Chapter 13
CHAPTER 13
RHETT
The gravel crunched beneath our feet as Natalie and I walked up the path to Mav's enormous McMansion. The ride was silent, and every time I glanced over, hoping to catch her eyes, she would just stare straight ahead.
I hoped we would talk about what happened earlier, but every time I tried to bring it up, the words wouldn't come. I knew she was feeling the same awkwardness as I was because she was going out of her way to avoid me.
There was so much uncertainty about our future, and I wanted to assure her that everything would be okay, but how could I when I wasn't sure myself?
When Mav's front door came into view, I said the hell with it. "Natalie, about earlier."
She turned to look at me; her eyes were wide. "I know we need to talk, but not now, okay? I'm nervous as it is about meeting your friend’s.”
"Fine. I just wanted you to know that I've been thinking about it a lot. We can't keep avoiding these conversations. We need to figure some things out. "
She gripped my hand and squeezed it tightly. "We will. I promise."
"Fair enough." My eyes connected with hers. "And I told you, you have nothing to worry about.
My friends already knew the real story. I had already answered the girls’ questions, and they couldn’t wait to meet Natalie. Kinley and Rylee thought I was crazy. I couldn't help but think they understood my feelings in a way that no one else did. They reminded me to protect my heart and keep a level head about this. They didn’t pity me, judge me, or bust my chops like their men did.
“Tell me again who everyone is.”
“Mav used to be our starting quarterback before he retired. He’s the mother hen of the group. Kinley is his wife and the only person on the planet who can put him in his place. JP used to be our top wide receiver and the one everyone goes to for advice. He’s engaged to Mav’s sister, Rylee.”
She tilted her head to look at me. “And they all know the truth?”
I reached out to take her hand and entwined our fingers. “Yes, and they are dying to meet you.”
“I hope they’re not disappointed.”
I cupped her cheek. “They won’t be, and even if they are, I don’t care.”
This connection was undeniable, and I was ready to embrace it with everything I had. I wanted her to see this side of me, the one that allowed me to be myself without any expectations. I wanted her to fit in with my friends, but I never considered what would happen if she didn’t.
But after looking into her eyes and seeing how nervous she was, I realized I didn’t care about anyone else’s opinion .
“Well, let’s hope I make a good impression and pass their test.” She squeezed my hand before letting go.
I guided her through the foyer and toward the kitchen.
“Hi.” Rylee smiled, walking right up to us. “You must be Natalie. I’m JP’s fiancée, Rylee.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Natalie held her hand out with a bright smile, but Rylee surprised us when she pulled Natalie into a hug.
“Sorry, I am a hugger.” Rylee winked at me over Natalie’s shoulder and pulled away.
“Don’t I get a hug?” I held my arms out and lifted my brow.
“Of course you do, especially since you brought something other than just a twelve-pack of beer this time.” She grinned.
I loved the woman to death, but she loved to bust my balls and to keep myself out of hot water with her brother and fiancé, I let her.
Given that Rylee was Mav’s sister, I’ve known her for years, but we grew close when she started dating my buddy JP.
“Something smells good,” I said, feeling my stomach growl at the smell of warm cinnamon and apples. My eyes moved around the kitchen and landed on the pie resting on the stove.
“Don’t even think about touching that pie,” Kinley warned as she came into the kitchen, balancing baby Mila in her arms. “It’s scorching hot, and you’ll burn yourself.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it. I swear,” I teased, flashing her a grin before quickly glancing back at the stove.
Mav stepped into the kitchen, holding a trash bag. He set the bag down and extended his hand to Natalie. “I’m Mav, it’s nice to finally meet you. ”
“You too. Thanks for inviting me.” She pushed her hair behind her ear and blushed.
If she hadn’t been so nervous, I would have teased her about being so dazzled by his pretty boy face. She had mentioned in the car that she’d seen photos of Maverick at the office and thought he was cute. At least she wasn’t fumbling over words and making a fool of herself like most women did when they met him for the first time.
I pulled Natalie to my side and handed Mav the bottle of wine we brought.
He took it and whistled. “Wine and a wife. Who are you, and what have you done to my friend?”
Kinley turned to Natalie. Her tone was filled with genuine warmth. “We’ve been looking forward to meeting you since we found out that Rhett was bringing you.”
Mav leaned against the counter. “She’s not wrong. It’s not every day that we get to meet the woman who has the patience to put up with this big fella.” He winked at me.
“Glad to see you’re not making a big deal about this,” I joked.
After being single all my life, I never understood the appeal of being in a committed relationship. It never made sense to me how my buddies would get so stupid over their woman and bend over backward to ensure their happiness. Slowly, I was starting to get it and the more time I spent with Natalie, the more I wanted what they had.
“Where’s JP?” I asked and leaned in to kiss Mila on her tiny head.
“He’s out back with Zander.” Kinley smiled as she passed the baby to Mav so she could grab the pitcher of iced tea from the fridge.
There were bowls of chips and appetizer trays waiting to be carried outside. I immediately picked up a couple and carefully balanced them in my hands .
“Can I help you with anything?” Natalie asked as Rylee grabbed the mason jars filled with silverware off the counter.
“Just come on out and have a drink with us.” Rylee smiled as she headed toward the sliding glass door. “I hope you’re hungry because we have plenty of food.”
Maverick opened the door, and Natalie grabbed one of the trays from my hand as we made our way outside. The smell of the meat cooking on the grill made my stomach growl.
We set everything down and I turned just in time to catch a football coming my way. Out of instinct, I jumped up to catch it.
“You playing quarterback now?” I yelled out to JP and made my way across the yard with Natalie.
Mav’s boy, Zander ran in circles while JP pretended to run from him.
“It’s good to see you again, Natalie.” He held his hand out as Zander wrapped himself around his tree trunk of a leg. The kid was shy around ladies, probably because he was used to women fawning all over his father, thanks to quarterbacks getting all the love. We all had our fair share of fan girls, but Mav’s was on a whole other level.
“You too.” She waved to Zander, who was peeking at her from behind JP. His brown eyes shined with interest once he got a good look at the woman at my side. She was in a cute little sundress that she picked out just for today. She had been nervous and mentioned that it felt more like a date, and she wasn’t sure how she was supposed to act around my friends. Adding kids to the mix scared her because she never knew what to say or how to talk to them. Judging by the adorable smile Zander was shooting her way, it was safe to say she was doing just fine.
“What’s up, little man?” I held my fist out for a bump. He giggled when I pulled my hand away, pretending that he hit me hard enough to hurt. “You’re strong, just like your daddy, huh?” I ruffled his hair as he ran off to play with JP and Rylee’s golden retriever, Oakley.
“Something smells good,” Natalie said as Rylee handed her a frozen margarita.
“I just pulled some brisket off the smoker.” JP threw an arm around Rylee’s shoulder as she put her drink up to his lips so he could take a sip.
I glanced at the table that was loaded up with more food than we could ever eat. JP went all out with brisket, burgers, grilled chicken, macaroni salad, coleslaw, and fruit. The guy loved to cook, so everyone let him, because we all knew everything he prepared would be amazing.
After grabbing our drinks, we all settled in at the table and started making small talk.
“So, Natalie, will we be seeing you at the Born to Love benefit next week?” Rylee eyed her over the rim of her glass.
“I’ll actually be there taking pictures for the team’s social media department.”
Natalie shifted in her seat, so I rested my hand on her thigh to get her to relax. Her nerves were stamped all over her face.
Rylee’s eyes bounced between us. “You’ll be working it like me, then?”
I smiled, keeping my voice casual, even though the disappointment gnawed at me. “I can’t exactly bring her as my date, but I still want her there. And I might have convinced Tracy that I needed someone to take pictures for my social media.”
Although this was way below Natalie’s job description, she still needed to start somewhere.
“So, basically, poor Natalie has to follow your butt around and snap pictures all night?” Kinley asked, setting her glass down.
Natalie laughed. “I’ll mostly just be assisting with whatever Rhett needs me to do.”
I threw an arm around the back of her chair. “I can think of a few things that might require your assistance .”
“I don’t think that’s what Tracy meant.” She rolled her eyes and nudged me in the ribs.
“Don’t worry, Natalie. I’m the event coordinator, which makes me the boss.” Rylee smirked at me from across the table. “So I’ll make sure you don’t get stuck by his side all night.”
“That will probably be for the best,” Mav said, taking a sip of his beer. “Considering you guys need to keep a low profile.”
“Really, Mav?” I frowned. This was already a delicate topic, so I didn’t want Natalie to feel uncomfortable.
He set his napkin down. “I’m not trying to be a dick. I’m just looking out for you.”
JP sliced into his brisket. “We just want you to be careful, Rhett.”
“I’m not going to do anything stupid,” I reassured them. “Have a little faith in me.”
Natalie sat up and straightened her shoulders. “Rhett and I plan on keeping this a secret for the time being. I will be there strictly in a business capacity.”
It sucked that we would both be there together, but I couldn’t bring her as my date. I wanted her by my side, but as Mav bluntly pointed out, we had to keep things professional. There would be cameras everywhere and various people from the Arrows organization. The last thing I wanted to do was piss Beau Landers off.
Although, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous that Mav and JP could both bring their women, that they didn’t have to lie and sneak around. But I couldn’t let any of that stop me. I had one month to convince her to give me a real shot. If, by some miracle, she decided to give this thing a go, then there would be no more reasons to hide and pretend.
I rested my hand on her leg and squeezed. She peered up at me, and I was expecting her to push my hand off her thigh. Instead, she smiled and rested one of hers over mine. What did that mean? Was she just being nice, or did it mean something else?
We started talking about the upcoming season, but I was only half listening; I was too focused on how easily Natalie was bonding with my friends and how hard it would be if she chose to walk away. My skin got damp just thinking about it. I tried to play it cool as the conversation around me continued, but I kept envisioning Natalie and me together. Having backyard dinners like this with our friends, quiet nights at home watching movies, and her running onto the field after every game to congratulate me. I had to close my eyes because that wasn’t our reality, but damn, I wanted it to be.
We got to our feet and started clearing off the table. The girls pulled Natalie into the kitchen for another margarita while the guys hung back with Zander and Mila.
“I wasn’t expecting you to look so happy,” Mav said before snapping a picture of Zander trying to spike a football.
My eyes went to the house. Through the big kitchen window, I could see Natalie’s blond hair. She threw her head back and laughed, and their giggles could be heard all the way out here. I was hit with a deep sense of contentment .
JP followed my gaze. “You deserve this, Rhett. I know you guys are still testing the waters, but I’ve been watching her tonight, and she looks at you the same way you look at her.”
I reached over to grab a cookie off the table. “How do I look at her?”
JP flipped his baseball cap around his head. “I don’t know what’s going on with you two, but there is genuine affection there. I was expecting physical chemistry, but from what I can tell, it’s more than that.”
Mav scooped baby Mila out of her bouncer seat when she started to fuss. “What’s the status with you guys?” he asked as she laid her tiny head against his chest. “Because from the looks of it, you have feelings for her. And not just any feelings, but strong ones.”
“I asked her to give me a month,” I explained and took a bite of my chocolate chip cookie.
“You’re really not worried about Beau finding out that she’s staying with you?” JP leveled his gaze on me.
“He’s in South Africa and then going to California,” I stated as if that would be enough to settle their doubts.
Mav sipped his beer. “Still seems risky.”
“We all know how much I love to walk on the wild side,” I teased, trying to turn this heavy conversation around. I was already confused, and quite frankly, I was sick of having to explain myself. They didn’t get it, and I didn’t care if they ever did. This was between Natalie and me.
JP kicked his feet up on the free chair. “We’re not trying to bust your ass. We just want you to be happy.”
Mav set his beer down so he could adjust Mila in his arms. “Yeah. And if she makes you happy, then we are all for it, but you can’t expect us to not be concerned about you. ”
I turned to my friend. “I appreciate the concern, but I’m a big boy, Mav.”
“You obviously care about her,” he said, gentling his tone. “You’ve never had a serious relationship before. While we are happy that you are finally ready for that, what are you going to do when it all blows up in your face?”
I could always count on Mav to not mince words. I couldn’t be mad at him because he was only looking out for me.
“Why are you so sure that’s going to happen?” I asked, sitting straight up in my seat.
He gave me a serious look—the same one he used on game day when he served the team a piece of humble pie with a side of stone-cold truth. “Let’s be real for a second and allow me to play devil’s advocate. What do you think is the worst thing that can happen?”
“I get traded.”
He raised an eyebrow. “You think so?”
Jesus. No wonder guys twice his size were intimidated by him. The dude had a serious rod stuck up his ass sometimes.
“What are you getting at?” I asked, feeling annoyed with this line of questioning.
“Unless something has changed, you guys are still planning on getting divorced.”
He was getting under my skin, so I pulled on the sleeves of my shirt a little aggressively. “We’re trying to work things out.”
At least, that’s what I thought we were doing. After what happened at the restaurant and with the way she responded to me this morning, I was feeling pretty damn confident that we were making progress and headed in the right direction .
JP leaned forward to cut in. “What if things don’t go the way you want them to go? Are you going to be okay with that?”
I sighed. “I don’t know what to tell you guys other than Natalie is special.”
“You’re proving our point,” JP said, resting his hands on his knees. “There is a good chance you could end up with a broken heart and playing for a new team. Is she worth it?”
“Yes,” I snapped. The thought of losing everything put a knot in my stomach. Getting traded wasn’t something I wanted, but if I got to keep Natalie, I think I could handle it.
“Then we will be here for you. Whatever you need.”
As the night wore on, the kids grew tired, so Mav and Kinley put them to bed while Natalie and Rylee bonded over a few more margaritas. With each drink, their laughs got louder, and after each joke, their smiles got bigger. I would have been content to sit back and watch the two of them all night.
I was elated that Natalie hit it off so well with Kinley and Rylee. I could tell she was desperate for some female companionship. Moving to a new city and starting fresh could be challenging enough. And while I’d like to think I was great company, it wasn’t the same as having a girlfriend to do girly shit with.
We played a quick game of flag football, guys versus girls, and let the girls win. According to the guys, it was the only way they would be getting laid tonight.
The rest of the time was spent sitting around the fire shooting the shit, and every now and then, the guys would tell Natalie a story to get a rise out of me.
When we said our goodbyes, the three girls made plans to go to the salon before the Born to Love benefit next week.
Tonight was nothing like I expected it to be, and everything I didn’t know I needed. The more time I spent with my temporary wife, the more I wanted it to be permanent.