Page 54 of Bound and Blitzed

She holds out her palm and I take it, lacing our fingers together.

“Just be here with me,” she says.

“I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

We sit like this for nearly ten minutes as her parents holler and question, demand and beg. At one point, her mother begins to cry and I feel my throat swell, nearly suffocating me.

It’s hard to behold, the way Lena curls into herself at her parents’ unchecked anger, confusion, betrayal.

I sit beside her through the entire conversation. When Mr. Garcia eventually ends the call, Valentina’s shoulders slump. She hangs her head, closes her eyes, and sobs softly.

“They’re furious,” she surmises.

“Come here.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders, and she turns into me, crying softly against my chest. I kiss her temple. “I’m sorry, Lena.”

She shakes her head. “It’s not your fault. I… They never respect my decisions.” She pulls back to meet my eyes. “I’m the odd one out in my family. No one ever understands me or my choices or why I like the things I do. I’m sorry you had to witness that. Honestly, their reaction isn’t a surprise; it’s one of the reasons why I held off on telling them for as long as I have.”

“I understand now. At first, I thought you were ashamed of me.”

“Of you?” Valentina hiccups. “Never, Avery. I could never be ashamed of you, or of our marriage.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” I admit, brushing her hair out of her face. “They’ll come around, Lena.”

She offers a watery smile. “I hope so, Avery. But…they might not.”

“Well, I know it’s not the same thing, but you have me. You have my family. We’re here for you.” I press a kiss to her forehead. “And if you want to go to Chicago for New Year’s, you should go. Whatever you want to do, Lena, I’ve got your back.”

Valentina looks at me for a beat, holding my gaze. Then she nods. “Thank you, Avery. But I want to ring in the New Year with my husband.”

I can’t stop the smile that cuts my face at that. “Good.” I lean forward again and press kisses to each of her cheeks. “Because I want to celebrate the holiday with my wife.”

I wait for her to lift her face and when she does, I kiss her softly. Slowly.

Valentina sighs and parts her lips, inviting my tongue to slip into her mouth. She holds me close as I kiss her deeply, reminding her that whatever comes next, we’re in this together.

The lead-up to Christmas is always hectic, but this year feels extra busy.

The team is performing phenomenally on the field. We’re all tuned in, in sync, and stacking up our wins. It looks like the playoffs are inevitable, which has me floating on cloud nine.

But it’s immeasurably better because Valentina and I are clicking. It’s small things at first. Her waking up an hour early to join me on a morning run. Me skipping a beer with the guys to watch a television show on the couch with her. The video calls we place to her abuela on Wednesday nights. While Valentina’s abuela expressed happiness at meeting me, she was reserved for our first conversation. However, with each subsequent call, she warms to me more—something that eases Valentina’s mind and guilt about her parents’ reactions.

Together, we carve out slices of time and spend it in the most ordinary ways possible.

I used to think it would be mundane. Too routine and boring. Instead, it’s everything I never knew I wanted.

The week before Christmas, I set up a tree in our living room and wait for Lena to walk through the front door.

“Oh my gosh! What’s this?” she exclaims when she sees the tree. She beams at me and it’s better than any Christmas present I’ve ever received.

“We need to buy ornaments,” I tell her.

“Now?” she asks.

I nod.

“Okay! Let’s go.” She turns back toward the door she walked through moments earlier.

I chuckle. I love how enthusiastic she is.

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