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65

"B, look, another one!" I smile, holding up my phone. Yet another article has already been published about the big win this evening, and the country is truly recognizing the force Blake is to be reckoned with on the football field.

Blake takes the phone from my hand and shifts in bed so we're facing each other. His dimples pop out as he smiles, his eyes scanning the screen rapidly. "Wow, apparently I'm a prodigy? That might be a little much," he chuckles.

"I don't think so," I giggle. "How is your ankle feeling?"

"Better," he nods, and we both glance at his ankle resting on the pillow at the edge of the bed.

The medic saw Blake after the game, and thankfully, it's not broken. It's a nasty sprain, though. He has it wrapped and has been advised to keep it elevated and ice it three times a day. I already know I'll have to be the one reminding him to ice it.

Blake exhales and pulls me closer, my head resting on his chest as his fingers run through my hair softly. "So, what do you want to do tomorrow? Football is officially over, and it's gonna be weird having so much free time on our hands."

"We'll think of something," I yawn, my eyes feeling heavy as they begin to close.

"I think I just wanna do this all day," Blake hums, rubbing my back. "Nothing better than relaxing in bed holding my girl."

I swallow a bit nervously, hoping Blake will like the celebration planned for tomorrow afternoon. I've reserved a massive section at The Grill for a small party with his and Noah's closest friends and family. I wish my parents could make it, but they're leaving for some sort of business trip in Washington tomorrow.

Since nobody from Blake's blood-related family can be there to celebrate with him, I want him to feel cherished and surrounded by his chosen family.

Olivia is in charge of bringing the cake while Justin, Ashley, and Lily are bringing the balloons. James is getting a bottle of Blake's favorite whiskey and some tequila for Noah. Noah has the most important role for tomorrow, though, which consists of finding a good reason for Blake to ride home with him from the airport so I have a chance to grab his surprise present from home and make sure everything is set up inside The Grill correctly. Noah is going to text us when they're about to arrive so we can all get in our positions to yell "Surprise!"

When Olivia and I originally thought of this idea, it was going to be a surprise party for Noah too, but he was too impatient about our secretive whispers about it and practically forced us to tell him. 

The light thumping of music outside our bedroom door pulls me from my thoughts; Noah and James are clearly not going to bed yet. A big group of us all went to Blake's house after the game, and they wasted no time cracking open a bottle of liquor. I was stunned to see the size of Blake's house, especially knowing that he owns it. He has an inground pool and hot tub, a massive bar, dazzling chandeliers hanging in every room, a pool table, a theater room, and even a playroom with a slide and ball pit. I thought Lily was going to go into cardiac arrest when she saw the slide. 

Noah's parents also came over, and I thought there was no way Blake's house could sleep 10 people, but he has 5 bedrooms in total, perfect for the four couples, Lily, and James. We asked James if he wanted us to invite Janet over, but I guess they had a minor falling out, which I guess explains all of his extra heavy drinking recently. 

Blake and I chose to open a bottle of wine with Lily's parents as she watched Barbie on the TV, introducing them to Noah's parents. We all had a few hours of conversing, laughing, and some light drinking before we decided to head off to bed. I want to be well-rested for the party tomorrow.