Page 41 of Hooked On Him

“I saw.” I laugh, unable to keep the smile off my face. “I’m proud of you.”

“Fuck.” Austin takes his muddy hands and cups my face, holding me still as he kisses me roughly. “That was for you, baby.” He grins, kissing me again. “Wait for me? I have to shower and get changed. Then we’re going to go out for drinks. You’re coming, right?”

His eyes flick between mine, a glimmer of hope making my heart skip a beat.

“Of course.” I smile. “I’d love to go for some drinks.”

“Awesome.” He kisses me again, still smiling. “See you soon.”

He runs over to his teammates, laughing and jostling each other as they head off the field, leaving me standing there like a damn lovesick fool.

I follow the crowd towards the exit. “Excuse me, where are the locker rooms?” I ask a security guard.

He eyes me suspiciously. “Team members only.”

I want to tell him that my boyfriend is a part of the team, but something tells me that isn’t going to get me anywhere. “My brother, Charlie Darwood, is on the team.”

“Ah.” He nods. “Levi?”

“Um, yes?”How the heck does he know my name?

“It’s that way, around the corner.”

“Thanks.”

He nods, dismissing me, and I head towards the locker room.

When I get there, I see some other people hanging around too, waiting for the players.

One by one, they all come out. Some take off with the girls waiting, others meet up with their partners.

For a moment, I think maybe Austin already left before I even got here, but there’s no way he could have gotten in there, showered, and dressed in that short amount of time.

That's when Cole comes out. “Hey.” He gives me a knowing look.

“Is Austin in there? He told me to meet him out here.”

“He’s just getting into the shower, had to talk to the coach. He's the only one left in there if you wanna go in and wait out of the rain.”

“Where’s Charlie?” I frown, knowing I didn’t see him leave.

Cole rolls his eyes. “Claire had a hissy fit about something, and he took her home before even making it to the locker room.”

“Oh.”

From what Mom has been telling me in the very informative text messages she likes to send me, Claire and Charlie have been fighting a lot lately. I should talk to him, check in on him. I feel like I haven’t actually hung out or talked to my brother in a long time.

Have I really prioritized work over everything?

The fact that I’ve missed a few holidays to take extra shifts answers my question.

Fuck it. No more taking extra shifts at work if it’s going to interfere with spending time with my family.

“Anyways, Austin said you’re coming out with us tonight. Is that true?" Cole asks, grinning.

“Ah, yeah, is that okay?”

“Is that okay?” he laughs. “Fucking hell, it’s more than okay. It’s fucking fantastic. Dude, I’ve been trying to get you to come out with us for years. I’m fucking pumped.”