Chapter 21
twenty-one
The doorbell rings, and my stomach drops. This is a horrible idea. I should have backed out while I still had the chance.
I mean, who goes on a girl date with the four women your fake boyfriend is closest to? It sounds like a disaster.
Still, despite my nerves, I make my way to the door.
Cora’s already smiling when I open the door.
“Hey, you ready to go?” she asks, sounding way too chipper.
“This is a horrible idea,” I blurt out.
Cora studies me for a moment and then tilts her head back and laughs. Only when she’s gotten herself back under control does she speak.
“Girl, you have nothing to be nervous about. You’ve met Grace before, and Emery and Peyton are all nice. They won’t bite unless you ask them to. Trust me.”
Shutting my eyes, I take a deep breath and try to calm myself. The memory of how excited Wyatt got when he realized I would be hanging out with all of them rushes through my head. He lit up like the Fourth of July. I have to do this. I can’t let my insecurities get the better of me.
“Okay, you’re right.” I sigh as I grab my purse that I sat next to the door earlier.
After shutting the door behind me, I follow Cora to her car and get inside.
“Seriously though, you have nothing to be nervous about. All we are doing is going thrifting and maybe grabbing some lunch. It will be low-key,” she says as she starts to drive.
“Okay, what do I need to know about them?”
“Well, you know Grace. She is the sweetest person you have ever met. Then you have Peyton. She is Grace’s best friend and my former roommate.
She’s married to Beckett. You should ask her about how they got married.
It’s a crazy story. Then last but not least you have Emery.
I don’t know her as well, but she’s sweet.
She’s a figure skater and has a baby with Brett.
They aren’t married yet but might as well be.
She hangs out with us, but not as much because she is getting back into shape to go to the Olympics. ”
“Oh wow. That is amazing. So she just had a baby and is going to go back?” I ask.
“Yep. She has goals, and Brett is all about making them happen for her.”
“He sounds like a good boyfriend,” I murmur.
“He is. Trust me, you are going to love them too. Peyton and Emery fit in as much as Grace does. I know they are going to love you too. You are like the missing piece of the puzzle our girl group needed,” she says as we pull into the thrift shop.
“Oh look, that’s Peyton’s car. I’ll park next to her. ”
Cora pulls into a parking spot next to a blacked-out Ford Bronco.
“Come on, they are probably inside, already waiting for us.” She jumps out of the car as soon as she puts it into park. I take my time getting out, making sure the door doesn’t come close to hitting the Bronco.
As we walk toward the thrift shop, I have to actively remind myself that it’s going to be fine. I know Grace. Not well, but I know her. Surely she and Cora wouldn’t hang out with women who weren’t like them.
“Hey, you made it!” Grace says as soon as we step inside.
I hang back while Cora hugs all three women. All too soon they turn their attention to me.
“Guys, this is Wyatt’s girl, Lyla. Lyla, this is Emery, Peyton, and you know Grace,” Cora says, pointing at each woman.
Grace steps forward and pulls me into a hug. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You too,” I murmur.
When she steps back, I see Peyton and Emery studying me.
“She’s cute,” Peyton says after a moment.
Emery nods. “I can see why Wyatt picked her. They would make cute babies.”
My eyes widen at their words, making all the women bust out laughing.
“Relax, we’re just teasing,” Peyton says.
“Sorry, I had to. I couldn’t help myself. It’s nice to meet you,” Emery adds.
“Nice to meet you guys too.” I chuckle under my breath.
“Come on, let’s start looking around,” Cora says.
In a group, we all head to the rack furthest from the door and start to hunt for whatever might catch our attention. The longer I look at clothes, the more relaxed I become. It’s nice how different these women are compared to my old friends.
The football girls wouldn’t have been caught in a thrift shop, even though I love coming to them. Not only does it put me at ease with them, but it makes me feel like I don’t have to be someone else. I don’t have to put on a show to be friends with them.
“So Lyla, tell us about yourself,” Emery says.
I swallow hard. “What do you guys want to know?”
“Everything,” Peyton and Grace say in unison.
They look at each other and start laughing, which makes the rest of us laugh as well.
“I’m not very interesting. I’m a senior, and I’m studying nursing,” I tell them when we’ve all calmed down.
“Any family?” Grace asks.
“Yeah, my dad and brother. I actually live with them off campus.” I pause for a minute, trying to decide if I should give them the watered-down family story or let them in on what’s really happening.
“Spit it out. We want all the details,” Peyton says, reading me like a book.
“Are you from here?” Grace adds.
I shake my head. “No, I grew up a couple of hours away from here in a small town, but when I came here for school, my dad and brother followed.” I take a deep breath.
“My dad actually has dementia, and my brother and I are his full-time caregivers. We have a respite worker that comes twice a week to give us both a break.”
“Are you serious?” Peyton asks slowly.
“Yeah.” I keep looking through the rack, not wanting to see the pity on their faces.
“I am so, so sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult that is on you and your brother,” Grace says, sounding like she means it.
“That has to be heartbreaking. Does he remember who you are?” Emery asks gently.
This is how I wished my friends had reacted when I told them. Instead, they showed pity and disgust. They never understood.
I shrug, giving them a sad smile. “Most of the time he thinks I’m his sister, but it’s fine.”
Cora stops flipping through the rack and pulls me into a hug.
“Okay, we need a topic change before we start crying,” Grace says.
“Agreed. How’s the season going, Cora?” Emery asks.
“Good. The guys are killing it. It’s like something otherworldly possessed Wyatt and Kellan. They are both having the best season ever,” Cora tells them.
Grace sighs. “I feel so bad that I haven’t made it to a game yet.”
“Me too. Between trying to make all of Beckett’s games, school, and renovations, I’ve been stressing out,” Peyton adds.
“Brett’s been itching to go, but his team has also had overlapping games. The one night he had free, Alissa had a fever and he wouldn’t go,” Emery chimes in.
Cora rolls her eyes as she pulls away. “You two stream the Wolves’ games while watching your men play theirs, and you send the group chat a play by play on both games.”
“You do?” I ask, shock bleeding into my voice.
Talk about friendship.
“Of course we do. Wyatt supports us, so it’s the least we could do. We could add you to that chat if you wanted. It has all the guys in it too. I guess we weren’t sure you would want constant dings from the family group chat,” Peyton tells me.
“I need them to not have overlapping games when they play at home so we can go.” Grace sighs.
“You guys would go to the games even though your men aren’t playing?” I ask.
“Hell yeah,” Peyton says with no hesitation.
“One hundred percent,” Grace adds.
“Not me personally. I mean, I would if Brett asked me to, but I’m not just going to go without a reason. I found out that when I’m looking at the ice, all I can do is sit there and wish I was on it. Thinking about what I can do to improve,” Emery says. “Curse of trying to get to the Olympics.”
“Peyton and Grace are close to Wyatt and Kellan,” Cora says to me.
“Not just him but other guys who are also on the team. When you date a player, the team starts to become your family,” Grace says.
“But we would mainly go for Wyatt and Kellan. If Beckett’s schedule doesn’t fix itself so I can go to one of Wyatt’s while he’s out of town, I might just have to skip one of his home games to go.” Peyton sighs.
“Such a bad wife,” Emery teases her.
“Wyatt’s like my brother, it’s the least I could do.” Peyton shrugs before she looks over at me. “You are seriously dating a one-in-a-million type guy. Wyatt is the best of the best.”
Grace nods. “He’s always taking care of us. Just last week he took my car to get new tires when I was in class. I didn’t even ask him to, he just did it.”
“He went car shopping with me this summer and helped me buy the Bronco. He haggled that sales guy down like it was his job. Part of the reason I didn’t want to buy a new car was because I didn’t want to be stuck in the dealership all day.
Wyatt and I walked in, he took control. All I did was say which car I wanted and signed the paperwork. It was awesome,” Peyton adds.
“He’s made it known that he needs to be babysitter number one on call if we ever need to do something and she can’t come with us,” Emery says.
Cora shrugs. “You’ve seen some of the things he does for me.”
It’s true. I have. He goes out of his way to make everyone in his life happy.
Wyatt has shown me time and time again that he’s different from the rest. That he will go the extra mile with nothing but a smile on his face.
It’s nice to know that he’s the same way with his friends and that they love him for it.
They support him just as much as he supports them.
“He’s the best,” I say quietly.
“He really is, and if you hurt him, I’ll kill you. What do you think of this top?” Peyton asks.
Her quick threat and then change of subject make me laugh.
Yeah, Cora was right. Peyton is one that will definitely keep you on your toes.
“It’s cute,” I tell her.
“Back to Wyatt for a second, but I can’t wait for you guys to see how he is with Lyla. He talks all the time, and he’s all smiles. It’s so weird,” Cora says.
“He smiles all the time,” I defend him.