Chapter 32
RAWLEY
When Avery leaves my house, I feel the lack of her within the hour.
Shit, we are going to be apart for a week again.
I really shouldn’t dwell on the thought, but it lingers. After being inside her for the first time, sharing things about myself only my brother really knows—it feels wrong for us to be cut off for a week.
I try to distract myself with a workout, but only one thing makes the sensation go away: when Avery texts me a few hours later.
AVERY: Getting on the plane to Detroit
I wasn’t sure if we were going to talk again today, or even soon. During her prior trips we only texted once or twice, largely to make plans.
Needless to say, I respond right away.
RAWLEY: Have a great trip :)
AVERY: Hopefully I’ll get a nap on the plane. Someone woke me up in the middle of the night
A smile comes over my face.
RAWLEY: I don’t remember many complaints last night
AVERY: Hindsight is 20-20
AVERY: JK. The memory will keep me going on this road trip
I like that. We’re making memories.
Sex memories, but still.
RAWLEY: I’m going to enjoy those memories too.
AVERY: I bet you are.
AVERY: Ok signing off, I’ll text ya once I’m at the hotel
My grin widens. She wants to talk again later tonight?
I don’t let myself quite believe it, until she sends me a message after I’ve had dinner with my brothers.
AVERY: Made it to the hotel.
AVERY: I feel bad I didn’t say this earlier, but thank you for trusting me with what you shared.
Her gratitude isn’t needed, but it still feels good that she knows I trust her.
RAWLEY: For sure. Thanks for listening :)
RAWLEY: Did you get a nap?
AVERY: Kinda…
We end up chatting about random Surge-related things—her upcoming game and funny stories about her teammates—before she signs off again.
It feels good. And very much that we are not cut off after all.
I let her take the lead, and she sets a new normal for us this road trip by texting me every day. I try to catch her games in real time as much as I can so I’m able to chat with her about them.
Though, our conversations veer all over the place now. I learn about her favorite movies and shows, her pastimes (she’s learning to cross-stitch), and about her friends from high school and UConn.
With three days left on her road trip, my brothers and I fly out to watch Grace compete at nationals, so that adds a new topic too. She peppers me with questions about the meet, how track works, etc.
By the time we reach my final day in Oregon, and her last road game, I feel confident initiating our texting. A good thing, since I want to share something that will make her laugh.
RAWLEY: Got my “Team Grace” shirt on, check it out.
RAWLEY: [sends JPG]
AVERY: OH MY GOD. Is that a big picture of her head on the shirt?
RAWLEY: Yeah. I had them specially made for Johnson and my brothers too.
AVERY: She’s either going to love them or hate them.
RAWLEY: Probably both.
AVERY:
AVERY: I’m so ready to be home. One more game tonight to go.
RAWLEY: I’m ready for you to be home.
AVERY: You’re back tomorrow? We still good to make plans earlier than the July fourth party?
RAWLEY: Definitely.
I’ve actually been cooking up a master plan over the last couple of days for our next date.
It struck me that during our interview for the magazine she’d talked about exploring the area. And how excited she’d been to start her adult life, living on her own. It seems like between her townhouse issue, our scheduled dates, and her overall obligations, she hasn’t been able to do that much.
So I want to take her out somewhere new and different, give her at least a taste of what she craves.
RAWLEY: Care to make another wager?
AVERY: I’m in.
RAWLEY: Don’t you want to know what it is?
AVERY: I’m tired and bored at the hotel, I’m in already
RAWLEY: Fair. Okay. I’m going to post a selfie with this Grace shirt. If it gets 100K likes, I get to pick our next outing.
AVERY: Oh that’s not too bad. Here I was thinking you were going to suggest something spicy.
RAWLEY: I mean, I **can**
AVERY: How about this. If you get 100K likes by the time I get out of my game, you can pick the next outing, plus we have a FaceTime ‘date’ tonight.
AVERY: And to be clear, I mean a naked one.
Holy fuck.
RAWLEY: Done. Posting now.
I open Instagram as fast as humanly possible. My hands are all shaky as I post the caption, with the selfie photo:
GUYS, I CAN’T TELL YOU WHY BUT I NEED 100K LIKES ON THIS. PLEASE REPOST. ALSO - GO GRACE!!!! LOVE YA, SIS!
Immediately, I realize a way I can help get the post to that “like” number. I bolt over to Landon’s room across the hallway at the hotel we’re staying and knock on the door seven times. Loudly.
He swings it open finally, also wearing his Team Grace shirt. “Where’s the fire?”
“Can I borrow your phone?” He looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. Maybe I have.
Then another voice chimes up.
“Hi, Rawley,” Johnson says. Another taker on the “Team Grace” shirt I notice. Granted, he better be.
“Oh good, you’re here too? Between the both of you, you have like ten million followers.”
“What the fuck is going on, Rawley?” Landon asks.
“I need you both to repost the photo I just put up on my Instagram and not ask questions. Nothing bad, I promise. And it’s to cheer on Grace.”
They investigate the post in question, and presumably seeing it’s harmless, hit the repost button.
“Thank you, thank you,” I say, backing out to go to my room. “Proceed with your days…”
“What are you talking about, our ‘days’?” Landon says as I depart. “We’re all meeting in thirty minutes to go to the meet together.”
“Okay, yes, proceed with your remaining thirty minutes then.” I shut the door and step quickly back into my own room.
I could’ve stopped by Connor’s to ask for him to repost too, but he would probably taunt me instead of helping.
The count goes up quickly anyway.
5,000 likes.
10,000 likes.
30,000 likes and rising as I head down to the lobby to meet everyone thirty minutes later.
And by the time Grace crosses the finish line of her 10K race, well before Avery’s deadline, I’ve got 243,912 likes on that post.
GO GRACE, indeed.
It’s later that night when I secure the first part of my winnings.
“Good to know you can deliver when it counts,” Avery teases as we connect the call.
“I wasn’t going to lose.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.”
It’s the first time we’ve ever FaceTimed, and damn if she isn’t a sight for sore eyes.
Her hair’s down, and looks to be slightly damp still from her post-game shower. Creamy skin is on display everywhere, with only a tiny lavender bra covering her top, and shit—equally tiny matching panties on below.
“Damn, Avie. You look…fuck.” The mere sight of her like this has made me breathless.
“So how was Grace’s meet today?”
I try to pull it together to have a real conversation.
“It was really nice. She’s been treating this year as an adjustment back to competing, so qualifying for nationals was the goal. Everything today was about gaining experience.”
“That’s great.”
“How was the game?” I’d watched the stats—she had another twenty-point night—but it’s different to hear the real perspective.
“Another solid win. There’s no way we’re not making the playoffs this year again.”
“Awesome.” In the meantime, staring at her looking like my wildest dreams…yeah, my cock is almost fully hard.
Maybe she picks up on that, or maybe she’s just being impatient for her own reasons. Either way, her next suggestion is “Less talking, more naked?”
“Sounds really good to me.”
And then she leans forward so she’s even closer to her phone’s camera, pulling the straps of that little bra down inch by inch…
The next day, when we land back in Florida, everything goes according to Johnson’s plan.
Grace is completely surprised by what he’s done, starting with the new track.
Then the biggest moment comes, after he drops down on one knee in the middle of the field.
“Grace, will you marry me?”
A gasp comes from my sister as she sees a ring box in his hand.
“Oh my gosh, yes, yes,” she says, her hands coming up to cover her mouth in shock. A split second later, she steps toward Johnson, and he stands up to pull her in a hug.
Then they’re kissing—they do that a lot, as I found out for better or worse during the Oregon trip, but I guess it’s normal when you get engaged.
They break apart and walk first to Johnson’s mom and family, who’ve joined us for the occasion on Forever Field.
That’s right, his regulation field is newly named in honor of this moment, another thing Johnson planned.
“Yay, you’re going to be my aunt,” I hear Johnson’s niece say to Grace.
“I can’t wait, Emma.”
I peek over to my brothers, curious how they’re taking the news.
“I wish Rori was here to see this,” Landon says quietly, as much to himself as to me. As I keep my gaze on him, I notice tears too.
Connor is not crying, but instead has a little smile on his face. He and Grace have a special relationship, as she’s the only one close to his academic level. She also paved the path for Princeton before him. Knowing him, he’s just happy for her.
That joy is front and center a moment later when Grace and Johnson come over to us and hugs get passed around like candy.
Grace kisses my cheek when it’s my turn, and then whispers in my ear.
“Love you, Rawley. Thank you for being part of this day.”
“Love you, Gracie.”
“All right, let’s go eat,” Johnson says loudly to the whole gang. “We have a caterer so everyone can relax,” he explains, another part of his planning that is a surprise for her.
“That’s so thoughtful, honey.”
And then they’re kissing.
“Oh man, we’re going to have to swallow the kissing all night, aren’t we?” I say to Connor in a low voice.
“Can’t really crack jokes on the night of the engagement,” Connor agrees, not sounding thrilled.
“You two, get over it.” Pam, Johnson’s mom, lightly cuffs my back. “They’re excited, and it is beautiful.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I say, putting on my good Alabama boy voice.
We stroll in from the lawn as a group, Connor and I the slowest.
“Too bad Bea couldn’t be here,” I mention as the others are far ahead enough not to hear. He hasn’t gone down to Miami since Landon and I had our last OTA.
“We broke up,” he says crisply.
I stop in my tracks. “What?”
“Yeah, I ended things. Though she was agreeable too.”
“Wait, you broke up with your girlfriend of eight months and didn’t think to mention it once to me?”
He shrugs. “It isn’t like you and her are hanging out.”
“Well, why did you end it?”
He clenches his jaw. “I don’t really want to talk about it here, now. But something wasn’t right.”
“Okay.”
I can’t help but ask one more question.
“Does this have something to do with why you keep disappearing during the day?”
“No. That’s different.”
Could he possibly say less? Christ.
He must sense my annoyance. “Someday all will be revealed. But not now, Rawls.”