The sound of the crowd was deafening, and Joy could have sworn most of it came from Jason’s family.
She snuck another glance at his mom and Beth and Melissa, who were on their feet, waving their Seattle Emeralds scarves over their heads. Jason’s other sister Amanda was down on the field with the strength and conditioning coach. Amanda was in her junior year of college, and she was studying sports sciences. Nick had arranged for her to spend time with the training team.
Holly nudged her shoulder and leaned over, “How are you doing?” she whispered. “The Andersons can be a bit overwhelming, but they’re wonderful people.”
Joy nodded. “They’re so…”
“Close?”
“Yes, exactly. It takes some getting used to when you grew up an only child.”
Holly gave her an understanding look. It was one thing that had connected Joy, Holly, and Noelle as friends. They all grew up as only children, with Holly in the foster care system. It was clear the Andersons adored Holly, and Joy was surprised by the tinge of jealousy she felt at how at ease they all were with one another. She did share a bonding moment with Jason’s youngest sibling, Beth, who shyly approached Joy, asking about her job at the hospital. Beth explained she was considering studying public health when she went to college next year. Beth was the quietest member of her family. Calm and observant, she took after her father in that way.
Joy jumped when the crowd roared again, and Jason’s whole family went wild when his brother’s face flashed on the giant screen, celebrating his goal.
“They’re intense, but don’t worry. They’re harmless.”
Joy glanced at Jason, who was grinning and exchanging high fives with his dad. “They’re a great family. I’m glad I had this chance to get to know them.”
Holly leaned over and whispered, “The two of you don’t look like you’re pretending. You know that, right?”
Joy burrowed her chin deeper into her scarf, trying to hide the heat rising in her cheeks.
“We’re not done with this conversation,” Holly said before joining the crowd, singing “Olé, Olé, Olé.”
Jason put his arm around Joy’s shoulders, drawing her close. “Having a good time?”
“I’d heard Emeralds games were loud, but I had no idea it would be like this.”
“You haven’t been to a game before?”
Joy pointed to the baseball stadium next door. “My game is over there.”
“Ah, a baseball fan.”
“There’s nothing better than sitting on the upper deck with a cold beer on a hot summer day.”
“I need to remember to schedule a tour date for Seattle during baseball season.”
She liked the idea of warm summer nights with Jason at her side, singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.” Her heart plummeted. She wasn’t supposed to be wishing for a season of baseball games with Jason.
“Do you like baseball?” she asked, hoping his answer would be no so she’d have something about Jason she could say she didn’t like.
Jason’s father leaned over. “Jason played first base from Little League all the way through high school. He had college scouts giving him the hard sell, but a baseball glove didn’t hold a candle to Rusty.”
Joy smiled. “I don’t blame him. Rusty is pretty special.”
Suddenly, Jason’s sisters were laughing and pointing at them.
“Hey, you two. You better put on a good show,” Beth said, wiggling her eyebrows.
Suddenly, the crowd started chanting, “Kiss, kiss, kiss.”
Joy looked up at the giant screen at the end of the field where they were on camera with a banner underneath congratulating them on their engagement.
Jason threw his arm around her, and his gaze was full of mischief. He leaned toward her, and her breath hitched right before his mouth met hers. It was a brief kiss compared to the others they had shared before, but it still took her breath away. The noise of the crowd faded away, and for one second, it was just the two of them.
Suddenly the warmth of his lips was gone, and the hoots and whistles from the crowd crashed over her. She blinked at him, unable to form a coherent thought.
He kissed her forehead tenderly. “You’re shivering. Are you cold?”
Jason pulled her to his side, tucking the fleece blanket they’d brought with them around her.
Melissa fanned her face. “That was hot.”
“Don’t start.” Jason’s mother waggled her finger at his sister. “We don’t want to chase Joy off.”
“Hey, we’re here to watch Nick play, not tease my fiancée.”
Jason leaned close, the short hairs on his beard tickling her cheek. “Sorry about that.”
“It’s okay. I guess it comes with the territory when you have a big family. Isn’t it some kind of rule that brothers and sisters are supposed to give each other a hard time?”
Jason reached for her hand. “Thanks for understanding.”
He did that a lot. Jason was always reaching for her hand or putting his arm around her, and she quickly became addicted to it.
Noticing the curious looks from his sisters and her dads, she reluctantly withdrew her hand from his grasp. Her pops was always the one who she could never hide from. He could always see past the fake pageant smile she’d perfected.
Shawn caught her eye and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “You okay?” he mouthed.
She nodded and flashed a thumbs-up.
The loud roar of the crowd brought her attention back to the game in time to see the Emeralds score a goal. Jason’s family went wild, celebrating Nick’s assist. Jason threw his arm around Joy’s shoulders, pressing a kiss to her temple, his eyes bright with excitement. The game ended with a win for the Emeralds, bringing the team one step closer to the playoffs. Jason’s family buzzed with excitement while they waited for Nick to come out of the stadium after the game.
“We need to come back for the playoffs,” Melissa said, bouncing on her toes.
Jason’s parents nodded, beaming with pride.
“I have never seen anything like that,” Shawn said. “I thought pageant crowds were energetic, but Emeralds fans take it to another level.”
Her dad made a trip to the team store, and now her parents were decked out, wearing Emeralds sweatshirts, hats, and scarves. As usual, when her dad was excited about something, he went all in. Her heart swelled. Her parents’ loyalty to the people they cared about was a quality Joy always admired. The night before, her dad shared they’d bought every single one of Jason’s albums.
“We’re the loudest fans in the league,” Holly said with a note of pride.
“I’m sure my ears will still be ringing tomorrow,” her pops said.
They’d made their way to a waiting area for friends and family outside the locker rooms while Nick and his teammates showered and changed. It took a little while to get through the obligatory post-game interviews, but before too long, Nick emerged, beaming. He swept Holly into a hug, spinning her around before giving her a swoon-worthy kiss that only ended when his sisters started hooting and hollering, teasing them the same way they had done when Jason kissed her.
“Come on,” Beth said with a groan. “I don’t want to stand around here watching you guys make out all day. We’ve only got three days before Nick has to be back for practice. Let’s get back to the house and enjoy a game night in front of a warm fire.”
“My ears are still ringing from all the noise,” Joy confessed when they got back to the house.
Jason laughed. “My sisters are all going to lose their voices from all the screaming.”
They were in their room, and the heat between them was palpable. Who knew soccer could be an aphrodisiac? Finding time alone proved to be a challenge with all the family around. For the last week since everyone arrived, they filled their days with trips to Pike Place Market, a day sailing with Hugh and Noelle, and a day trip wine tasting in Woodinville, where Jason’s mom caught them making out behind a rack of wine barrels.
Jason stalked toward her with the look in his eye that always made Joy’s heart beat in triple time. “We’ve barely had any time together since they got here,” he said, slipping his hand beneath the hem of her sweater and dipping it into the waistband of her jeans to squeeze the skin above her hip.
He captured her sigh of contentment with a kiss. She wound her arms around his neck, pressing herself against his chest. His hands found their way to the button of her jeans. Joy wiggled her hips while he pushed the denim down her legs. Jason grunted his frustration when her boots stopped their descent. Joy barely had enough time to get her boots off and step out of her jeans before Jason wrapped his arm around her and fell back on the bed with her on top of him.
“You know someone is going to knock on the door.” She gasped when Jason peppered kisses along her neck.
“Not this time,” Jason growled, running fingers along the strip of lace along her waist.
Another long heated kiss caught her laugh—a kiss that was interrupted a minute later with a knock on the door.
Jason rolled Joy off of him and sat up. “What?” he shouted.
There was a muffled laugh from the other side of the door, and his mother said, “I’m letting you know we’re all going for a walk. You’ll have the house to yourself for the next hour.”
A slow grin spread over Jason’s face as he called out, “Thanks for letting us know.”
Joy buried her face in her hands. “This is so embarrassing.”
He rolled to his side and pulled her against him. “I don’t care what it is. We have an entire hour to ourselves.” He dropped his lips to hers, his hands cupping her bottom right where lace met skin.
“Not fair,” she said when Jason pulled her sweater off. “You still have clothes on.”
Jason sat up, pulling his shirt off while Joy lowered the zipper of his jeans. He hissed when her fingers grazed his erection. His hands palmed her breasts through the thin pink lace of her bra. She closed her eyes, reveling in the feel of Jason’s hands on her body. She wanted to make the feeling last, drawing out every minute she could enjoy the pleasure she shared with Jason.
“Open your eyes,” Jason whispered as their bodies joined.
Following his command, her gaze locking with Jason’s. The buzzing in her ears wasn’t from the game. Everything she was feeling was reflected in his eyes. Want, need, pleasure, and—regret? No, it wasn’t regret. It was sorrow. They both knew the time to say goodbye would be here soon, tinging every second they were joined together.
His finger brushed the corner of her eye, coming away wet. “Joy?”
“Happy,” she panted.
When their bodies were sated and the sound of the family returning to the house roused her from bed, she went into the bathroom. It was only then, when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she could admit that the tear that had escaped was because she knew it was almost time for their engagement to end and it was time to say goodbye.