Page 56 of The Curveball
“Yeah. Sometimes a few teammates show up, my uncle and aunt, then all my cousins and their kids. It’s a full house, but my mom really wanted to meet your family.” The absolute truth. Funny how coming right from my mom demanding Wren’s people show up to dinner, they show up at my house.
If I was a believer of fate, I might think it’s meant to be.
“I’ve got two little boys who’ll probably destroy the place,” Darren says.
He’s testing me. I get it. I laugh anyway. “It happens. Some of the Kings do the same thing. We’re grown men, but always seem to knock something over.”
Wren snickers, and I tighten my hold around her waist a little more.
Carter rubs his chin and smiles. “Sounds like a plan.”
“You know, this is still hard to wrap my head around,” Darren says. “You and Wren.”
“Why?” My brow furrows. “You think I wouldn’t want to date your sister?”
He scoffs. “It has nothing to do with you wanting to date Wren. Just because you’re a professional athlete doesn’t mean you’re on her level in my eyes.”
I like Darren.
“Dare, stop,” Wren pleads.
“No, I want to hear this,” I say. “Why is this not making sense to you?”
In my mind, Wren makes perfect sense.
“It’s becauseWrendoesn’t date guys like you,” he says with such finality it’s unnerving.
How do I play this off now? They know their sister ten times better than I do. Why doesn’t Wren date?
“Guess I’m lucky,” I say. “She took a chance with me.”
Like a synchronized dance, both Darren and Carter fold their thick arms over their chests and narrow their eyes.
I swear Wren mutters a soft, “Oh no,” under her breath.
“I like you, Marks,” Carter says. “From the games—”
“—to the news coverage,” Darren interjects without a pause. As if the sentence is shared between them.
“You seem like a decent guy,” Carter picks right back up. It’s dizzying watching them speak like one unit with two heads.
“But,” Darren says, voice low. “We’re always going to have our sister’s back.”
Carter chuckles like a dark overlord. “One wrong move and—”
“—you’re going to get our crazy coming at you.”
“Oh my gosh.” Wren shoves their shoulders. “You’re delivering that kind of crazy right now. Go. Be upstanding citizens and go back to work.”
They both laugh as she shoves them toward the side door.
“Later, Marks,” Carter says, waving over his shoulder.
“Wait! You need to know where to go when we have this insane dinner.”
Wren doesn’t stop shoving them as I share my mom’s address. When they ask for my number in return, I try not to let it matter. I fail because it does matter.
Like they might want to know me, and I like it too much. I’m getting tangled in this, and I don’t know if Wren will ever be in the same place as me, and I didn’t expect the thought to hurt like it does.