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“Good,” Ma says with a nod, satisfied. Then she smiles and starts, “Now, back to Willow. . .”
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
Chapter 9
Willow
ThehighlightsoftheRebels’ game against Miami are playing on one of the TVs at the hotel bar. People sitting along the bar watch and discuss it amongst themselves; some compliment the Rebels, while most bemoan that their home team lost today’s game. I find myself smiling with the straw in my mouth as I sip my Moscow mule, a weird kind of satisfaction rushing through me at the team’s win today.
“Stop smiling like that, you creep,” my cousin Nico says. He sits across from me, as he has been for the last two and a half hours, watching me with amusement dancing in his eyes. “We’re mourning here.”
“I’m not,” I tell him with a grin. “Myteam won.”
Nico sucks in a breath through his teeth, shaking his head at me in disappointment. He leans back and dramatically presses a hand to his chest. “Salt in the wound, Willow.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. It had been an intense game, as per usual when the Rebels play, especially given that they had lost to Miami last season when they were so close to the Super Bowl. I have no doubt the team is out celebrating their win tonight, so while they are out doing God knows what, I decided to stay in the hotel, going down to the bar where Nico came to meet me so we can catch up before I head back to Chicago tomorrow.
Nico and I actually got to see each other over the past summer, when my parents and I flew to Florida to stay with Nico’s family for around two weeks. We got to be here when he proposed to his girlfriend, and I will be back here next year when they get married. The two of us discuss the wedding planning that’s already underway for him, and as he swallows a bite of his sandwich, he asks, “How’s Clare’s wedding planning going?”
“It’s getting there,” I tell him, despite the churning in my stomach. With how busy I have become with work, I feel like I haven’t contributed anything to help plan Clare’s wedding. Vick helps her out, but I need to make more of an effort to be involved. My best friend is getting married, and I need to make sure she doesn’t stress or freak out over anything. “We’re getting our dresses in a couple of days, which will be fun.”
Nico flashes a grin. “Hope it’s not bad.”
I roll my eyes with a laugh. “Clare wouldn’t do that to us.”
As I sip my drink, Nico asks, “What about you then, huh? You walkin’ down the aisle any time soon?”
If I didn’t have better control over myself, I would have choked on my drink upon hearing Nico’s question. “Dude,” I gape at him, wide eyed. “What the hell?” I ask with a startled laugh.
Nico chuckles, unperturbed. “What? It’s a genuine question. When was the last time you went out with someone?”
I shoot him a flat look. “Why is that any of your business?”
He returns an innocent look, tilting his head. “Because you’re my favorite cousin and I don’t want you to be lonely.” I roll my eyes again, snorting with a shake of my head. “You work too hard, Will. You need to get laid, blow off some steam.”
Unsurprising that this is coming from Nico; my cousin used to be quite a flirt and ladies’ man when he was in high school and halfway through college. But then he met his now fiancée, Liane, toward the end of his sophomore year of college and he’s been wrapped around her finger ever since.
I huff out a breath, feeling my cheeks warm up. “How did this go from you asking me if I’m going to get married to telling me I need to get laid?”
He grins. “It all falls under one umbrella,” he says with a shrug. “Come on—there’s not one person you’re interested in?”
“No,” I say, already shaking my head. “There isn’t.”Is there?
As if the universe wants to play some kind of joke on me, as soon as those words escape me, movement by the bar’s lobby entrance catches my attention, and my throat locks up as Reed appears in view, Leo right by his side. But my gaze is fixed on Reed, and my pulse quickens up as I realize that his eyes are already set on me from where he’s standing. Leo gives me a friendly wave accompanied by a warm smile, which I return. The young hostess hurries over to seat them, all giggles and hair flips, but Reed doesn’t even seem to notice her as he keeps his eyes locked on me.
The sight of him surprises me; I for sure thought he would be out at some fancy, raving Miami club by the beach where I’m sure most of his teammates are. But he’shere, still in the hotel where we’re all staying, and at the bar? I can’t tear my gaze away from him, taking in his casual outfit of jeans and a black V-neck that stretches deliciously across his chest and shows off those muscled arms. The dim lighting of the bar bathes him in a warm glow, his dark hair tousled as always, and the butterflies in my stomach come to life as his brown eyes stay locked on my green.
“Hello? Earth to Willow?” Nico says. “What’re you looking at?” he asks before turning to look over his shoulder.
“Just some players I’ve interviewed, no big deal…” I say.
We’re not sitting in a booth, but rather a table off on the side, and I watch as Nico spots Reed. And I see the moment Reed spots Nico, too—I see the way Reed’s expression suddenly changes. His eyes seem to harden with a fire that ignites within them, jaw tightening as his broad shoulders straighten out. His gaze narrows in on Nico and without looking back at me, he follows Leo toward a booth in the back. My gaze follows him as he sits down, and he is still in my line of sight as he sits on the side facing me. But Reed keeps his eyes on Leo across from him, and I’m not sure what just happened, but it only speeds up my pulse more.
“Um.” Nico turns to look back at me, eyebrows raised. “Why did Reed Maxwell just stare me down like I ran over his dog?”
Good fucking question.
“Uh, don’t worry about it,” I say hastily, trying to dismiss Reed’s envious behavior. But, of course, I can’t just let it go. I think about it all throughout my dinner with Nico, which is annoying because I want to focus on this time with my cousin. Instead, I’m thinking of the scowling, attractive football player who is in the same room as me, who keeps looking my way. A couple women approach their booth during the meal, but Leo and Reed don’t let them stay long, just taking an obligatory selfie and thanking them for their support.
