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“Oh, shit.” A woman with short brown hair and great arms stood in the hallway staring at us.
Parker glanced over his shoulder and echoed her curse. I considered trying to wiggle out of his embrace, but what was the point? The huge grin spreading across her face said she’d seen plenty.
“Later,” Parker said to me under his breath. He adjusted himself and turned to face the woman, keeping his arm locked around my waist.
She held out her hand. “Sorry to interrupt. I’m Vi Malone, Soren’s fiancé. You must be Riley Jones.”
I nodded and took her hand in a firm shake. “Yeah, everyone here calls me RJ. Nice to meet you.”
Parker reached out to examine the shiny diamond ring sparkling on her finger. “Congratulations. Nice to know Brehm didn’t fuck it up.”
Vi rolled her eyes and pulled her hand back. “I missed you, Parker.”
He sent me a pointed look that clearly saidSee? Some people call me Parker.I ignored him to try to glance around the corner into the living room.
“Is Soren here?”
She pointed over her shoulder. “He’s organizing the food so we can actually eat it. I came in search of a bathroom, but this situation is a lot more interesting.” Her gaze darted back and forth between us with what I could only describe as glee. “Soren owes me twenty bucks.”
Parker raised his brows at her. “You bet against me?”
Vi snickered. “I bet your control would snap when you met the right woman. You were putting too much pressure on yourself to lead the team after the shit last year. Now, you look happier, and the team is kicking ass. RJ is the best thing that could have happened to you.”
I snorted quietly. “Damn straight.”
“Shut it, Lorelai,” he murmured.
My spine straightened, and his gaze jerked to me. Yet another example of why we couldn’t let our guards down around other people. Vi’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t comment on the slip.
“I’m going to assume Noah and Mac’s bathroom is a disaster. Can I use yours?”
“Of course, Vi.”
She patted his chest as she walked past, and I breathed a sigh of relief. My full name wasn’t well known since my dad made it a point to keep me out of the media. If we hadn’t reacted, she probably wouldn’t have even noticed.
Parker watched her go into his room, then shook his head. “Fuck, I’m sorry. It just slipped out.”
“It’s okay. Honestly, I’m surprised you lasted this long without saying it in front of someone else.”
He tucked a wild bit of hair behind my ear. “I’ll be more careful. At least we can relax today now that the secret is out. Come on, I want to introduce you to Soren.”
Parker took my hand to lead me into the other room. For a brief, insane second, I was nervous to meet Soren. He wasn’t just one of Parker’s best friends—he was a rising football star, at least according to his stats this season with Houston.
I’d met my fair share of professional players, but they were always presented as Dad’s friends. Only later did I realize what they did for a living, and how many other people would kill to be in my shoes.
Soren smiled at my hand linked with Parker’s, cocked his brow at Vi, then started giving Mac shit for not saving him any burritos. The sharp bite of nerves faded away when Eva threatened to bar him from the next Friendsgiving if he didn’t bring Vi around more often.
No one mentioned my relationship with Parker, and since I wasn’t willing to give him up any time soon, I’d have to accept we couldn’t keep our relationship quiet from everyone. We’d just have to make sure the few who knew understood the importance of silence.
An hour later, after we’d had second breakfast in the form of a charcuterie board made almost entirely of cheese, I found myself alone with Soren in the kitchen.
He leaned against the counter with his arms crossed over his chest. “So you and Shaw.”
I nodded, unable to read how he felt about the news. “Technically, we’re breaking the university’s fraternization rule, so we have to keep it a secret. He says we can trust you not to say anything.”
“Is it serious?”
I didn’t know how to answer that. Every time Parker looked at me, it felt serious. He wanted to take me home to spend time with his parents, but we hadn’t talked in detail about the future. Parker’s grin when I agreed to go with him flashed in my mind, and I couldn’t help a tiny smile. He made me happy. Even at the beginning, he felt like home.
