaking with mirth. "No way. Please tell me there are pictures."

"There are definitely pictures. Blackmail-worthy pictures." I sobered, my smile fading. "I guess I"m just feeling a little left out, knowing I"m going to miss all of the fun up in the suite, while I'm on the field, this year."

I cleared my throat, my heart pounding. "And I was hoping... I mean, I would love it if you were there. With me. With us."

Willa"s smile faltered, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "Hayes, I... I don"t know. It"s just, my family..."

I reached out, taking her hand in mine. "I know, and I understand how important your family is to you. I would never want to take you away from them, especially during the holidays. They"re invited to come too."

She relaxed slightly, her fingers intertwining with mine. "Thank you for understanding. It"s just, it"s been so long since we"ve all been together for Christmas. My mom"s been planning this big family dinner, so I don"t think they"d..."

I fought back the sinking feeling in my stomach, Trixie"s and Jules"s words echoing in my head. "Of course. I get it. But Willa, I want you to know that you have a choice here. You don"t have to do anything that doesn"t feel right to you, even if it means disappointing your family."

Willa blinked, surprise flashing across her face. "What do you mean?"

I sighed, gathering my courage. "I just... I"ve noticed how much pressure they put on you sometimes. Xander with all his last-minute plans, your mom with her expectations. It"s like they don"t want you to have a life outside of them."

She stiffened, pulling her hand away. "That"s not fair, Hayes. They"re my family. They love me."

"I know they do," I said quickly, trying to backtrack. "And I"m not saying they"re doing it on purpose. But sweetheart, you deserve to be happy, to make your own choices. Even if those choices don"t always line up with what your family wants."

Willa was quiet for a long moment, her expression conflicted. "I hear what you"re saying," she said finally, her voice soft. "And maybe you"re right. Maybe I do let them pressure me sometimes, let their needs come before my own. I just don"t want to be a disappointment to them."

I reached out, cupping her face in my hands. "You have such a big heart, Willa. It"s one of the things I love most about you. There"s no way you could ever disappoint anyone. But you have to take care of yourself too."

She leaned into my touch, her eyes glistening. "I know. And I want to be there for you, Hayes. I want to start our own traditions."

I felt a rush of relief, of love so strong it stole my breath. "Yeah?"

She nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah. So here"s what I"m thinking. I"ll go to my parents" house in the morning, do the whole presents and breakfast thing. But then I"ll come to the game, be there to cheer you on and kiss you senseless when you score the winning touchdown. And save the best worst white elephant gift for you."

I laughed, joy bubbling up inside me. "That sounds perfect. And Willa? Thank you. For hearing me, for being willing to find a compromise."

She leaned in, brushing her lips against mine.

I kissed her back, pouring all my love, all my admiration into the press of my lips. "Always," I murmured against her mouth. "I"m always going to fight for us, Willa. For you. No matter what."

Part of that fight meant that I let her family have her as much as they wanted Christmas morning, knowing I"d get her at the Christmas Day game and that night. Our next game was away, and I didn"t even ask if she could travel with me. But you"d better believe we fucked like rabbits the days I did get her.

Maybe there was something to the idea of playing better being in love. Christmas morning I texted Willa, who"d stayed over at her parents the previous night, that I loved her and to have a good day. And then I ran onto the field ready to have a killer game.

And a tough one it was. The Dawgs were out for blood, specifically mine. Their defense was a wall of muscle and aggression that seemed impenetrable. We were well into the fourth quarter and tied at three each.

But I was in the zone, my mind crystal clear and my body humming with adrenaline. I hoped Willa was having fun with my family and loved knowing she was watching, like a warm glow in my chest urging me on.

The clock was ticking down, and it was time to make something happen. In the final seconds, with everything on the line, Chris called the play.

He looked right at me and gave me a nod. "Hayes, this is it. Make it count."

I nodded, my jaw set with determination. This was my moment, my chance to win the game for us, and I was going to push myself to the limit to make it happen.

The ball snapped, and I was off, my legs pumping and my heart pounding. I dodged one defender, then another, turned and looked up, knowing Chris"s pass would be right where it should be. I snagged the ball out of the air, my eyes locked on the end zone. I was so close, the roar of the crowd a distant echo in my ears. I saw the big-ass defensive lineman coming for me, but I was so damn close. I cradled the ball against my chest and dove for the endzone.

The hit came just like I knew it would, a bone-crushing tackle, and then came another, and another as we all hit the ground really fucking hard.

The air left my lungs in a rush, my vision blurring at the edges. But even as I ate that grass, I knew I"d made it. I"d crossed the line, the ball clutched tight to my chest.

Touchdown.

The last thing I saw before the darkness claimed me was the bright blue of the Denver sky, a perfect mirror of Willa"s eyes.

And then... nothing.

I came to in a haze of pain and confusion, the concerned faces of my brothers swimming into view above me.

"Hayes? Can you hear me?" Chris"s voice was tight with worry, his hand gripping mine. Everett was on my other side, waving to the sideline frantically.

But that was the last thing I saw before I lost consciousness again.