Chapter 14 #2
Jane sat halfway up with her elbows on her knees, leaning forward with an expression of intent focus on her face.
She was in jeans with a soft sweater, her hair pulled back in a no-nonsense tie that exposed the elegant line of her neck.
As far as I could tell, she wasn’t wearing any makeup and she was damn beautiful.
It looked like she was comfortable here, just being herself, supporting her brother. I forgot how to breathe for a second as I watched her, not looking like a CEO, or a takeover weapon, or even my wife right now.
She just looked like someone who belonged exactly where she was, shouting encouragement at a teenage boy currently trying to throw another teenage boy onto a mat. These kids were not messing around. Hell, if he could find some popcorn and a beer, it wouldn’t be a bad way to spend an evening.
The company wouldn’t be so terrible either. It was illuminating, really, seeing her like this, and for a few long seconds, all I could do was stare, awed by this side of her. I finally managed to shake myself out of it and climbed the bleachers toward her.
I was two steps away when she finally noticed me. Annoyance rippled across her features as she gave me a glare sharp enough to draw blood. “I told you not to come.”
“And I chose not to listen,” I said, taking the empty spot beside her. “How’s he doing?”
She ignored the question and leaned back, crossing her arms but still keeping a careful eye on the boys on the mat. “You didn’t have to come.”
“I wanted to.”
“Okay, but for the record, me answering a question about where I was does not equal an invitation.” She sighed, but after another beat, she nodded at the boy on the left. “That’s Wyatt.”
I followed her gaze to a tall, broad-shouldered kid, all muscle and nerves.
He glanced up at the stands and frowned when his eyes landed on me.
Realizing he had no clue who I was, I lifted my chin in a nod.
His confusion deepened, but it didn’t last long before his attention was back on his opponent.
The kid had the eye of the tiger. Or was that just for boxing? Whatever the case, the kid looked like he could suplex a minivan, and I didn’t envy his opponent.
The energy of place was infectious, and now that I had someone to root for, I leaned forward and clapped my hands together. “Come on, Wyatt!”
Jane shot me a mildly confused, mildly unimpressed look. “Do not distract him.”
“Hush, I’m cheering for my brother-in-law.”
She frowned at that, and I chuckled quietly, hidden in the noise of the crowd.
I kept watching the boys, a veteran at cheering on younger siblings, and actually found myself getting immersed in his match.
Wyatt and the other kid grappled and broke apart, neither one able to find an advantage, but when the kid came at him again, Wyatt grunted, shifted his weight, and executed a clean takedown, pinning him.
The gym erupted and I was on my feet before I even realized I was about to move, clapping and cheering with everyone else. “Yes! Go, Wyatt!”
Jane laughed as she stared up at me. “You don’t even know the rules.”
I shrugged. “No steel chairs. That’s one rule.”
She shook her head. “You’re thinking of the other wrestling.”
“So steel chairs are allowed here?” I grinned at her and she scowled in response.
Soon after, Wyatt ended up on the podium, flushed and grinning as he waved at the crowd. His eyes found us again, and this time, he smiled and waved directly at me too.
On instinct, I raised a fist to his victory and waved back. Jane must’ve noticed the quick exchange because she was looking at me in a way that was a lot less guarded when we sat back down.
“He doesn’t know about us,” she said quietly.
“About the marriage?” I clarified.
“Not that or anything else.”
Following some kind of instinct I hadn’t known I’d developed, I glanced down at her hand for the first time since I’d arrived, finding her ring finger bare. There was a vague imprint there, like she’d been wearing it until very recently, but still. For now, it was gone.
“Is that why you’re not wearing your ring tonight?”
She hesitated just long enough to let me know I’d hit the nail on the head.
Without even thinking about it, I reached out and brushed my thumb over the faint, raw imprint, and she didn’t pull away.
We both froze at the contact though, unexpected electricity passing between us as our gazes locked, our hands still joined.
“He’s young,” she said after a moment, her voice steady despite the tension humming between us. “He won’t understand, but I’ll tell him when it feels right.”
“Okay.”
That was it. Just okay, because it was okay.
I got where she was coming from, and although a part of me wished things could be different, they weren’t.
Where Wyatt was concerned, it wasn’t about strategy.
He was her brother, her family, and if she wasn’t ready to tell him, I wasn’t about to argue about it.
The meet ended after Wyatt stepped off the podium and people started bundling up in their coats before spilling out into the cold. Jane stood and reached into her purse, pulling out her phone. “We usually get burgers after this.”
I saw her thumb hover over the screen, the Uber app already glowing. Immediately reaching for her again, I closed my fingers gently around her wrist and shook my head when she glanced up at me with confusion shimmering in her eyes.
“That won’t be necessary,” I said, aware that I was once again inviting myself, but something told me this ritual with her brother was important to her. I wanted to be there, to get to know who she was with him, her family, who was now also mine. “I’ll drive.”
Either this could prove to be a turning point in our relationship and we’d finally start figuring out who and what we could be together while we were married, or I’d just made a mistake and slammed the first nail into our coffin.
Perhaps pushing too hard would end up pushing her clean away, but at this point, all I knew was that I had to do something—and this was the opportunity I was being presented with.