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She lets out a soft laugh and pulls her legs to her chest. “What about Reid and Maverick? You never lived with them?”
“Nope. We’ve all had our own places for as long as we’ve known each other.”
“How did you all meet? Is there some app for attractive men to match with each other and become best friends? It’s probably called BroBond, and I bet their slogan is something wild, like,connecting handsome homies. Wait. No. Captivating Comrades,where bros become family.”
I burst out laughing and rub my thumb down the neck of the beer bottle. “Did you just come up with that right now? That’s fucking impressive. If the photography thing doesn’t work out, you might have a career in marketing.”
“For apps where hot guys become friends? Sounds horrible.” She beams and brings her beer to her mouth. “Now tell me how the greatest bromance of all time formed.”
I lean back and drape my arm over the back of the couch. “I met Maverick years ago. We came into our leagues around the same time, and our agents organized this up-and-coming athlete interview with a local magazine. We got to talking, and the rest, as they say, is history.”
“My favorite love story. What about Reid?”
“A former player for the Titans was making fun of Reid’s glasses while he was trying to film our social media content. Dumb middle school shit, you know? I apologized on that guy’s behalf, we got a beer after the game, and now he’s my best friend.”
“Cute. Does that mean they’ve always known June?”
“Yeah. They were here my first night with her, and they’ve been here every night I’ve needed them since. I feel bad for her; when she gets old enough to date, I think Maverick might actually deck anyone who tries to break her heart.” I smile at the thought of my friend pinning someone against a wall. Years of brawling on the ice is going to spill over to protect his goddaughter from some douchebag who doesn’t know how to treat a girl right. “And Reid would hack their computers and find a way to take control of all of their social media accounts.”
“Sounds like she has quite the lineup to keep her safe.”
“She does. Jokes on her, though. I’m never going to let her date.”
“I remember my dad saying the same thing.” Maven smiles at me over the rim of her bottle with wistful eyes. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Dallas, but eventually your girl is going to grow up.”
I freeze, my drink halfway to my mouth.
An ache settles in my chest as I think about fifteen, twenty years down the road. When June is old enough to have a life of her own with a person who loves her.
I guess I always thought it would just be the two of us, sticking together and figuring it out along the way because that’s what we’ve always done, since the day she’s been born.
That’s not how it’s going to be, though.
One day, I’ll be replaced.
I’ll be second, not first, andfuck, I’m already dreading when that happens.
I down the rest of my beer and stand up. “I’m going to need something stronger,” I say through a strained laugh, and a rumble behind my ribs burns through me.
“Shit,” she says, and her fingers wrap around my wrist in a gentle hold. “I’m sorry. This is supposed to be fun. I didn’t mean to make it a depressing talk about the future.”
“You didn’t.” I slip out of her grasp and head for the liquor cabinet situated against the living room wall. I rummage through the alcohol and some scotch. I grab a glass and pour it three quarters full. “These are things I should be thinking about, but I’m not. I guess I’ve been operating under the assumption that if I don’t imagine them, they’d never come true.” I shuffle back to the couch and sit down, taking a long sip. “Want some?”
“I’ve never had scotch before.”
“Here.” I scoot closer and she drops her feet to the floor. Our knees touch, and I offer her the drink. “It goes down easy.”
Maven brings the glass to her nose and smells it. “What does it taste like?”
“It’s woody. Which I know doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, but just trust me.”
She hums and dips her pointer finger in the drink. I watch, fascinated, as she brings the finger to her mouth. She wraps her lips around it and sucks down the tiny sample. Her eyes flutterclosed and she lets out a soft sigh, a little puff of air, that goes straight to my dick.
“That’s good,” she says. “Really good.”
“Told you,” I say, and my voice is hoarse. My vision blurs when her tongue sneaks out and licks her lips dry. “It’s my favorite drink.”
“I can see why.” She passes the glass back to me, a soft smile working its way onto her mouth. “Nice choice, lone star.”
