Page 6 of Faking the Shot (Love Always #1)

Evie

Note to self: one, gardening is dirty work; two, my best friend is demanding.

Kristyn has her legs inside a washtub, not because she has aching feet. No, she's doing it because she can. The latest release from her favorite author lay open on her lap. Charlie has her orange juice within easy reach. A wide-brimmed hat completes the picture.

"I can practically taste your jealousy," she murmurs into her book. "Green doesn't look good on you."

I grab a clump of weeds and wrench them out. "Jealous? Need I remind you this is my house?"

Sucking noisily through her straw, she flips a page. I'm so sweaty. It's annoying.

"So," Kristyn starts.

I recognize the 'we need to have a girl talk' tone. But since I left the Langford estate, my life has been far less interesting. Thank goodness. "So what?" I prod. "Have you changed your mind about knowing the sex of my godchild?"

"Wild did all this in the three weeks since he's been home? Alone?"

I turn on my heels to check out the changes to my home. I have a solid bed, new cabinets, and refinished floors. And that's inside. On the exterior, I have a freshly painted house, a fenced backyard, and other complicated rebranding Wild decided the house needed.

"Yes."

"Does Richard know about this?"

Richard has been apoplectic about Wild getting injured before he signs to a new team. "Wild says he misses physical labor," I say.

Kristyn goes quiet. The kind of quiet that tells me there's more. And I'm not going to like it.

"I know you two are..." Her lips pucker as she searches for the right word. "You, I guess. But you don't think this is too much?"

Too much? My mind skips through a quick montage of the past. Me, Wild, and Charlie. Just me and Wild if Charlie is unable to make it. Wild has been present for every momentous occasion in my life. He arrived to drive me for my first day volunteering at a daycare center near the Langford estate.

He clapped the longest when I made valedictorian.

He cheered the loudest when I got my dual degrees in early childhood education and early childhood special education.

I've long accepted I don't have a great family. But I have Charlie and Kristyn. And Wild. Always.

"I don't know," I say with a small smile. "Remember him taking us shopping in college and hiding from the boys who wanted autographs?"

"Yes." But Kristyn doesn't smile back. "I know you had a crush—"

"You also thought he was dreamy." I remind Miss Know It All. Why is she throwing the C-word in my face after all these years? See what I mean when I say it's bad if everyone knows how you used to feel about someone?

If I could go back in time, I would transform into the cool, beautiful, and popular teenage girl who hid her crush and didn't tag after Wild and Charlie.

Book forgotten, Kristyn looks past me to where Charlie and Wild have their heads together, working on the fence. "He's still dreamy. That Carrington face is a blessing."

"A blessing." I laugh. "Girl, what has marriage done to you? Mrs. Izaacs called him a dreamboat."

"Dreamboat? She wins." The straw disappears into her mouth. "Still, this is too much work."

"He likes building things."

She nods. "Especially for you."

I shrug. Denying it is a pointless endeavor. It's like denying the need for oxygen. Wild likes Kristyn, but he won't be sweating over her backyard garden anytime soon.

"And you used to have a crush on him," she says, picking each word with care.

If she sounds any more careful, she will be making a speech to a congressional committee. I decide to make it easy for her. "Crush is too tame a description for THE CONFESSION scene. I should have won best director for that."

I laugh at my joke, but Kristyn's green eyes remain solemn. "I've always found it odd you became even closer after that. Like how is that possible?"

It feels good to smile at the memory. At the time, I thought my world had ended. The teenage years are really something. I can't believe educators who willingly choose to teach that age. A shudder rolls through me at the thought. They deserve the Nobel Prize.

"Evie?" Kristyn prods.

"It's all him. You know all those Taylor Swift lyrics? Times it by a hundred, and you have me. I avoided him, or I tried to. Wild wouldn't allow it."

I kill another weed. Yay! "I think he feels guilty he wasn't here when I moved in."

"Knowing how much having a house means to you.” Kristyn finishes with a nod. "And your crush?"

"Burned to ash and buried under a mountain of sand. You know how I take rejection."

"Hmmm."

The way I hate that all-knowing, smirky smile on her face? It's a smile that says she knows how my story ends. I look away before I do something I will regret, like break that straw and fling the orange juice far away.

Kristyn disappears inside.

Less than thirty minutes later, I get a strong whiff of a mouth-watering aroma. By now, I have an actual vertical fence bordering my backyard. Wild and Charlie are coated in sweat and grime. Mostly Wild because Charlie's main contribution is talking his ear off.

I start inching my way to the washtub. I don't have an outdoor tap installed yet.That washtub Kristyn left behind is the only way we get clean enough to pass through the kitchen.

Think hot desert, tired travelers, and one water source.

The call of food reaches them, and Charlie and Wild's stomachs growl simultaneously. They look at each other and the coat of dust and sweat on their bodies.

Then they both turn to me. I see the second their eyes read my intention.

The race for the washtub is on. We all make a dive for it.

I have a head start, but somehow, somehow Wild gets there first. Charlie scowls. "Did you fly?"

Wild smirks. "You think I get paid all that money to lose a race for a washtub?"

The back door opens, and Kristyn tells us the food is ready.

We stand still, watching each other like two fighters in a duel. Or three fighters. No, two, because I'm running if there's a fight. Not that I expect a fight.

No one moves a muscle. Nobody breathes. The poor, innocent bowl of water stands in our midst, with Wild the closest.

"We should share," Wild says because he's a generous, sweet guy who doesn't take things too seriously.

Not Charlie. He folds his arms, frowning so hard that his eyes disappear into their sockets. "You forget I brought the water for my wife. I should go first."

"That was before. This is now," I say.

Wild points at me. "What she said."

“ I oppose.” Charlie sets his jaw at a belligerent angle.

Wild peers at me, then Charlie. Very seriously. Whatever he says next will determine who gets to the kitchen first. He opens his mouth—

"Charlie's right," I cut in, startling both men.

Charlie's eyes narrow. His eyes scream a warning I don't need to hear.

My brother doesn't take his eyes off me. I ignore him.

"Richard called," I say after Charlie disappears through the backdoor.

Wild takes my hands and makes quick work of washing off the dirt and sweat. I marvel at the incredible width and length of his fingers. Charlie and I never stood a chance. His hands are heavily callused from handling a basketball. And I feel every scrape.

He moves onto my legs before I can stop him.

"You won't have enough for yourself," I warn.

"I will go to your neighbors—why's Richard calling you?”

"Because you won't pick up your calls." He releases my foot and straightens. I frown up at him. Six feet five to my five-eight is no joke. "It's not like you to hesitate over signing a contract."

Wild has many fans from having played in many clubs across the league. He has also amassed an equally impressive number of trolls and haters from never committing fully to one team. As far as I know, the hateful comments have never fazed him. But what if I'm wrong?

"Is everything okay?"

He nods, smiling slightly. "I'm just in my gray hair and walking stick era, so I must be more careful with my decisions."

"You're just thirty-four."

"Exactly. That's a nursing home age in sports."

"That's sad."

He shrugs. "I see it as life's way of punishing us for making too much money in a short time."

"Hmm, what I wouldn't give to be punished with twenty million dollars a year."

His cheeks go pink. "That amount is outrageous compared to how much you earn.”

“ Worse than outrageous,” I say gently because I don ’ t want him to surprise me with a yellow Porsche like in college.

“ And you have the bigger responsibility of raising tomorrow's leaders."

"And sports stars," I joke.

This is the Wild his fans don't get to see. He's an arrogant, fast-talking menace on the court, but off it? He's a blushing, laughing, playful giant. "But seriously, stop giving Richard a hard time with this contract."

"I'm not giving him a hard time. Not intentionally," he adds at my 'you're kidding' look.

"How hard can it be to scrawl your ugly signature?"

"I will have you know I practiced that scrawl a hundred times." He pouts.

Hanging my wet hands out to dry, I cut him with my best 'or else' classroom face. If it works on three-year-olds, it should work on a thirty-four-year-old. "Call him."

He rubs the back of his neck. "I want to be closer to home, I think?"

“ What does that mean?”

“ I said it in English, and you have two degrees.”

My jaw drops. "You're re-signing with the North Cats and Billy Joe?" Billy was his first coach and mentor.

He shrugs. "I haven't decided yet."

I'm speechless.

Objectively, I can see the positives. Wild almost dragged the city to a championship as a rookie in his first year. Then, some fans blamed him when they crashed out of the finals despite his heroics. It got so bad and ugly that Wild forced a move.

His die-hard fans are here in North Carolina. His family lives close by.

"...I barely made it to Sisi's wedding, and I missed this."

Me moving to my new home? Richard will kill me if he finds out I may be one of the reasons for Wild ’ s decision. The man already complains about how much influence I have over Wild.

"Don't make such a big decision because of me. You have what? Ten million followers are eagerly awaiting your announcement."

Wild raises an eyebrow, watching me with all the interest of a three-year-old observing a clown show.

I stomp my foot. "Wilder."

He snickers. "Go inside. You forget the part where I almost missed Sisi's wedding?"

Not almost. He did miss it. He had a game the same day, couldn't get out of it, and arrived the day after the wedding to drive the newlyweds to the airport for their honeymoon.

Wild is coming home.

Still...

"And Coach Billy might be retiring."

Oh. Wild's face is impassive. Closed off.

"I'm sorry."

Coach Billy was a close friend until Wild forced a trade and left the North Cats without letting the older man know.

My memory pulls up a picture of a bearded man with piercing eyes. I was a child the last time I saw Coach Billy. "What are you going to do?"

"Maybe nothing," he says.

Wild has always regretted how he left things with his old coach. Coach Billy's retirement changes everything.

"Go," he orders gruffly when I make no move to leave. "Remember my twenty million dollars and stop feeling sorry for me."

"How could I have forgotten that bullet-pointed tidbit?"

"Twenty million is not tidbit."

"Definitely bigger than tidbit," I agree.

"Go," he orders again.

I give him a jaunty salute. "Yes, sir."

My stomach growls when I walk into the house. I follow Charlie's rumbling voice to the living room. Someone has shoved aside my antique table in favor of one-pot taco spaghetti. I vote Charlie as the culprit.

I race back to the kitchen to grab a plate.

"Hi," Rob, Charlie's assistant, greets.

I wave and focus on getting as much food on my plate as possible.

Wild may sign with the North Cats. I should be happy. I am happy. Carla will be over the moon.

Wild will be closer. Around me. Everyday. Apprehension skitters under my skin. I'm hungry, but I don't taste the food.

Not that he made a vow or anything, but after all the ugly, it was understood Wild would play for the North Cats again over his dead body.

Charlie kisses Kristyn's fingers.

Maybe it's time I started dating. It's been three years.

The couch dips beside me. Rob gives me a shy smile as he nods toward the love birds. “So, it's not just the office."

"Kristyn comes to the office?" I ask.

He rolls his eyes. "To bring him lunch or snacks. I have clear instructions to immediately inform Charlie when she arrives."

"Even when he's in a meeting?"

Rob closes his eyes. "Especially when he's in a meeting."

We both shake our heads, laughing at the picture of grumbling bear Charlie being mushy for his wife.

"But you see it every day. How do you stand it?"

I shrug. "I think of my own happily ever after, family—"

"Children. Togetherness," he says.

I nod, and we share an understanding look. Rob is attractive in a blond, boy-next-door way. And difficult-to-please Charlie likes him.

And he doesn't have commitment issues.

I should start cleaning my dating shoes. I make a mental check of my closet. There are the must-have evening gowns for when Mrs. Langford needs me. There are the only clothes I took from my old life because no way I could afford them on my teacher's salary.

Mrs. Langford's family, The Astors, represents even more ancient and considerable wealth than the Langfords, who can bring prestigious institutions to their knees.So, Mrs. Langford doesn't joke about appearances, proper behavior, and decorum.

And I have to keep up with her.

Just then, Wild stomps into the house, his footfalls heavy, his presence immense.

Rob's smile becomes sweeter. "Maybe we can..."

His eager anticipation is humbling and exhilarating all at once. "Okay."

He grins. "Okay."

Wild walks in, takes us all in, and then I get a dimpled grin. I laugh. He gets it.

I hate an empty, quiet house. I like having a crowd over, noise, laughter, and hanging out. The only way this evening will get any more perfect is by having his sisters around.

He touches knuckles with Rob and sits front and center before my small television. "Evie?"

I catch Kristyn's eye over his head and make a face. When we went furniture shopping, I already told her Wild would complain about the size of the television.

"What?"

"There are phone screens bigger than this thing," Wild complains.

"But you can still see the people—"

"Barely."

"Maybe it's the walking stick, gray hair, and poor sight that's at fault."

Wild looks betrayed.

He switches the T.V. on, and a K-drama couple in the middle of a near kiss appears. The male lead is so tall, and the female lead so short that their position looks awkward.

Kristyn makes a hungry sound. "I watched this scene like four times."

"Four times!" Charlie pokes her side with a finger. "And I have to beg to catch a game?"

"I stopped watching here," I say. "I don't like when the guy's too tall."

"Really?" Wild asks. "What's wrong with being tall."

"Too tall," I correct. "See how he has to bend?"

"He could have just lifted her. Still works," Wild says with a shrug.

Kristyn starts bouncing up and down in wide-eyed glee. Charlie looks scared, trying to get her to stop. "Ugg! Imagine if he lifted her? Evie, just imagine it!"

"Uhm, can you consider my brother and stop bouncing?"

Charlie shoots me a grateful look.

To my surprise, Wild presses play. Wild isn ’ t a huge fan of movies. Fantasy novels, game films, and terrorizing his brothers? Yes.

We watch the drama for a few minutes. Together. Wild asks questions. Who are the main characters? What are their backgrounds, how did they meet? Kristyn and I take turns filling him in. Soon, everyone is all caught up. It's the best feeling ever.

Wild's long legs kick my foot. "You stopped watching because the guy's too tall. Why did you start watching?"

I shrug. "Why do people watch dramas?"

Wild raises an eyebrow. I'm still bothered by his decision to stay close to home. It doesn't make sense, but I can't help it.

Rob gets a call. He makes the 'I need to take this call' motion, but no one is paying attention.

On the screen, our female lead has a nasty argument with her parents and storms out. The father, my favorite character in the drama, breaks down and runs after his daughter. She's in a taxi and is far gone. But the man runs barefoot down the road, begging her to stop.

Tiny pricks hit my eye. I grit my teeth to hold back the tears. I will die if Charlie sees me cry.

Wild looks at me. And I just…wilt. It's the understanding. And the comfort. Without saying a word, he tells me it's okay to be affected by the scene. That I can cry if I want to.

He leaves his spot in front of the television and sinks into Rob's seat. He's heavier than Rob, and I dip sideways. His nose brushes against my cheek. "Sorry."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see his fingers do his habitual count against his thigh. It's his tell during tense games, hellish press conferences, and when he ’ s lying.

Rob returns and slices through the moment with his apologetic smile. "Evie?"

I jerk upright like I've been caught with my hand in the cookie jar. Kristyn gives me a look I ignore. "Everything okay?" I ask Rob.

"Yes. But I have to run. Sorry." Rob does this cute thing with his eyebrow. A half-waggle? "I will pick you up on Friday?"

A cold wall goes up in the space between me and Wild. It's like he's stopped breathing. I don't get time to analyze it. Kristyn whoops. In seconds, everywhere goes wild.

Kristyn says it's high time I buried Parker's ghost.

Parker's not a ghost. He's more like a dying smoke. And didn't she say Rob isn't for me?

Charlie starts a mock interrogation. "Young man, what are your intentions?"

Rob colors. "Shouldn't the father get to ask those questions?"

"Not necessarily." Charlie points at his chest. "You go through me, then him." He points at Wild, who remains suspiciously silent.

"You're heavily guarded, huh?" Rob tells me with that ever-present sweet smile.

"You should ask what she likes," Kristyn advises him, "or she will go with anything."

"Friday," I shout to shut Kristyn's big mouth.

Rob leaves.

Kristyn and Charlie have their heads together, murmuring husband and wife things. The air around Wild and me is all weird. I try to focus on the T.V. Kristyn isn't watching. Should I pause it?

"You like him?" Wild asks.

The casual question hits like the pointed ones from the gala: What are you wearing? Does your brother know you're here? I hadn't minded those, and maybe it was a mistake.

"What is it to you?" I return his serve with a ferocity that has his head rearing back.

Eyes wild and stormy, he doesn't look away from me. "It's just a question."

"And I'm wondering how it's any business of yours."

The storm in his eyes doesn't settle. It spreads to his throat muscles. I hear the gulp. "Parker," he blurts. "Isn't it too soon after—"

"That was almost three years ago." I tap his arm, not noticing how his muscles bunch under my hand. "I never loved him—"

"You were heartbroken," he argues. "He hurt you."

Parker dumping me for a brighter future with my half-sister, Sarah Langford hurts, but there are worse things in life than a broken heart. It's a cliche, but it's true. And my heart is not that broken. Fine. I may have shed a few tears. I'm getting over it. It's like being late for work and stepping out only for the first drop of rain to hit you. Or trying to pull off a Mrs. Langford level of classy and hearing one of your heels snap under you or sitting through an uncomfortable dinner to please Mrs. Langford.

I'm pulling out these scenarios from my bank of considerable experience.

"Yes, but I never loved him." I enunciate each word. "Okay?"

Wild's jaw is locked tighter than a bank vault. "Okay." He growls.

The simple four-letter word sounds like they are ripped out of his guts with something painful and sharp. We settle in to watch the rest of the drama, but it's not the same.

I hide my disappointment when Wild gets up and stretches. Charlie and Kristyn will soon follow, and it will be just me.

Pointed throat clearing from Wild draws my attention. "You don't have to see me to the door."

"I wasn't going to. I didn't see Rob off either. No one's dragging me off this couch."

His blue eyes darken, and I get that blast of wrong, wrong, wrong. "What?"

Without answering, he turns away. I gape at his broad back and look for someone to share my frustration with. Of course, there's no one. I've lost my best friend to my brother.

He leaves.

Just. Like. That.

The wrongness is like a rash. I switch off the television. Kristyn and Charlie kiss. Ewww. My phone rings. I dig it out of the couch. It's Wild.

I blow out a breath. "Forgot something?"

"Yes. My bracelet is on the counter. In the kitchen."

"I have only one counter.” I snark.

I find it on the counter. As I step outside, Wild shuts his car door and jogs over. Did he drive back just for this worthless bracelet?

Before he reaches me, Mrs. Izaacs steps out onto her porch. "You forgot something?" she calls out to Wild.

"Yes, ma'am." He stops before me and holds out his hand for the bracelet. Palm up.

Because I want us to be alright, I go for a soft handshake instead of a drop. His hand is so much bigger than mine. The comparison is laughable.

Wild jerks his hand back, and the bracelet falls. "Sorry." His eyes catch mine for half a second. "Goodbye."

I wrap my arms around my body and watch him return to his car. Does he seem in a hurry to leave, or am I imagining things?

My new screen door opens, and Kristyn slings an arm over my shoulder. She's barely showing yet. Envy and excitement clog my throat.

In college, we made plans for marriage and motherhood together. I'm happy to see Kristyn's dreams come true. "May I?"

She nods. I palm her stomach. It feels taut and alive. Amazing. "Wow."

"That's me every morning. Your godchild is two months and three days old now.” Then, a calculating gleam enters her green eyes, making them cat-like. "Wild didn't like you going on a date with Rob."

"Stop being nosy—"

Kristyn sucks in a breath. Both hands go to cover her head dramatically. She should be an actress. "You dare to call me nosy after playing matchmaker with me and Charlie—"

"And you're grateful for it, aren't you? I mean, you're the contented wife. "

"Don't be so smug."

"Smug?" I throw my hair back like a beauty queen. "I plan on starting a matchmaking service."

"Not before Charlie if you and Rob become a thing."

"Ugh," I groan. "Don't remind me. I was expecting to hear him say I told you so."

Kristyn frowns. "Something's changed with Wilder. Did you notice how he became quieter and defensive when he saw Rob?"

"Please."

She hums. "And he stuck close to you all day, finding excuses to be near you—"

"Stop!" The strident note in my voice gives me pause. "Stop it," I say more gently. "There can never be anything more between me and Wild."

"Never?"

"Burned and buried, remember?" Kristyn goes glum at my words. I stick my tongue out at her. "You'll need to work harder than that to challenge me for the matchmaking title."

Later that night, as I wrestle with sleep, I consider Kristyn's outlandish take. Me and Wild? Ridiculous. Outlandish. Stupid. Especially on my part.

I know Wild. He hates commitment. We ’ re better off as good friends.