Page 15 of Finally Home
He grimaces. “Sorry, that came out harsher than I meant it to. I just meant I would be happy to come with to pick you guys up so we can all go grab lunch or go fuck around a bit.” He turns to me and softens his voice. “Starling, I’ve missed over two years of your life because your ex didn’t like our friendship. It would be nice to get to know the important people you spend all your time with.”
My irritation fades. I should have asked him to come with us either way. With a nod, I turn back toward my phone to see the three stooges grinning like jackasses. I give them my meanest evil eye. Wes has his hand over his mouth as his shoulders shake with laughter.
I say goodbye to my favorite gossips and hang up before this devolves into them spilling secrets they have no business knowing in the first place. Two years ago, when I first stopped visiting South Carolina, Jamie cornered me after I ignored three phone calls in a row and demanded to know if I was being harassed.
I broke down in embarrassed tears and explained how Derrick hated Rhodes even though we were strictly friends. I gave him a watered-down version of all the problems we were having in our marriage and how when I cut Rhodes out of my life I felt like I was missing a part of myself.
Unfortunately, the very next night, the guys questioned me while I was drunk, and I blurted every single detail of my crush after being friend-zoned. They’ve been trying to convince me to leave Derrick ever since, especially since they know how he treated me.
“I’m excited to meet them, Starling. They seem like fun guys.” Rhodes kisses the top of my head.
I smile up at him and lay my head on his shoulder. “They are, and honestly, they’re like the brothers I never had. Jamie is totally convinced we’re long-lost siblings, and I know he’s going to bring up his theory to Dad.” I sigh. “They weren’t kidding when they teased me about how much I’ve talked about you over the years.” My voice is barely more than a whisper as he threads our fingers.
“I talk about you too, Starling. I’m pretty sure every single one of my teammates knows everything about you without even meeting you. I really did miss you so much.”
I squeeze his hand and clear my throat. In spite of the work my therapist and I have done, all this emotion still makes me feel itchy. “Alright, Roly-Coly. What are we doing the rest of the day?”
He checks his phone. “Well, I was gonna go meet the guys at the Fun Park…”
Disappointment surges through me, and I try to keep my face neutral. “Oh, that’s okay. I can just head back to the house and hang out if you’d rather?—”
“Wren! What the fuck, no. I want you there. I was just trying to figure out a way to say I wanted to introduce you to my friends without sounding pushy.” I grin at him. “Of course, I want to meet them! Are you sure I won’t be buggin’ y’all or crashing guys’ night?”
He chuckles. “Absolutely not. Let’s go.”
CHAPTER 7
RHODES
My hands sweat the entire ten-minute drive to the park. I know the guys are gonna love her because I do, but they also know how wildly in love with her I am, and Aidan can’t keep his mouth shut to save his life. And with him also finding out that Wren is friends with his little brother? I’m sweating bullets.
Wren is practically bouncing in her seat when we park and normally I’d laugh, but I’m too anxious. I face the door to hide a grimace, turn off the engine, and hop out to open her door.
“Hey, yo, Streaks!”
I whip around and grin. Every guy on the team earns a nickname eventually, but mine and Aidan’s both happen to involve some unfortunate poorly-timed nudity. During his rookie year, Aid refused to date after one too many encounters with clingy cleat chasers. But like most guys in professional sports will tell you, winning a game tends to have an…energizing effect on you. Some guys work it off in the gym or party all night, and others chase a different kind of release. Aidan’s roommate, on three separate occasions during away games, caught him celebrating Palm Sunday. It became the team’s running joke to ask Aid if he’d be practicing his sermon so we knew not to walk in on him. And from that his nickname, Preacher, was born. That was seven years ago, and the nickname hasn’t changed once.
Mine is only slightly less embarrassing. I got blackout drunk shortly after Wren moved to Seattle, and the idiots I was drafted with dared me to sneak into the stadium and streak around the bases. What I didn’t know was that there was a scheduled team meeting in the conference room that overlooks the field. Needless to say, several of my teammates have some very incriminating stories about me, and I’m sure they’ll be chomping at the bit to tell my girl every single one of them.
“Hey, Preach. Didn’t know it was bring-the-cutest-kid-in-the-world day,” I say to Aidan. I crouch down and hold open my arms for his son, Crew.
“Uncle Rho!” Crew gasps as he jumps into my arms. “I didn’t know you were gonna be here today!”
I squeeze him tightly and turn around to see Wren staring curiously at us, a shy grin playing on her lips.
“I also brought a friend. Crew, this is my very best friend in the entire world, Wren. Wren, this is my honorary nephew, Crew.”
Aidan raises his eyebrows at me. “The Wren?”
She smiles at him and holds out her hand. “The one and only.”
He grins widely at her and swoops in to hug her. “There’ll be none of that handshake nonsense here, darlin’. Any friend of Rhodes is a friend of mine.”
“Did our lonely little Preacher finally get a date?” Our other friend, Copeland, shouts from behind us as he slams his car door shut.
Aidan releases Wren and tosses an arm over her shoulder, waggling his eyebrows at Cope. “Sure did, Hawthorne. Jealous?”
I huff and cross my arms at his antics and turn to Copeland. “Hey Cope, this is Wren Reid. Wren, these yahoos are Aidan Black and Copeland Hawthorne. And of course, you already met Aidan’s son, Crew.”