Chapter 23 Sienna #2
Shit. I don’t know what to do.
Zander was so sweet with Zoey on Wednesday. He deserves to see her again, doesn’t he?
Plus, the Cougars lost yesterday, so he’s probably feeling a little salty, and Zoey might cheer him up.
Are you really doing this?
My stomach hitches as I reach for the piece of paper in my back pocket… and quickly realize I’m not wearing the right pair of pants.
“Shit,” I mumble under my breath.
“Pak, Mommy?”
“Yeah, I thought we could go to the park. I was hoping I could arrange for your little friend Dayton to join us, but he’s busy.”
“Aw.” Zoey pouts, holding Tony the Pony against her chest. She’s been going for that stuffed animal ever since Wily called her a cowgirl. “Wanna pay.”
“I know. But I’ll be there to play with you.”
“Yeah.” She sounds so disappointed it’s hard not to be offended.
But I laugh it off, knowing she’s only two. “So, who do you want to play with, then?”
I’m expecting her to say Uncle Rusty and am already resigning myself to the fact that I’ll have to call him and he’ll no doubt meet us at the park with a gleeful grin.
Pulling out my phone with a frown, I’m about to unlock it when Zoey surprises me.
“Wywee.”
I stop the stroller and peer down at her. “Wily?”
She nods. “Me wanna pay Wywee.”
“You want to play with Wily?”
“Yeah.” She sits up, looking all enthusiastic as she holds up her horse. “Yeeha!”
I laugh. “You know we’re going to the park, though, right? He’s not buying you ice cream today. There’s no horsey at the park.”
“Wywee!” she shouts, hugging her toy horse. “I wanna pay Wywee!”
“Okay, okay.” I rub her arm to calm her down, then crouch beside the stroller. “Thing is, I don’t know where Wily and Zander live. I think they call it Football Frat, but I’m not sure.”
Zoey nods, leaning toward me like I can totally nail this “Find Wily” mission. Touching my cheek with her little hand, she gives me an emphatic nod. “Mommy fine Wywee.”
“Okay.” I nod. “I’m gonna try.” Standing tall, I grab the handles of the stroller and start walking toward the Nolan U campus.
I stop the first person I see and ask if they know where the frat house that some football guys live in is. She doesn’t know, but the next guy mutters that it’s on Greek Row.
“Where’s that?” I call after him.
“Google it!” he shouts over his shoulder, and I try but come up empty-handed.
There’s no official street named Greek Row, and I push the stroller forward in frustration, wondering how long I should pursue this thing. The park comes into view, and I think about abandoning my quest and just taking her to the playground.
But my little girl will be so disappointed if we don’t find Wily.
She’s happily kicking her legs and singing to her horse. It’s kind of adorable, so I press on, and two people later, I find someone who is actually helpful.
“Yeah, I know Football Frat.” She grins at me, and for a second, I have that ugly flash of Kelsey U and that smiling girl who let me into Zander’s dorm. “It’s about two doors down from my place.”
“And where’s that?”
She laughs. “Head down this street and take your first left, opposite the park, then turn right when you hit the Stop sign and it’ll be the…
” Closing her eyes, she does a quick count in her head.
“Sixth house along? Maybe the seventh. It’s the one with the Harley Davidson parked out front, and if that’s not there, just look for guy trucks.
The place is always surrounded by them.”
“Okay.” I nod, trepidation taking me out as I turn and start pushing Zoey toward Football Frat.
Shit, what am I doing?
I second-guess myself the entire way there and nearly bail when I get to that Stop sign, but then I look down the street and see all those manly trucks the woman was talking about.
With my breath on hold, I push Zoey forward, looking for a Harley Davidson. I don’t see it, but I don’t have to because the blond giant appears around the side of the house. The second he spots us, his face lights up with a big grin.
“Cowgirl!” He raises his arms in greeting.
“Wywee!” Zoey starts wrestling against her restraints.
I quickly move forward to help her with the buckle.
As soon as she’s free, she launches herself out of the stroller, landing in a pile on the front lawn before jumping to her feet and running toward the gentle giant.
“Wywee!” She giggles when he picks her up, throwing her in the air and making her squeal.
I stand there, gripping the stroller and watching with a teary smile.
How cute are they?
“Sienna?” Zander’s voice snags my attention, and I glance toward the front door, seeing him standing there in sweats and a hoodie—no shirt underneath. His hair’s wet and his feet are bare, and holy sex on a stick. He is so fine.
“Are you okay?” His concern melts me, and I quickly nod and smile up at him.
“Just thought we’d swing by for a visit.”
My mouth pools with desire, a hot burn lancing me as I watch him walk down the front steps, a huge smile spreading across his face.
Oh man, he is so happy to see me.
My heart flails dangerously, begging me to run into his arms. Would he pick me up the way he used to? Could I wrap my legs around him? Would his hands grab my ass the way I loved so much? Would he hold me close and kiss me? Make me feel like the only other human on the planet?
Stop it, Sienna.
I force my eyes to the ground, but then have to look back up again when I hear Zander say, “Is that Zoey?”
Zoey turns with a gasp, her face lighting with excitement when she sees him. “Foobawl!” Wriggling out of Wily’s hold, she tries to get to Zander.
Wily laughs and launches her through the air. Zander’s eyes bulge, and he quickly catches her, then growls at his roommate. “She’s not a football, man. Be careful with her.”
A smile twitches my lips as Wily gives his captain a bashful apology, then turns to check that I’m not mad.
I smile at him but can’t take my eyes off Zander and Zoey for long.
She’s perched in his arms, playing with the zipper of his hoodie while she chats away.
She’s talking so fast it’s impossible to understand her.
She’s not even saying proper words, just mimicking what Mom and I do when we see each other and are catching up in fast-forward.
The first part of our phone calls are usually spurted out in a rush.
I recognize Zoey’s intonation and am fighting my laughter as Zander watches her, nodding like he totally gets what she’s saying.
“You know?” Zoey tips her head, her words exactly the same as mine.
“Yeah.” Zander nods. “Absolutely.”
She grins and nods, obviously glad they’ve cleared that up.
Zander shoots me a look over the top of her head, and I can’t contain my laughter anymore.
With a soft snort, I walk around the stroller and stand beside them just as a good-looking Black guy comes strolling out of the house.
He’s lean and so obviously strong. His shirtless body hides nothing, and I can see his ripped muscles.
Beside him is a willowy woman with long strawberry blonde hair and perfectly applied makeup.
She’s wearing a miniskirt and tank top that shows off her slim waist and the diamond stud in her belly button.
Wow. She is stunning. He links his hand with hers, pulling her down the stairs and stopping beside me.
He grins at Zoey and asks, “So, who do we have here?”
“Grady, Teah.” Zander lifts Zoey a little higher and grins. “This is Zoey.”
“Hey, cutie.” Teah smiles at my daughter, holding up her hand for a high five.
Zoey slaps it with a giggle and points at the woman. “You pity.”
“I… what?” The woman looks to me for help.
“Zoey said you’re pretty.”
“Aw,” she croons and tells Zoey the same thing, making my daughter smile, then dip her head, all coy and fake shyness.
I shake my head at her dramatic antics and stretch out my hand. “I’m Sienna.”
“Hi.” Teah’s long fingers wrap around mine, and she gives my hand a swift shake before letting Grady introduce himself properly.
“I’ve heard a lot about you.” He gives me a knowing smile, and a surge of butterflies cascades through me as I glance at Zander.
His gaze is kind of soft and mushy and…
Yeah, I really am in trouble.
I don’t think I’m going to be able to stop myself from falling headfirst for this guy all over again.