Page 11

Chapter 11

Cyn

I stare blankly at Jordo's knee, my hands moving mechanically through the familiar exercises to keep his tendonitis at bay. I know I need to snap out of this and start paying more attention to what’s going on. But my mind is a thousand miles away, back in Vegas.

My phone buzzes, and I’m dying to sneak a peek.

I place an ice pack on his knee. “Just leave that on for ten minutes, and I’ll come back and check on you.” He gives me a thumbs up and immediately starts scrolling through his phone.

I walk over to my desk and sit down on my comfy chair. Standing all day while working can be really tough on the legs.

I quickly pull up my texts.

Garrett: Miss me yet?

Heat rises to my cheeks. I shouldn't respond. We can’t keep doing this. But my fingers are already typing.

Me: Who’s this?

Garrett: Ouch. I'm wounded.

Me: Good thing I'm a physical therapist.

Garrett: So, about that healing touch of yours...

My heart races. This is dangerous territory.

Me: Careful, Coach. That kind of talk could get us both in trouble.

Garrett: Worth it.

I close my eyes, remembering the feel of his enormous hands all over my body. The heat of his kiss. The smell of his cologne. Stop it, Cyn.

The door opens and I jump, guiltily dropping my phone face down on my desk. But it's just Coach Martinez checking the day's schedule.

"You good, Lockhart? You look flushed."

I force a smile. "Just...working hard."

As soon as he's gone, I grab my phone again. One more text won't hurt, right?

My fingers hover over the screen, heart pounding. I shouldn't. I really shouldn't.

Garrett's message pops up before I can decide: "I want to see you. Dinner tomorrow?"

I suck in a breath. This is exactly what I've been both craving and dreading. I don’t know how to answer. I go back and forth in my head before answering.

Me: It's too risky.

Garrett: We'll be discreet. I know a place.

The temptation is overwhelming. I picture his chocolatey brown eyes, that crooked smile. But then I see myself packing up my office, dreams shattered.

Me: I can't lose my job. I've worked too hard.

Garrett: We'll figure it out. Trust me.

Trust. Such a loaded word. I'm saved from responding by the arrival of my next appointment. It’s Barnesy. I steel myself for another uncomfortable interaction.

Hours later, I'm sliding into a booth across from Sophie at our favorite restaurant. Her usually smiley face is stormy.

"I'm going to kill Melissa," she announces, throwing her hands up in the air.

"Whoa, what happened?" I ask, signaling the waiter for a much-needed glass of wine.

Sophie's eyes flash. "She's pregnant! And she waited until now to tell me. The wedding's next weekend!"

I wince. "Shit. The dress..."

"Exactly!" Sophie throws up her hands. "Did she think she'd magically shrink? Women don't generally lose weight when they're pregnant!"

"Maybe she was hoping?" I offer weakly.

Sophie snorts. "Well, hope doesn't alter dresses. God, what am I going to do?"

I reach across the table, squeezing her hand. "We'll figure something out. Maybe we can find a rush seamstress?"

Sophie sighs, deflating slightly. "I guess. It's just...this was supposed to be perfect."

"Hey," I say firmly. "It will be. You're marrying Evan. That's what matters."

She manages a small smile thinking about her long time crush and now almost husband. "You're right. I just don’t need this complication right now. I mean, I’m very excited for her but why couldn’t she have told me earlier. We’d have much better options."

“True,” I say nodding my head. “It makes more sense now why she didn’t come to Vegas. She obviously knew we’d all be drinking and she’s have to explain why she wasn’t.”

“Yea. It just doesn’t make sense though why she didn’t just tell me earlier.”

“So who’s the baby’s father? She’s not seeing anyone, right?”

“I honestly don’t know. I was so caught off guard and just pissed that I didn’t even ask.”

We spend the next few minutes speculating wildly, the stress of the dress situation momentarily forgotten. Finally, I shake my head.

"God, can you imagine? I'd be freaking out if I was her. I am so not ready to be a mom."

Sophie laughs. "Me neither. Being a stepmom is almost more than I can handle right now. Though Evan's been hinting at having another one…" Evan’s daughter, Natalia, is about as sweet as they come but she can also be a handful at times.

I raise an eyebrow, but my mind drifts back to Garrett. To his offer of dinner. To the way my body aches for his touch.

"Cyn?" Sophie's voice snaps me back. "You okay? You look a million miles away."

I force a smile. "Just...work stuff." For some reason, I haven’t told her yet about my away game antics with Garrett. I guess I’m afraid telling her will make it all too real

But as Sophie launches into more wedding drama, I can't shake the feeling that I'm standing on a precipice, about to make a decision that could change everything.

Sophie leans in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I heard something interesting about your Garrett."

My heart skips. "He's not my Garrett," I protest weakly.

She waves her hand dismissively. "Whatever. Anyway, Evan told me about something that happened at his bachelor party."

I try to keep my face neutral. "Oh?"

"Apparently, Barnesy was being a total ass as he tends to do. Making crude comments about you."

My stomach drops. "What kind of comments?"

Sophie grimaces. "The usual toxic locker room crap. But get this—Garrett shut him down. Hard."

I blink, surprised. "He did?"

"Evan said Garrett was really pissed. He told Barnesy if he ever spoke about you like that again, he'd make sure he never played another game."

My cheeks flush with warmth. "Wow."

"That's not all," Sophie continues, eyes gleaming. "Garrett was grilling Evan about his relationship with me. Wanted to know if things were rocky between us in the beginning."

I lean back, mind reeling. "Why?"

“Evan seems to think Garrett’s got a thing for you. Especially after what he said to Barnesy.”

I sat mute, just looking at her. I don’t know how to respond but I’m feeling the overwhelming need to tell my best friend what happened in Denver.

Sophie nods emphatically. "Seems like someone's got it bad for you, Cyn."

I hesitate before pushing the words out of my mouth. “Garrett and I had sex again. Many times actually. When we were in Denver for the away game.”

Sophie's jaw drops. "What?! Cyn, oh my God!" She leans in, eyes wide. "Why didn’t you tell me. What’s with people not telling me things lately?"

I take a deep breath, my cheeks burning. "It started the first night. We ended up riding the elevator together and it turned out we were on the same floor. Then we found out we were in rooms next to each other."

She looks at me with a huge smile on her face.

I continued. “So I get in my room and realize our rooms are adjoining. There’s the door right there and my first thought was ‘fuck, that’s not good’”.

Sophie is laughing hysterically now. “The universe definitely wants the two of you together. It keeps telling you, over and over again.”

I look at her like she’s crazy. Which she is sometimes.

"And then what happened?" Sophie prompts, practically bouncing in her seat.

I bite my lip. "He knocked on the adjoining door. I answered. And that was all she wrote. There had definitely been some serious sexual tension brewing between us for way too long."

Sophie fans herself dramatically. "Don't stop."

"Sophie, you know what happened from there."

"Details, Cyn! I need details!"

I laugh, feeling giddy. "Let's just say we didn't get much sleep that night."

Sophie squeals, drawing looks from nearby tables. She lowers her voice. "So, was it just the one night?"

I shake my head. "No. We...we were together both nights. And..." I pause, my cheeks burning. "On the plane ride home."

Sophie's eyes go wide. "The plane? As in, the team plane?"

I nod, unable to stop a grin from spreading across my face. "I went to the bathroom and he came back a few minutes later and knocked on the door. It was cramped and rushed and so fucking good."

"Oh. My. God." Sophie's practically vibrating with excitement. "You joined the mile high club! I can't believe it. I don't know anyone who's actually done that!"

I laugh, feeling a mixture of embarrassment and pride. "It wasn't exactly comfortable. Garrett's so tall and wide, we barely both fit in there..." I trail off, lost in the memory.

Sophie leans in, totally enraptured. "I’m assuming you didn’t get caught because I would have already heard all of this.”

"No," I breathe. "Most of the guys were sleeping and I’m pretty sure the ones that were awake weren’t paying any attention."

Sophie shakes her head in amazement. "I can't believe you kept this from me. So what now? Are you two a thing?"

I sigh, the reality of the situation crashing back down. "No, nothing has changed. We can’t be a thing.”

“What if it could be, though? Would you want it to be"?”

Little Miss What If. Sometimes I feel like Sophie lives in LaLa Land, where everything always works out for the best and no one ever gets fired for making bad decisions.

But excitement bubbles in my chest, warring with a gnawing fear. "I don't know, Soph. This could end so badly."

"Or it could be amazing," she counters.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. "I've got loans to pay off. I'm saving for a house. I can't risk my job over this."

"But what if it's worth the risk?"

I stare down at my half-empty wine glass, conflicted. Garrett is exactly what I want in a partner, except for the part about him being a co-worker. But is it worth the risk?

I take a deep breath, memories flooding back. "You know how it was for me growing up, Soph."

Sophie's expression softens. "Your dad leaving?"

I nod, throat tight. "Mom struggled for years. We barely scraped by. The employees at Goodwill knew us by name."

"But she turned it around, right?" Sophie reaches across the table, squeezing my hand.

"Eventually. But those early years..." I shake my head. "I can still hear her voice. 'Cynthia, never let a man jeopardize your financial security.'"

Sophie frowns. "That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"

I shrug. "Maybe. But it stuck with me."

"The Blades aren’t going to fire you if they find out. And if they did you would find a better job the very next day."

"I don’t know that, Soph. And Marjorie would like nothing more than to fire me."

Sophie leans forward, eyes bright. "Look, I get it. But Cyn, you can't let fear hold you back from something amazing, something real."

I raise an eyebrow. "Says the eternal romantic."

She grins. "Guilty as charged. But seriously, Evan adores Garrett. Says he's one of the good ones."

"Really?"

Sophie nods enthusiastically. "He thinks you two would be perfect together."

I feel a flutter in my chest. "He does?"

"Yes," she says firmly. "And I've got a good feeling about this too, Cyn. Don't let your mom's warnings stop you from taking a chance on happiness."

I bite my lip, torn between desire and caution. "I don't know, Soph. It's complicated."

"Love always is," she says with a wink. "But that's what makes it worth it."