“Why not?”
“I’m going to ask Quint if he’d be willing to move down there.”
I frown at that. “Why make Quint when I’d be happy to.”
“If you take my old room, and I move into Quint’s, it will put you in between my room and Slate’s. It’s the safest option.”
“Oh. That makes sense; I just hate putting everybody out.”
“You’re not.”
Chapter 16
Riley
I wipe the sweat from my forehead with the bottom of my shirt and open the front door. “That was a good one,” I tell Reid as he follows me inside. “One of these days I'm going to beat you,” I tell him with a grin.
He tugs gently on my hair. “Keep dreaming.”
“No, seriously. I’m going to.”
He turns to face me, walking backwards. “I have no doubt you probably will.” His grin widens. “When I’m old.” He turns around and books it towards the kitchen.
I gasp in outrage and chase after him, opening my water bottle as I do. I’m just about to throw my water at him, but he sees it coming and grabs my arm and twists so now the water bottle is above my own head. I glare up at him. “Do it and watch what happens. Don’t forget; I know where you sleep at night.” His grin only widens.
It’s at that exact moment that I realize we aren’t alone, which is odd because we’re usually the only ones up at this time in the morning. Well, sometimes Slate is out and about, but we don’t often see him. Every morning, for the past two weeks, Reid and I have gone for a run together in the morning. After that, we head to the weight room in the basement. I asked him to help me use my last two weeks before practice to train. He's taken his task seriously. I’m pretty fit and in shape, but I thought I was going to die after the first day with him. But I can feel myself getting stronger, and I feel like maybe I’m ready for my first practice tomorrow.
“You guys are so committed; I applaud you,” Tessa says, taking a sip of her iced coffee. “Slate is the only fit one in this relationship.” Slate smirks and moves, so he’s standing behind her.
“What’s everybody doing here?” I ask, still recovering from my insane workout with my personal trainer from Hell.
“It’s Sunday,” Evie says from the stove. My brother’s bent over, looking in the fridge for something.
“Did you forget about family Sunday?” Zane asks.
I frown. “Is that what we’re calling it now?”
Zane pops back up. “Yep. I just thought of it.”
“Okay. And no, I didn’t forget about it. How could I when you all remind me of it every minute of every day.”
“That’s because you missed the last two,” Quint says, walking past me. I step backward to get out of his way and step right into Reid. He drops a hand to my waist, keeping me from moving away.
I’m all sweaty,I send to him.
Does it look like I care?I feel him step even closer to me, and I relax against him and try to remember the conversation going on around me. “Are you all never going to let me live that down? I had plans last Sunday,” I explain.
“Yeah, you ditched us for other people,” Quint all but whines.
“Okay, first of all, I told you I forgot about Sundays here. Second, Ashley called me last minute to meet up, and I did. And third—”
“Wow. You really are trying to sell this excuse,” Quint says, and I ignore him.
“Third, you had an even number without me; so, I don’t know why you’re making a big deal about it. Besides, I’m here now. What are we playing today?” I ask, rubbing my hands together excitedly. This will be my first official Sunday, and I’m looking forward to it. I’m super competetive by nature, and I can’t waitto play against these guys. I have no grandiose ideas about besting any of them, but I’m excited for the challenge. “Is it basketball?” I ask hopefully.
“Nope,” Zane answers as he comes up behind Evie at the stove. She gives him a bite of whatever it is she’s making. “Mmmm, that’s good.” Reid’s thumb strokes a circle on my side, right under my shirt. I resist the urge to shiver and wonder if he knows it’s affecting me so much that I’m having a hard time concentrating on the conversation. “Football today.”
I take that in. “Okay. What are the teams?”
