Page 21

Wild

Finally, Richard gets a call from Coach Billy. But there's a condition—we must have dinner with his family. Richard isn't jumping for joy at the prospect. He's been complaining for forty straight minutes. I know because it's exactly how long since I got out of the shower.

"I hope you have plans to buy Evie a car because that woman has some serious carry job to do Friday."

"Carry job. You forgetting it will be both of us in the hot seat?"

"You're getting millions in endorsements—before you even sign a contract— the possibility of becoming champion and good publicity."He shrugs. "It can't compare to whatever she's getting from being grilled by that old man."

“Kid."I correct him with a straight face. "Lila says he's just a kid."

It's enough to break Richard out of his mood. He laughs. "I can't believe we're all going to get old like them."

"We're already getting older,"I remind him. One look at the picture we took on draft night is enough to remind me we're not getting any younger. I was nineteen to his twenty-four. He was the youngest and most inexperienced agent then, but he was brilliant. My genius brother, Asa, did the research and encouraged me to hire Richard despite the discouraging noises from the rest of my team.

Over the years, I've trimmed down my team to just Lila, Richard, and a virtual assistant.

"What kind of old do you think I will be?"Richard asks with a grimace. "I don't want to be surly like Coach Billy."

"You know there are different sides to people. He was just surly on that day."A lie. Surly is Coach Billy's default setting, and grumpy is Charlie's. Okay, slightly grumpy for Charlie and exceedingly grumpy for Rhys. Richard ’ s default state is permanently unathletic.

Richard doesn't want to hear it. Coach Billy is cranky, and he won't be that kind of old. Lila is a pain, so he also isn't going there. That leaves my parents.

"They are cool." He decides. "Seriously, you should get Evie a car or jewelry. Coach Billy is going to incinerate her."He shudders.

"I'm going to surprise her,"I say.

"Good. She deserves it."

"I'm going to get her a puppy."

"What? No." Richard shakes his head adamantly. "That woman deserves more than a puppy for transforming your career."

"You don't know her better than I do." I point out.

Richard does not argue against that. "You can still do better than a puppy. Have you ever had a dog?"

"I grew up in a small town on a working ranch."

"Still. You can do better than a puppy."

"I will, but I'm getting her a puppy."I smile, imagining Evie's reaction. "She's either going to die of happiness or fall in love with me."

Richard scoffs. "Have you seen pictures of you two circulating the internet? You will be the one to fall in love with her."

I have seen the pictures. I can't not have seen them because Kristyn keeps sending them to me. The first one from the gala we didn't even attend together left me speechless. Kristyn hasn ’ t ’ stopped sending them, and I never complain. Or make her stop. Now, my phone is full of them. And I've spent hours looking through our pictures, so much so that I know the shape of her smile by heart.

"You two have serious chemistry."

Just like that, the 'something'I've been trying to avoid returns to haunt me.

"If I had someone like that, I would elope into the wilderness and leave you and Coach Billy to sort yourselves out."

"What?"

"What, what ?"Richard's frown questions my intelligence.

"You know," I edge cautiously.

Richard raises an eyebrow. "I need clarification. What do I know about my possible elopement or your chemistry with Evie?"

"The chemistry,"I answer calmly, but I'm a mess inside.

Richard's eyes go to my fingers, relaxed on my thighs. I'm not counting out anything in my head.

His face crumbles comically. "Do me a favor, eh? Don't tell her anything until you sign the contract, alright?"He jumps from his stool, and it clatters to the ground.

He looks to the heavens and sighs loudly. "I'm seriously eloping the first chance I get."

“ Just spit it out.”

Richard holds my gaze. "I know you love her and that you always will."

His words hit their mark.

I freeze.

Richard comes over to wave a hand in my face. "Should I repeat the part about waiting till we have a signed contract before you rock this steady boat?"

"Yeah," I answer distractedly.

"I'm definitely eloping," Richard mutters.

And Evie, who already thinks I'm not the 'marrying kind ’ ? What will she think? All this time, I've been careful to stay within the lines she carved out between us. What happens when I try to cross them?

Do I want to cross them?

I've loved Evie first as someone needing my protection. I love looking out for her and being the person she turns to when in trouble. Even when she had a crush on me, I felt honored and chagrined rather than disgusted.

I still have her letter to me.

How do I go from protecting her to 'more'?

What is more?

I check out the bracelet on my wrist.

But this attraction snuck up on me. I ignored it at first, thinking it would pass. My mind quickly drew up Evie as I saw her at the gala in that red dress, her curves, her smile, her laugh. I still want to ignore it, pretend the attraction isn't there. But I can't. Yesterday, I had her feet in those strappy heels on my thigh. She broke something, allowing me to take off those sandals.

I fear there's no going back to what we were before.

If the number of times she balked at our handholding is any indication, Evie wants nothing to do with me.

But she will let me handle her feet, a voice whispers. I picture her feet. Those heels. On my thighs.

The next few weeks will be either the most fun or painful of my life.

Evie's staring at me like I hung the moon. I'm tall, but not that tall. She has her hands on my bare forearms where my sleeves are rolled up. My eyes rove over features almost as familiar as mine: the arched brows, small nose, and full lips. She's killing me just by breathing, but it will be the sweetest death.

When tears start filling her beautiful brown eyes, I exhale.

"You got me a puppy," she whispers.

I reach for her cheek, running my fingers over the soft skin. "Yeah," I whisper back.

She's so beautiful, I don't know what part of her to stare at first. I shouldn't. I should fight whatever this is, but how do you fight an invisible enemy?

I can spend forever committing her features to memory.

"Oh, my gosh!"

She's still whispering, her voice is hoarse with emotion, and she's leaning on me. "Yes," I whisper, taking advantage and diving my fingers from her cheeks to the back of her neck.

Charlie comes between us, hands first. His glare is a warning and a reminder of our talk. "Stop touching her. Last I checked, you don't have an audience for your fake relationship."

"It's not like that,"I say, but I have to clear my throat three times to sound human.

Liar , my inner voice whispers. Something is different.

Charlie's narrowed gaze misses nothing. "Not like what? Soulful? Not different?"There's an edge to his tone when he adds, "Stop it."

"No, you stop it."Kristyn lands a hit on her husband's shoulder with a book. "Soulful? Did you say 'soulful'?

Charlie turns ashen with guilt. "Babe—"

"Don't'babe' me.”Kristyn warns. "Where was 'soulful Charlie'when I threw up last night?"

I turn away from their squabble to Evie. She's on her hands and knees before the puppy. It's a white-haired fluffy Maltese with the sweetest eyes. And Evie's clearly in love. I can't take my eyes off her. The puppy yips, tail waving madly as she licks Evie's fingers and face.

And what does Evie do? Her face crumbles, and she bursts into tears. "She loves me!"

My heart takes another fall. This time, it's brutal and irrecoverable. I want to bracket her in my arms and give her the world. I want to give her all the happiness in the world. If she lets me, I will watch over her, protect her, and never tire of making her laugh.

Charlie is grumbling about how having a dog isn't a big deal. Suppose I got her the latest sports car, he would understand. He receives another smack across the head from Kristyn. She herds her husband home, and I'm so grateful I just might gift her the sports car Charlie won't shut up about.

"I'm calling her Jackie,"Evie announces suddenly. Then she grabs my hand. "Come."

I have no idea where we are going, but it doesn't matter. I will go anywhere with her.

With Jackie held to her chest like the most precious thing she is, Evie marches across her lawn that needs mowing to Mrs. Izaacs. Her knock is urgent. Maybe too urgent.

Mrs. Izaacs opens her door with wide eyes, drawing her shawl across her shoulders. Evie introduces Jackie to her newest fan--if the coos from Mrs. Izaacs are anything to go by.

"Cute, isn't she?"Evie sounds like a proud parent.

"Wild got her for me as a present." She sounds hushed. One would think I got her a private jet.

A light tug on my hand brings me closer to the 'Jackie admiring circle.'Under Evie's gaze, I feel nine inches tall and comfortable with the height.

Mrs. Izaacs smiles with understanding. "He did?"

"Yes. Best present ever."

Jackie and I meet two other neighbors before Evie decides 'sweet Jackie'needs to rest. I get that light tug again. And we're off. She's been holding my hand for the past twenty minutes, and I don't want her to let go.

Evie decides Jackie needs a bath before she rests. I push my sleeves higher and join Evie and Jackie in the bathroom. Jackie chooses to play over rest, and the result is devastating.Ten minutes later, we are all a mess.

I blink water from my eyes to see better. Our clothes are wet, andthere'sa growing pool on the bathroom floor.

Jackie raises a paw and rests it on Evie's jaw. And I watch Evie die of sheer joy. Eyes shining, water droplets clinging to her lashes, she turns to me. "Did you see that?"

I'm captivated by that drop of water dragging down her eyelashes.

I'm captivated by her.

The thought slams into me like an arrow from a skilled archer. I recoil. Evie has always been important to me, but this is different. With every fiber of my being, I know it's different. I want to taste the smile on her lips. I wish to re-create the mess of the bathroom and Jackie with her forever.

"You love her, right?"Evie asks, smiling big.

"Huh?"

"Jackie," she says.

"Not Jackie. You?"

Evie has a towel wrapped around Jackie and is rubbing vigorously. I've never wanted to be a dog so badly. She stops mid-rub and blinks at me.

I should have listened to Richard and waited. And not because of the contract. Evie needs time. I also need time to examine my feelings. Maybe.

I brace myself for her wrath.

She blinks again. “ Are you in the Middle Ages again?” Then she laughs and plants a kiss on Jackie's nose.

Her reaction is worse than a dismissal. It's insulting.

Evie won't let me cross the boundaries she painstakingly erected so quickly.

"I mean it,"I say, but I might as well be inaudible for all the attention she ’ s paying me.

"Mean what?"she finally asks.

We stand in all our messy and wet glory. Her eyes drift down to my chest. With our clothes plastered to our bodies, it takes superhuman strength to keep my eyes on her face.

"I like you. A lot,"I say hoarsely, like my throat hurts.

"That's why you got me a dog."She kisses Jackie.

Her dismissal is cruel, a sharp knife slicing me to bits. When I die, the cause of death will be Evie dismissing my feelings. "Not like that,"I say.

"Like how?"she asks, but her steely eyes tell me this line of questioning from her is deliberate.

"Like I want more days spent bathing Jackie with you in this bathroom."

"Since when?"

She's like a seasoned player in the clutch, so calm and rational. I hate the detachment in her voice. "Started when we ran into each other at the gala, but I dismissed it."I clear my throat and forge on. "I hated and still hate other men looking at you."

Nothing.

Evie won't give me anything. But I still have more ammunition. "And when you placed your foot on my thigh yesterday. I honestly don't know how I survived that."

I get a shrug as she scoops Jackie back into her arms. "It's the fake dating thing confusing you. It will pass."

Cooing at Jackie, she heads for the door. I'm staring at her back in disbelief. "I still have the letter you gave me,"I call in an act of desperation.

She pauses.

And coos at Jackie. I'm beginning to hate that sound.

"And I still have the hair ties you bought me a million years ago. It's no big deal."