Page 124 of Miami Ice

I take the picture, and then Chloe—the ultimate non-morning person—resorts to scrolling through her phone. I know not to bombard her with any more excitement over our shopping, so I turn to my phone as well. Being the sap that I am, I go to Beckham’s Connectivity page and access his account, staring down at the pictures of us that he shared on his social media last night. I especially love the one Sofia snapped when we weren’t looking. Because when I see the way he’s looking at me? With that deep affection in his eyes?

I fall a bit more for him.

I look at the comments underneath and recognize some of the names from the Manatees lineup. Then I see one that makes me happy:

@MiamiManatees We live to see this.

Mission accomplished! The team has taken notice of Beckham’s status and even commented on it! It shows they’re paying attention to his social media, and they see the new Beckham who has been evolving since he’s landed in Miami.

Another comment jumps out at me:

@WyWentworth Does she have a friend?

Hmm. I wonder if Wyatt is a romantic. Perhaps he’s looking for a girlfriend? I glance at Chloe for a second. She hasn’t dated anyone since her last dumpster fire of a relationship this past summer.

I’ll have to get to know Wyatt and see if that could be a possibility. But I won’t play Cupid unless I think they’d be a match.

Then I see another comment that makes me laugh:

@AidenWentworth I wasn’t aware @GeorgiesJars was a dating service. Do you get a date if you buy a jar?

“What’s so funny?” Chloe asks, stifling a yawn.

“Beckham’s teammates are commenting on his pic of us,” I explain.

She takes another sip of her latte. “I think I’m awake enough for a donut now.”

I reach into my tote bag and retrieve the box of donuts I bought this morning. I open the lid, and the heavenly scent of sugar and vanilla wafts toward us.

Mmm. I love that sweet smell. I swear if they made a donut-scented perfume, I’d buy it.

Chloe studies the donuts for a moment before picking up an apple fritter, which I bought just for her as she loves anything with an apple in it.

She takes a bite, and a contented sigh escapes her lips. “This makes me happier,” she declares.

“I know. There’s something magical about fried dough loaded with sugar,” I say, carefully setting the box back inside my tote.

Chloe is still quiet—I know she won’t be fully functional until we’re walking around and she’s more awake—so I stay wrapped up in my thoughts. Today is a big day for me. Not only Black Friday and decorating Beckham’s house, but tonight is my own debut of sorts.

I’m going to Beckham’s game, this time as his girlfriend.

A ripple of excitement runs through me, nearly as strong as the hummingbird wings I felt in my stomach last night.

I’m meeting Megan in the family lounge before the game so I can get my custom tube top and change into it. I’ve borrowed a black leather moto jacket from Ella to put over it. I’ve alreadywashed the jeans I want to wear, I just need to pick out my accessories and I’ll be good to go.

But I will also need to nap this afternoon, just like Beckham does before a game. I want to be refreshed before I get to the arena tonight.

Chloe slowly becomes more animated—it’s almost as if the latte is a life-infusing caffeine drip for her—and we’re talking by the time five o’clock comes around. As soon as I see the salesperson approach the door, that buzzing feeling appears in my chest once again.

“When we go in, make sure we grab two carts,” I instruct Chloe.

“How much crap are you planning to buy?” she asks, her eyes wide.

“No, not that. Beckham is starting from scratch with Christmas stuff, and he’s going to need a tree. So we’ll need two carts for sure.”

I start running through everything he’s going to need in my head. There’s the obvious, like a tree, ornaments, and multicolored lights. Garland for that floating staircase. Decor for the mantle in the den. His kitchen will need decorating, as will the guest bathroom. Oh, and Christmas in the bedroom is a must. Maybe a second tree.

“We’re going to need three carts,” I amend.

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