Chapter 22
AVERY
RIGHT AFTER SHE LEFT RAWLEY’S HOUSE EARLIER THAT DAY
“Why didn’t you call us last night?”
Mom is concerned, and I don’t blame her. I just dropped the bomb of my paparazzi experience from yesterday on her. Taylor and Aiden had honored my request to be the one to share with my family.
“It’s okay. Rawley got us out of there, and I stayed with the Battles. And now I have this nice man Mitchell protecting me, thanks to Aiden.” The aforementioned Mitchell smiles at me from the driver’s seat.
“I’m going to need to tell your father. There are enough secrets right now.”
“I get it, Mom. We’re just driving to get my stuff, and if Dad wants to talk to me, he can.”
Not more than three minutes later, he gives me a buzz.
“Hi, Dad.”
“Avery Marie Parker, the next time anything like that happens, you phone us right away.”
His dictatorial tone is back, and I knee-jerk against it. “Dad, I’m an adult. Everything is handled.”
“I want to talk to the security person with you.”
“He can’t, he’s literally driving.” Mitchell’s eyes flash to me.
Dad sighs, and I swear I can hear him cracking his knuckles. Mom’s voice comes through the phone, muffled. I’m pretty sure she’s talking to him, not me.
When he speaks again, his voice is calmer. “I’m sorry for my tone. We’re just worried.”
“It’s all right.” I try to settle my own nerves, ramped up now in the defensive position I’m accustomed to for these conversations.
“I’m glad you were with that guy you’re seeing when it happened.”
“Yeah, he acted fast. Got us out of there.”
“You go to Phoenix next?”
“Yes.” I brace myself for a rollback of the questions about why I’m not starting.
But they don’t come.
“You’ve been looking solid out there. I can tell you’re getting more comfortable with your teammates.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
“I don’t know if we’ll be able to stay up for the west coast games, but we’ll watch the recordings the next day.” He sounds—I can’t believe this—apologetic about not viewing the games live?
“Oh, no worries.” I’m kind of stunned where the whole conversation is going, and it’s pushing to the top of my mind the questions I have for my mom about Dad’s mellower attitude lately.
“I’ll let you go, but please do have someone from the security firm call me.”
“Okay.”
Once we hang up, I whip off a text to pass along my dad’s request to Aiden.
And then I spend the rest of the drive in disbelief over everything that just happened.
Yes, with my dad. But also with Rawley.
I kissed him. And then he made that dang shot to claim more.
There’s something about him though, and it’s not just his looks.
When we’re hanging out, he makes me feel…happy? I don’t know if that’s the right word exactly, but it’s a first, whatever it is.
Spending time with Jack was comfortable and safe, but nothing else. With other guys before him, I always felt too self-conscious to truly enjoy the other person, plus I was so much younger. And then Topher was Topher.
No need to overanalyze it, Avery.
If I follow through on our “wager,” it would just be a hookup situation, after all.
I can’t deny Rawley’s a great candidate to replace Jack, and God knows my body welcomes that.
Does it matter that he’s an athlete? Now that I’ve gotten to know him—I’m not sure it needs to be a disqualifier. Especially under the circumstances.
He hasn’t given me any reason to think he’ll break our vow not to sneak around with someone else. He doesn’t seem to be a player at all, in fact, based on what he said at our dinner at the restaurant. Nor is he allowed to be anyway during our arrangement.
We’re stuck together for the moment, and when we have our “break up,” things can end. Simple as that.
God, that kiss though. And that body. Sigh.
I’m not mad at the fact he made that shot.
“We’re here,” Mitchell says, breaking me out of my reverie. “I’ll come inside with you, just to be safe.”
He pulls the car into my driveway. I look around and don’t see any photographers or extra vehicles.
We don’t anticipate anyone broke into my house or anything like that. I do have a basic security system, and no alarms went off last night.
It’s just a safety-first thing.
“Thanks again,” I say to him as I let us in.
Yeah, as I scan the front rooms, the house looks pristine. Still, I let out an exhale. It’s nice to have the confirmation.
Sure, the photographers scared me last night, but if all they were looking for was pictures, that’s something I’m used to with Dad. It’s just an adjustment that it’s me who’s the subject of such intense focus.
I pack two bags for the road trip, and within five minutes, Mitchell has us back on the road to meet the team bus at our practice facility.
We’re going to hop a plane to Phoenix, so there’ll be plenty of downtime. Hopefully, I can catch up with Sarah, and see if she minds if I stay at her place for a bit.
When I’d visited from UConn, she’d put me up as part of her “alumni mentor” duties. She didn’t technically need to, but it made it more fun and definitely helped advance our friendship.
Like Landon, she lives in a gated community, but the homes are a bit more modest. Classic three bedrooms, somewhere around two thousand square feet. I’m already eyeing it as a possible option for myself, once my finances get right.
Only a minute after Mitchell and I leave my house, I get a message that makes that possibility feel closer.
AIDEN: Check your email.
I head straight there, and he’s forwarded a message from SkyHigh to Mom and me. His opening line reads, “Now that’s more like it.”
I scroll down and yes, what SkyHigh lays out is hugely better than the first offer.
They’re just bullets, not a contract yet, but I start getting excited. Finally.
-five years
-$15 million
-signature shoe line
-personal logo
Ahhh, this is amazing. I circle back to my texts to tell Aiden as much.
AVERY: Thank you, this is incredible.
AIDEN: It’s just the beginning. Let me get it papered and push them for some sweeteners. Other deals to come.
AIDEN: FYI, they said, and I quote, “we don’t want to miss out on a star like this.” As hard as last night was, our plan is on track.
AVERY: I get it. Let’s stay the course.
Needless to say, I don’t mention to Aiden that “staying the course” possibly means kissing and other things with Rawley now.
I find myself fighting the urge to text Rawley about the deal, but—no, I just left him a short while ago. I’ll text him after we get settled at our hotel in Phoenix.
Mom calls me to relay her excitement, so I distract myself with our conversation for the rest of the ride. A completely different conversation than just forty-five minutes ago.
I guess all of this is worth it, truly.
The team is way too chatty during the trip for me to speak with Sarah, but once we’re at the hotel, I ask her if we can talk privately sometime tonight.
“Sure,” she says, looking curious. “Drop your stuff off and come right to my room.”
Once I explain everything to her about last night, and how I think I might need to move, she jumps in.
“You can definitely stay with me. I mean, you and Rawley are so new you wouldn’t want to crash at his place, I’m guessing?”
“Right. Yes, that would be awesome.”
That settled, I let myself feel how weird it is not to tell her the full truth. And not to talk with her about the latest developments with Rawley.
Because Mom isn’t getting those other details either, even though she’s the only one who knows about our arrangement.
But I keep my mouth shut with Sarah. Every person we tell has to carry the burden of keeping the secret to themselves, and there’s no reason to put that on her.
“YAY! It’ll be fun. Malcolm’s so busy in the summer too, so it’ll be nice to have company.”
Soon, we head to an early team dinner (normal for us, with the time change), and I clear my mind of all my personal drama.
Time to win some more games.