Page 33 of Faking the Shot (Love Always #1)

Wild

It's not my 'flu' game like the famous Michael Jordan game where he put up historic numbers and a win while being down with the flu. It's my worst game. And we're still in the first quarter. It's one of those games where everything that can go wrong is going wrong. Like gravity, there's nothing I can do about it.

Coach calls a time-out. I've never been happier to return to the bench. I try throwing a towel over my head, sweat, and embarrassing performance, but it's useless. The heckling crowd and the boos of the angry fans penetrate.

I've almost forgotten this ugly side of the game.

Coach Billy doesn't go on a surgical dissection of our performance like I expect him to. We sit in a rough huddle around him. He has his clipboard on his thigh but doesn't say a word.

I exchange glances with my teammates.

Finally, I let my gaze breeze over the entitled, angry faces of the fans until I find Evie. Coach Evie has her own 'clipboard ’ . It's the list of things she noted from the game films compared to our game plan and how our execution will go. She has this adorable frown on her face as she checks her notes.

I can't believe she watched those game films, but I have her notes. I fear years of following my games has turned Evie into an excellent coach.

The next pickup game might be a blood bath.

The second quarter, the third, and the fourth go the same way: a pile of crumbling bricks.

The boos are loud, and I find my eyes returning again and again to the stands where Evie is watching with Megan and Daniel. Evie and Daniel look like they are about to climb down from their seats, suit up, and storm the court. Megan is on her phone.

The fans are loud tonight. You would think we've been on a losing streak coming into this game. But it's our first loss in five games.

Thank goodness I had the foresight to hire extra security for Evie.

I'm on the bench for the end of the game. After, a reporter shoves a microphone in my face. It's the standard question: what's the reason for such a performance? Is it fatigue or something else the Coach needs to address?

I fix unseeing eyes on the crowd and give a trite answer. It's the standard response guaranteed to ruffle no feathers and appease the fans. But then a shout draws our attention to—

My whole body seizes when I spot Evie going off against a group of fans. My security is there, but I'm already moving. No, I'm running as fast as my tired legs can carry me.

The closer I get, the more I realize my security is doing its job, and it's not even the fans acting out. Evie is in their faces, spouting game stats and defending me.

She's defending me.

She's defending me from the same people I spent most of my career running from.

"If you don't understand the rudiments of the game, you shouldn't be spending money on tickets."Evie retorts with such scorn the fan bristles.

It's about to get ugly.

"Being engaged to a star who doesn't care to show up doesn't make you an expert,"the fan says, his potbelly punching forward with his every bellow.

He says something else I don't catch.

And Daniel points a tiny finger at him. "That's a bad word. You must say sorry and put money in the swear jar!"

It is getting ugly.

And Megan rises and holds up an actual swear jar to the man. "I've been trying to get my father, Coach Billy, to stop swearing. With the way the guys played tonight, Daniel might get his new bicycle sooner than I planned."She tips the swear jar closer to the man.

I reach them and wrap a protective hand around Evie's waist.

It is officially ugly.

The man flushes. I haul Evie closer to my side and make eye contact with the security. We need a quick getaway.

But the fan inclines his head and apologizes to Evie and Daniel. Then he folds a twenty into the swear jar.

And a grandmother wearing the North Cats jersey and the blues painted on her cheeks jumps to her feet and starts to clap. A young man joins her. And soon, the whole arena bursts into a round of applause. More and more fans approach Megan to pay money into the swear jar and give Daniel a high five.

And a fist bump.

And a greeting for Evie.

And a respectful nod for me. It's surreal, like an out-of-body experience.

Now, Evie is pulling away from me. My legs move, following her. She meets up with the passionate slash angry fan and apologizes for getting over excited.

"I shouldn't have shouted at you,"she admits.

He nods to the woman at his side. "I shouldn't have said that part about women not watching. My Becca is a stats woman."

We end up conversing like normal humans who just had a game not go our way.

Daniel comes dancing down the exit. "We're going to be rich!"he declares, raising his hands to me for a high five.

My lips twitch. "I saw."

"Did you use a bad word today?"he asks me.

"Err, no."

He looks like I just took back a gift I got for him. "Are you sure? Not even during the game?"

When it looks like he might forcefully pull the bad word out of me, Megan drags him away.

Evie is laughing as she waves goodbye to her young friend and partner. I can only look at her in wonder.

Usually, after a game, I have a post-game routine. I will do a mental replay of the game, taking note of my mistakes and highlights. Then I need to unwind, maybe get an ice bath and sleep. Not this time. I'm mellow, maybe bemused. So, when Evie suggests stopping byKristyn's, I'mall for it.

Kristyn greets Evie with a loud squeal and a hug. "You're a superstar!"

"She can't even play.”Charlie protests.

I need to do something with my hands, so I head for the kitchen. Mindlessly, I start wiping down the counter.

Kristyn and Evie are in the living room, competing to see who can talk faster.

Charlie settles on a stool and frowns. "Are you cooking or pretending to cook?"

I shrug. "You hungry?"

Charlie twists on his stool to follow my gaze back to his sister. He turns around with a grunt. "Yes, please."

I make grilled chicken sandwiches. Charlie is surprisingly chatty. He starts out talking about having to travel sometime this week and shifts to a bone of contention between him and his father. I tune him out since I don't care much for Mr. Langford, and my head is in a sweet place after the game.

"Watch them gobble up all the food,"Charlie complains as Kristyn and Evie leave the couch for food and the kitchen.

Kristyn smacks a kiss on her husband's cheek. "I heard that."

Evie slides onto a stool. "Hi,"she says.

"Hi," I croak.

"Shouldn't you be resting or hiding somewhere doing a mental replay of the game?"

I shake my head. I serve them when the sandwich is ready. Evie's frowning at me.

"Are you alright?"she mouths.

I nod.

Charlie takes a bite and makes a face. "Too much chicken. Dude, have you forgotten the point of a chicken sandwich? You add a hint of chicken, not the whole piece.”

"Ow,"he exclaims when Kristyn pinches him.

"Evie loves it this way."

Charlie whines, "But I told him I was—"

He doesn't get to finish because Kristyn drags him away.

Evie eats the sandwich with relish.

"I have to go,"I say, and she jerks her head up.

"You're leaving?"

She wants me to stay? "Charlie will drive you home."

"Thanks for the food,"she whispers.

I come home to a quiet house. I heave a sigh of relief. Richard and Lila are probably busy with the chatter the Evie and Daniel drama generated. It's a public relations dream.

I start an ice bath, grab my headphones, and settle in. There's no niggle at the back of my throat, no fear in the pit of my stomach following a loss. I don't even have the urge to count. My brain offers up no post-game analysis.

I'm just...good.

What my brain offers behind my closed lids is Evie.

Evie laughing.

Evie enjoying my sandwiches.

Evie facing down a group of fans to defend me with a six-year-old as her backup.

I sink deeper into the bath.

More pictures of Evie come up, and I don't fight it.

I'm never fighting it.

Later, I stretch out on my bed. My phone is ringing somewhere, but I don't move.

Then, my brain restarts the highlight reel. Number one is Evie talking back to that fan. Evie who hates confrontations.

I replay the encounter over and over. After my tenth rewatch, I get moving.

I stop the car in front of Evie's house. It's very late evening, and she's not expecting me.I'mcrossing the lawn that needs mowing to her front door when I hear my name.

Evie waves at me from the Izaacs' front porch, leaning so far forward she looks in danger of tipping over. Jackie comes running towards me at breakneck speed. Her mistress follows, her sundress flying about her ankles.

I love this woman. I will love this woman forever.

I don't get a chance to dissect my feelings because they are both here. Evie's eyes are shining, and when she meets my gaze, there's a vulnerability, a shyness that brings a lump to my throat.

She folds her arms and then drops them to her sides. "Hi."

"Hi." To give myself time, I pick up Jackie to receive her enthusiastic licks.

"You are... here,"she says with a wince.

I smirk. "In the flesh."Her slight smile is a fist around my throat. I clear it. "I just...needed to be here."

"Ooookay," she drawls. "Need I remind you, there ’ s a whole mansion that belongs to you, and we're not roommates?"

She's throwing my words back in my face, and I laugh. I want to shout out my love for her. The words burn a hole in my lungs. I need her to hear it. I want to see the moment the words sink in.

But I can't take her rejection.

Jackie puts a paw on my face and settles into the business of licking and licking and licking. Laughing, I raise her and growl against her stomach. Then I sit on the porch stairs and smile at Evie.

"Wild?"

"Yeah?"

"What did you eat when you got home?"

I smile. "Nothing. Why?"

"You're in a strange mood. You're sure you didn't get injected with something?"

"Positive."

"Ooookay."

The word is soaked in doubt. I tap the space beside me. "Come sit with me for a while before I go inject a bit of magic into that garden."

She sits. "It must bloom, huh?"

"By sheer will or by magic,"I confirm.

"And where will you get your powers from? The library?"

I shake my head. "I just suffered a bad loss. Shouldn't you be kinder?"

"Not when I know you can take it."

I hold her gaze, and the words are on my tongue, but I know she's not ready to hear them. “Thank you for defending me.”

“I was just stating facts.”

“Just stating, huh?”

“Maybe a little heatedly?” She smiles.

“You’re beautiful,"I say gruffly, unable to help myself.

She pushes her face into my chest. “And you, too.”