“Soccer is over. For good.”
“I know that,” I say, looking longingly at the black-and-white ball that brought me so much joy over the years.
“All you’ve seen for the past four years is that ball.”
“That’s not true.”
“Yes, it is. You gave one hundred and ten percent of yourself to your team and your classes. And it paid off. You had a successful soccer career, graduated at the top of your class, and you have a great job lined up with one of the town’s top accounting firms. Oh, and you have two incredibly sexy men who have waited patiently for you to live out your dream. They’ve stuck by you every step of the way, and they look at you with a hunger that I can only hope a man turns my way someday. And you’ve got two of them. Two,” she says, holding up two fingers as if I don’t know how to count. “They’ve been waiting for you, Emma, and this is your chance to be with them.”
“Stop it, Daisy. You’re just a hopeless romantic. They’ve hardly been waiting on me.” I know that for a fact because they’ve dated more girls than I’ve scored goals.
And I’ve scored a lot of goals.
“Really? Who was the last girl either of them dated?”
I open my mouth but come up empty.
“Exactly. In case you were wondering, they haven’t dated anyone. Not a single girl in over a year.”
“That can’t be true.” I know I’ve seen them with different girls here or there. At least I think I have. To be honest, I was always preoccupied, and now that I try to conjure up a memory, I can’t.
“It’s true. They haven’t dated anyone. And now, all of a sudden, you’ve graduated, soccer is over, and they’re whisking you away to a gorgeous getaway in the mountains. Coincidence? I think not.”
“Would you stop,” I whine, trying desperately not to read too much int
o her words. But oh, how I want to delve into them.
All of the feelings I’ve been pushing away over the years slowly inch their way to the surface, and I could punch Daisy in the throat because I want to enjoy this weekend. I want to relax and have fun, and now, all I’m going to be thinking about is whether or not she’s right.
This is ridiculous.
I will not let myself fall victim to Daisy’s romantic notion, no matter how badly I wish it were true. She’s just delirious, probably from all the time she spends in the tanning bed.
Before I zip up my bag, I toss a dress and a pair of heels into it just in case we go out for dinner while we’re there.
“I’m not going to sleep with Ryan and Grant. They haven’t been waiting for me. I’m just their tomboy best friend who grew up in the house between theirs. And they’re hardly whisking me away. I’m sure there will be more than just us there.”
“Who else is going?”
“I don’t know. Ryan and Grant planned it. I didn’t—”
The doorbell rings, cutting me off, and Daisy jumps from the bed.
“I’ll get it.”
“No, you won’t,” I say, grabbing her wrist. “I’ll get it. You stay here. Put my swimsuit back into my bag, and while you’re at it, toss in a towel.”
She looks at my bag and frowns. “Fine. Go. I’ll be right there.”
The doorbell rings again, and I run down the hall, skidding to a stop in the entryway as I fling open the door.
“There’s our college graduate.” Ryan dips low and scoops me into his arms, spinning me in the doorway before setting me on my feet. His big, strong hands hold me until he’s certain I’m steady, and then he steps back, allowing Grant to swoop in for a hug.
“Are you ready to celebrate?” Grant’s arms wrap around me like a vice, and I’m hyperaware of the fact that all of our best body parts are now perfectly aligned. Like our lips and hearts and his cock.
Whoa.
Where in the hell did that come from?