Page 81 of First Down Promise

Abby tucks a wavy lock behind her ear and looks around, flushing when she realizes we’re all watching her with the big, gold box in front of her. Pete isn’t exactly known for subtle gifts, and she has every label in her closet because of him. But I only ever see her reach for the leather belt bag he gave her for her birthday. She slides her finger under the monochromatic gold paper and reveals a large gift box underneath.

“LV?” she asks Pete, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, I know you love their monogram.” She lifts the lid of the box and lets out a cute gasp. “You can finally travel in style,” he adds as she lifts the black leather weekend bag from the gift box. It has the LV monogram embossed throughout, and she seems at a loss for words.

“Pete…” she trails off.

He wraps an arm around her shoulders and pulls her against his side. “You deserve it, squirt.” Abby’s gray eyes dart to me, and we must be thinking the same thing. “Let’s keep it moving.”

“I’m simple,” Dane says, passing a card to Coop with Abby’s name written on it.

“Annual Starbucks gift card?” Abby asks with a laugh before she even tears into the envelope.

“Biannual,” he corrects. “Gotta keep the QB’s sister caffeinated.”

“I have a card for you, too,” Coop says, pulling a red envelope from his back pocket.

I swallow hard as Coop hands her his card. “Why do I get to go first?” Abby squeals, pulling a Christmas card from Dane’s envelope. “Dane, thank you. You know I’ll think of you every time I get a coffee.” He smiles and nods at her. She moves on to Coop’s card and furrows her eyebrows when she sees the contents. “Monster Jam? What?” She laughs loudly, and Coop’s cheeks turn bright red as he chuckles with her.

“I got tickets for all of us, actually. It’s not until the offseason, but it’ll be fun,” Coop replies.

“I’ve never been, so it’s a first. Thanks, Coop,” Abby says.

“Of course.”

Next, Pete opens his gifts. Abby put together a care basket for him with post-game recovery essentials, and honestly, I hope she got me one too since I have four years on Pete.

“For Josh,” Abby says, moving to her knees to hand me a round box.

“One of those is for you, too,” I reply, taking the gift from her. My fingers lightly graze over her soft ones, and it makes my core ache. I should be sitting next to her with my arm draped over her shoulders. Next Christmas.

Pete hands her the one I brought for her, and we tear into our gifts simultaneously. I didn’t go crazy on this ‘show’ gift—just some fuzzy socks since her feet are always cold, a Dior lip balm, and a gift card to Neiman’s.

“This is thoughtful. Thank you, Josh.”

“Of course,” I reply.

I open the lid to the round gift box, and my face falls. A Stetson. I lift it from the box, and my fingers threaten to tremble. It’s a silver belly color, just like the one Dad wore when I was growing up. I inspect the outside, running my fingers along the smooth edge, then I tilt it and notice a JM embossed on the inside. My initials…but Dad’s too.

“That’s so Texas, man,” Pete jokes.

Something catches in the back of my throat, and Dane gives me a concerned look. “I just know you miss Texas, and you don’t have one,” Abby says. “Not that I’ve seen you wear, anyway.” She rubs her arm as she studies me holding the hat. Nice save. “Do you like it?”

I clear my throat. “I love it.”

But I mean, you.

“It’s gnarly, man,” Dane adds.

“I might need to get one of those. Try it on, man,” Coop says.

I place it on my head, and it fits perfectly. That nagging homesick feeling starts to creep in, but I brush it off. As the guys finish opening their gifts, I take the hat off and run my fingertip along the JM again. Maybe I’m not so good with my dad.

“Oh! I almost forgot,” Abby says, getting to her feet. She walks toward the front door and opens the coat closet. When she comes back, she’s holding four small gift boxes and hands them to each of us. The thick, black ribbon along the outside has a small tag with a neat J on it, while Dane’s has a D. I pop the ribbon off as the guys do the same and set it on my thigh. Inside is a black leather keychain with gold-tone hardware and an eighty-one embossed in the leather. Dane lifts his out of the box, and his features a seventy-one. “You guys are the ones after all.”

“We are the ones. Surprised the damn commentators haven’t picked up on that,” Pete says, never knowing if something bigger than him is going on.

“So dope, Ab,” Coop adds, holding his in the palm of his hand. “Hey, I just got a good idea, you guys!” he suddenly announces.