Page 111 of Stand and Defend
“Withyou?”
“Fuck off.”
“Dude, quit fooling yourself. It’s fine that you’ve found someone you click with, but at least own up to it.”
Lonan, who’s sitting in the row in front of me, points at Rhys. “What he said. We know you had this playboy persona you leaned into, but it’s okay to grow out of it.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It is,” Barrett says, laughing. “You may have not admitted it, but your actions speak volumes. I saw you watching her talk to that guy at Top Shelf. Looked like you were about to blow a blood vessel.”
“Don’t forget he rejected those other bunnies,” Shep adds. Why the fuck is everybody ganging up on me? I shake my head.
“First of all, that guy was a douchebag?—”
“The girls like her,” Lonan says.
“Freya certainly does.” Rhys holds his phone out to me, showing a short video clip of the two girls cheersing with wine glasses, and the dogs laying in a pile next to them.Wait a minute...I grab his phone.
“Why’s your dog only have three legs?”
“He was a rescue, we were told he was hit by a car as a puppy. She’s got a thing for the busted ones.”
“Explains why she latched onto you,” I mutter.
“Fuck you too.”
I take in the rest of the photo. Seeing Jordan so immersed with one of the other wives on the team warms my heart. I’ve been waffling back and forth about what we are for a while now. Shit’s starting to keep me up at night. This was only supposed to be sex, but the guys are right... there’s something there. I’ve been settling down without even realizing it. The problem is, it seems one-sided.
“She’s cute, right?” I ask, unable to take my eyes off the photo.
“Don’t talk about my wife,” Rhys says.
I roll my eyes and hand the phone back. “I meant mine.”
“There it is!” Barrett shouts from his seat, and Rhys looks up at Lonan with a huge grin like he was in on it.
I grab the Lakes tablet from my bag. “Jesus Christ. Okay, fun’s over. Conway, let’s go over plays.” Their happiness agitates me. They don’t realize I’ve offered myself to her, and she turned me down.
Rhys slides his headphones over his ears with a smug expression.Asshole.
Outside of discussing our upcoming games with Barrett, I don’t speak to anyone for the rest of the flight. I need to focus on my job. I’m the captain of the team, and we need this win to make up for the ass-kicking we had over Thanksgiving. This is more important. She’s not into me, anyway, so there’s no use thinking about it. Maybe I should have her move out, but the thought of losing her companionship leaves me feeling sick.
When we get to the hotel that night, I find my room and kick my feet up. I’ve spent most of the plane ride going over game footage. I need a break.
A few minutes later, Jonesy pounds on the door. “Uber’s downstairs. We’re going to a club. Let’s go.”
I stare at the door for a second but don’t answer.
“Banksy. If you’re not down there in two minutes, we’re leaving without you.”
Opening my suitcase, I grab my toiletries and set them in the bathroom.
“Another one bites the dust,” O’Callahan shouts, slapping his hand on the door. Their footsteps grow quiet as they walk away. A few minutes later, another knock on my door.
“Yo.”It’s Barrett.
I open the door. “What’s up?”