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“The fuck, Tate?”
“That’s for being an idiot. You’re lucky she’s even giving you the time of day after the shit you pulled. Don’t mess it up by pushing for too much. You won’t win by playing dirty.”
I run my hands over my face. “I’m not sure I’ll win at all.”
“Please. That girl has been crazy about you for as long as I’ve known her. You being a douchebag hasn’t changed that.”
“I really hope not. I need her, Tatum. I’ve never needed anyone but fuck, I need her.”
She smiles knowingly and nods. “I know you do, and you’ll have her – in her own time. I mean really, Parker Hall doesn’t stand a chance if he’s up against you.”
Maverick walks in the door just as I finish thanking Tatum for the pep talk. He finds us both in the living room and smiles when his eyes land on his girlfriend. His hand reaches in his pocket and pulls out her keys, tossing them to her from across the room.
“It’s all good to go.”
She gets up and walks over to give him a kiss. “Thank you, baby.”
“You do know I could’ve changed the oil, right?” I chime in.
Maverick laughs. “Yeah, with all the free time you’ve had lately. I feel like I haven’t seen you in days and we live in the same house.”
Okay so maybe he’s right, but I can’t exactly tell him where all my time has been spent. First, he would slaughter me, and then McKenna would bring me back to life just to kill me all over again. Instead, I just smile and nod.
“Fair enough. Works had me on a pretty tight schedule.”
Tatum snorts but covers it with a cough. I narrow my eyes at her which only makes it harder for her to not laugh. Knowing she’s about to risk blowing my cover, she grabs the large binder from under the table and turns back to Maverick.
“I’ll be back in a bit.” She presses a kiss to his cheek and heads out the door.
As soon as she’s gone, Maverick groans and flops onto the couch. “I really wish my sister would just cancel this damn wedding.”
His words have me perking up in an instant. “You don’t like Parker?”
“Of course not. He’s banging my little sister and I think he’s a complete tool, but I was referring to how I get practically no time with Tatum because she’s too busy planning their rush-down-the-aisle wedding.”
I’m not sure what makes me feel sicker to my stomach – knowing that I’m banging his little sister too or that Tatum is still planning their wedding. Clearly McKenna didn’t tell her to stop. I hadn’t expected her to cancel it entirely, not yet anyway, but I at least hoped some of the planning would slow down. I mean, at this point they’re wasting time and money on something that won’t even happen. Well, at least it won’t if I get my way. After this morning, I can’t be too sure, regardless of what Tatum said.
“He doesn’t seem all that bad.”
It’s a total lie. I hate him more than I hated the kid that stole my Game Boy in third grade, but it’s enough to make it look like I’m not hopelessly obsessing over McKenna like some raging hormone, teenage boy.
Maverick steals the beer from my hands and takes a swig. “Don’t give me that shit. I saw how relieved you were when he said he wasn’t coming to the club last week. You would’ve rather cut your own dick off than hang out with him any longer than you already had to.”
Okay, so maybe Maverick wasn’t as clueless that night as I thought, but if he wants to believe Parker’s absence was the reason for my mood change that night, I’m not going to correct him.
AN HOUR LATER, MAV and I are playing Call of Duty, yelling obscenities at what I can only assume is some thirteen-year-old kid who won’t stop talking shit. It’s been a while since him and I have been able to hang out like this. We may live together but with both our schedules lately, it feels like we only ever see each other in passing.
Just as the results pop up showing we won the game, the front door opens. At first I think it’s Tatum, but when I hear McKenna’s voice, my heart starts to race. I don’t know if she’s tried calling or texting me because my phone is still in the kitchen, but she’s here. My car is in the driveway, so I know she’s not surprised by my presence.
“You will never believe what happened!” She says excitedly as she walks down the hallway.
As soon as she comes into view, I’m stuck in a trance. She’s wearing a pair of gray business type pants and a white blouse, looking like a sexy school teacher from every one of my teenage fantasies. Her hair is up in a bun with only a few strands hanging down to shape her face.
She smiles as she sees me but when she spots Maverick, it falters. It’s enough for me to notice, but thankfully Mav is too into his victory to catch on. He steals my beer, again, and focuses his attention on his little sister.
“Well? Are you going to tell us or are you just going to stand there?”
As if she remembers what she came her for in the first place, her grin returns. “They offered me the job! You’re looking at the new kindergarten teacher for Rockport Elementary.”
