Chapter 24
FINLEY
Christmas present shopping is a lot less wonderful than I thought it would be. For starters, I keep looking over my shoulder for any sign of Ryker.
Elijah insisted on driving me to the mall to meet Christina and the girls rather than letting me get an Uber. Even though I insisted I’d be okay with my friends, since he left, I haven’t been able to relax.
To add to that awkwardness, after hours of looking for the right gifts, I’ve come up short. Honestly, I’m ready to call it a day, go home, and watch my guys own the ice. The only thing that could make that better is a box of gelato from the place Jayden likes in the food court.
Walking out of the naughty lingerie store Christina loves—and I don’t hate—I check my phone in case Elijah or Jayden have messaged me.
I know they’re busy and under a lot of pressure to close out this last run of home games with a winning streak, so it doesn’t surprise me that I don’t have anything from them.
What surprises me is the random text from the unknown number.
Unknown
I know EVERYTHING. All your dirty little secrets. Slut. I’m going to ruin your life.
What? My thumbs hover over the keys, trying to figure out how to type the first question that comes to mind above the roar of my instant panic.
Who is this? I haven’t shared this number with anyone outside of Elijah, Jayden, our family, and closest friends—which is hardly a couple of handfuls of people.
Except the nagging certainty in my gut tells me there’s one obvious person it could be.
Ryker.
The worry suffocating me from the inside out is too real to push past and ignore.
“What’s wrong?” Christina asks, sticking her face in front of my cell and peering up at me. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost…”
“Umm… Tina…”
Snatching my phone from my hand, she reads over the text with a loud tsk at the end, followed by an indignant growl as she types out a reply and then deletes it.
“It’s a prank. A phishing scam. If we reply, they’ll probably message back with some stupid request for cash or nudes…
” She grimaces, swiping out of my messages app and locking my phone before she stuffs it in my purse.
Linking her arm with mine, she huffs, “It’s a gross bucket of nothing you need to worry about.
Come on, Alice and Summer are waiting for us. ”
Christina doesn’t give me a chance to argue as we navigate to the Japanese restaurant Jayden took me to the first time he brought me to this mall.
Still, I know this isn’t right, and I can’t put the text to the back of my mind.
“Stop worrying,” Christina says, nudging me with her hip when we enter the restaurant and head to one of the bigger booths close to the conveyor belt with ready-to-pick dishes. “It’d be weird if you didn’t get shit like that.”
“I think I know who it is,” I say, looking over my shoulder again.
“What?” Christina stops. “Who?”
“Ryker Hallman,” I whisper.
“Wait, the creep from the bar?”
I nod. “The other day, he showed up at the studio and—”
“Wait, you didn’t tell me this.”
“You’re busy with work and school.”
Her scowl says it’s no excuse. “Amish, you are my friend. My closest, bestest friend, and if some asshole is stalking you—”
“Well, it doesn’t classify as stalking if it’s a coincidental meeting.
Jayden’s dad looked into a restraining order, but apparently, there isn’t enough proof that Ryker is harassing me.
The photos in the media create a whole story, and it just looks like Jayden, Elijah, and I are creating some kind of narrative for him to make ourselves look better. ”
“What the actual fuck?” Christina tugs me out of the way of a waiter. “If he’s sending you those messages…”
“I haven’t received anything before now, and it’s not like the number is on there.”
“Fuck,” she spits at the ground with a shake of her head. Her hand grips my arm tighter. “So, you need to report this now, and then—”
“Tina, this is taking up so much of Elijah’s and Jayden’s energy already. He woke up with a headache this morning because he spent all last night worrying and obsessing over what to do. Jayden had to stop him from going to the community rink to find Ryker.”
“Babe…”
“I don’t know what to do. Lex is saying we need to go public.
Like the three of us. And Jayden’s dad is saying that I should get a bodyguard who can drive me places and watch over me.
” Sucking in a sharp breath, I let it cut all the way through my chest, allowing the pain to ground me so I don’t burst into tears again.
“I don’t want to be the reason Elijah gets sick.
That he and Jayden get into trouble. Lex was talking about how the team might want to split them up and trade one of them because of. .. us,” I whisper the last part.
“Might isn’t a certainty. Stop panicking over might and maybe, and focus on what you can do.”
“What can I do right now, Christina?”
A grin cuts her face. “For starters, learn to drive. You’re in LA now, and as much as it can be a pain to drive, it’s safer than public transport and Ubers.”
“I can’t learn to drive overnight.” But I like the idea, and it would help with work, too.
“No, but you have two fucking boyfriends that can teach you both to drive and to defend yourself. Eli and Jayden literally rough dudes up for a living. Also, I go to this great Krav Maga class. The instructor is a woman, world champion, and she can teach you the basics of taking down any asshole that comes near you.”
“So I can defend myself.”
“Exactly. No need for a bodyguard-slash-sitter, and if you can handle yourself, maybe it will help put Eli and Jayden’s minds at ease a bit more.”
“You’re right,” I murmur as we start for the table again. “I can’t believe I didn’t think about the self-defense classes.”
“It’s not what you’ve been programmed to think about, Fin.” Her arm links with mine. “I told you, Babe, the world out here is a different kind of dark. You have to be able to protect yourself, even if Eli and Jayden are there to do it, too.”
“It’s all so darn overwhelming, like I’m always running behind on everything and—”
“Welcome to the real world, Amish,” she croons when we reach the table where Alice and Summer are already sitting with a selection of dishes waiting for us.
“I’m so sorry,” Summer says, getting up to hug me in greeting. “I tried to wait, but this little bean is already as bossy as his or her dad.”
“That’s okay, we lost track of time trying to find presents for men who have everything or who can buy themselves anything…” I blow out a breath, sitting in the chair beside hers while Alice and Christina cheers each other with some sake.
Summer chuckles, squeezing an edamame bean into her mouth while she gestures for me to tuck in, too. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay,” I tell her. “Thank you for letting me take this morning off.”
“Girl, you don’t need to thank me. I went home last night, and I couldn’t stop thinking about the whole ordeal.” Summer pauses with a visible shudder. “Anyway, we are not ruining our dinner with this conversation. It literally makes me feel sick.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Stop apologizing,” she says at the same time Christina groans, “If you apologize one more time…”
“Okay… okay…”
“Sum, do you have any advice on present shopping for rich-ass men?” Christina changes the conversation with a light tap of her foot to my ankle.
I really don’t know what I would do without her friendship. She’s the sister I never had. The sibling I always dreamed about having.
“Man, even now that Parker and I are married, I struggle with buying him gifts. So, this year, I’ve told him this is his present.” She points at her belly with a dreamy sigh.
The more time I spend with Summer, the more awed I am by her. She’s so warm and dedicated to her family—everything I’ve ever thought a mom and wife should be.
“What’s it like being pregnant?” The question tumbles from my mouth. It’s something I’ve wondered about a lot since becoming friends with her and listening to her talk to her belly. “Does it feel weird? I mean, you’re growing a human, that’s… wow…”
“I think I’m addicted to the feeling of having mine and Parker’s baby growing inside me. It genuinely feels like the most important thing I’ve ever done.” Happiness glows on her face while she rubs her bump; it’s popping more and more with each passing week.
Watching her so in love with being pregnant stirs up a heart-wrenching tug in my chest. It’s a feeling I’ve never felt before, especially not about babies.
From the day my mother told me that my only purpose in life was to get married to the chosen man and have his babies, I was sure I never wanted to be a human incubator. But seeing Summer so thrilled all the time—it’s got me thinking…
Elijah and Jayden would make the cutest babies, and even though Elijah and I didn’t have perfect parents, I know he would make a wonderful dad.
He has so much love to give, and Jayden is so soft, caring, and giving.
I can just picture them with the sweetest little boys—possessing the same happy-go-lucky, boisterous streak as Jayden and Elijah’s tenacious determination.
The server comes to our table, taking mine and Christina’s order. Predictably, she orders a simple noodle dish while I order my favorite sushi from the selection Jayden ordered for us before.
“The spider rolls are my favorite, too,” Summer tells me with another soft rub of her belly. “I’m so grateful that crab is one of the few seafoods that my obstetrician said I can still eat.”
“Oh my God, ever since the morning sickness went away, all I can do is eat,” Summer says, mixing through the seaweed salad on her side dish.
“When this baby gets here, I might not fit through any doors. I’ll be like the marshmallow man, but I don’t know, it’s incredible knowing that I have this forever piece of Parker and me, right in here. ”