Page 18

Drake

We pack into the Parkers living room for Thanksgiving dinner. Tucker, Trent, and Ava are here with their parents. Jamie’s the only one of his siblings who showed. My sister, Chloe, hangs out in the kitchen next to my mom, chatting with Aunt Kennedy and Aunt Charlotte.

Thank God Uncle Alex is cooking dinner. He’s the only one in this room who can make a mean turkey. None of my aunts can cook worth a damn, my mom worst of them all. If anyone is stupid enough to let her as much as stir in seasonings, we’re all doomed.

I walk into the kitchen to grab a few beers.

My mom stops me, holding her hand out in front of me. “What’s wrong, Drakey?”

Fisting a few bottles, I shrug. “Nothing. Just getting something to drink.”

She gives me a curious look. “No, that’s not it. You look sad, baby.”

“I’m hardly a baby anymore,” I quip.

She smiles. “No, you’re not. But you’ll always be my baby, and I can tell when something’s bothering you.”

“Probably a girl,” Chloe says, flicking her dark hair over her shoulder.

Chloe looks almost identical to my mom, where I am the spitting image of our dad. It’s funny how that worked out. We each look like the person we have the most in common with.

I sigh in frustration. She’s not wrong. I’ve tried to get a hold of Taylor all day, and I’ve not heard a single word back from her.

“I’m fine,” I lie. “Just tired and hungry.”

“What’s your new girlfriend’s name?” Mom pops a chip into her mouth and smiles up at me. She’s so tiny compared to me, unlike Taylor, who compliments me perfectly.

“Taylor.”

My mom sips from her wineglass, studying the plate of snacks in front of her. “When do I get to meet her?”

“Yeah, we need to meet her,” Chloe says. “We have to make sure she’s good enough for you.”

“Actually, she’s a big fan of both of you.”

“Oh?” My mom smiles. “She reads our books?”

I nod. “She freaked out when I told her you’re my mom.”

“She has good taste,” Chloe adds. “I like her already.” She sips from her wineglass and peeks up at me. “We love meeting new readers. You should bring Taylor over to the house sometime.”

Even though my sister can afford to live on her own, she refuses to move out of our childhood home in South Jersey. Me, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. With how touchy-feely my parents are, I’ve had enough affection to last a lifetime. I’m surprised my dad isn’t over here now.

“I’ll think about it,” I lie as I exit the kitchen.

Taylor would love to meet them. Who am I to deny my favorite women from meeting each other?

When I enter the living room, all the men are on the couches yelling at the football game.

Bex and Coach Bryant are the only new additions to our normal festivities.

Coach must know why Preston invited him to the house with Bex.

He honestly can’t be that oblivious to the fact Preston and Bex are together.

Not when it’s so clear to everyone else in the room.

I pass beers to my dad, Uncle Tyler, and Uncle Jameson before taking a sip from the last bottle.

Kicking my foot up on the ottoman, I lean back, sinking into the leather couch.

Tucker is next to me, his arms crossed over his chest. Trent is on the other side, glaring at him.

A few weeks ago, the twins accidentally hooked up with the same girl.

For some whacky-ass reason, she couldn’t tell they were different people. I don’t know how she didn’t notice the subtle differences in their personalities. They don’t even wear their hair the same way.

Ever since their big blowout, they have barely spoken to each other. Their fight has affected our game on the ice. We lost the last few games because of their bullshit.

Preston is busy entertaining Bex and Coach Bryant.

Jamie is nerding out with his dad about some video game.

Trent and Tucker haven’t spoken more than a few words since they arrived.

I’m over here checking my cell phone every ten minutes to see if Taylor has texted or called.

I fucking miss her. The silence is killing me.

With most of my friends occupied with their own shit, and our fathers busting each other’s balls over bets they’ve taken on the game, my mind keeps wandering back to Taylor. I wonder if Bex has heard from her.

Two hours pass by with lots of yelling, bet-making, and booing before Aunt Charlotte calls us into the dining room for dinner. She didn’t cook any of it, though she’s the one who’s serving it. We sit in our usual places with JP, the only person missing.

Preston’s older brother, John Parker, who everyone calls JP, called a few hours ago to say he would be a few hours behind. He works at DMG, the sports agency Preston’s mom now owns.

Uncle Alex makes some room for Coach Bryant on his side of the table. Bex is on Preston’s right in the middle of the table next to me. We dig into the food, and as usual, it’s good.

Bex and Aunt Charlotte talk about Philly Clean, the charity she’s run since before she started dating Uncle Alex.

Philly Clean is a youth basketball event she sponsors and helps run every year.

All the money they raise funds for the organization’s mission to help fight drug and alcohol addiction in the city.

Some players from the Sixers teach children ball handling and various other skills.

Bex’s eyes go wide when Aunt Charlotte asks her to help this year. “Are you serious?”

From what Preston has told me, Bex is a major fan of his mom.

Apart from Taylor, she’s definitely one of the coolest women I’ve ever met.

They even have basketball in common. Ugh, I wish she were here right now.

Why do I miss her so much? We’ve known each other for less than two months, and somehow I’ve grown so attached to her.

“Yeah. Uh… I would love to.” Bex smiles so wide her teeth are showing. “Thank you.”

All of us pitch in every year. Maybe I can get Taylor to come with us. I hate feeling so uncertain about our relationship, but I do. It’s all so new that I’m afraid she’ll come to her senses and change her mind.

“I hear you’re a big Dante Fisher fan,” Aunt Charlotte says to Bex.

Bex smiles. “The biggest.”

“Bex has posters of him on her bedroom walls,” Coach Bryant says.

Bex turns beat red, shooting her dad a warning look down the table. “Dad, c’mon. Don’t embarrass me. Please.”

The table erupts into laughter.

“If you come, you’ll get to meet him.” Aunt Charlotte finishes chewing her food. “Dante, I mean. He’s helping with the kids this year.”

Bex covers her mouth with her hand and squeals. “Shut. Up.” She fans herself with her hand. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean for you to shut up. I’m just… wow! Dante is so?—”

Aunt Charlotte waves her hand. “I know what you mean. No need to worry. Even after ten years of retirement, he’s still the same player I signed out of high school.

He’s arrogant and a little much to take in all at once.

” She points at Uncle Alex. “This one was the same way. Actually, all three of them were.”

She’s referring to my dad and Uncle Tyler, who were all her clients at one time. The three of them shrug off her comment and laugh.

“Tyler was the most arrogant player I’d ever met,” Aunt Kennedy chimes. “He was infuriating. Trying to get an interview with him was like pulling teeth.”

“Hey, babe, you got more than an interview.” Tyler winks at her.

Ava, Tucker, and Trent make gagging sounds.

“Daddy, that’s gross.” Ava tucks her long blonde hair behind her ears. “People are trying to eat.”

Ava is a professional model who travels around the world. She’s drop-dead gorgeous and was my first crush as a kid. She’s not much older than me. I could never admit to Tucker or Trent how much I would fantasize about their sister when we were kids. Like way too much.

The Kanes have the same blonde hair, blue eyes, and light features. Their mom has dark hair, so they’re all the spitting image of their dad.

Ava looks down the table at Preston and Bex. “So, how did you two meet?”

Bex’s cheeks flush to a shade of burgundy. “I ran into him in the locker room.”

Ava raises her eyebrow, confused. “Like the men’s locker room?”

Bex nods.

“Oh, now this I have to hear. Sounds juicy.”

“More like horrifying,” Bex says. “My dad told me to meet him after practice. I didn’t realize the guys were still in the locker room, and well, let’s just say, that was kinda awkward.”

Coach Bryant shakes his head. “Bex found the side entrance to my office after that day.” He looks right at Bex. “No more entering through the locker room.”

“No, definitely not,” Bex says. “That’s one place I never want to walk through again.”

Everyone at the table laughs.

Midway through dinner, JP strolls into the dining room, his black pea coat covered with snow.

“Sorry, I’m late.” JP bends down to kiss his mom on the cheek, followed by the rest of the women. “I got stuck in traffic on my way back from New York.”

After he hangs up his coat, JP sits down and stares at Bex. “And who are you? I don’t think we’ve met.”

“Bex Bryant.”

His eyes travel from Bex to Preston. “I can’t believe Preston has a girlfriend. Would you look at that?”

Bex remains expressionless as she stares at JP. Coach Bryant notices her strange reaction, and his eyes narrow as if he’s just now figured out why Preston invited them to dinner.

“Bex and Preston are friends,” Coach Bryant says.

“I know my brother, and these two are definitely more than friends,” JP says, fixing himself a plate. “How come you didn’t tell me, little bro? I haven’t heard from you in over a month.”

Bex is fidgeting in her chair. Preston hasn’t spoken a word or touched his food. Coach Bryant is quick to pick up on their behavior.

“Is there something going on between you two?”

“Coach,” Preston says, and I keep my fingers crossed under the table he doesn’t lose playing time. “I wanted to talk to you about this.”

“My bad,” JP says. “I didn’t know you guys were…”

It’s so awkward now, the tension building with each second we sit in silence. Thank God, Aunt Charlotte has enough sense to keep the conversation going.

“How was the weather in New York?” She asks JP to change the subject.

“Worse than it is here. They had at least two more inches of snow.”

As everyone else tries to forget about Preston’s confession, Coach Bryant stares in his direction between bites of his food.

At one point, he even shakes his head at Bex and Preston.

This would have been the perfect time for Taylor to be here.

She would have changed the mood in the room with one of her goofy jokes.

No matter the situation, she always knows the right things to say.

Before dinner ends, my phone buzzes in my pocket. Finally, it’s from Taylor, but not with the message I was hoping to receive.