Page 8 of You Found Me (The Meadow Springs #1)

“Probably about the girls from the other night,” Beckett proudly says, knowing full well Bastian will react the same way he did.

“Ooooh, girls? Who are they?” He looks between me and Beckett excitedly. “Does Aunt June know? And if she doesn’t, can I please be there when you tell her?”

I roll my eyes so hard they hurt. “Thanks a lot B.” I ignore him and talk directly to Bastian, “It's only one girl, actually. She’s a friend of Theo’s sister. Only, she’s engaged and is very much off limits.”

“Oh. I’m sorry, Jay. I didn’t realize you actually had a thing for one of the girls you helped home,” Beckett apologizes.

He has the decency to look sheepish even though it’s not his fault. How could he have known that one of them was my literal dream girl from forever ago.

To keep him from feeling too bad, I downplay it. “It’s not a big deal. I met her years ago and it didn’t work out. Saw her for the first time since college last week which is how I found out she’s engaged.”

“Okay, but could you take him in a duel?” Bastian asks without an ounce of playfulness.

Beckett and I exchange a glance before falling into a fit of laughter that only gets worse when Bastian looks so perplexed about what we could’ve possibly found funny.

“What is this? The freaking renaissance?” I ask in between laughs.

That makes Beckett lose it even more, struggling to get his words out, “Can you imagine Jay in full-blown knight attire ready to joust with some dude he’s never met?” He wipes a lone tear.

“Actually, I’d pay money to see that,” Bastian says earnestly.

“Sebastian, you’re one of the biggest dorks I’ve ever known. Please never change.” He grumbles and pouts at my words.

This grown ass, 230-pound NFL tight end is pouting because we didn’t take his question seriously.

Selfishly hoping to find out a bit more about Emmaline’s fiancé, I throw him a bone. “I’m not sure if I could take him seeing as I’ve refrained from looking him up. But it’s possible that you know him.”

“How would I know him?”

“Well,” I clear my throat, mentally preparing to hear how wonderful her fiancé is, “he’s a football player for the Charleston Cougars. His name is Chance Collins.”

“Please tell me you’re joking,” Bastian pleads with a look of disgust. “He’s a hothead.

So much so that his attitude and poor conduct were the very reasons he was traded to Charleston.

His agent worked out a deal and was able to get them to agree on a two-year contract with the first year being probationary. ”

Beckett looks at him and with a chuckle says, “I feel like Mom and Aunt Sarah just took over for a minute there.”

“Is that public knowledge or is this a ‘heard it through the grapevine’ type of thing?” I ask him.

“Ha ha,” Bastian replies sarcastically. “It isn’t public knowledge, but my agent, Luke, works for the same agency as Chance’s.

Plus, he knows Chance is not my favorite person which is why I know about it.

And I’m only telling you, so you know not to get your hopes up with this girl.

” He sits back, taking a sip of his gin and tonic.

“It’s highly likely he gets the boot before the season is up. Then it’s bye-bye dream girl.”

I can’t stop my sigh. “It’s not like that.

Not really. I had to help her and Theo’s sister the other night because Emmaline got really upset during her speech.

Several tequila shots were involved after that, and I was the one who helped them home.

She said some things that made me think he wasn’t good to her.

All I wanted to know was if he’s a shitty person or if it was just a bad day, ya know? ”

“Tequila shots to cure sadness? Sounds like those are my kind of girls,” Bastian says with a grin.

“But to answer your question, yeah. He’s a shitty person.

He’s known for causing issues with his teammates and the coaching staff.

I remember reading an article about his engagement last year, but I didn’t know he was still engaged, given how he talks to women in the comment sections on his social media. ”

Beckett, who has been sitting quietly listening, pipes in, “I know you, Jay. And I know you wouldn’t be asking about her unless you were still into her. Doesn’t matter that it’s been years since you first met. Even with zero contact. She clearly left her mark on you.”

“Of course I’m into her. But I would never go after a taken woman.” I sigh. “Enough about my tragic love life. Tell me what’s going on with the both of you.”

Beckett pinches the bridge of his nose. and blows out a breath. “I have a girlfriend, Aria. Been going on six months now. And no, Mom and Dad don’t know. ”

Bastian and I look at each other in confusion. B’s always been private with his love life. “Is that the phone call you needed to make earlier?” I ask.

“Yeah. She wasn’t happy that I decided to leave for the weekend, even though I explained what this trip would entail. She seemed worried I’d cheat, and I don’t know where she got that idea from. But I don’t really want to talk about it right now.”

Bastian is the first to answer, “No worries. We’re here if you change your mind.”

He mutters out a thanks, before asking, “Is it time to go to the next place, or are we calling it a night?”

We both look to Bastian since it’s his birthday weekend. He smiles, rubbing his hands together. “Let’s go walk around and see what Nashville has to offer us tonight.”