Page 17 of Goal Line (Boston Rebels #4)

Chapter Fifteen

EVA

I ’m chatting with Audrey, Jules, and their future sister-in-law, Lauren, who just showed up with their brother, Jameson, when I hear Drew and Luke laughing behind me.

Then, Luke leans down and places a drink on the table in front of me.

When I glance at him, questioning why he’s giving me a margarita, he whispers, “Virgin coconut peach margarita,” before pulling out his chair next to mine.

“What are you guys laughing about?” Audrey asks Drew.

“Just Hartmann’s enormous ego.”

Colt rolls his eyes and grins, making me wonder what’s going through his mind. I don’t think Luke is super close with any of the guys yet, but I could see those two developing a bond as they continue playing together next season.

If they keep playing together, I correct myself.

Is it really likely that AJ would trade Luke?

Is that even what Frank wants? Hard to know for sure based on what Luke overheard, but at the same time, knowing that his dad didn’t want him to play for the Rebels in the first place must be eating away at him.

The Hartmanns are a tight-knit family with a close bond that Luke’s parents carefully cultivated his entire life.

Even as everyone jokes about his brothers being assholes, the four of them are always there for each other.

You cross one, and you’re going to battle with all of them.

What would his brothers think if they knew their dad’s opinion on Luke playing for the team?

Will our getting married and giving them a grandkid actually help smooth things over?

I still haven’t fully come to terms with how I feel about Luke offering to say that he’s the father of this baby.

It’s one thing to marry me to make sure I have healthcare and am taken care of.

That’s right in line with Luke’s protective nature—the way he always wants to help everyone.

But claiming this baby is his? I get why it’s easier that way, but I worry about how our parents, or anyone else, would feel if they found out the truth.

“I always think that people with a huge ego are overcompensating for something,” Jules says, lifting an eyebrow at Colt.

The whole table erupts in a chorus of “Ooooooo,” and she laughs and shakes her head.

“No,” she says, unable to contain her laughter.

“Like, maybe the person is more sensitive or sweeter than they want to let on.”

I’m so tempted to jump in and say that no one is sweeter than Luke. But I don’t know these people yet. I don’t know what he would like them to think or know about him. So I let him defend himself.

“I’m plenty sweet when I want to be,” he says, leaning back and casually draping his arm across the back of my chair. I don’t miss each pair of eyes following his arm. Does he notice?

Shit . I thought we were not trying to make them speculate. “C’mon, Evie,” he chides, “tell them how sweet I can be.”

“Pfft.” I blow out the air between my lips and roll my eyes. “When we were seven, he superglued the ends of my braids together behind my back, because he was mad that I won rock, paper, scissors, and we got to watch the TV show I chose.”

“Oh, come on!” he says with an exaggerated sigh. “That was almost twenty years ago!”

“You guys have known each other that long?” Audrey asks.

“Yeah,” I say. “We’ve literally been best friends since we were in diapers.”

“Oooooh,” Audrey says with a small laugh. “Okay. I thought you two were together.”

I don’t miss the way Drew and Colt eye each other, then look back at us when Lauren adds, “So did I.”

I glance at Luke, waiting for him to clear things up, but he just shakes his head, smiling.

“Happens all the time,” I tell them. “We’re just friends.”

“Exactly,” Luke adds, right as Jameson glances at Lauren and says, “I remember when we were just friends.”

“Just because you were obsessed with me,” Lauren says as she digs her elbow into her fiancé’s side, “doesn’t mean that’s what’s going on with them.”

He presses a kiss on her forehead, then tilts her chin up so he’s gazing at her. None of us miss the heat in his eyes when he says, “I’m still obsessed with you. ”

“All right, you two,” Jules says. “We get it, you don’t need to eye-fuck each other in public.”

“Jules!” Audrey says and glances at me. “Pardon my sister. She sometimes lacks a filter.”

“I think it’s sweet,” I say with a shrug, wondering if anyone will ever feel the same way about me that Jameson so clearly feels about Lauren. “How did you two meet?”

Lauren launches into the story of their ill-fated years working together and a near miss with a relationship between the two of them.

Instead, he introduced her to her late husband, and then they reunited after her husband died.

While she talks, the rest of the table is chatting away, because they were all there as it unfolded.

But Luke and I are hanging on her every word, and I can imagine there’s so much more to their story—it sounds just like the romance novels I love to read when I travel—and I want to dig deeper and learn more.

Before I can ask any more questions, though, Luke says, “Wait, so you both worked at Kaplan?”

“Yeah,” Jameson says. “I started there as an agent after I retired from the Rebels so I could stay home with Jules and Audrey. Lauren was there for a few years before she moved out to Park City, and then I stuck around until I started my own agency a few years ago.”

“Huh. Carson’s my agent.”

“Sorry about that,” Jameson says, but his voice is hard and lacks any actual sympathy.

Lauren elbows him. “Hey, he’s still my uncle.”

“Wait,” Luke says with a laugh as he glances around the table. “This is all starting to feel very incestuous. ”

Lauren lifts one of her auburn eyebrows, her big blue eyes widening. “How so?”

“Just how you’re all related. So you’re Carson’s niece and Jameson used to work for him.” He fixes his gaze on Jameson. “Jules and Audrey are your siblings, and Jules is engaged to your best friend.” He nods toward Colt. “And Audrey is engaged to one of your players.” He nods toward Drew.

“That’s not incest,” Jameson growls. “That’s just family.”

“Why are we talking about incest?” The voice comes from a girl with strawberry-blonde hair and a light smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks as she drops into the chair beside me.

“We’re not.” God, Jameson is so fucking growly. I wonder if he’s like that with Lauren in private, too? It’s kind of hot, actually.

Beside him, Lauren laughs. “Hartmann’s just figuring out how we’re all related.”

“Oh,” she laughs. “Hi, I’m Morgan. I’m Lauren’s cousin.” She reaches out to shake my hand and nods at Luke. Presumably, they’ve met before.

“She’s also Carson’s daughter,” Jameson adds.

“Hi, I’m Eva Wilcott.”

Morgan points to each of us in turn. “Coach’s daughter...team owner’s son. Got it. And you two are...?”

Luke and I look at each other and laugh, because clearly, she’s trying to figure out if we’re together. “Best friends,” he says decisively.

Morgan presses her lips together with another nod. I get the feeling she’s trying to hold something in...a laugh or a smirk, maybe?

Well, at least his teammates and their significant others will have no trouble believing our backstory if we do go through with this marriage. It’s a good thing they don’t know that Luke’s this affectionate and attentive with everyone.

That arm he has draped across the back of my chair?

The way he looks over at me with an adoring smile?

The way he leans in when he speaks to me?

Even if I was a complete stranger, nothing about his behavior would be different—everyone is an instant friend to Luke Hartmann.

Not that he lets many people get super close, but he’s naturally charming and easygoing.

“So, do you live in Boston, Eva?” Morgan asks.

“I’m from Newbury Falls originally, that’s how I know Luke—we grew up together. But I’ve lived in LA for the past eight years.”

“Oh? I love LA. What do you do there?”

“Uh...” I don’t know why it’s hard for me to answer this question.

On the one hand, I’m pretty used to people already knowing who I am when we meet, and I kind of like this rare anonymity.

On the other hand, my level of performance for the second half of this season hasn’t been what I wanted it to be, so I’m reluctant to explain on the off chance that she’ll look me up.

“She’s a pairs figure skater,” Luke fills in as he glances over at me like he can’t figure out why I just trailed off like that. “One of the best in the world, actually.”

“Oh my god!” Lauren’s whole face changes to one of complete shock. “Holy crap, how did I not put that together? Evangeline Wilcott? I freaking love how you skate! I’ve known your dad for over a year, and I never made the connection!”

“Oh,” I say, drawing back. “You’re a skating fan? ”

“I watch my fair share of skating, yeah.”

Jameson clears his throat and glances at Morgan, who has her eyebrows raised, staring at Lauren like she’s waiting for her to say more.

“And?” Morgan prompts.

“And nothing,” Lauren says with a laugh as she shakes her head. “I’m just a fan.”

“I feel like there’s a lot more to the story than that,” I can’t help but say.

Her cheeks turn pink, and she flinches as Morgan kicks her under the table. “Okay, fine, I used to skate.”

I smile. “Oh yeah? Competitively?”

“Yeah. I was a singles skater, though. Honestly, I like watching pairs skating better. The emotion and artistry when there are two people so in sync just adds a whole other level to the performance.”

“How long did you compete for?” I ask, trying to figure out why Jameson and Morgan are still staring at her expectantly.

“Uh . . . like . . . about ten years or so.”

“Jesus,” Jameson says, his voice low and gravelly. “Stop being like this.”

“Hey!” she says, turning toward him and swatting his chest. “Maybe I don’t want to talk about it.”