A Very Merry Mountain Lion Holiday Party...
This takes place between Illegal Contact and The Big Game.
Enjoy!
This takes place between Illegal Contact and The Big Game.
Enjoy!
Knox
“Are you sure I look okay?” Frankie smooths her hands over her sweater. It’s a green sweater, with a giant gold bow sitting right on her chest.
“Is this something I can unwrap later?” I finger the gold material. For a December night, it’s not as cold as it usually is.
Frankie laughs. “It doesn’t quite work like that.”
“Doesn’t mean I won’t be taking it off of you later.” Wrapping her in my arms, I nip at her neck. Even after all these years, I still can’t get enough of this woman.
“Knox, stop. I don’t want a hickey before the team’s holiday party.”
“Now that’s a damn shame.” I follow Frankie through the parking lot of the team facility. “Who do you think is going to win the sweater contest?”
Frankie groans, leaning against the side of my truck. “Did you really have to make a sweater with Colin’s face all over it?”
“This is fucking awesome.”
“I think you’re going to be the only person to think that, Knox.”
“Everyone is going to love it.”
“I can’t with you sometimes.” She’s shaking her head at me, but a smile graces those gorgeous lips of hers.
“You know you love me.”
Frankie steps closer, pressing a kiss into the corner of my mouth. “I guess so.”
“Wow, that’s true love.”
Linking hands with her, we walk into the team facility. Peyton and Colin are just ahead of us.
“Oh no,” Peyton says, shaking her head as she sees me. It’s then I see the sweater Colin is wearing. One with my face all over it.
“You took my idea!” We yell at each other at the same time.
“It’s supposed to be an ugly sweater, Colin.”
“I know. This is as ugly as it gets.” He has a smile on his face that only Colin can wear.
“You mean as sexy as it gets.” I grab his shoulder as we head inside the building.
“I’m definitely going to win the contest.” Colin tries to wrap me in a headlock, but I shove him off.
“Are these two always like this?” I hear Frankie ask Peyton.
“Yes. We need a cocktail to deal with them.” Peyton loops her arm through Frankie’s and steers her toward the bar.
The entire practice area is decked out for the holidays. Lights are strung up from the beams. With the low lights, it looks like it could be snow. Trees are various sizes have presents packed beneath them. A menorah lights up the wall next to it. Garlands are strung everywhere.
It's like the holidays exploded in here.
Colin and I meet them at the bar.
“I don’t know if there is enough alcohol to deal with them,” Frankie says, accepting a beer from Peyton.
“I take offense to that,” I tell them, reaching around to grab my own drink.
“Yeah. We’re delightful,” Colin agrees.
“Are you though?” Alex appears behind us, Carter at his side.
“Don’t you start too,” I tell him.
“What are these sweaters?” Carter asks, eyeing both mine and Colin’s.
“They are works of art,” I tell him.
“You sure about that?” he questions me.
“Oh, like yours are better?” Colin waves a finger between the two of them.
“These are amazing.” Alex waves his hand over his and Carter’s matching Backstreet Boys ugly sweaters.
“Whatever you say, Young.” I shake my head at him, sipping on my bourbon. “Whatever you say.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to win.” Jackson walks up, Tenley on his arm. “Mine is the best.”
Whatever he’s wearing looks like something Noah made. It says Christmas with Daddy is the best with handprints all over it. Clearly everyone is in the holiday spirit tonight.
“Well, no one can insult that,” Colin grumbles.
“Exactly why I’m going to win.” Jackson gives him a smug grin. “Tenley had it made for me.”
“Where’d you get that made?” Carter asks her, looking a little more closely at the sweater.
“I’ll send you a link.” She winks back at him.
Parents.
“I know what Alex is getting for Christmas,” Colin laughs.
“You’d love this if it was from Waffles.”
“Fuck yeah, I would. His little paw prints all over it?” He starts thinking. “Actually, Tenley, would you send me the link too?”
“Sure thing.” She’s beaming back at him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not smiling. Maybe if we lose a particularly hard game, but even then, she’s always finding the upside.
“What are we going to make for Knox then?” Logan enters the fray.
“No Audrey this year?” I ask him, waving down the bartender for a drink.
“Nah.” Something flashes across his face, but it’s gone before I can pin it down. “Just me this year.”
“Well it’s great seeing you,” Tenley says, pulling him in for a hug. “That touchdown on Sunday was brilliant.”
That lights him up. “It felt really good.”
“Way you dodged that defender? Taught you well.”
“Way to be humble, Knox.” Logan elbows me in the side.
“I know.” I ruffle his hair.
“Get off me.” He shoves me away.
“Where’s your ugly sweater?” Jackson asks him.
“This is it.”
“Wearing a Mountain Lions sweater? Not very creative.” Colin shakes his head at him.
“Means I’ll win.”
“Who’s picking the winner?” Jackson asks.
“That would be me, gentlemen.”
Coach Brooks comes up behind us.
“Do we get bonus points for wearing Mountain Lions?”
“Suck up,” Colin says under a cough.
“If anyone should get bonus points, it’s me.” Alex sips on his drink as we all stare at him.
“And why’s that?” I ask.
“We gave Coach grandkids.”
“Hey! You can’t use that!” Colin barks out. “That’s not fair. We’re not related.”
“Sucks to be you then,” Alex laughs.
“I gave everyone Waffles. That should count for something.”
“How long are you going to milk that?” Frankie asks.
“Et tu, Frankie?” Colin looks gutted.
“That’s my girl.” I wink at Frankie.
“That hurts, Knoxy.”
“I’ll be sure to judge fairly.” Coach grabs his drink and turns away. “Be sure to behave tonight, boys.”
“We will.” We all answer on instinct.
“Wow. I need to know how he does that.” Frankie looks at all of us. “He’s got you trained.”
“That’s because we don’t want to let him down,” I tell her, moving to her side and wrapping an arm around her. I lean closer to her, my lips right at her ear. "Why do you think I always listened when you gave instructions?"
Frankie barks out a laugh. "That's what you call listening these last few years?"
"Hey!" My voice is more offended than I mean it to sound. There's no way I could ever be mad at Frankie.
"You know," Colin walks up to us, pushing me out of the way, "I think I can forgive you for that earlier comment. Anyone who gives Knox shit like Darlene will always be number one in my book."
A server comes by with a tray of appetizers. Everyone grabs a small plate and loads up.
"Is your only mission in life now to act like my grandmother?" I say, shoving a crab puff into my mouth.
Frankie is still laughing as Colin replies, "someone has to."
"I'm sure she'd be glad to know that you're keeping me in check."
I know without a doubt she would be. That's just how Grandma was--giving me shit one minute, then loving on me the next.
Cheerful music is loud over the speakers as food and drinks are consumed. Everyone is feeling festive tonight. Practice is light this week with the holidays coming up this weekend. Guys come and go over the course of the night, but us captains stick together. It’s not often we get together with our partners, but it makes the night that much better. Being able to share it with the people we love most.
I don't know how much time has passed before Coach Brooks is at the mic.
“Alright everyone. Can I please have your attention?” His voice echoes through the speakers in the room. It quiets immediately.
“I want to thank all of you, especially the families tonight. Doing what we do isn’t easy, and we couldn’t do it without your love and support, so thank you.”
I tug Frankie a little closer to me. I know exactly what Coach is talking about. The guys all have their partners that they go home to. But it’s special that Frankie and I get to go home together.
She knows me in a way no one else ever will. We can be talking football one minute and then lose ourselves in each other the next. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Football and Frankie. That’s all I’ll ever need.
“Now, I know all of you are waiting to find out the winner of the ugly sweater contest.”
All the guys stand a bit straighter next to me.
“Winchester.”
“Are you shitting me?” Colin bellows, looking around the room. “Mine is clearly the ugliest.”
“You mean sexiest,” I argue again.
“This was rigged.”
“Sorry, James. Can’t beat perfection.” Logan slaps him on the shoulder as he walks up to get what looks like a child’s soccer trophy. His light-up Mountain Lions sweater is pretty great.
“I’ll be sure to cheer you up.” Peyton pecks him on the cheek. That stops him in his tracks.
“Well gentlemen, I think I’m calling it a night.” Colin grabs Peyton and pulls her along behind him.
“God, could you be any more obvious?” She tells him as they walk out the door.
“I think we might call it a night, too.” Alex yawns. “Need to relieve the babysitter.”
“We should too,” Tenley agrees.
“See you guys at practice.” Jackson gives us each a back slap before wrapping an arm around Tenley and leaving.
“Knox. Frankie.” Alex nods at both of us before him and Carter follow suit.
Logan is nowhere to be found.
Leaving just me and Frankie. The room is emptying out around us, now that the main event has happened.
“What do you say, Knox? Want to head home?” Frankie wraps both her arms around me.
I dip my head down a fraction of an inch, finding the shell of her ear. “Do I finally get to unwrap you from this sweater?”
Her fingers dig into my side, letting me know how much she likes the idea.
“Are you sure you’re ready to see what’s underneath?”
Pulling back, there’s heat in Frankie’s eyes.
“There’s more than just this?”
Fuck me. Even after all these years, Frankie still drives me crazy with need. I’ll never stop wanting this woman.
“If you think this is the best part,” she waves a hand over the sweater, “then you are sorely mistaken.”
“Fuck. We need to go. Now.”
Frankie spins on her heel, walking out of the building. My vision tunnels to the sway of her ass. It was a great night with the guys. But tonight, with Frankie?
I’ll be unwrapping the best present ever.
“Are you sure I look okay?” Frankie smooths her hands over her sweater. It’s a green sweater, with a giant gold bow sitting right on her chest.
“Is this something I can unwrap later?” I finger the gold material. For a December night, it’s not as cold as it usually is.
Frankie laughs. “It doesn’t quite work like that.”
“Doesn’t mean I won’t be taking it off of you later.” Wrapping her in my arms, I nip at her neck. Even after all these years, I still can’t get enough of this woman.
“Knox, stop. I don’t want a hickey before the team’s holiday party.”
“Now that’s a damn shame.” I follow Frankie through the parking lot of the team facility. “Who do you think is going to win the sweater contest?”
Frankie groans, leaning against the side of my truck. “Did you really have to make a sweater with Colin’s face all over it?”
“This is fucking awesome.”
“I think you’re going to be the only person to think that, Knox.”
“Everyone is going to love it.”
“I can’t with you sometimes.” She’s shaking her head at me, but a smile graces those gorgeous lips of hers.
“You know you love me.”
Frankie steps closer, pressing a kiss into the corner of my mouth. “I guess so.”
“Wow, that’s true love.”
Linking hands with her, we walk into the team facility. Peyton and Colin are just ahead of us.
“Oh no,” Peyton says, shaking her head as she sees me. It’s then I see the sweater Colin is wearing. One with my face all over it.
“You took my idea!” We yell at each other at the same time.
“It’s supposed to be an ugly sweater, Colin.”
“I know. This is as ugly as it gets.” He has a smile on his face that only Colin can wear.
“You mean as sexy as it gets.” I grab his shoulder as we head inside the building.
“I’m definitely going to win the contest.” Colin tries to wrap me in a headlock, but I shove him off.
“Are these two always like this?” I hear Frankie ask Peyton.
“Yes. We need a cocktail to deal with them.” Peyton loops her arm through Frankie’s and steers her toward the bar.
The entire practice area is decked out for the holidays. Lights are strung up from the beams. With the low lights, it looks like it could be snow. Trees are various sizes have presents packed beneath them. A menorah lights up the wall next to it. Garlands are strung everywhere.
It's like the holidays exploded in here.
Colin and I meet them at the bar.
“I don’t know if there is enough alcohol to deal with them,” Frankie says, accepting a beer from Peyton.
“I take offense to that,” I tell them, reaching around to grab my own drink.
“Yeah. We’re delightful,” Colin agrees.
“Are you though?” Alex appears behind us, Carter at his side.
“Don’t you start too,” I tell him.
“What are these sweaters?” Carter asks, eyeing both mine and Colin’s.
“They are works of art,” I tell him.
“You sure about that?” he questions me.
“Oh, like yours are better?” Colin waves a finger between the two of them.
“These are amazing.” Alex waves his hand over his and Carter’s matching Backstreet Boys ugly sweaters.
“Whatever you say, Young.” I shake my head at him, sipping on my bourbon. “Whatever you say.”
“I’m pretty sure I’m going to win.” Jackson walks up, Tenley on his arm. “Mine is the best.”
Whatever he’s wearing looks like something Noah made. It says Christmas with Daddy is the best with handprints all over it. Clearly everyone is in the holiday spirit tonight.
“Well, no one can insult that,” Colin grumbles.
“Exactly why I’m going to win.” Jackson gives him a smug grin. “Tenley had it made for me.”
“Where’d you get that made?” Carter asks her, looking a little more closely at the sweater.
“I’ll send you a link.” She winks back at him.
Parents.
“I know what Alex is getting for Christmas,” Colin laughs.
“You’d love this if it was from Waffles.”
“Fuck yeah, I would. His little paw prints all over it?” He starts thinking. “Actually, Tenley, would you send me the link too?”
“Sure thing.” She’s beaming back at him. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her not smiling. Maybe if we lose a particularly hard game, but even then, she’s always finding the upside.
“What are we going to make for Knox then?” Logan enters the fray.
“No Audrey this year?” I ask him, waving down the bartender for a drink.
“Nah.” Something flashes across his face, but it’s gone before I can pin it down. “Just me this year.”
“Well it’s great seeing you,” Tenley says, pulling him in for a hug. “That touchdown on Sunday was brilliant.”
That lights him up. “It felt really good.”
“Way you dodged that defender? Taught you well.”
“Way to be humble, Knox.” Logan elbows me in the side.
“I know.” I ruffle his hair.
“Get off me.” He shoves me away.
“Where’s your ugly sweater?” Jackson asks him.
“This is it.”
“Wearing a Mountain Lions sweater? Not very creative.” Colin shakes his head at him.
“Means I’ll win.”
“Who’s picking the winner?” Jackson asks.
“That would be me, gentlemen.”
Coach Brooks comes up behind us.
“Do we get bonus points for wearing Mountain Lions?”
“Suck up,” Colin says under a cough.
“If anyone should get bonus points, it’s me.” Alex sips on his drink as we all stare at him.
“And why’s that?” I ask.
“We gave Coach grandkids.”
“Hey! You can’t use that!” Colin barks out. “That’s not fair. We’re not related.”
“Sucks to be you then,” Alex laughs.
“I gave everyone Waffles. That should count for something.”
“How long are you going to milk that?” Frankie asks.
“Et tu, Frankie?” Colin looks gutted.
“That’s my girl.” I wink at Frankie.
“That hurts, Knoxy.”
“I’ll be sure to judge fairly.” Coach grabs his drink and turns away. “Be sure to behave tonight, boys.”
“We will.” We all answer on instinct.
“Wow. I need to know how he does that.” Frankie looks at all of us. “He’s got you trained.”
“That’s because we don’t want to let him down,” I tell her, moving to her side and wrapping an arm around her. I lean closer to her, my lips right at her ear. "Why do you think I always listened when you gave instructions?"
Frankie barks out a laugh. "That's what you call listening these last few years?"
"Hey!" My voice is more offended than I mean it to sound. There's no way I could ever be mad at Frankie.
"You know," Colin walks up to us, pushing me out of the way, "I think I can forgive you for that earlier comment. Anyone who gives Knox shit like Darlene will always be number one in my book."
A server comes by with a tray of appetizers. Everyone grabs a small plate and loads up.
"Is your only mission in life now to act like my grandmother?" I say, shoving a crab puff into my mouth.
Frankie is still laughing as Colin replies, "someone has to."
"I'm sure she'd be glad to know that you're keeping me in check."
I know without a doubt she would be. That's just how Grandma was--giving me shit one minute, then loving on me the next.
Cheerful music is loud over the speakers as food and drinks are consumed. Everyone is feeling festive tonight. Practice is light this week with the holidays coming up this weekend. Guys come and go over the course of the night, but us captains stick together. It’s not often we get together with our partners, but it makes the night that much better. Being able to share it with the people we love most.
I don't know how much time has passed before Coach Brooks is at the mic.
“Alright everyone. Can I please have your attention?” His voice echoes through the speakers in the room. It quiets immediately.
“I want to thank all of you, especially the families tonight. Doing what we do isn’t easy, and we couldn’t do it without your love and support, so thank you.”
I tug Frankie a little closer to me. I know exactly what Coach is talking about. The guys all have their partners that they go home to. But it’s special that Frankie and I get to go home together.
She knows me in a way no one else ever will. We can be talking football one minute and then lose ourselves in each other the next. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Football and Frankie. That’s all I’ll ever need.
“Now, I know all of you are waiting to find out the winner of the ugly sweater contest.”
All the guys stand a bit straighter next to me.
“Winchester.”
“Are you shitting me?” Colin bellows, looking around the room. “Mine is clearly the ugliest.”
“You mean sexiest,” I argue again.
“This was rigged.”
“Sorry, James. Can’t beat perfection.” Logan slaps him on the shoulder as he walks up to get what looks like a child’s soccer trophy. His light-up Mountain Lions sweater is pretty great.
“I’ll be sure to cheer you up.” Peyton pecks him on the cheek. That stops him in his tracks.
“Well gentlemen, I think I’m calling it a night.” Colin grabs Peyton and pulls her along behind him.
“God, could you be any more obvious?” She tells him as they walk out the door.
“I think we might call it a night, too.” Alex yawns. “Need to relieve the babysitter.”
“We should too,” Tenley agrees.
“See you guys at practice.” Jackson gives us each a back slap before wrapping an arm around Tenley and leaving.
“Knox. Frankie.” Alex nods at both of us before him and Carter follow suit.
Logan is nowhere to be found.
Leaving just me and Frankie. The room is emptying out around us, now that the main event has happened.
“What do you say, Knox? Want to head home?” Frankie wraps both her arms around me.
I dip my head down a fraction of an inch, finding the shell of her ear. “Do I finally get to unwrap you from this sweater?”
Her fingers dig into my side, letting me know how much she likes the idea.
“Are you sure you’re ready to see what’s underneath?”
Pulling back, there’s heat in Frankie’s eyes.
“There’s more than just this?”
Fuck me. Even after all these years, Frankie still drives me crazy with need. I’ll never stop wanting this woman.
“If you think this is the best part,” she waves a hand over the sweater, “then you are sorely mistaken.”
“Fuck. We need to go. Now.”
Frankie spins on her heel, walking out of the building. My vision tunnels to the sway of her ass. It was a great night with the guys. But tonight, with Frankie?
I’ll be unwrapping the best present ever.