Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas…" Rebecca sang softly.
Ted grinned and rolled over onto his back to find Rebecca leaning over him in the dim dawn light. "'Mornin' darlin'," he murmured hoarsely.
She lowered her face to press her lips to his. Her soft blonde tresses fell against his cheek to tickle him slightly.
When Rebecca pulled back, Ted hummed happily and said, "And I didn't even have to get you under the mistletoe for that."
"Perhaps I'll make you work for it a bit once Henry comes over," Rebecca replied with a chuckle. "And speaking of Henry, he'll be here in an hour, so if you want to make your pancakes, we ought to get up."
The reminder of his son's arrival for Christmas put another smile on Ted's face. It made the prospect of leaving the warm bed with warm Rebecca much more pleasant.
Rebecca rolled over and stretched and followed Ted out of bed. They moved around each other in a practiced dance of their morning routine. Ted shaved his face in the mirror at his sink, Rebecca did her skincare regimen at hers. He combed his hair and threw on some clothes while she was busy doing her makeup. He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, careful to avoid getting in her way too much, and went downstairs to the kitchen, knowing she would be down soon.
The heavenly smells of American buttermilk pancakes—something Rebecca had never experienced before she had started spending the night with Ted and being treated to his homecooked breakfasts—wafted through the house as Rebecca jogged down the stairs. The doorbell rang just as she reached the foyer, so she opened it.
"Rebecca, hi!" Henry greeted enthusiastically. He nearly bowled her over with a big hug. He was much bigger now than when he'd first come to London.
"Henry! Happy Christmas!" Rebecca replied, hugging him back. She lifted her head and smiled at Henry's mother. "Good morning, Michelle."
Michelle, slim and casual and effortlessly beautiful, smiled. "Hi, Rebecca. I know we're a little early. Henry couldn't wait to get here."
"It's not a bother at all. Quite the opposite, in fact. Would you like to come in and have some breakfast? Ted's making pancakes," Rebecca said.
"Pancakes!?" Henry exclaimed. He unhanded Rebecca and raced into the house to find his dad.
Both women chuckled at the eagerness of the young boy. "Pancakes would be great. If you don't mind," Michelle amended quickly.
"I wouldn't have asked if I minded," Rebecca told her. "I'm not that nice," she said in a loud, conspiratorial whisper.
The two women shared another light laugh and followed the rambunctious Henry into the kitchen. Ted was at the stove, flipping pancakes onto the plate to cool. Henry dropped his coat and scarf and hat in one of the chairs by the breakfast nook and went to the refrigerator to collect the butter and maple syrup. This was the boy's second home, so he knew where everything was.
"Can I get you some tea or coffee, Michelle?" Rebecca offered.
"Coffee would be great. I still haven't gotten used to the idea of tea, I'm sorry to say," Michelle responded.
"Don't worry, neither have I," Ted told her. "And I've been here two years longer than you have."
Rebecca shook her head in amusement. The Americans would always be American, it seemed. But regardless of their opinion on the British national beverage, Rebecca was pleased at how Ted, Michelle, and Henry had all adapted to life in London.
Ted had tried to resign from Richmond, but Rebecca couldn't let him go. Well, she hadn't had a choice, actually. He left. And she followed. And all the time she had been so sure she needed him as manager of her team and as her friend. She was so certain that's what she wanted. But when she turned up on his doorstep in Kansas about a month after their tearful goodbye at Heathrow, something entirely different came over her. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. And he kissed her back. And the rest was history.
After a lot of talking and planning and consulting practically everyone they knew, three things had become very clear. First, Ted and Rebecca had fallen in love without really realizing it. The sex had very quickly confirmed that their feelings were in no way platonic anymore. Second, Ted needed to be with Henry and to be able to be a father to him more than he'd been able to in Richmond. Try as he might, he wasn't able to be present over FaceTime, and the time difference made it hard to feel truly involved in his son's life. Third, Ted was miserable back in Kansas with everything other than being with Henry. And he and every person who knew him could see it.
It was Henry, actually, who had come up with a solution. He saw how much his father had struggled back in Kansas and recalled how much happier he had been in England with the football club. And if his dad could sacrifice all that to be with Henry, it made Henry want to sacrifice his friends and his school for Ted to be happy. He convinced Michelle, too. And a few months later, Henry and Michelle moved to London. Rebecca had arranged for everything. A school for Henry, a job for Michelle, and a flat for the both of them within walking distance of Ted's.
And now this was everyone's second Christmas all together. Henry woke up at home with his mum to open the presents from Santa, and then Henry came over to spend the day with Ted and Rebecca before they all went to have dinner with the team at the Higgins house.
Rebecca waited for the coffee to brew as she looked at this strange, wonderful little family she had been welcomed into. They were all in her house, and they all seemed happy to be there. All of them together.
"Hey Rebecca, are we going to Elton John's house again this year?" Henry asked, his mouth full of pancakes. Sir Elton's two sons were right around Henry's age, so Rebecca had brought Ted and Henry both to the magnificent star-filled party. She had wanted to ensure Henry had a magical Christmas, and singing carols with Elton at the piano and being able to show off the ridiculous, dazzling man she was so madly in love with had been Rebecca's best attempt at magical.
Before Rebecca had a chance to respond to Henry's question, however, Ted scolded, "Hey now, don't talk with food in your mouth. Ain't nobody wanna see that."
Rebecca smiled as Henry mumbled an apology and chewed, swallowed, and took a sip of orange juice. She told him, "No Elton this year, I'm afraid. Your dad and I have an assignment from Santa, actually. A few things got a bit mixed up on the sleigh, so we've been asked to help deliver some presents."
Henry stared at her with a piece of pancake on his fork in midair on the way to his mouth. "Wait. But Santa isn't real," he said with the kind of disgruntled authority that only an eleven-year-old seems to possess.
Ted felt his stomach tighten, wondering if he should jump in on this one. Henry had stopped believing in Santa Claus before Ted had left for England, but he also knew how much Ted liked to pretend. Henry was a good kid and very familiar with humoring his silly father.
But Rebecca didn't need Ted or Michelle to jump in. Without missing a beat, she simply replied, "That's a rather closed-minded view. I have instructions from Santa Claus, and if you don't think he's real, that's certainly your prerogative. I, however, will follow the instructions I've been given."
"And so will I," Ted added.
"Quite right. And you don't have to accompany us if you don't want to, Henry," Rebecca told him.
Michelle tried to suppress a smile. "Yeah, you can come back home with me, bud."
"No, it's Christmas and that means I open presents at home with you and then I get to come over here for breakfast and presents with Dad and Rebecca and then we do something magical before dinner with the team!" Henry insisted.
"Today's magical adventure will be delivering presents from Santa. So finish up your pancakes and put your plate in the sink so we can open our presents. We've been waiting for you and I'm getting quite impatient." Rebecca gave a curt nod to punctuate her statement.
Ted watched the exchange between his son and his girlfriend—it felt so odd to refer to Rebecca as his girlfriend when she was so much more than that—and the weird anxious feeling melted into a warm pool of comfort. It had taken them all some time to get to this point, but somehow, Ted and Michelle were on good terms as friends and co-parents to Henry. Michelle and Rebecca were friendly and had no ill will towards each other. Henry was happy and at ease with the whole setup. He was doing great in his new school here in Richmond. Michelle had made friends and was dating here and there. Nothing serious yet, but it was certainly only a matter of time. And Ted was happy for her. He wasn't jealous or upset or uncomfortable about any of it like he was when…well, she was dating their marriage counselor so that was probably a big part of the problem. But that was all in the past.
And while things were on great terms with Henry and Michelle, what Ted still couldn't really believe was Rebecca. It snuck up on him, his love for her. He was in it before he really knew. He'd been so focused on going back to Kansas and being with Henry that he hadn't actually let himself think about being away from Richmond until the misery threatened to overtake him. And then Rebecca appeared, looking like an angel goddess or something. Recognizing her beauty, inside and out, wasn't new to Ted. The feeling of wanting, however, was something he'd not quite let himself feel before. Now, it seemed like the more he had of her, the more he wanted. He loved her so much, he couldn't really put it into words. That wasn't usually a problem for Ted, finding the words. Recently, he'd given it a lot more thought. He might have found some words, at least.
Henry quickly stood up from the breakfast table and carried his plate to the sink just as Rebecca had instructed, which took Ted out of his reverie.
"Time for presents!" Henry announced.
Michelle stood up as well. "That's my cue to head out." She went to Henry and put her hands on his cheeks, bending down to kiss the top of his head. "You have fun today, baby. I'll see you tonight."
"Bye, Mom," Henry answered before escaping from her grasp and running into the living room where the presents were waiting under the elaborately decorated Christmas tree.
Rebecca chuckled at his exuberance once again. "I'll walk you out, Michelle," she offered.
Ted cleaned up the rest of the table, leaving the dishes in the sink for later. He knew Henry was waiting, but there was something he needed to do before they got all wrapped up in presents, so to speak. He smiled to himself at own internal wordplay.
He found Rebecca waving goodbye to Michelle and closing the front door behind her. She turned to find him standing very close to her and jumped slightly in surprise. "Oh, hello," she said with a little laugh.
"You're pretty great, you know that?" Ted murmured, placing his hands on her slim waist.
"I do, actually," she quipped. "And you tell me quite often in case I forget."
Ted grinned before leaning in to kiss her. "And I'll keep tellin' you." He kissed her again.
"What's all this for? You know Henry's waiting," Rebecca reminded him.
"I know. I just wanted to tell you I love you."
Rebecca softened. "I love you, too," she replied sincerely. "Now come on," she insisted, reaching behind him and giving him a light smack on the bum. "Time for presents."
They went into the living room to find that Henry had already taken the presents from under the tree and put them into piles for each of them. Henry was sitting on the floor next to his gifts, practically vibrating in excitement. Ted's pile was by the armchair and Rebecca's pile was by the sofa. They each took their respective seats.
"Henry, what're you waitin' for!?" Ted asked his son with feigned outrage. "Pick a present to open!"
No further invitation was needed. Henry took the closest gift and ripped the wrapping paper off the box and exclaimed, "Woah! A Switch!"
"That's for you to keep here, Henry," Rebecca told him. "So that way we can play MarioKart and I'll prove to you that Toad is the best player."
Henry looked away from Rebecca to make eye contact with Ted. "Mario," they said unanimously, both nodding in agreement.
Rebecca just rolled her eyes, but she was delighted by the bond between those two. "Alright, Ted, you open one."
"Okie dokie, let's see here…" He picked up a smaller wrapped box that said To Ted and just had a small heart underneath it. Obviously from Rebecca. He opened it to find a beautiful Rolex. But not just any Rolex. The face of the watch had a silver outline of the Richmond team logo etched behind the watch hands. "Wow, would you look at that!"
"It's engraved," Rebecca informed him.
Ted quickly pulled the watch out of the box and flipped it over. You're a godsend, Ted Lasso! He looked up at Rebecca and smiled.
"It's true," she said. Rebecca had been sarcastic when she'd said those words to him on the first day they met. But the words had changed their meaning for her as time went on. And she found that he was indeed a godsend. To the players. To everyone at Richmond FC. And to Rebecca herself. She had taken to saying those words to him more frequently over the last year or so that they had been involved romantically. It was her shorthand for 'I love you and you make my life so wonderful and I'm so grateful to be with you.' Most recently, she had flopped back on the bed, boneless and breathless from her third orgasm and said, "You're a godsend, Ted Lasso," through a hoarse voice and pounding heart.
The watch was beautiful, and Ted loved it. He never would want a Rolex—nor would he have ever been able to afford one for himself—but Rebecca seemed to think that the most extravagant things were the obvious choice. She bought a business class airplane ticket just to get through security and see him at the gate in the airport. She bought hiking boots from Gucci when they went on a trip to Snowdonia last summer. She was just like that, and since she had more money than god, Ted didn't bother trying to tell her any different.
"Your turn, Rebecca," Henry said.
Rebecca opened the gift Henry had picked out for her, which was a very pretty matching set of pink scarf, hat, and mittens. Then Henry got to open the high-end cleats that Ted had gotten from the same company that made them for the team. Henry had his own personalized football boots. Michelle had warned him it was a bad idea because he'd just grow out of them in six months, but Ted didn't care. Henry was excited and that's all that mattered.
They finished opening presents soon enough. Henry also got some books and yet another Richmond jersey. Ted got a set of his own personalized darts and a new visor to wear while coaching. Rebecca got a card from Ted promising breakfast in bed of biscuits and Irish coffee for Boxing Day. She also got a digital photo frame from Ted's mother so that the two of them would be able to send pictures to each other and not be so small on the damn phone, as Dottie had complained. After Rebecca spent nearly three weeks in Kansas with Ted, she and Dottie had become quite close. They texted memes to each other. And now they could do it through a photo frame.
Henry was tasked with picking up all of the discarded wrapping paper while Ted finished doing the dishes in the kitchen. Rebecca went to grab her list from the charity she worked with to deliver the toys she'd purchased last week to the underprivileged children. On her way to her desk, she stopped beside Ted at the sink.
"By the way, I've got another present for you tonight after we drop off Henry. But I didn't think lingerie was appropriate in front of a child," she said in a low voice into his ear.
Ted shivered in anticipation. His mind started spinning with the possibilities. Rebecca certainly wore the heck out of lace and straps and satin bows and all that stuff. Somehow made her even more beautiful.
And just to hint at things to come, Rebecca took Ted's earlobe between her teeth for a little nibble before pulling away.
Poor Ted's knees nearly gave way at that. He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to get ahold of himself. "Well, I'll certainly look forward to that. And I've got something else for you later, too. When we're alone."
Rebecca wasn't sure what that could be. She looked at him curiously, but obviously Ted's lips were sealed on that. She left him to help Henry get ready to go.
About ten minutes later, Rebecca had her pink mittens and scarf on along with her green coat and green elf hat. "Ted, we're waiting!" she shouted.
"Hold your horses, honey bun," he called back, grabbing his Santa hat and putting a sprig of mistletoe in his pocket.
Rebecca rushed the boys out to the car, locking the house behind her. The presents were already in the boot and she had the lists in her pocket. "Right, everyone in. I'm driving." Ted, bless him, still hadn't quite gotten the hang of driving on the proper side of the road. They kept talking about him getting lessons, but they never seemed to get around to it.
She turned to find Ted standing startlingly close to her with his arm in the air.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
He jerked his head up to what he was holding above them. "Mistletoe," he explained simply.
Rebecca couldn't help but smile. He was far too adorable, this man. She gave him a small peck on the lips.
"Oh come on now, that's not a real kiss," he complained.
"Ted, Henry's right there," she hissed.
"I don't mind," Henry yelled from the open car door. "Just don't get gross."
Well, she could hardly argue with that. She leaned in and gave Ted a proper kiss, moving her lips over his for just a moment and not letting them get carried away. Or too gross.
At last, they all managed to get in the car. Rebecca punched the first address into her GPS and then turned on the Christmas music playlist. They all sang along to their heart's delight as they travelled to the East End. Traffic was always odd at Christmastime, but with the joyful singing with Ted and Henry, the time passed by without worry.
They eventually arrived at the first house. Rebecca cut the engine and turned around in her seat to talk to Henry. "Santa got a bit mixed up with a few things and asked us to deliver presents to Rashidi, who lives here."
Henry looked at her skeptically. "Santa?"
"He's got a lot to do in one night. He's not perfect. So he's got helpers all around the world. And I'm one of the volunteers for London. We've got a bag for him and three others that didn't get delivered last night. So what your dad and I do is deliver the gifts and apologize for the delay and wish everyone a merry Christmas."
"You bought the presents, didn't you?" Henry asked astutely.
"Henry, you've got to get your ears cleaned. I just told you that they're from Santa Claus, and we're just delivering them," Rebecca insisted.
Still dubious, Henry glanced over to his father. Ted gave a subtle nod to confirm Henry's speculation. Rebecca turned away to hide her smile.
Rashidi was delighted by his gifts, and his father was very grateful when Rebecca handed him the letter to Santa which had been collected by the charity.
Next, they went on to deliver gifts to Jamila. There hadn't been much on her list, just a Barbie doll and a new pink coat. Rebecca picked out the nicest ones she could find. And for good measure, she got a few outfits and accessories for Barbie as well as a pair of gloves to match the coat. Jamila squealed so loud, Rebecca was worried she'd have hearing damage.
"Where to next, Boss?" Ted asked when Jamila's auntie closed the door.
"Hang on just a moment," Rebecca said, searching her pockets. "Ah, here we are." She lifted a small green sprig up over her head. "Pucker up, Lasso."
Ted saw that Rebecca had brought mistletoe with her. Just as he had done. They had the same idea. Oh lord in heaven how he loved this woman! He leaned in to give her as much of a kiss as they could manage before Henry interrupted.
"Again?"
"This time it was Rebecca, not me," Ted defended.
Henry scoffed, "See, this is why you guys are perfect together. You're both silly gooses!"
Ted and Rebecca turned to each other with feigned seriousness. "Are we silly gooses, Rebecca?"
"I believe we are, Ted. Indubitably," Rebecca responded with a nod of satisfaction.
With a grin, Ted gave her another swift kiss.
The last two stops were for a boy called Howard and a lovely little girl called Sarah. Rebecca had enjoyed getting what was on their lists. A football—which Rebecca ensured was emblazoned with the Richmond logo—and a few board games for Howard. A children's chemistry set, an assortment of hair scrunchies, and a collection of C.S. Lewis novels for Sarah. Ted and Henry both helped with the delightful Santa's helper patter on those two. And outside each house, as soon as the door closed, Ted and Rebecca raced each other to their pockets.
"I got it!" Ted exclaimed, holding the mistletoe up before Rebecca could manage to fish hers out. She gave a groan of disappointment, not liking to lose. But Ted grinned with triumph as she came to kiss him.
When they got back home later, it was Rebecca who beat Ted to the punch. She tossed her keys to Henry to let himself inside. Ted pulled Rebecca into his arms and dipped her low and kissed her long and deep. The slide of her tongue against his for the first time all day gave a bit of extra Christmas magic. He pulled back just slightly to speak against her lips, "Merry Christmas, babydoll."
Rebecca shivered at his words. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the chilly December air. In Ted's arms, she was feeling quite toasty. To say the least. But that would all be for later. They still had Christmas dinner with the team at the Higgins house, which she was quite looking forward to.
Ted and Henry set up the Switch on the TV while Rebecca went upstairs to change her clothes. She was in jeans and a sweater and trainers for the Christmas deliveries, but she wanted to dress up a bit for the party. Nothing too glamorous but just enough to be festive. And show off a bit, if she was honest.
She'd been up there for longer than Ted expected. He glanced at his new watch on his wrist. The Higginses had an open-door policy on Christmas, but Ted also knew that Rebecca liked to arrive right on time to everything. They were cutting it a little close.
"Hey bud, let's get ready to head out. Could you put all this away? I'mma go check on Rebecca," Ted said.
Henry dutifully cleaned up around him, putting his video games away, and went to get his coat. Ted headed upstairs. The bedroom door was closed, so he knocked politely before opening it.
"You almost ready, darlin'?" he called.
"Yes, could you just help me with this bracelet?" she asked in return, coming out of the bathroom with the jewelry in her hand.
"Holy shit," Ted swore, his jaw dropping.
Rebecca stopped in her tracks, posing for him to show off the dress. It was a deep Christmassy red velvet, long sleeved but off the shoulder and the hem reaching just above her knees. She wore stockings due to the cold and had a pair of simple black pumps on her feet, making her long, shapely legs look even better than usual.
Ted just stared at the way that velvet clung to her every gorgeous curve. His mouth went dry.
"Do you think it's too much?" Rebecca asked. "I know it's supposed to be casual but…"
"No, it's…wow," Ted said. He swallowed hard and forced his eyes back up to her face. She was towering over him in those heels, and he did find that kinda hot. "No, you look amazing. You sure this isn't my private present?"
A devilish grin spread over her shapely lips. "Don't you worry, darling, I've got something even better planned for later."
"Me too," he replied without even thinking.
"Oh?" Rebecca pressed.
Ted was starting to get ahold of himself now that the initial shock of seeing her like that was wearing off. "You'll see," he teased. His attention went back down to her shoes. "You sure you can walk in those?"
"Who's walking? Karl is taking us in the Rolls. We have to take Henry home after, and I don't want to have to worry about how much I drink. It's Christmas, and we're going to a party," she insisted.
Well, that sounded perfectly good to Ted. He went down to the kitchen to get the cookies he'd baked to bring to the party. Outside, Karl was already waiting.
Karl was Rebecca's trusty driver, and Ted was getting to like him quite a bit. He was a good guy. Kept to himself. But he was opening up when Ted pushed a little. Karl had known Rebecca when she was the newly divorced ice queen and had seen the transformation back into the woman she had always been inside. And Karl was polite and professional and discreet and pleasant no matter what got thrown at him. Today he was foregoing his own Christmas in order to take them to and from the Higgins house. Ted worried about that, but Karl set his mind at ease.
"Ms. Welton asked about my holiday plans before engaging my services this evening," Karl explained. "My family are abroad and I had no other plans. I exchanged gifts this morning with some friends. But thank you for asking, Mr. Lasso."
"Karl, I keep tellin' you to call me Ted."
"Of course, Mr. Lasso."
Ted just shook his head and gave Karl a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Right, we're off!" Rebecca announced, ushering Henry out the door and locking it behind them.
The whole way in the car, Henry jabbered excitedly about his wonderful Christmas presents and how excited he was to see his school friends on Boxing Day to tell them all about it. Ted engaged with him for the most part. Rebecca was busy texting Keeley.
I'm going to have to get roaring drunk to put on that outfit.
Babessssssssss you're gonna look so fucking hot, he's going to pass out at the very sight of you! Keeley also added about seventeen emojis of fire, water droplets, eggplants, and hearts of various colors to that message.
Rebecca chuckled to herself and replied, He better not. I'm going to need help getting the damn thing off.
Before Keeley could respond, Karl pulled the car up outside the Higgins house and Rebecca, Ted, and Henry all piled out. Richard and his date—a magnificent dark-skinned supermodel even taller than Rebecca—arrived at about the same time. Right behind them were Dani Rojas and his girlfriend, Rachel. She had been at a few of the matches this season, so Rebecca knew her well.
"Hi, Coach! Hi, Rebecca! That dress is amazing!" Rachel said in awe.
"Thank you so much," Rebecca replied. "And darling, you look beautiful." She bent down to give the much shorter woman a hug.
Rachel put her head down in embarrassment, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders. She wore a black cropped sweater and a long red skirt with a slit up the side to show off her pale skin and the watercolor tattoo on her thigh. Dani came to put his arm around her waist proudly. "She is always beautiful. Muy bonita!" He kissed her cheek, which was rapidly turning red.
"Come on, you lot. It's Christmas!" Rebecca said, ushering them in.
The front door opened and Terry and Dana, Leslie's two youngest boys, excitedly pulled Henry into their little gang. Apparently the boys were playing with their new video games but Zoreaux was winning. They needed Henry as reinforcements.
The house was full of life and laughter. Practically the whole team had come. Jan Maas was already arguing with Jamie Tartt about something in the corner. Keeley was flitting around. Roy was growling in the corner, resting his bad knee. His niece, Phoebe, was deep in discussion with Sam Obisanaya while the two middle Higgins boys, Kris and Lindsay, had flocked to Richard's date, trying to impress the beautiful woman as boys of fourteen and fifteen are wont to do.
Rebecca and Ted eventually made their way to the kitchen where Julie and Leslie Higgins were managing the chaos of food and drink.
"Hey there, Higginses!" Ted greeted. "Brought y'all some of my festive Kansas cookies as a contribution to the evening."
"And I've brought Ted as my contribution," Rebecca added. Everyone gave a small laugh at that. "Julie, is there anything I can help with?"
"Oh no, Rebecca, you just enjoy yourself. We've got it all under control here. Or something awfully close to it. But I do have one request," Julie said.
Rebecca raised her brow in interest. "Which is?"
"Would you sing for us later? Something Christmassy? And Leslie can play his bass with you?" Julie grimaced slightly, almost embarrassed to even ask.
Leslie quickly interjected, "No, that's not necessary."
"Don't be silly, Leslie," Rebecca snapped. "I would love nothing more than to sing with you. With everyone. We'll have a few drinks and all have a sing song."
"Oh good!" Julie exclaimed. "And here's your first drink. We've just opened the fabulous French wine that Richard brought."
The next few hours were a blur. French wine, Mexican tequila, Jamaican rum, English gin. Food from every corner of the world. Ted was pretty sure he ate about four different kinds of animal flesh, including goat. But everything was delicious. Everyone was happy. He sat on the sofa, away from everyone else, and just watched for a little while. This had become a tradition for all these wonderful people. These players had all come to Richmond to join a Premier League team in the hopes that they could end up somewhere like Chelsea or Manchester United or Arsenal. But Richmond had become a top-notch football club. And they had all become a family. Ted knew he wasn't much of a genius at the football part of it. He had Beard and Nate and Roy for that. But the family part of it, that was his sweet spot. It had always been his greatest desire to help people be the best they could be. And not just at their sport—that was really just a great metaphor as far as Ted was concerned—but as actual people out in their lives. It didn't matter if they won or lost a game. When they were together and caring for each other and putting a little kindness and optimism out into the world, they were all winning. Ted truly believed that. And he'd helped impart that philosophy onto every single person in this room. It was a pretty nice feeling.
"Dad, are you okay?" Henry asked, coming over to sit by his father.
Ted put his arm around his son's shoulders. "I'm really good. I appreciate you comin' to check on me."
"I like hanging out with the team. They're cool."
"Yeah, they're a good bunch."
"Where's Beard?" Henry asked.
"He and Jane are doing another one of their pagan things, I think. Trent Crimm might've gone with them, actually," Ted answered.
"Are they all gonna be back for the game?"
The next match was set for December 27, so they could all ease back into training tomorrow after the hangovers, and then prep to face off against Tottenham. "They'll all be back. And since you're on break, you can come to training with me tomorrow if you want."
Henry beamed. "Yeah!"
"We'll have to check with your mom to make sure we aren't gettin' in the way of her plans, but if she says it's okay, I'll swing by to get you on my way," Ted offered.
They were interrupted by Keeley flopping down on the couch on Ted's other side. "What are you two boys gossiping about?" she asked.
"Just planning out the week, Keels. How you doin'?" Ted replied.
"I am drunk in front of the children and feeling fucking fantastic. And I'm here to ask you, Coach Lasso, to go get that gorgeous girl of yours to sing for us all. I'm in the mood to cuddle up and let the magic of Rebecca Welton wash over me."
Ted couldn't help but think about how lucky he was to get to cuddle up and let the magic of Rebecca Welton wash over him every single day. "I'll go see if we can convince her. Henry, you good, bud?"
"I'm good, Dad," Henry assured him. He sat closer to Keeley as Ted got up to find Rebecca.
He found her playing a drinking game with Sam, Bumbercatch, and Isaac. Ted didn't like the way his insides clenched whenever he saw Sam near Rebecca. He wasn't jealous or insecure, per se, but knowing that they'd been…and she'd…and he'd…well, he just didn't like it.
Something happened in the game to cause Rebecca to swear loudly, laugh uproariously, and take a shot of some kind of clear alcohol. She noticed Ted and practically skipped over to him with the empty shot glass still in her hand. "Hello, you!" She put an arm around his neck and kissed him soundly.
Ted brightened at that. Not just because he liked kissing her but because he knew she was comfortable here. Comfortable with him in front of everyone. She never would've done that with Sam.
"Hey, Becca, I think the people would like a little Christmas concert, if you're game," Ted suggested.
"Oh yes, absolutely. Let's find Leslie and his bass. I believe one of his boys plays piano. I think Winter Wonderland is a fun one to start out on, don't you think?"
She was talking a mile a minute. Ted could tell she was a little drunk, but not too bad. She was just having fun. He loved to see it.
Rebecca was a little wobbly on her heels and slightly regretting wearing this dress. She felt like the skirt rode up higher and higher as her level of steadiness got lower and lower. But she managed to get herself a glass of water from the kitchen to loosen up her vocal cords while Leslie set up his bass and Kris got himself settled at the piano.
"Alright, everyone has to sing along. Get up and dance. Enjoy yourselves. I'm certainly not giving a concert here. We're all going to have fun," Rebecca told the crowd who had all gathered in the living room to watch her. She turned to Leslie. "Ready?"
And with that, Leslie started the bassline beat and Kris started plucking out the introduction on the piano. And Rebecca began to sing.
It didn't take long before everyone was having fun, just as Rebecca had instructed. They were all dancing and singing along. Ted watched with pride and joy. Seeing Rebecca sing touched him deep in his heart. A part of him always associated it with the first time she'd sung at karaoke in Liverpool, when he'd had his first panic attack in England and she had abandoned her performance to check on him. Dang, he should've known then that he was going to fall in love with her. She did a pretty good job of hiding it, but Rebecca had a big heart and kindness enough to spare. Now, though, he got to hear her sing all the time. He got to see how happy it made her, how much she loved it. And she really did have an incredible voice.
"Later on, we'll conspire as we dream by the fire…" she sang. Ted liked that line of the song. Put him in mind of what he had planned for later tonight when they got home.
Somewhere in the midst of Ted's swirling thoughts, the song ended and Rebecca shouted across the room.
"Oi! Someone get Coach Lasso up here!"
Ted knew better than to be asked twice. He hopped up and made his way through the crowd toward her. "What can I do ya for, Boss?" he asked.
She grinned adoringly. "Sing with me," she requested.
"What should we sing?"
"Care to do the backup for The Drifters?"
Ted knew exactly what she meant. He nodded to the Higgins men at their instruments and started playfully singing in his passable baritone. "Ba-da-da-dum doo doo, doo doo doo, ba-da-da-dum, doo doo, doo doo doo…"
"I'm dreaming of a white Christmas," came Rebecca on the lead.
With a wave of his hand, Ted got Jamie and Isaac to join him for the backup so that he could jump in on the verse with Rebecca. They managed a pretty great harmony on, "May your days, may your days, may your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white." When they finished holding the final note, Ted snuck in a little kiss to her lips, making her laugh.
Rebecca then asked Henry what his favorite Christmas song was. He said Jingle Bells, and that caused the party to devolve into everyone scream-shout-singing all together. Any sense of musicality had been lost, and there was more laughter than actual melody at that point.
The party started to break up after that. Ted reminded the players that they had training the next day, and the kids were starting to fade. Roy was already carrying Phoebe in his arms, and Terry Higgins had practically passed out on the floor beside the sofa. Even Henry was shuffling his feet a little as Rebecca helped him with his coat by the door.
Thankfully, Karl was there to take them first to Michelle's to drop off Henry and then back home for Rebecca and Ted.
"Did you have a nice Christmas, Henry?" Rebecca asked him as he rested his head on her shoulder in the back of the car.
"Yeah," he answered. "It was great. Thanks for all my presents and for a super fun day."
She smiled. It wasn't often that she managed to be the bringer of fun. It was nice to have Henry as the opportunity for that.
"Did you have a nice Christmas, Rebecca?" Henry asked in return.
"I had a wonderful Christmas. All the better for having spent it with you," she replied.
She glanced over Henry's head to see Ted smiling at her. That beautiful, perfect smile she adored so very much. Rebecca could hardly believe how much she had grown to love him, actually. That smile was a good reminder.
When they arrived at Michelle's, she came out to greet them and ask Henry about his day. He seemed to get his second wind and started excitedly telling her about his presents and going to deliver things for Santa and then the Higgins party. Ted had gathered Henry's gifts in a bag to keep in the trunk of the car, so he passed that on to Michelle to take inside.
"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow, bud," Ted interrupted to say goodbye to his son.
Henry stopped mid-sentence and turned to give his father a hug before going to do the same with Rebecca. They all said their final farewells for the evening, and Michelle took Henry inside.
Ted took both of Rebecca's hands in his and faced her. "Where to, 'Becca Poppins?" he asked in his best faux cockney accent.
She chuckled. "Take me home, Jeeves."
They walked back to the car, arms around each other's waists. Karl was quick to get them back to their own front door. They thanked him and got out of the car.
"Go change into something comfortable and light the tree and a fire," Rebecca instructed as she fished her keys out of her purse. "I want to get cleaned up and change into something a little special for you."
Ted felt a little shiver run through him in anticipation. He had almost forgotten that Rebecca had promised lingerie. His mind spun out just imagining it. But he couldn't get too carried away. Not just yet. He still had his special present for her.
The two went in separate directions when they got into the house. Rebecca went straight upstairs to change, and Ted went to start the fire.
Even going quickly, Rebecca was annoyed at how long it took for her to clean off all her makeup and brush her hair and get out of her clothes. In another life, she would have redone her makeup and meticulously curled and pinned her hair if she was going to show off lingerie. Wasn't that the fantasy? A flawless Playboy bunny of a woman, all perfectly put together? Thankfully, that didn't feel necessary with Ted. Maybe on a special occasion just for fun, but even then, she didn't feel nervous and pressured like she used to with Rupert and other men in her past. The way Ted worshipped her body didn't change if she wore expensive lingerie or a tatty sports bra and some old sweatpants.
Ted had set up the living room just as Rebecca requested and even had time to change into a t-shirt and sweats of his own before Rebecca was ready. She'd yelled at him from the bathroom to go get comfortable downstairs and she'd meet him in a moment.
He went to check on his surprise and then paced nervously. He really hoped she'd like what he had planned.
Upstairs, Rebecca ran the brush through her hair one last time. Ted tended to like to bury his hands in it, and it was inconvenient and often painful if there were tangles. And at last she was ready. She tied her silk robe around herself just for the walk through the cold house before she was able to warm up with Ted by the fire.
"Ted? Are you ready?" she called from the hallway.
"Yeah. But uh…do you have a robe or somethin'?" he asked.
"Yes, why?"
"Because I wanna talk to you before we get carried away."
Rebecca wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. She tied the robe a little tighter and cautiously entered the living room. She found Ted standing by the tree and admiring all of the lights and garland.
He turned to look at her, another of his magical smiles appearing on his face when he saw her. "Come here," he requested, reaching his hand out to her.
She took it and let him pull her into his arms. Her back was to his chest, and they both faced the crackling fire.
"Beautiful," he murmured, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.
The scratch of his mustache on her skin never failed to make her smile. "It's been a beautiful day," she said.
"It has," Ted agreed. "Beautiful presents and beautiful friends and family and all these beautiful decorations."
They both turned slightly to admire the tree. "It really does look wonderful this year." She gazed at each ornament tucked in with the lights and tinsel.
All of a sudden, something caught Rebecca's eye.
"Hang on, what's that?" she asked. She extricated herself from Ted's grasp to investigate. There was something in the tree branches that created a strange shadow in the multicolored lights.
"I don't know, what is it?" Ted replied with feigned confusion.
Rebecca reached her hand in and grabbed hold of a small, wrapped box. "What is this?"
Ted was struggling to hide his nervous excitement. "Why don't you open it and find out?" he suggested.
She eyed him suspiciously. "Is this the other gift you said would be coming?"
He just shrugged and encouraged her to open it.
Rebecca ripped off the paper and revealed the box.
"I wanted to get you somethin' special. Somethin' to…um…" Ted had planned all of this out but somehow, in the moment, it didn't feel right. His well-rehearsed speech wasn't right. He had to wing it instead. "Rebecca, I love you," he told her sincerely. Not an ounce of humor in that one important sentence.
"I love you, too, Ted," Rebecca answered.
"I've loved you a long time. Longer than I knew. Getting to watch you grow and change and reclaim your own strength was a privilege to watch. And getting to love you through it all, from when you were just the boss until now and every day for the rest of my life," he said.
Rebecca smiled. "And I will always love you for not only who you are—which is a miracle—but for what you've done to me. To all of us. But especially to me."
Ted chuckled, slightly nervous. "What've I done to you?" He wanted to find a joke to make but his brain felt paralyzed.
She explained, "You made me better. Well, no, you didn't make me into anything," she amended. "I made myself better. But you inspired it. The change in me. And don't even try to deny it, we both know it's true. It's who you are. You pushed me and everyone around us to believe in better things. To strive to be better. So I guess that's what it comes down to," she concluded in sudden realization. "I am my best self because of you."
"Means a lot to me for you to say that," Ted said humbly. "Why don't you open that little box now?"
Rebecca did as he suggested, pulling open the hinged black box. Inside was a beautiful diamond ring. Decently sized oval diamond in the center with a lovely cascade of smaller stones along the sides. Rebecca gasped when she saw it.
She looked up to see that Ted was no longer there. He was down on one knee. "Rebecca Welton, will you marry me?"
Tears welled up in her eyes at the overwhelming emotion of the moment. A thousand thoughts flew into her head at once. She'd once vowed to never marry again. She used to think marriage wasn't for her, that she was better off independent. She thought that being with just one person for the rest of her life was a childish expectation. She had never asked for this.
But that was all just hypothetical postulating on her part. That wasn't in line with reality. And reality was here and now. Ted Lasso. Ted Lasso, who she had brought to Richmond to be a tool in her fantastical plot of revenge. How could she have ever expected for him to turn her world upside down? He had been the catalyst for the change in herself, which she'd told him, but he had also become the single most important person in her life. She loved him dearly in every possible way. This sweet, goofy man with his silly mustache and his extraordinary ordinariness. Kind and funny and naughty and brilliant and wonderful.
Rebecca had never wanted to marry again. But that was before she fell in love with Ted Lasso and they had built this life for themselves.
Ted felt as though a century had passed from when he had proposed to when she grinned so big that her face might've burst. She bent down to where he was kneeling and said, "Yes, Ted Lasso, I will marry you." With the ring box still in one hand, she grabbed his cheeks and pulled his face to hers in an incredible kiss.
Oh yes, this was the other part of it, Rebecca recalled as she kissed him. When Ted kissed her and touched her and even just looked at her sometimes, Rebecca felt like she'd been struck by fucking lightning. This was everything she had always dreamed of and never believed could be real. But Ted Lasso was real. And she was going to marry him.
They broke apart, both laughing and crying in equal measure, and Ted took the ring out to slide onto her finger. "It's beautiful, Ted," she said, admiring the diamond on her finger.
"I'm glad you like it. Had a heck of a time tryin' to pick it out."
"Who helped you?"
"No one, actually. I wanted to ask Keeley or Sassy but that didn't feel right. And same with the guys, I didn't think Beard or Higgins would be able to…well, to be honest, I didn't think anyone would be able to keep the surprise a secret," Ted confessed.
"I can't believe you kept it a surprise! I had no idea you were even thinking about this."
Ted frowned at that. "You didn't think I'd wanna marry you?"
"Well, we've talked about being together, plans for our future and all of that, but I wasn't sure if marriage was really on the table. I certainly never wanted to get married again," Rebecca said.
He deflated at that. "Oh. You don't have to…"
"No," she interjected. "Marriage as an abstract concept is one thing. Marrying you is quite another. And if you ever try to take this ring off my finger, I'll use it to scratch your fucking eyes out, alright?"
Ted chuckled, "Yes, ma'am."
"Anyway, all that to say that this was more of a surprise than I could have ever imagined and I am so happy, I might just float up to the ceiling."
Ted put his arms around her waist and said, "Maybe I outta hold onto you."
Rebecca grinned. "You'd better. But actually, I want you to go have a seat by the fire over there so I can give you your present. Although I hardly know how to act seductive when my heart is pounding and I can't stop smiling."
"We can do that another time," he said, wanting to make sure she was comfortable. Besides, it had been a long day, and maybe attempting ambitious sex wasn't the best idea.
But Rebecca would have none of that. "We will do this another time, I'm sure. But I'm dressed and it's Christmas and now I really want to fuck you. You're my fiancé now, so I think that's my right. Legally speaking."
"Oh well if it's a legal issue, please proceed."
She giggled and playfully pushed him off her. "Go sit down."
Ted nodded and schooled his face to be jokingly serious. "Whatever you say, Boss."
Rebecca waited for him to get situated in the chair. She turned away from him and fluffed up her hair a bit and shifted her posture and sucked in her stomach a little. It really had been a long day and she had consumed more food and alcohol than was really advisable for this outfit. But she wasn't actually nervous. Not with this ring on her finger now, especially.
She turned and untied the robe, holding it closed. Ted watched her in anticipation. His body had already started tingling, knowing very well what was under that silken fabric. He didn't know what she was wearing, but it didn't matter much to him. Rebecca's body was like nothing else in the world. Ted was eager to get to hold her and touch her.
Slowly, Rebecca opened the robe and let it drop to the floor. "Happy Christmas, Ted."
Ted's eyes practically bugged out of his head. The term 'lingerie' hardly covered what this was. She wore a deep green velvet matching set with red satin bows on each side of her hips and one in between her breasts. All her assets were masterfully highlighted from her perfect hourglass figure to the full plumpness of those breasts. And those legs in those red high heels. Ted hadn't even noticed she was wearing them before now. He was used to her being taller than him. Barefoot, he had about an inch on her. But she liked her high heels and he loved her in them, too. "Wow," Ted croaked, trying to take in the whole image.
"I'm not used to you being speechless," she teased. "You like?"
"I like you in anything, but holy heck, Rebecca. This is…damn, darlin'!"
He couldn't even string a whole sentence together, which made Rebecca feel like she'd succeeded. At first, she'd been furious at Keeley for even the idea of a sexy elf. But Rebecca had pared down the costume and made it her own. "Thank you," she said simply. She had it in her mind to tell him how beautiful and desired he always made her feel, but after the emotional outburst from his proposal, Rebecca rather felt they'd had enough sentiment for one evening. She'd told him how she loved him. It was time now to show him.
Rebecca took a few steps forward and stood just in front of his parted legs. Ted's hands shook slightly as raised them to slide up the silky softness of her thighs and over the warm brush of velvet covering her hips, up the curve of her waist, and stopping at the velvet cups of her bra. She let out a shuddering breath at his touch.
"So beautiful," he murmured, gently squeezing her breasts through the bra before letting go and grabbing great handfuls of her great ass. The texture under his hands was intoxicating. It was different and nice. He pulled her closer and pressed kisses to her bare stomach. She'd told him once, when he'd been admiring her in bed, that Rupert had wanted her to get liposuction when she turned thirty-five, so if she didn't watch her weight, she gained it in odd places thanks to the uneven distribution of fat cells. But Ted didn't care about that. He was sorry about that and so many other things he knew about her marriage to Rupert Mannion, but Ted adored every single part of Rebecca.
She whimpered at the gentle brush of his lips. She ran her fingers through his thick, dark hair. She adored this attention he paid her and indulged herself for a moment. It seemed impossible, really, that after two years together, she had not tired of his affections one bit. He was exuberant and devoted, and Rebecca recalled Sassy complaining about such things during their causal hookups all those years ago. But Rebecca found no end to her delight in this man who seemed to have no end to his adoration of her. It seemed that whatever either of them did, the other was enthralled. All the more reason Rebecca was proud to accept his proposal.
But that was quite enough of that. After all, this was Ted's Christmas present, and she intended to lavish him with pleasure. She pulled his face away from her, letting him tilt his head up to look at her. She smiled to see the love shining in his eyes. Rebecca then reached down to tug on the bottom of his shirt. Ted unhanded her for a moment so she could pull it off him. She tossed the garment aside and ran her hands down his chest, getting down on her knees when her fingers reached his trousers. He watched with a smile as she undressed him.
Rebecca could practically feel a silly, teasing joke bubbling up inside him, but she didn't let him get a word in edgewise when she took his erection in hand and stroked him firmly. All he could do was groan deeply. She nearly laughed, delighted by his reaction to her as always.
"Merry Christmas, darling," she said before her mouth was full with him.
Ted could not believe his luck. Rebecca really wasn't shy about giving him blowjobs, but it always felt special, somehow. Having her kneeling down in naughty elf lingerie in front of the fire on Christmas night and sucking him off was probably the most unexpected but incredible present he had ever received. "Oh fuck, I love you," he swore. It wasn't something he did often, but Rebecca's speech patterns sometimes rubbed off. And he knew how much she delighted in getting him to lose control sometimes. He tangled one hand in her soft hair and guided her hot, wet mouth. It didn't take him long to get close, uncontrollably thrusting up at her, so he pulled her off him. "Too much," he panted when she looked up at him questioningly. "I wanna…" He trailed off, not really quite sure exactly what he wanted.
He sat back in the chair, still trying to catch his breath. While he did, Rebecca made her way leisurely up his legs. She massaged his feet for a moment before sliding her hands up his calves and muscled thighs. "I cannot believe I'm so lucky," she murmured, kissing his soft belly and up the plane of his chest, dusted with hair.
"Pretty sure I'm the lucky one here, darlin'."
Rebecca just shrugged. Now was not the time for her to explain herself. Instead, she just slipped off her shoes and climbed on top of him and kissed him with everything she had. His cock was damp from her mouth and pressed into her thigh, and his nimble hands were practically glued to her velvet-covered bum as he rubbed her against himself.
Ted wanted more. Needed more. He pulled back from her kiss to explore her a little. She was perched in his lap in the armchair, so there wasn't too much they could do without moving over to the couch. But Ted liked it here, just like this. His eyes roved over as much of her body as he could see when she was pressed up to him. There was a faint outline of her nipples pressed up under the velvet bra. He couldn't resist nipping at them through the fabric. She gasped and arched against him. One hand wandered down between her legs and traced her through the velvet there, feeling the way she was already soaking them through. How lucky was she? No, he was the damned lucky one.
He used his free hand to pull at the red satin ribbon on her chest. The bow slid apart, opening the bra from the front. Rebecca maneuvered so it fell from her shoulders and landed on the floor. Ted did the same thing to either side of the bottoms so she was entirely naked on top of him. He continued to tease her with her fingers and took his time with his mouth on her bare breasts.
Rebecca was getting impatient. He was building her up and up and she needed more. She shifted her body so her knees slipped down on either side of him in the chair. She took his hand away and licked his fingers clean, enjoying the slack-jawed way he watched her. His dark eyes shone black with arousal, and there was a glint there of naughtiness that she was eager to see.
Their eyes locked as Rebecca braced herself against his chest with one hand and took his cock in the other to line him up to her entrance. Slowly, she sank down on top of him. The last inch or so, his hips snapped, making him thrust hard and fast and deep without much warning. Rebecca keened high and loud as he suddenly filled her completely.
She adjusted for a moment, savoring the delicious feel of him. But she had to move.
Ted pulled her close for a hot, messy kiss, and Rebecca began to move her hips. The movements were small but powerful. Ted groaned into her mouth at the incredible sensations.
Rebecca started to move faster. They had to break their kiss so she could catch her breath. Ted's fingers dug into the flesh of her hips. "Oh god, yes Ted!" she moaned, getting closer and closer to release. She clung to him desperately as she came, hands scrabbling to find purchase on his shoulders.
Feeling the clench of her walls around him was more than he could take, and Ted spilled himself inside her. She collapsed against him, and he gathered her in his arms to hold her tight as they caught their breath.
"Merry fuckin' Christmas," Ted said through hoarse voice.
Rebecca laughed breathlessly. "Indeed. And I do really love my ring."
"Did my proposal mess things up or was this always the plan?" he asked curiously.
"Your proposal was beautiful and didn't mess anything up. But yes, this was always the plan. Perhaps a bit more seduction, but I couldn't help myself."
"You don't need to do much to seduce me, darlin'," Ted told her. "I love the lingerie and the…"
"Blowjob?"
"Yeah. I love all of that. I love you. But you don't gotta do all that for me."
"But I want to. I like pleasing you. And it does help that you are so easy to please."
"Well, I like pleasin' you, too. I know we gotta get up in a minute and get cleaned up for bed, but I'm kinda feelin' like there might be a round two in our near future." All worries of being too tired for ambitious sex flew out of Ted's mind.
Rebecca certainly liked the sound of that. "And what might that entail?"
"Just off the top of my head, I was thinkin' I might like to get you in that big bathtub and touch every part of you under the water and feel you come on my hand. Then get you laid out on the bed so I can go down on you till you scream and then maybe I can take you from behind so I can get a nice view of that pretty behind of yours and hold onto those gorgeous hips some more. But then after that we really should get some sleep."
His description wasn't too explicit, but Ted speaking even a bit dirty with her never failed to get her going. Her body tingled with renewed desire. "Stop talking and do it or I'll have to shag you again right here and we'll never make it upstairs," she warned.
"Hey, you're the one who's on top of me," he pointed out.
Rebecca clambered off of him, suddenly cold and bereft of him, and pulled him up from the chair. Ted turned off the gas in the fireplace before they made their way upstairs. Her robe and his clothes could stay on the floor for now. They'd deal with it on Boxing Day.
For now, there was about an hour left of Christmas, and the newly engaged couple intended on making merry for all of it.
THE END