Ty guys for 3k on this book and 8.4k on DWI!

•••

I woke up to somebody shifting behind me. My eyes fluttered open to find Leo in front of me, his head tucked under my chin as his chest heaved with steady breaths. His lips were open and a small string of drool dripped down onto Isaac's shirt that I was wearing. I glanced down to find a hand on his knee and only then did I feel the arm on my hip.

As promised, I spent last night with Leo. Nick had joined us and suggested we play a game of hide-and-seek. Obviously, Isaac invited himself to play, and Dylan didn't want to be left out, so he joined us as well. It was a sight to see, two grown-adults in their late thirties, two adults in their late twenties sneaking around the house to hide from a three-year-old.

After five rounds of the game, I bade everybody a goodnight, even Isaac much to his dismay, and followed Leo up the stairs and to his designated room in the penthouse. We watched a few episodes of a cartoon and fell asleep after I read him a bedtime story. I definitely didn't go to sleep with Isaac in the same bed, but I guess he'd snuck in when he found us fast asleep.

I became aware of his hot breaths that fanned onto the crook of my neck. He had his arm draped over my and Leo's bodies. I gazed at the window only to find it still dark outside, so I intertwined my fingers with Isaac's, resting them on Leo, before closing my eyes to fall back asleep, a smile on my face.

•••

A blow to my face woke me up with a start. My eyes snapped open only to find a pillow making its way down to strike me on the head. I instantly caught the pillow with my hand, ripping it out of my son's hold. I hooked my arm around his leg and pulled him down to me. He shrieked at the action and started giggling when I tickled his sides. Unfortunately, I forgot that Leo always had an accomplice when he woke me up this way.

Only this time, it wasn't Isaac, but his older brother, who struck me on the face with a pillow again. I tried yanking to pillow out of hands, but his grip was too strong. I aimed a kick at his groin, and he dodged it, sticking his tongue out like a child.

"Nick, you bitch," I growled, sitting up on my bed, Leo still in my arms.

He dramatically gasped, dropping the pillow onto the floor to palm his chest, "You use that kind of language in front of a three-year-old?" He scolded, eyes wide with horror. "Despicable. I don't think I can let you raise Leo knowing you're teaching him these kinds of–"

"I learned most of my curse words from you," I interrupted him, throwing the pillow at his face. He simply swatted it away. "I was nine when I first met you."

"Don't blame me for your vocabulary," He chided playfully, taking a seat on the bed. Leo crawled off my lap and onto Nick's. The man's features brightened up at the action and he instantly picked him up and tossed him at the foot of the bed. Leo giggled and got up to run back to Nick so he could do it again. "Does the little guy have to attend school today?"

"Yes!" Leo exclaimed happily, excited at the thought of seeing his friends again. "I only don't have school on the weekend."

"Well, aren't you lucky?" Nick said, pretending to be sad. "I have to work on weekends."

"That's because you're thirty-nine years old," I reminded him. Nick's face contorted into a disgusted expression at the statement. "Uncle Nicky is old and Leo isn't."

"Call me Nicky one more fucking time and I'll toss you off the terrace," He glowered, hating the nickname with a passion. I shot him an innocent smile, knowing Dylan would kill him if he was responsible for a single scratch on my body. His glower turned into a soft smile when Leo wrapped his arms around his neck, silently asking for a piggyback ride, "Does he have to change into a uniform or something?"

"Yup," I popped the p, opening a drawer filled with clothes I left here for Leo in case we spent the night at Isaac's. I pulled out his uniform and tossed it onto the bed. "But first, he has to brush his teeth and wash his face."

"Oh, I already took care of that," Nick said, waving a dismissive hand. I quirked a brow, surprised that he actually did something useful, and he glanced at me, shaking his head in a questioning manner. "What? Isaac was too busy being grilled by Dylan to do anything, and you were asleep. Leo told me what he had to do and I helped him do it."

I blinked, taking in the information. Nick was usually a nuisance when it came to taking care of children. Dylan and Rose could both attest to that. Nick lost children; he made them cry; he made them hyperactive. What Nick didn't do, though, was take the load off the parents. He simply made them regret asking them to help with their children.

"Thanks, Nicky," I smiled at him. He narrowed his eyes at the nickname and stood up from the bed, Leo on his back. He made a move to pounce on me, but I jumped away from him with a yelp.

"Amber, I swear to fuck–" He growled.

"Okay, okay!" I exclaimed, holding the palms of my hand up in a surrendering gesture. "I promise I'll– wait, Dylan was grilling Isaac? About what?"

He calmed down at the question, "What else?" He snorted, adjusting his grip on Leo. "Your relationship, obviously. Zac has said shit that earned him hits upside the head. I wouldn't be surprised if he's concussed."

I groaned, "What did the fucker say?"

"Something about being responsible when you guys have sex–" Nick smirked, probably reliving the blow to the head Isaac received at the comment. Even I could imagine Dylan restraining himself– he probably wanted to kill him at the statement.

I screwed my eyes shut, "Of course he fucking did." I muttered under my breath, my eyes falling on Leo's school uniform. "Come on, mon cher, you have to change into your clothes."

"Can Uncle Nick help me?" Leo questioned sweetly. I glanced at Nick and quirked an eyebrow, silently asking him if he was okay with it. He grinned in response and nodded.

"Sure, baby," I replied, making a move to leave the bedroom. "Hurry up, okay? You still need to have breakfast, and your school is far away from here."

"Yes, mama," He nodded in understanding, jumping off Nick's back. I blew my son a kiss, and Nick caught it, pressing it to his heart, pretending I aimed it at him. I rolled my eyes and closed the door behind me as I skipped to the staircase.

Once I neared the kitchen, I heard my boyfriend's voice grow louder, "Dylan, I don't plan on asking Amber to marry me anytime soon."

"Why not?" My brother returned almost instantly. "Are you saying my sister isn't good enough–"

"Calm down there!" Isaac interjected, voice filled with panic. "You say that like you want me to propose today."

"If you propose to Amber today I will fucking murder you," Dylan gritted out.

I rolled my eyes at their conversation. The two were the stupidest people in this house, and Nick was here too. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed the box of cereal from its place by the fridge. Their conversation ceased to a halt at the sight of me. I heard somebody take an obnoxiously loud sip of their coffee as I prepared Leo's breakfast.

"If Isaac proposed today I'd say no," I informed the two of them, shutting the fridge after I returned the milk to its spot. I picked the bowl up and spun around to stare at the two adults with raised eyebrows. "We've been dating for three weeks."

"Fuck," Isaac muttered, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "I should probably return that ring I got."

I knew he was joking but by the way Dylan's eyes narrowed at the statement, I guess he couldn't tell. What was the guy blinded by today?

"Dylan he's fucking joking," I informed him, hearing the faint sound of elephant-like footsteps approaching. "He literally just told you he isn't proposing anytime soon."

I placed the bowl down on the counter as Nick approached with Leo in his arms. My son had his uniform on, his tiny blue converse shoes tied up into a double knot. Nick placed him down on the stool in front of the counter and slid the bowl closer to him. Isaac stood up from his seat and offered it to me. I placed a small kiss on his jaw, silently thanking him, before sitting next to my brother, who was scowling.

"Don't do that shit in front of me," He faked a gag. "I don't need to see it."

"Then close your eyes," I retorted, watching as Nick sat by Leo and listened to my son tell him all about what they do at school. "Thanks for dressing Leo up, Nick."

He grinned at the sound of his name and not the nickname he hated oh-so-much, "Anytime, Amby," He sang. "Leo's my favorite nephew, so it wasn't any trouble."

Dylan's eyes flickered between Nick, Leo, and me before they finally landed on his best friend, "I thought Antoine was your favorite," Dylan grumbled, offended that his preferences had changed. "And you actually helped Amber? You made her life easier?"

"Comments like that make me want to give you a hard time, Dill Pickle," Nick informed him, tilting his head mockingly. Dylan blinked at the new information and mumbled something incoherent under his breath.

Isaac set a cup of coffee in front of me, along with a croissant he had picked up from a bakery this morning when he went on his run. "Good morning, my love," He leaned down to place a kiss on my lips, but he was shoved away by my scowling brother. Dylan was glaring at my boyfriend, and I rolled my eyes at his aggression before taking a sip of my hot coffee.

"Why is he allowed to hit you if you hurt Amber, but when he hurts me, you don't do shit?" Isaac asked his brother incredulously, throwing his hands up. He took a seat beside me, away from Dylan, and kissed me on the cheek. My brother's eyes narrowed at the action, but he didn't do anything about it.

"He's letting me stay at his house," Nick shrugged, stealing his brother's coffee. "I'm not going to hit him until I'm not sleeping over anymore."

Isaac clamped his mouth shut at Nick's reply. Dylan gave him a smug smile, crossing his arms over his chest to seem like he won something. I glanced at Isaac, "When do you have to leave?" I asked, taking note of his team uniform and sneakers.

Isaac's match was today. The coach had been riding their asses about this specific match, saying he didn't want to break their fourteen-wins streak. This would also guarantee the country a spot in the World Cup.

He glanced at the time displayed on his oven, "Five minutes," He replied. "Coach wants us to do some team bonding exercises before the match. We'll arrive at the stadium three hours before the match starts. That gives us enough time to change and warm up on the field."

"Are you going to win, Zachy?" Leo asked, milk dripping off his lips.

Isaac grinned at his question, "We better, little man," He responded, placing a hand on my thigh. "If we don't, the coach won't be too happy." He glanced at me, smiling at the sight of my rounded cheeks that were stuffed with the croissant. "Do you have family tickets?"

I swallowed the food, "Gave them to Dylan last night so he'd remember to bring them," I told him, knowing damn well I probably would've forgotten them. "We'll pick Leo up from school before making our way down to the stadium."

"Great!" Isaac chirped, squeezing my thigh as he glanced at his brother. "The keys to my second car are on the table by the front door."

Nick shot him a thumbs up before gulping down the warm coffee. Isaac stood up from the stool and left the kitchen before returning with his Nike duffel bag. He ruffled Leo's hair, leaning down to whisper something in his ear. Leo's eyes brightened up at his words and he looked at me before nodding enthusiastically. Nick got up and pulled his brother into a hug, wishing him good luck in the match.

Isaac then made his way towards me and leaned down to place a kiss on my lips, ignoring Dylan's loud grumbling behind me. I pulled away from him, our noses still brushing over each other, as I looked into his borderline caramel-colored eyes, "I got you a gift!"

"Yeah?" He whispered, his breath smelled of the coffee his brother stole from him.

"Mhm," I hummed, nodding as a small smile overtook my lips. "You'll get it after your match." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively and I smacked him on the shoulders at the insinuation he silently made, "Not that kind of gift, you idiot!"

"Okay, that's enough," Dylan interrupted, tugging at my shirt's neck so he'd separate the two of us. "I don't like this."

"You're not going to wish me good luck, Dill Pickle?" Isaac asked, feigning hurt as he pouted.

"No," He deadpanned, rolling his eyes as he turned around to face Nick.

"Just because of that comment, I'm proposing tonight," Isaac taunted in a sing-song voice. Dylan thinned his lips to stop himself from feeding into his childishness. Zac placed a final kiss on the side of my head, shouldering his bag as he walked backward. "Alright. I'll see you guys after the match!"

"Good luck baby bro," Nick told him. I smiled at his words, glancing at Isaac who grinned at his brother's support. Unlike Dylan and I, the two grew up pretty close. Nick always wanted a younger sibling, and he got exactly that twelve years later. Sure they had a few bumps in the road what with the fight that went down when Isaac refused to go to rehab, but that had only made them grow closer.

"I'm looking forward to my gift, my love," Isaac proclaimed dramatically, winking in my direction.

I caught Dylan sticking a finger above his tongue, faking a gag, but I grinned back at my boyfriend, ignoring my brother, "Good luck, Zachy." I exclaimed. He gave us all a mock salute and turned on the tips of his toes to walk down the open floor house to get to the front door. I heard the jingling of car keys before the slamming of a door.

"So, what now?" Nick asked, glancing between my brother and me.

•••

The answer to that question was 'get Leo to school'.

After we all got dressed, Nick decided he'd drive us over to Leo's school to drop him off. Dylan was curious as to what the school looked like, and he tagged along too. I put the directions on my phone and directed Nick towards the school, which meant that Dylan had to sit in the back with Leo. Nick had taken a picture of the two in the back, saying it wasn't every day that things didn't go Dylan's way.

When we pulled up to the school, Nick parked the car in the back of the school. He threw open his door and went to open Leo's. I grabbed my son's backpack from next to my feet and stepped out of the car. When I glanced at Nick, I was surprised to find Leo sitting on his shoulders. A bunch of parents and students shot him an amused look, but he ignored them. Leo gripped Nick's hair and pretended to control his movements.

Dylan threw his arm across my shoulder and steered me towards the entrance, Nick and Leo walking in front of us. I showed the security my lanyard, stating that I was Leo's parent, and he let the four of us in.

"Why doesn't Nick have a kid again?" I asked, watching with a smile as Leo laughed when Nick jumped, making the kid bounce on his shoulder.

"Adoption is a hard process," Dylan informed me, staring at the two. "Nick doesn't have enough patience to wait for them to deem him a suitable guardian."

I shrugged, knowing that what Dylan had said was true. Nick was the kind of person who wanted everything within the press of a button. He didn't like to wait– if he wanted something, he wanted it now. That's why he and Alexandre were good together– they balanced each other out. Where Nick lacked in patience, Alex had it in spades; that was the only way he'd be able to deal with his husband.

Speaking of which, Nick's attitude had done a complete one-eighty from yesterday night. He was acting more like himself, which I guessed was the whole point of coming to Paris. I wondered what the two were fighting about– it took a lot for Alexandre to explode, and I couldn't even imagine the two fighting about anything.

Dylan took in the large campus, staring at the different buildings' architecture. It looked like something people only saw in movies, what with the maroon bricks and the black hip and valley roofs coated in snow, "This looks like a good school."

"It is a good school," I replied. Nick pulled Leo off his shoulders and my son ran towards me, taking my index finger in his. "Do you want to show tonton Dylan and Uncle Nick to your classroom, mon cher?"

He nodded excitedly, "Oui!" He exclaimed, pulling my arm as he ran up the steps to go into the building. Leo waved at some of the kids, who were staring at Nick in awe, probably having never seen somebody with a body built like his.

Dylan bent down to pick Leo up, who started pointing at random things and explaining what they were. Once we got to his classroom, the teacher greeted us with a large smile. I gave Leo a kiss and a hug goodbye, just like I always did, and he hugged his uncles before running into the class to greet his friends. I watched him sit down with the two boys that whisked him away when we came for a visit, happy he was making friends.

We then left the school. I ran to the passenger seat and jumped into the car before Dylan could steal that seat away from me. He gave me some bullshit about how he's older so he should sit there, and I rebuked by telling him this was my boyfriend's car. Maybe if he had been a little nicer to Isaac, I would've let him sit there.

We were now sitting in the car, me giving Nick directions to my workplace while Dylan sat silently in the back, taking in the snow falling from the clouds. Once we got to the building, I was surprised to have found most of the tents packed up. I remembered Dean telling me they were done filming in this location, but I forgot when they were supposed to clear up.

I invited the two adults into my office. Emile followed me in, babbling about how my schedule was cleared after three so I could pick Leo up and get ready for Isaac's game. I thanked her when she handed me the documents sent in for submission to our website. Nick made himself comfortable in the seat in front of my desk while Dylan went to Leo's corner so he could organize the toys I'd carelessly thrown into a woven basket.

I went into work mode while the two men did whatever they wanted to do. I'd even given Dylan my laptop so he could check in on how his work was doing. Since Dylan was CEO, he could travel anywhere whenever he wanted, but he still made sure to check in on papa's company. Nick was scrolling through his phone, an unusual frown on his face as he read whatever it was on the screen. My guess was that they were texts from Alexandre, who had been spamming all our phones, asking us to give him updates on Nick.

After I read through two of the articles, Nick set his phone down and glanced at Dylan, who was furiously typing away on my laptop. Isaac's brother kicked mine in the leg, making the latter hiss and kick him back.

Nick heaved a breath and looked at me. I tore my gaze away from the article I was reviewing and stared back at him.

"It's kinda weird seeing you all business-like," Nick told me honestly, picking up one of the articles to read through them. He stuck his tongue out when he read the title and set it back down. "What happened to 'it can wait' Amber?"

"Don't encourage bad behavior, you fuckwit," Dylan whispered, kicking Nick in the shin again.

Nick narrowed his eyes at him, "Don't call me a fuckwit," He replied, kicking him back. "You're a fuckwit."

Dylan kissed his teeth in response, rolled his eyes, and went back to work. I gave Nick a final glance, eyes flitting to his phone that lit up with a notification, before deciding to mind my own business and continue working.

Just as I was about to pick up the third article, Nick's voice sounded around the room, "Hey, Amby?" I hummed in response, glancing at him again. He was staring at his phone with an unknown look. "Remember when we had a Nick-and-Amber day a few years back?"

I smiled at the memory, "The one where Dylan got super jealous?" I asked, looking at my brother, who scowled at my words. "Yeah, I do. Why?"

He glanced at me, a small smile playing on his lips, "How about we have another one? Dylan can intrude again and everything." He joked. Dylan grumbled something about how it wasn't intruding if he's my brother.

The request didn't seem out of the blue for me. We'd had that Nick-and-Amber day a few years ago because I was in a downward spiral and needed to get out of my own head. Dylan had seen that and called Nick, who did something about it. Maybe he needed to stop thinking of whatever was going on between him and Alexandre.

"I know just the place!" I grinned, standing up to put on my coat. Nick's smile widened at my words. Dylan's eyes flickered between the both of us, slowly understanding what was happening. He shut my laptop and followed my lead, putting on his parka.

•••

We were back in the café I came to with Dean when Isaac first kissed me. We found an empty spot in the back in a corner. Each one of us was sitting on a plush armchair that sunk with our weight. I had my cappuccino in the palm of my hands, the heat keeping me warm. Nick was sitting opposite me, and Dylan was right by me. The armchair by Nick had all our coats piled up atop the other, my purse sitting at the top like a cherry on a sundae.

Dylan was staring at me with a disgusted expression, "How can you drink that shit?" He asked, tugging on the string of his teabag. "It smells awful."

"Your palette just isn't as refined as ours is, Dill Pickle," Nick chirped, taking a sip of his black coffee. Dylan rolled his eyes as he drank his jasmine green tea.

"If it makes you feel better, Dyl," I started. "Leo absolutely hates the smell of coffee, too."

My brother grinned at my words, "I knew he was my favorite nephew for a reason."

"He's your only nephew," Nick returned, taking another sip from the clear mug. He then averted his gaze to me, "He's my favorite, too. The kid's a blast to have around."

Dylan's eyes narrowed, "Are you saying my kids aren't fun?" He asked, offended by Nick's statement.

Nick smirked, "They're fun to have around when you're not near them," He retorted, making Dylan scowl. "You're always hovering around us– fucking annoying."

"Dylan doesn't know how to properly have fun," I piped up, glancing at my brother from the corner of my eye. He was now openly gaping at me, "Did you see him yesterday when we were playing hide and seek? He literally stopped at Isaac's trophy case to dust his accolades. He didn't even bother hiding."

Nick guffawed at the news, pointing at his best friend before throwing his head back to obnoxiously laugh. Dylan ran his tongue over his teeth to stop himself from making a comment, instead choosing to watch Nick chortle. He completely forgot about the scalding hot coffee in his hands though, which splashed onto his torso at his abrupt movements.

My brother smirked, watching as Nick peeled his shirt away from his skin to try and ease the burn. He lifted his mug to his lips and took a sip from his tea as Nick hissed at the pain. After a few minutes of breathing in through gritted teeth, the pain finally subsided allowing him to lean back into his seat.

Nick looked around the coffee shop before his eyes settled on me again, "When does Leo get out of school?"

"Three o'clock," I informed him. "Why? Do you miss him already?"

A faint smile tugged at his lips, "He's good company," He said, glancing at his phone when it started vibrating. He huffed, silently leaning down to decline the call. "What does he not get about needing space?" He mumbled under his breath. It wasn't meant for me to hear, but I heard it anyways. I wondered what Alexandre had done that was so bad that made Nick escape to Paris for 'space'.

My eyes flitted to Dylan, who was now typing something on his phone. When I looked at it, I wasn't surprised to find him texting Nick's husband. I glanced back at Nick, who was now staring at his coffee silently.

"Leo loves having you around," I told him, meaning every word I said.

Nick grinned at my words, "Who doesn't?" He retorted, pretending to flick imaginary hair off his shoulder. "Man, what I'd do to have a kid of my own."

I blinked, surprised by his confession. Nick was basically every child's dream parent. He was chill, he cared, and he could be strict if he needed to be. He was fun to have around and always made everyone laugh. Even Dylan seemed to be taken aback by his words.

"Why don't you try adopting?" I asked, lifting my mug up to my lips. "Is the process really that difficult?"

He gave me a sad smile, "Alexandre doesn't want any kids," He informed me, averting his gaze to the table as his eyes glassed over. I choked on my drink, glancing at Dylan, who was staring at his best friend with a calculating expression.

Suddenly his eyes widened as something dawned on him, "Is that what the two of you are fighting about?" My brother questioned, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his knees.

Nick swallowed loudly, "Yeah," He whispered, seemingly heartbroken by the reality of the situation. I don't think I've ever seen Nick as... sad as he was right now. There was absolutely no emotion on his face, but I could see the way his lips slightly drooped downward. "I thought he was kidding when he told me when we were first dating, you know? Turns out he wasn't."

I was at a loss of words. I didn't know what to say that could make him feel better. How was I supposed to comfort him?

Nick shook his head and plastered on a smile, "But it's fine, I guess," He said, shrugging his shoulders like it was completely normal. "I still have Leo, Tony, Cece, and Cody. They're more than enough."

Dylan was silent for a bit before he nodded, "You bet your ass you do," He affirmed, making Nick's smile widen. "I think they like having you around more than they do Amber, and they fucking adore her."

"You just basically told me your kids don't like their own father," Nick said smartly, grinning when Dylan blinked once in annoyance. "I can give you a few tips, if you'd like, on how to become as fun as I am."

The two started bickering, Dylan arguing that he was fun and Nick telling him that he was indeed anything but that. I sat back quietly, confused as to how Nick just bounced back from telling us that he was alright with not having his own kid despite really wanting one. I wasn't able to carry another kid due to the complications with my last pregnancy, but if my husband wanted a child, we'd work around it to try and find a way to have one. There was IVF; surrogacy; adoption.

Nick's eyes fell on me, and his smile faltered at the look I was giving him, "The fuck are you staring at me for?"

"Did the two of you discuss this at all?" I asked, getting straight to the point. "Why he doesn't want a child? Whether there's any way–"

"Amber," Dylan hissed, interrupting me. "This isn't any of your business."

I glanced at him, eyes blazing with fury. He stared at me, silently telling me to shut the fuck up with his eyes. I thinned my lips and glanced away from him. Nick was looking between the two of us expressionlessly. This wasn't fair for him– if he wanted a kid, he should be able to talk to his husband about fucking adopting one, or whatever other option they chose to go with.

"Whatever," I muttered, glancing at Nick, who now had a small smile on his face.

"Aww, Amby," He cooed. "Do you care about my feelings?"

Forgetting I ever said anything, I replied with a, "Of course, I do, Nicky," I gave him a sickly-sweet smile, tilting my head to the side.

His smile fell at the nickname, eyes narrowing into thin slits, "How many fucking warnings do you need?"

"You can't do anything about it," I chirped, pointing a thumb at my brother. "Dyl, here, would knock you out before you could do anything."

Nick scoffed, assessing Dylan's figure with a quick sweep of the eyes, "His muscle mass is like a third of mine," He replied. "I doubt your brother can even pack a punch."

Dylan smirked, "We can always find out if you'd like."

•••

After finishing our drinks, we walked back to my workplace. Dylan and Nick said they wanted to take a walk around Paris and enjoy the cold weather while they still can. That gave me enough time to finish reviewing the articles and replying to emails before we'd have to go and pick Leo up from school.

Dean had dropped by my office for a quick visit. He'd given me a cheque for allowing his team to film in the building and said that he was off to the outskirts to continue filming the movie. He said he'd send me an invitation to the premiere, and I thanked him with a quick hug. After promising he'd stay in touch this time, he left my office.

Lili had taken the cheque down to accounting so that they could cash it in to the company's bank account. Dylan and Nick had returned three hours later, and with that, we went to pick up Leo from school. I texted Isaac updates, telling him Nick had told us what he and Alex had been fighting about, but I didn't expect him to reply since it was the day of their match.

Isaac was dead set on winning, and he'd informed me beforehand that he'd be too focused on warm-ups and whatever else coach had planned for them to do, so if he didn't reply to my texts, that's why. I appreciated him telling me, but that didn't stop me from messaging him.

After stealing one of his jerseys and pairing it with a pair of pants that would keep me warm, I dressed Leo in their team's color. Nick was decked out in the team's merchandise– the scarf, beanie, shirt, sweatpants, and even the socks. Second to his mom, Nick was Isaac's biggest cheerleader.

Since we had the family tickets, we got to watch Isaac, Nelson, and Aren score goals one after the other up close. Isaac would occasionally glance at us, which would make Nick and Leo scream like madmen while I waved at him. After they won the game three to zero, we were allowed into a lounge for team member's family members.

Nick took us out to celebrate his brother's win. The restaurant of his choosing? McDonald's.

When we finished our dinner, we drove back to Isaac's penthouse. Leo was exhausted with school and screaming his lungs out in the match, so he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Dylan went up to the guestroom so he could video call Rose and his kids so he could wish them goodnight and Nick joined him.

"I was promised a gift," Isaac said once we stepped into his bedroom. He took a seat on the edge of his mattress and stared up at me.

I rolled my eyes but opened his closet nonetheless. I dug under my pile of clothes until I found the box. I twirled around to face him, watching as his eyes lit up at the sight of the gift. I took a seat next to him, tucking my legs under myself as he lifted the lid off the box. He moved away some of the paper to look at what I got him. He lifted the trophy and grinned at the sight of it.

I'd found a picture of him playing during one of his matches and had it made into a trophy. A miniature, gold plated statue of him kicking a ball sat on a wooden pedestal. There was a small plaque on it that read 'World's Best Footballer'. He spun the trophy on his hand, taking it in from different angles before he suddenly stood up.

He took my hand in his and dragged me out of the room. I followed after him, my feet failing to match his quick pace. We finally made it down the stairs and to the living room. He stopped in front of the trophy case that stood proudly by the staircase.

He opened the door and handed me the gift I'd gotten him. He moved some trophies and medals from the top shelf, were the accolades he was most proud of stood, and gestured for me to give him the trophy. I watched as he placed it in the center, right by the 'Golden Foot' he received in the World Cup for scoring the most goals a few years ago.

He carefully closed the door and took a step back to admire the trophy. He wrapped his arm around my waist and grinned down at me, "Thank you, my love. I fucking love it."

"I'm glad you do," I replied, stepping in front of him to cup his jaw. I pulled his face down to mine and placed a short, but passionate, kiss which he then deepened by lifting me up. With my legs wrapped around his hips and his hand gripping my thighs to support my weight, he pinned me against the wall by his trophy case.

He broke away from the kiss, "We've got to stop," He mumbled breathlessly, tilting his head back to give me better access as I trailed kisses down his throat. "Our brothers... upstairs."

"Do you think you can keep quiet, babe?" I whispered, lips brushing over the skin where his neck and shoulder met.

He chuckled humourlessly, his eyes darkening, "You're going to regret your words, my love," He said turning around to jog up the stairs, my legs still wrapped around him. I giggled into his neck, continuing my attack on his skin as he stepped into his room. "Consider it a 'thank you' for your amazing gift." And with that, he dropped me onto his bed, my back hitting his mattress before he materialized above me.

It was definite. I hadn't felt as light, carefree, and genuinely happy in a relationship as I did with Isaac, and I fucking loved it.

•••

– 06/08/20

Next chapter is the epiLogue

Would you guys be interested in a short story about Alex and Nick's fight¿¿¿

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My heart goes out to anybody that has been affected by the explosion in Beirut.