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Me:We have a date on Saturday. I can’t wait to see you in a suit.
Reed:Wear the set I bought.
Me:You’ll have to wait and see.
The set has country-girl vibes and since Reed is from South Bend, Indiana, only an hour from Chicago area, I think he wants to roleplay a little. Six weeks ago, I would never think I would be talking about sex with a man, much less looking forward to roleplay.
I love the confidence Reed has given me. It extends to other parts of my life. I would have never suggested that I be responsible for an entire event going off without a hitch. But I didn’t hesitate to ask if they needed me. Once we talked, I knew I would be a valuable asset to Harper and Logan. If you’re not in the business, it’s hard to know what you don’t know, and I’m confident that I have everything down, and there will be no surprises at the fundraiser.
Reed arrives to pick me up for the Evy Brown Cheer-Off. He’s wearing a black suit and the crispest white shirt with the tie I bought him, and the pocket square tucked neatly over his left side. His dark-brown hair and slate-gray eyes pop against the white collar. I notice his cufflinks when he hands me a bouquet of flowers—they’re my dad’s. They’re gold with a diamond hockey stick and a black onyx puck on each. Before my mom left, whenever they went out, he would wear a shirt that needed cufflinks.
I don’t want to talk about my dad, so I let it go, for now. After I kiss Caleb goodbye, and Reed gives him a fist bump, we leave for the theatre.
Lettie and Dane opt out of the cheer off to stay home with Caleb, but they’re bringing him when it’s time for the basketball players to perform. They didn’t get to practice with the team, but they still want to support the team and the foundation.
Logan, Harper, Hagan, and Adalee are waiting for us, so we can all walk the blue carpet together.
There are more photographers here than I’ve ever personally seen around campus. I’m sure they’re mostly interested in Logan and Harper since it’s their event, and he’s getting ready to be drafted number one in the NFL.
I’m partially right. They yell, asking for pictures of Logan and Harper by themselves. Harper clenches his arm as they pose. The paparazzi ask her to turn sideways to see her baby bump, and her neck reddens. The rest of us swoop in, and Hagan stands on the other side of Harper with Adalee, and Reed and I stand beside Logan.
What I didn’t expect was for the photographers to be yelling at Reed. And I certainly didn’t intend to embarrass him.
Why did Coach Sweet bench you? You’re the star of the team.
How does it feel being famous for pulling Dane out of a burning building?
Are you dating the coach’s daughter, so you could get playing time?
You’re the campus hero.
Reed ignores them, smiling for the cameras, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. He looks delicious in his suit, and I can’t wait until we have a few moments alone after the event.
Hagan leans in and says, “I remember the days when you would have crushed his face in for asking a dumbass question.”
Harper smiles at me. “Aww. He’s growing up.”
“Fuck off.”
Chapter Thirty-Seven
REED
We take a seat in the auditorium, while Brooke and Logan go off backstage. They kick off the night with the Stallion cheerleaders. Friends of Logan’s perform flawlessly, and two of the girls who were close to Evy Brown make a few statements about how much she loved Logan and Harper and how happy she would be right now. Sniffles sounded from the crowd and after a momentary pause, Logan says, “She taught me so much. I remember her drawing pictures of Harper and me, desperately wanting us to be together. It’s amazing how a little person that you haven’t known that long can mean so much.”
True. That’s how I feel about Caleb.
An hour in, my phone buzzes. Lettie and Dane are here with Caleb. I walk out to the red velvet lobby adorned with gold chandeliers and ornate mirrors along the walls. Caleb has on a suit, and his hair is gelled. He raises his hands, and I pick him up in my arms. He hugs my neck tight, and Lettie snaps a picture.
It’s hard to imagine this little dude not being in my life after only a short amount of time.
Dane and Lettie follow me as I scoot in the aisle, with Caleb sitting on my lap. Harper pats my knee and gives me a shit-eating grin.Yes, I love this little boy.I don’t care that he’s not mine. If something ever happened to him, I would go crazy.
The basketball team performs with the Delta Gamma sorority and of course, they have a basketball goal as part of their routine. They toss the girls up to their shoulders, then the Stallions mascot throws them the basketball, and the girl dunks it, bringing the crowd to their feet.
The Stallion fans do love their basketball.
They build a pyramid and, as our school song plays, they unfurl a big flag of the Stallions logo. Dane and Lettie smile ear to ear as his arm lays across her shoulders.
