Becca finds Jake first, and he hugs her, sweat and all. Germaphobe Becca suddenly couldn’t care less about all the dirt on Jake’s body. That’s how I know she’s crushing on him—hard.
“Great game, Jake.” I stand on my tip toes to give him a hug, too. Just as I’m letting go, strong arms are around my middle, pulling me away from him.
“Get your own, Jake. This one’s mine,” Rhett says, playfully.
I turn around in his arms, and take him in. His shaggy brown hair is drenched with sweat. His jersey’s covered in grass stains with paint from the end zone covering his shoulders. The helmet he’s holding is dinged up, reminding me of all the painful shots he took tonight. Still, he’s six feet of athletic perfection.
“What’d ya think, Sunny?”
“You were awesome, Rhett! Seriously awesome.”
“You’re definitely my good luck charm. That was fuckin’ insane!”
He picks me up and spins me around—my laughter the only sound I hear despite being surrounded by hundreds of people. Being in his arms is my favorite place to be. “You’re huge with all this equipment on.”
Rhett leans down to peck my lips just as his parents make their way through the crowd. Rhett’s dad smiles warmly at the two of us, but his mom is giving me a once over, thoroughly.
“Mom, Dad, this is Kinsley West—my girlfriend.”
I reach out to shake their hands, his mom accepting with a half-smile on her face. But his dad bypasses my hand entirely, hugging me instead. “So, this is the girl that’s been making my son so happy.”
“This is the one,” Rhett adds.
His mom kisses Rhett’s cheek, doting on him like a proud mother hen. She checks each one of his scratches, making sure he’s not injured. “I’m good Mom, don’t worry so much.”
Rhett wraps his arm around me again and I look up at him, into the glare of the lights. “Ready Sunny? We have some celebrating to do.”
“Yes, but go shower. You stink!”
“I smell like victory, baby,” he replies, with the cocky tone he earned tonight. “Meet me at the locker room.”
Before I have a chance to respond, he’s jogging toward the school, already pulling his shoulder pads up and over his head.
“Focus Kinsley,” Becca whispers in my ear, after she catches me ogling my boyfriend.
Finally, I blink away the image of a naked Rhett, turning my attention to my best friend. “I thought I lost you.”
“Sorry. Jake wants me to go to the football party with him. Do you care?”
“Why would I care?”
She looks down at the sidewalk, kicking at the weeds popping up between the cracks. “Because he’s not your brother. And I don’t want you to tell him about Jake.”
Something is definitely bothering her. This isn’t the first time she’s brought up Wyatt today. “Have you talked to my brother since he’s been at college?”
Becca nods her head, still not looking me in the eye. “I have.”
“More than once?”
Again, a simple nod of her head. “We’ve talked a couple times. He’s called me and I called him once.”
“Really?” Wyatt calling to check on her doesn’t surprise me, especially after they spent so much time together when she was tutoring him, but her calling him is unexpected. “I don’t get it, Becca. If you care about him, why don’t you give it a try? Why bother with Jake?”
Finally, she gives me an honest answer. “Because it’s too hard being in different places. I want to trust Wyatt, but I’m not sure I could. Even if he promised he wouldn’t touch a single girl on campus, I’d always wonder if he was being faithful to me.”
“So, you’re going to call each other and torture yourselves instead of having a little faith?”
“It’s not torture. It’s like talking to a friend—that’s all. No different than when I call you.”
I laugh at the way she’s trying to convince both of us at the same time. She doesn’t believe her own words, I can tell. “It’s totally different and you know it. Just be careful with Jake. Don’t be with him because he’s the fall back guy. Be with him because you care about him. If you don’t, then you know you’re supposed to be with my brother.”
Becca nods her head. “I do have one confession.”
Now that she’s told me she’s been talking to my brother, I already know what she’s going to say. “You told my brother about me and Rhett, didn’t you?”
“I did. I’m sorry, Kins. I didn’t mean to cause trouble, but I couldn’t lie to him when he asked about you. Being in the middle isn’t very fun.”
I’m not mad at her. I can’t be. I would never lie to my brother either if he straight up asked me. It wouldn’t be easy to talk to him about Rhett, but I couldn’t keep it from him. “Until tonight I thought it had to be Carson.”
“Pfft. He wants you too much to break your trust. I still can’t believe you two share a wall and you manage to control yourself every night.”
“He’s not making it easy, that’s for sure. When Rhett dropped me off earlier, Carson was at the door half naked, with a pizza box in his hand. I’m almost positive Rhett saw him.”
Becca’s eyes nearly pop out of her head. “What I wouldn’t give for a welcome home like that. It’s not fair you have Wyatt for a brother, you’re dating Rhett, and you live with Carson. How do you concentrate on anything?”
“You can remove my brother from that equation, Becca. That’s gross.”
“Sorry, anyway, did Carson say anything?”
“Oh he said plenty.”
Plenty. . . .
I slide by Carson, wondering why he’s opening the door for me half naked, with a pizza in his hand. “Sorry I’m a few minutes late.”
I reach into the fridge for a drink, wishing Kate was home to act as a buffer. Carson hasn’t come right out and told me how he feels, but he’s making himself known with little effort. His moves are subtle, like the missing shirt, and they’re noticed—mostly because he’s making it hard for me to look anywhere else.
“Want some pizza?”
“Sure, Becca’s picking me up in a little bit. We’re going to the game.”
“Really?” he asks, with a sad smile. “I got a movie to watch. The new one you wanted to see with the guy who rides the bulls. What time will you be home?”
I shrug my shoulders, hating how guilty I suddenly feel for having plans. Why isn’t he going out with his friends like everyone else? “Not sure. There’s a party afterward, Rhett’s taking me to it.”
Grabbling a slice of pizza from the box, I set it on my plate, and sit on the couch in the living room.
“Sounds cool.”
“I’ve never been to one, so I’m not sure what to expect.”
“Just be careful, Kinsley. And don’t take drinks from anyone—even Rhett.”
“Rhett wouldn’t make me drink, or try to drug me, Carson. He’s not a bad guy.”
He pauses for a minute, mulling over his next move before tossing his plate of pizza on the coffee table. “Of all people, why him?”
His sudden mood change catches me off guard. “Why not? It’s not like I’ve ever had any other offers.”
“That doesn’t mean you have to take the first offer you get, Kins.”
“He’s interested. I’m interested. It makes sense.”
“What if I’m interested, too?”
I swallow the bite of pizza in my mouth, taken aback by his sudden confession. For so long, I’ve watched him, wanting a guy like him to sweep me off my feet—one with manners, a conscious, and values. And now here he is, telling me he wants me. Only his timing couldn’t be worse. I already have all the things I was searching for—with Rhett.