Page 42 of Goal Line (Boston Rebels #4)

Chapter Thirty-One

EVA

“ O h my god, I knew it,” Morgan squeals, a wide smile splitting her face and elevating her cheeks so that her eyes crinkle as she pumps a fist in the air. Heads turn at the tables nearest us, where other diners are distracted by her loud outburst.

She tucks her chin, looking down, as if she’s embarrassed, but when she looks back up, I can tell she’s not. She’s just happy for me.

“So does this mean you’re together-together? Like for real?”

I sigh. “No, I don’t think so. Like, we had that one almost-hookup, but he hasn’t tried anything since.” I tell her about watching Pride & Prejudice together the other night, and how he carried me into my own bedroom instead of his, and how I’ve slept alone the two nights since.

“Maybe, since you were asleep that night, he didn’t want to assume you wanted to be in his bed? Luke seems like a full-consent kind of guy.”

“Yeah,” I say with a shrug, remembering how he told me he needed me to use my words when he was touching me. “But the fact that he hasn’t tried anything since then? I don’t know. It feels like maybe he regrets it?”

“Aside from not trying to get you in bed again, has he done anything else to make you feel like he regrets what happened?”

I think for a moment before saying, “No. Everything else seems very normal.”

“Maybe he’s waiting for you to let him know you’d be up for a repeat performance?” Morgan asks between sips of her cocktail. “Because clearly, you haven’t told him how you feel." She grinds out the last words, like she’s reminding me that I was supposed to talk to him about that a week ago.

“It’s...complicated. It’s clear he’s down for this friends-with-benefits situation we’ve found ourselves in, but?—”

“You’re mar-ried ,” Morgan says, as if I need help understanding the situation. I burst out laughing.

“Yeah, but?—”

“No buts. You need to talk to him. The only thing that’s going to happen if you don’t is that, eventually, someone’s going to get hurt.”

“And you’re worried it’ll be me?”

“I’m worried either way. You saw the way he fell apart in Game 7 when he thought something might be wrong with you.

Once the news of your marriage comes out, everyone’s going to believe that it’s because he was worried about his future wife and his baby.

But we know the truth, Eva. We know that he was that worried about you before you were even together.

No one reacts like that if they don’t have serious feelings for the other person. ”

I chew my lip as I mull over that thought. It’s not like I haven’t wondered the same thing, it’s just that I’ve never let myself hope...until now.

“He cares about you, and only a fool wouldn’t see it. And I don’t think you’re a fool, so why are you intentionally blind to this?” Her blue eyes look almost lavender in this light as they bore into me.

“I just don’t want to get hurt. I’ve been down that road before twice—once in high school when I thought he had feelings for me, and once with Christopher.”

“Hold up! What do you mean, ‘once with Christopher?’”

Realizing that we didn’t tell her that part of the story when we were in Los Angeles, I fill her in on how I ended up pregnant.

“Oh, shit. No wonder you’re gun shy.” Her gaze flits to her phone, where it lights up on the table next to her empty plate, but she flips it over and glances back at me.

“Last week, when we were having dinner with our parents,” I tell her, “Luke said ‘I’ve been in love with your daughter most of my life.’”

Her jaw drops, and she touches the tip of her tongue against her upper lip as she chuckles. “Oh the honesty in that boy.”

“I’m not sure if he was being honest, or just really trying to sell it.”

“Again with the not talking about shit,” Morgan says and rolls her eyes at me. “It’s so obvious to everyone else but the two of you.”

Her words are consistent with Christopher’s. “Yeah? ”

“After that night at the Neon Cactus, Jules and Audrey were convinced you two were secretly together and they haven’t shut up about it since.

I haven’t told them about the marriage because, you know, NDA and all.

But Luke must’ve told his teammates because Jules had some sort of a bet with Colt, and apparently now she’s the proud owner of his Porsche. ”

I let out another laugh, because he told me about his conversation with Zach and Colt, but I have no idea if he knew there was a bet involved. “Wait, he bet her his Porsche that we weren’t together?”

“Uh-huh.”

I laugh, thinking back to the way Colt couldn’t stop looking at Jules at the Neon Cactus. “That man’s obsessed with her. The way his eyes get all gooey when he looks at her...”

Morgan just shakes her head. “That is exactly how Luke is with you.”

I’m about to respond when Morgan’s phone rings, and she snatches it up quickly, swiping the screen and bringing it to her ear.

“What’s wrong?” Her words are slightly panicked.

She pauses, and then says, “I don’t know, because you never call unless it’s an emergency.

..Yes, I saw that you texted...No, I’m not ignoring you.

I’m at dinner with Eva...” She sighs and moves the phone away from her mouth.

“Audrey and Jules want to know if we want to meet up with them. They’re at the Neon Cactus, it’s only a few blocks from here. ”

I did tell Luke that I’d be back after dinner, but it’s not like we have plans or anything.

He might not even be home. When I was heading out a couple of hours ago and asked him what his plans were for tonight, he said he was going to dinner with Preston.

So it’s entirely possible that he’s out, and I’d be rushing home to an empty house when I could be out making new friends instead.

Los Angeles already feels like a lifetime ago. It’s time to build a new network of friends here, starting with Morgan.

“I’d love to,” I tell Morgan.

“Great,” she says into the phone, “we’re just going to pay our bill, and we’ll be there in a bit.”

“ I cannot believe you guys got married!” Jules says with a bright smile as she holds my hand to get a better look at my ring. “Last time we saw you guys, you were all Oh, we’re just friends. And all along, you were secretly together?”

It takes a lot of effort not to glance at Morgan. Instead, I shrug, raise my eyebrows, and take a sip of my soda. “I hear you got a Porsche out of it, so...you’re welcome?”

Jules’s laugh is deep and loud and has the two guys standing nearest our table turning toward us.

I’ve noticed them both casting glances her way as we’ve sat here talking, and I’m not surprised.

She looks like Barbie, but she’s got a sharp tongue and nice muscles, so my money would be on her in any fight.

“I don’t even want his car. I just like that I can remind him it’s mine. ”

I bite my lip but can’t hold back a smile. I haven’t quite figured out their relationship, but anyone who follows hockey knows that Mathieu Coltier was the league’s biggest playboy, until about two months ago when he announced his sudden engagement to his best friend’s little sister .

Jules doesn’t seem like the type to put up with some of the shit I’ve heard about Colt getting into, so either she straightened him right out, or there’s more to the story.

I can’t help but think of what Morgan said that night at dinner in LA, about how plenty of famous people are in fake relationships.

But there’s no way what they have is fake. ..She’s smitten, and he’s obsessed.

“He’ll probably buy another one so you can have matching cars,” Audrey says and rolls her eyes.

“Nah, he knows I’ll never drive it. I like my truck too much. It would be a waste to buy another one.”

“Well now that he’s sold his condo in the Seaport,” Lauren says, “he’s probably wondering what to do with all that money.”

Jules chuckles. “Between physical therapy and planning the Bali trip, I don’t think he’s even thought about the condo.”

Lauren snorts out a laugh. “So, have you guys decided if you’re going to stay in the brownstone for good?”

“We’ll see,” Jules says, then turns to me.

“My brother, sister, nephew, and I lived in our family’s brownstone in the South End together.

Then Jameson moved in with Lauren, and Audrey and Graham moved in with Drew.

Audrey and I run our business out of the office in the basement of the brownstone that Colt and I now share. ”

“There’s no rush to figure it out,” Audrey reminds her.

“Figure what out?” a man’s voice booms from behind me, and we all turn to find Drew and Colt.

“What are you doing here?” Audrey asks her fiancé, her brows lifted as she rushes on, “And where the hell is Graham? ”

“Relax, babe,” he says, affectionately reaching out and tucking her hair behind her ear. “Taylor’s with him.”

“Who’s Taylor?” Lauren asks.

“Our downstairs neighbor,” Audrey explains.

“She was very happy to babysit for a couple hours, especially since her mom is right there too, so I could accompany my future brother-in-law to this fine establishment.”

“This fine establishment where you knew we’d be,” Jules says, her dry tone matching the roll of her eyes. But she doesn’t look annoyed in the least that her fiancé is crashing girls’ night.

“Exactly,” Colt says, scooting around to her side of the table and planting a kiss on her head.

“Oh my god,” Morgan sighs. “You all are making me sick.”

“Hey,” Lauren says with playfully narrowed eyes, “it’s just them .”

“Yeah, until Jameson shows up.”

“He’s not showing up. He’s home with the twins.”

“Uh-huh,” Colt says, and Lauren’s bright blue eyes shift his way.

“Are you serious right now?” Lauren asks, and Colt shrugs.

Morgan glances over at me. “See, I’m happy for you and Luke, but when I first met you, I was initially excited that you two were just friends , because I’m perpetually surrounded by people who are sickeningly in love.

AJ was supposed to be my new single friend, and now she’s with McCabe, so it’s just me, I guess.

” She says it with a laugh, so I know she’s not throwing herself a pity party or anything, but it probably does suck to be the only single girl when all your friends are happily in relationships.

Even though mine and Luke’s is not real, I don’t think she’s ever believed that we’re just friends, and I’m having a harder time convincing myself of that now too.

“So there’s no guy in your life?” I ask.

“Nah. There was this guy for a while, but he ended up being a dick.”

“Yeah, most guys are.”

Morgan’s gaze sweeps around the table, where Jameson’s just come up behind Lauren, accompanied by McCabe, who’s got his arm wrapped around AJ’s shoulders.

“Maybe,” she says. “But there are obviously good guys out there, too.”