Again, she hits me with a look that tells me she doesn’t believe me. “Cooper.” Her tone is a warning.
“Babe, have you seen my shoes?” Nixon calls down the steps.
“Be right there,” Tessa calls back. She turns back to me. “You’re a great guy, Cooper. You might not agree to it now, but I know you’ll do the right thing.” With that, she walks away from me.
I plop back down on the couch and think about what she said. I just want Reese to be happy. She deserves to be treated right, and no matter how badly I wish I was the man, I just can’t do it. I knew the consequences of my actions. I knew stopping us that night was my one and only shot. I passed. It was the right thing to do.Two hours later, we’re all sitting around with our stomachs full and drinking a few beers. Reese and Tessa made pulled chicken tacos, and there’s not even the smallest shred of chicken left. We devoured it.
“Thanks, ladies,” I tell them. “Dinner was great.”
“That’s probably one of the biggest things I’m going to miss about college. Reese and Tessa’s brownies,” Trey comments.
“Don’t worry, Trey. I’ll send you some brownies. Not that you need me to. You can afford a chef.”
“Not yet I can’t, but that’s the plan. I’m going to invest first, spend later.”
“Me too,” the three of us all say at the same time. Trey, Hank, Nixon, and I have talked about this many times. We want a stable future, and with the professional league, you never know where you’re going to end up or if your contract is going to get renewed. You never know when or if you’re going to get injured. It’s the nature of the beast. While we all have degrees to fall back on, we all strive for financial security as well.
“If you need any help with that, I’m happy to guide you.” Hunter jumps into the conversation.
“Hunter’s an actuary. So he contemplates risks for investments and things like that,” Reese explains.
Hunter reaches over and places his hand on her thigh. I stare at it, willing him to move, but he must not get the memo. No, he doesn’t move it. Instead, he begins to draw lazy circles with his thumb. I grip my bottle tighter, so tight in fact, I’m worried I might shatter the glass. Not wanting to cause a scene, I drain the bottle and place it on the table next to me.
“Might just take you up on that,” Trey tells him. “That gives me an excuse to come back and see our girl anyway.”
Hunter doesn’t seem the least bit fazed that Trey said “our girl.” He should be. He really should be. I mean come on, if Reese were mine, no way would I let another man have a claim to her.
“Sure. I’m happy to help,” Hunter replies.
“You staying in town?” Nixon asks him.
“Yes. I have a job at Southern and Hampton. It’s the top accounting firm here in the city. I did my internship with them.”
“They hired him without question,” Reese fills in for him.
“Good for you, man. I’m glad,” Hank says. “We were worried about leaving our Reese here all alone.”
I watch him and nothing. No flinch. No fisting his hands. Not one little move to show he’s uncomfortable with their claim to her. Is this guy for real?
“Yes. I’m glad too.” He gives Reese a smile, which she returns. It’s not her “I’m happy” smile, or even her “excited” smile. It’s just… a smile. A kind one. Not the kind she should be giving the love of her life.
Is Hunter the love of her life?
No. He can’t be.
Can he?
I need another beer.
The night moves on. The alcohol is flowing, and there are a lot of laughs. I’m really going to miss this. Miss these people. “Guys,” I say, slightly slurring my words. “We have to do this as often as we can. I know it might have to be in the off-season, but this—” I lazily wave my hand around the room. “We must keep doing this.”
The room erupts with murmurs of agreement as we hold up our beers for a salute to our new pact. I just hope that when we’re sober in the light of day, and as life begins to take us in different directions, that we remember this day. That we remember to make time for those who are important to us. Like Reese.
I’ll always make time for Reese.
We tell stories about our shenanigans while at CU and our time on the field. Tessa and Reese were there for all of it. Hunter wasn’t, but he sits and listens, laughing and chiming in where he can. All the while, his hand is on her thigh or holding hers, or around her shoulders. He’s always fucking touching her.