CHAPTER TWNETY-THREE          a purdy party

"Wait, Bennett isn't your real last name?"

THE TWO-DAY DRIVE back to Cincy was quiet. Not in an uncomfortable, tense way, but in a way that we were letting my emotions settle after the overwhelming time spent with my parents. I rest my head against the passenger-side window, watching the scenery fly by. "You're really quiet. Thinking about them?"

"Yeah," I sigh, my throat tight. The goodbye with my parents was so emotional- there were many tears shed and so hugs shared.

I can tell Josh wanted me to talk about it. I didn't want to, mainly because I didn't know what to say. "I just... didn't think it would be so hard to leave," I finally admit. Josh slides his hand off the steering wheel to reach over and squeeze mine. "You all needed it. This was the hardest part of it, and you're past it. I smile faintly, the lump in my throat still there. I watch him, watching the road, and realize that he means more to me than he'll ever know.

By the time we reach Cincinatti, the sun was dipping low, painting the skyline an array of orange and pink. Josh parks in front of our new apartment complex, killing the truck. He sighs, lingering in the driver's seat for another moment. "I don't wanna unload all these boxes."

I slide my purse up my shoulder, pushing the door open. "You're lucky Dad let us use his dolly."

We load a few boxes onto the cart, turning to enter the building. I stop short, taking a few steps back to look through the window of our new balcony. "Um, JJ?"

"Mhm?" he turns, lowering the dolly. "Come see this." I point to the faint movement inside our apartment, barley seen through the lit curtain. Someone was definitely in our apartment.

I feel him tense from beside me as he notices it. "What the fuck..."

My heart picks up as we continue to the door, Josh placing the cart down next to the door. "Let me go first, 'cause I don't know what the hell is going on," he says lowly, his expression serious. Josh unlocks the door, pushing it open.

"Surprise!"

My heart jumps into my throat at the sudden shout from the crowd of people packed in the living room. Josh shouts in surprise, jumping back into me. He steps on my slipper-clad foot, and I give him a shove. "Ow, JJ!"

"Sorry," he grimaces, turning back to the sea of people who somehow got into our apartment. "Oh, hey guys."

"Hi!" Marren grins, holding out a cupcake with two lit candles. "Congratulations! Make a wish!"

Josh and I grin, stepping toward her. "No, actually, hurry, the wax is dripping." I laugh before we both lean in, blowing the candles out together.

I look over her shoulder- our entire apartment was already furnished and decorated. That stupid sectional from the furniture store was pushed against the wall, lines with throw pillows, and faced a shelf adorned with picture frames and knickknacks that I recognize from home. I turn to the kitchen, which had a white and yellow lemon dish towel hanging from the oven handle. I gasp, noticing the lemon themed rug by the sink, and a vase of fresh yellow lilies on the counter.

I squeal, dropping my purse to hug Marren. "Did you do all this?" I ask, pulling away to give her an upside-down smile. "Well, I had some help." She gestures behind her. There stood a grinning Tee, a shyly smiling Joe, and my parents.

My parents.

"Mom? Dad?" I gasp, stepping around Marren to go to them. They envelop me in a hug, squeezing me tight. "We had to come see your new place," Mom says, a watery smile. "It's not like we did all the work," she nods to the two football players behind her.

They let me go, gently pushing me toward Tee, who held his arms open proudly. "You like?"

I jump into his arms, laughing like a madwoman as he lifts me off the ground. I was so excited that I just couldn't contain it.

"You okay?" Tee asks, laughing, as he pulls away. "Yes!" I exclaim, pressing my hands against my chest. "I'm just so overwhelmed right now," I sigh gleefully, turning to Joe. He leans down to hug me, his hand hovering over my lower back. I sigh at his touch, pulling away.

"Did you guys do all this?"

"Marren's idea," Tee explains, biting into the cupcake in his hand. "We just directed, kinda. I mean, Ja'Marr and Tanner and Sam helped, but we were second in command."

Tanner claps his hands behind the pair, "Alright, gift time!"

"Gifts?" Josh asks, perking his head up from his spot at the counter. He had a handful of popcorn and a soda in his other. "Duh," Marren begins, pulling out chairs from the island so we all had a place to sit. "What's a housewarming party without gifts?"

They place Josh and I on the couch and make us cover our eyes. "Okay, this one's from the team."

I move my hand away, my eyes landing on a flat screen television. "No way," Josh gasps. "You got us a TV?"

"Better," Ja'Marr grins. "An entire entertainment system. Guess you will be hosting movie nights, Lua."

I roll my eyes, my cheeks sore from grinning for so long, "You guys didn't have to do this, thank you."

"Okay, our turn," my dad grins, holding out two small boxes wrapped in metallic, golden paper. Josh and I open them together, revealing a matching pair of leather wallets, embossed with our initials.

Josh runs his fingers over the front. "We wanted you two to have something practical to start this new chapter with," Mom adds, her voice warm. "I'm almost 100% sure JJ is still carrying around that wallet you got him for his 15th birthday." Josh's face reddens as he reaches for his back pocket, producing that same old, black, cracked leather wallet from around 10 years ago. My parents giggle at Josh as Marren produces three gift bags- a pink, a yellow, and a green. "Pick one."

Josh chooses the green- inside, there is a small houseplant with a purple pot, an intricate design painted on. She jokes that this one is impossible to kill. I choose the pink. Inside there is a fuzzy, soft Bengals throw blanket. Josh and I open the yellow one together to reveal a cutting board with a cursive B and G. "It's beautiful, Mare! Too bad neither of us cook," Josh grins goofily, raising his fist.

Marren reciprocates with an air-fist bump. "Wait, what's the B for?" Mom asks, confusion written on her brow. "Um, Bennett," Marren answers with her own confusion, caught off guard.

"Bennett?" Josh asks, taken aback, as he puts the cutting board back into the bag. "Mrs. P, isn't that your maiden name?"

All the attention in the room is suddenly on me and I shift uncomfortably. "Wait, what?" Josh asks, turning to me fully. "Tally, why are you going by your mom's maiden name?"

"Wait, Bennett isn't your real last name?" Tee asks from his spot at the island. I frown, trying to find the words to explain myself. "No, not really."

"Then what is it?"

I swallow thickly, unsure of how to answer.

"It's... Purdy."

The room is silent as everyone's expressions change: realization, surprise, or in Tanner's case, absolute excitement. "No fucking way, no way, bro. If you're... then that means... you're... ALEX PURDY?" The room instantly begins to buzz with chatter as my mom frowns. "Honey, why are you doing by a different name? You aren't... ashamed of us, are you?"

My heart breaks with sadness. "No, Momma," I answer, putting the bag on the ground beside me. I give her a hug, worried that she doesn't believe me. "I started going by Bennett when the Cowboys reached out. I didn't want anyone to think I got in because I was riding on Dad and Brock's success."

"That makes sense," Mom nods, rubbing my arm. "You're Dad's gonna die," Josh points out, throwing his arm around both Mom and I. "Oh, he's loving it," Mom smiles at Tanner speaks to him with the most enthusiasm I've ever seen any man show. "You OWNED the 90s! When you transferred from the Braves to the Diamondbacks, my dad was so upset!"

"Oh, come here," Mom says, as if remembering something. She gently tugs my hand as she leads me to my new room, pushing the door open. I gasp at the sight- the plain room was made over in a blue and white theme that reminded me of my grandmother's Fine-China teacups.

Bedside tables on either side, retro paintings of flowers, baby blue curtains and decorative pillows in the window seat- it was all thought out and perfect. "I love it, Momma," I say softly, taking notice of the framed photo of us and Josh on my nightstand.

"Your father picked the theme, actually," she mentions, leaning her head on my shoulder. "I did."

Dad appears next to us, his hands on his waist proudly. "I love it. It's tasteful and sill homey. You did great, Daddy."

He kisses the side of my head as we stand together, admiring their work. "I even added you a little something for Bandit." He points to the shelf on the opposing wall, where a small, ceramic figurine of a guinea pig sat.

I walk to the shelf. They created a small memorial for him- the figurine, his small box of ashes, and a printed and framed photo of the two of us. From a time when I had him close; his small face peaked out from under a blanket as I smiled down at him. I swallow the lump in my throat, turning back to my parents. "Thank you, guys."

"Of course, honey," Mom begins, but there's a small knock at the door that cuts us off. We all glance to the source- Joe pushes the door open slightly, an apologetic smile on his features. "Sorry, I thought you were alone. I can come back when you're done."

"Don't worry about it, honey, we were just about to step out," Mom says sweetly, linking her arm in my father's. They step out the door as Joe walks in- my dad points two fingers to his eyes before flicking them to Joe, his eyes wide. I giggle at his actions, making Joe furrow his brows. He turns to look, but my dad quickly smiles and shuts the door behind them.

Joe steps forward, his eyes landing on Bandit's memorial. His gaze softens, before finding home on my face. There's something about the way he stands, the way his shoulders relax. He doesn't need to say anything to understand how much it means to me. He just gets it.

"I got you something. It's small, just from me," Joe explains, his voice low, as he pulls our attention off the small figurine. "That's sweet," I say quietly as he holds out a rectangular wrapped gift. "It's not much."

I roll my eyes, carefully peeling away the wrapping paper. "I thought you might want something... Of us." Inside was a simple wooden frame, and when I looked at the photo, my breath caught. It was the photo Marren took of us at the game- we stood looking at one another, bashful grins on our faces. You could see how we felt by the look in our eyes- it made my chest tighten.

I was speechless. My heart swelled as I looked at him and then back to the frame. "Joe, I..."

His face reddens, cutting me off. "I'm sorry, I just figured I shouldn't get anything too fancy-"

It's my turn to cut him off. "Stop, Joe. I love it."

The stress melts off his face. "Really? I know it's small, but-"

I set the picture frame on my nightstand, next to the one my parents put up of us and Josh. It was at Disney- my parents held two fingers up behind Josh and I's heads as we grinned with sunburnt cheeks and braces.

I turn back to Joe- he watches me carefully as I move toward him. He raises a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. His fingers linger for a moment, sending a shover down my spine. His eyes are darker, and the air is thick.

"You need to know, I'm here. For all of it. For you."

He speaks with a hushed voice, careful to not break the fragile moment. His hand slides from my shoulder to my back, just below my neck. His hands are warm against my skin and I'm frozen. My entire being is alive and aware of him- "Joe," I sigh, almost a surrender.

His name leaving my lips was like a release- he kisses me with an urgency that makes my knees weak and the world tilt on its axis.

He cradles my face like I'm something precious; his thumb brushed over my cheek as if he's trying to memorize the feel of me. I slide my hands up his chest and to his neck, pulling him closer into me. I swear I could stay like this forever. His breath against my lips, each kiss like a promise, pulling me deeper and deeper into this sweet, suffocating space between us.

He pulls away, just enough to leave a breath between us. I can barely hold my composure; my heart is racing, my entire body is buzzing, and my hands tremble. "Talullah-"

The door swings open with a gasp. Joe and I retract our hands, my heart beating so loudly I'm sure he can hear it. Marren stands in the doorway, her hand on the knob, her mouth open. "I... I was just-"

Joe runs a hand through his hair in frustration as he turns away. I take the inside of my cheek between my teeth. "What's up, Mare?"

"I was just gonna... show you the bathroom."

I nod, pressing my hands into my hips. "Just- Just give us a sec, okay?"

She closes the door without a word. Joe turns to me, stress knitted into his furrowed brow. "I'm not sure what the hell just happened."

"I think we just... got caught?" What was supposed to me a mood-lightening joke comes out flat. Joe runs another hand through his hair, the frustration in his voice evident. "No, not that. I mean yeah- sure, but-"

He groans into his hands. I rest my hand on his arm, and he freezes under my touch. "Joe, just-"

He pulls his hands away, his eyes wide with stress. "No, Tally. What are we gonna do? The last thing we need is for this to get out, the team, the media-"

"I know, I know," I manage, wrapping my arms around myself and glaring down at my feet. I suddenly felt exposed, trying to maintain some coolness. We can't both be freaking out.

It's always something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to freak out on you," Joe admits quietly as he puts his arms around me and presses his chin against my head.

"Look, I'll... just- just let me talk to her, okay?"

He pulls away, nodding. "Yeah, yeah. You got it."

I bare an uncomfortable smile as I reach for the door- Marren stands there, a tense smile on her face. "Hi."

"Hi."

We stand there for a second and I can feel Joe watching us. "Let's go look at the bathroom."

We step into the warm-palleted bathroom, where a retro painting of a cheetah in a bathtub hung across from the toilet. I lean against the sink, chewing on my nails. Marren pretends to look around the bathroom, even though she was the one who decorated it, before turning back to me with an awkward, toothy grin. "I'm not gonna say anything, I swear."