Chapter 17
seventeen
. . .
RORY
“What’s this?” Logan holds up his phone from where he’s standing in front of his locker. Naked.
“A wedding invitation,” I say, pulling on my jammer.
“It’s your wedding invitation,” Logan replies, confused.
“I know.”
I sent the text ten minutes ago, right before I walked into the aquatic center.
“What? I didn’t see that.” Charlie grabs his phone, brows wrinkling. Relief flashes across his face when he finds the invitation. But it vanishes just as fast. “It’s for tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I’m aware.”
Most of the team is already on the pool deck warming up. After Summer agreed to marry me last night, I booked an appointment at the courthouse for tomorrow at eleven. I want to keep it low-key, but there was no way I wouldn’t invite the guys.
“Have you seen this?” Charlie asks Eli, who’s just walked over to his locker.
“Logan’s dick?” Eli smirks. “Hasn’t everyone?”
Logan’s still standing there, one hand on his phone, the other clutching his chest in mock disbelief, his dick swinging in the breeze like he’s got nowhere to be.
“Bro, put some clothes on.” Charlie groans. “Your flaccid dick is way too close to me.”
“Don’t be insecure, man. Everyone’s built different. It’s not the size; it’s how you use it.”
Eli shakes his head. “You were that kid at the beach in a shirt and no pants, weren’t you?”
“We spend so much time with our junk in wet Lycra, is it so wrong to want to air everything out?” Logan counters.
I tune out Logan’s naked logic and turn to Eli.
“Where’ve you been?” I ask.
“I stopped by the physician’s office to check on Winnie.”
“What’s going on?” Logan asks, suddenly serious. A rare shift from his usual absurdity.
“Last night I had dinner with Winnie and the guy she’s dating.”
“What guy?” Logan frowns. “I thought she was taking a break from dating after Brett, the narcissistic anesthesiologist?”
“They met online. He’s a pilot.”
“What’s the verdict?” I ask.
Eli and I have bonded over being protective older brothers—trying not to meddle too much, but still wanting to keep our sisters safe. I’ve been lucky. Whitney’s too focused on school and swimming to date anyone seriously.
Eli shakes his head. “I don’t like him. Gives me weird vibes. But she says he’s great so what am I supposed to do?”
“We could threaten him,” Logan suggests, eyes lighting up. “Tell him he can never see her again.”
I squeeze Eli’s shoulder. “I think we let Winnie live her life, but monitor the situation.”
Eli chuckles half-heartedly. “Says the lucky asshole whose sister never has boyfriend drama.”
Charlie’s palm finds Eli’s other shoulder. “We all love Winnie like a sister, so we’ll make sure he treats her right.”
“I got it!” Logan says. “We put a tracker on his car. One misstep and he’s swimming with the fishes.”
“Thanks, guys.” Eli strips off his shirt and tosses it in his locker. Then, he points to Logan. “You need to stop reading those mafia romances.”
Logan’s grin fades. “You’ll have to pry them from my cold, dead hands.”
“Now, can we please talk about the fact that Rory’s getting married tomorrow?” Charlie says, pointing at me. “Do we even know this chick?”
“Watch it,” I warn, my blood spiking at his tone. “Her name is Summer and she’s going to be my wife.”
“That’s what I’m saying. You’re marrying someone none of us know.”
“I know her,” Logan says, finally pulling on his jammer. “She’s a waitress at The Salty Pirate.”
“C’mon, Cap.” Charlie urges. “There’s more to this story.”
He’s not wrong. I was still on a high from the way Summer had shown up for me. The way she confidently claimed me as hers. I liked it because for once I knew it wasn’t someone doing it for their own benefit. She had done it for me.
But when I woke up this morning, the relief of Summer saying yes had shifted into something else.
Disappointment.
Another thing I can’t explain.
A convenient marriage is exactly what I need right now. I don’t have time for anything else. My life is full, my training is all consuming, and I don’t have the energy for something real.
Summer’s doing me a favor. Taking the pressure off by agreeing to a fake marriage.
And yet, I can’t shake this feeling.
Maybe it was the way she looked at me lying in bed last night, guarded and unreadable, like she’s holding something back. Or maybe it’s the way this arrangement boxes us in, closing off possibilities, that until Summer slammed the door on them, I didn’t even realize I might want.
It shouldn’t bother me, but it does.
Because if I wanted to kiss her, if I wanted to see where things might go, that’s not on the table anymore. It’s like being disqualified before you even get off the starting block.
Now, as the guys give me shit about it, I’m forced to put on a casual smile and tell them I know what I’m doing when that’s the furthest thing from the truth.
No feelings. No intimacy. No sex.
The thought of Summer being around all the time, seeing her in my space, in my life, it makes me uneasy in the best way. I’d already admitted that I have this need to be around her. To know she’s okay, to make sure she’s safe. But I know at the root of that, it’s something more.
For all the friend talk we’ve been passing back and forth, there’s no denying I’m attracted to Summer.
Simply being in her presence turns me on. Our pinkies brushed last night and I got hard. How am I going to handle faking a marriage with her? She’d been adamant that there be no romantic feelings between us but does wanting to know what she tastes like and what kind of sounds she makes when she comes violate that rule? According to Summer, it does.
The more I think about it, the more I wonder if this is all going to blow up in my face.
“It’s an arrangement,” I say finally. “One that lets me focus on swimming.”
“An arranged marriage?” Logan asks.
“If it were arranged, he’d be marrying Daphne,” Eli mutters.
“So, you’re marrying Summer so you don’t have to marry Daphne?” Charlie asks.
“Yeah, kind of.”
“Nice.” Charlie nods. “I think I like her already.”
My phone lights up with a text.
Summer
Winnie sent me a wedding day checklist. Rings?
I’ll stop by Rowley’s Hardware and grab a couple from the toy vending machine.
Summer
Cool. I’ll check that one off.
I start to text her that I’m kidding, but stop. If she thinks we’re exchanging bendable rings from a vending machine she’s more likely to go through with it.
I submitted the insurance form to add you to my coverage. Should be in effect as soon as we submit a copy of the marriage certificate.
Summer
thank you
I stare at my text. It feels like I should say something more, something less transactional, but I’m not sure Summer wants that, so I toss my phone in my locker and slam it shut.
“Are we going to gossip all afternoon or actually train?” Coach calls out as he walks by us.
We grab our gear and follow him out to the deck.
“This doesn’t look so bad.” Charlie nods to the white board where our blocks are written out.
Owens walks up and casually adds two extra sets to every block.
“Fuck,” Charlie groans.
Owens smirks. “Figured I’d give you something to talk about later. When your limbs are too tired to move, your mouths won’t be.”
The rest of the guys drop in the water, but Owens motions me toward him.
“Shields.”
“Hey, Coach.”
“I received an interesting text from you earlier. Thought it was a joke. I expect that from Logan but not you.”
“It’s not a joke,” I confirm.
“I pride myself in knowing what my swimmers are going through. Mentally, physically, emotionally. You getting married tomorrow? Can’t say I saw that coming.”
“It makes sense. Keeps my parents off my back. Keeps things simple.”
Owens raises an eyebrow. “Marriage is simple now?”
I let out a dry chuckle. “Simpler than dealing with their matchmaking.”
He folds his arms, nodding slowly. “I trust you to make the right call. You’ve always had a good head on your shoulders. But remember, this is your last run. You need to stay locked in. No distractions.”
I nod, feeling the weight of his words settled against my shoulders.
“I’m focused, Coach. Nothing’s changed.”
“Good. Because once you’re on that starting block, nothing else matters.”
I nod, confirming his words.
As I hit the water and start my warmup, I ignore the feeling that something has already changed.