Wyatt, you little bitch, you better respond.
Mack
No need for name calling, man. You’re going to scare him off, and then we’ll never know.
Okay, maybe I should have been less heavy handed with the drop on this—given them a heads up somehow—but how could I when I know this whole thing is fake? Honestly, it waseasiest for me to just say it to everyone, and no one, at the same time.
Another text comes through.
Colin
We’re waiting
Mack
Are we really that surprised?
When did these guys, who I didn’t even want as my teammates, get so in my business? As a matter of fact, when did this group chat even start? When did we become…friends.
I start to type back.
It just sort of…happened
I mean, true.
Colin
And why didn’t you say anything?
It’s really new. I didn’t want to jinx anything.
Also true.
She’s with me right now and we have a long drive home, so chill out.
Jaden
You can explain at the gym.
I will.
I collapse back onto the overly stuffed hotel pillow, letting the phone fall to my chest. At least I was able to buy myselfsome time to think and make a plan before I see them on Thursday. It seems like an oversight on my part that I never thought about what this agreement would mean when it came to them. My parents are going to be easy; hence my mother’s joy over the phone. My brother might be suspicious, but he’s so busy, he probably doesn’t care. They’re also many states away, so they’re not going to be able to get up in my face about it until June when I bring Nash to Henry’s wedding. Colin, Jaden, and Mack will be the only ones in the near future to get a good whack at me at Ironsides during our workout in just a couple days.
Great, I can’t wait.
Chapter Twenty-One
NASH
“I’ve got to pee.”
“Again? We just stopped in Buffalo.” Wyatt’s been driving us the four hours home and I think I’m about to push him over the edge with the amount of pit stops I’ve needed.
“We’re almost to Madisonville; we can stop at Buc-ee’s!” I explain. “This is a very important Texas tradition. A road trip is not complete without it.”
Wyatt turns his blinker on for the exit with the huge beaver on the sign, but that doesn’t stop him from complaining. “I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s just a gas station.”
“Just a gas station?” I scoff. “Get ready to live.”