"She's good for you," Lucas says quietly when the bartender walks away.
I just grin in response because he isn't wrong. She's the best thing for me. Before her, the only thing that mattered was winning games. Now? Football isn't my entire life. It's part of it. The moments between games,when she's in my arms, and we're arguing over the remote, or she's giving me shit about something? Those are the best moments.
"You're in love with her," Lucas says.
I chuckle quietly, taking a sip of beer. "Is it that obvious?"
"Uh, only to the entire fucking world." He smirks at me. "You going to put a ring on it?"
"That's the plan." I scrub a hand down my face, groaning at the thought of her wearing my ring. "I'm losing my mind a little bit."
"So why not just pop the question already?" Lucas says, propping his elbows on the bar. "If you're half as gone as you look, why bother waiting?"
I laugh, shaking my head. "Marriage is a minefield for her, man. Her parents were a disaster. It fucked with her head in a major way, convinced her that she'd end up fucking up a marriage the same way."
She cried the last time we talked about her parents and everything they put her through. Listening to her sob tore my heart out. She's so convinced that marriage is off the table for her because of them.
Truthfully, I think that's why she was crying so fucking hard. She wants that future for herself. She's just terrified to reach for it and spend the rest of her life recreating their mistakes.
Lucas considers this, watching Serena stretch across the table for a tricky shot. She's biting her lip, her brow furrowed in focus, looking unfairly sexy.
Dace tries to distract her from her shot, but she just flips him off before casually sinking the ball, earning laughs from the rest of my teammates.
"So?" Lucas finally says. "A lot of people grew up with fucked-up parents. Doesn't mean you can't want something better for yourself. Lord knows, I haven't worked this hard just to end up a single parent like my mom or a deadbeat like my father."
"I know," I mutter, feeling the itch of impatience under my skin. "But try telling her that."
He takes a drink, then glances at me sideways. "You ever actually tell her that you love her?"
My hand tightens around the bottle, my knuckles going white. "She's not ready to hear it."
Lucas snorts. "Women always want to hear that shit, even when they pretend they don't." He raises his brows, meeting my gaze. "What are you waiting for, man? A sign from God?"
"It's not about me. She's just…not ready," I mutter.
Serena glances up just then, like she feels my eyes on her from across the bar. She holds my stare for a long moment, her cue stick resting against her thigh, her eyes so soft it knocks my world out of orbit.
Lucas notices. "You see that?" He jabs me in the ribs with an elbow. "Women don't look at you like that if they don't love you. Just saying."
Jasper strides toward us before I can come up with a response, grinning from ear to ear. "Dace owes your girl his right nut and two g's. Full disclosure, but I think she fully intends to take the nut."
"Jesus Christ," I groan.
Lucas just barks laughter, slapping me on the back.
I haul myself to my feet to go rescue Dace. Serena is a savage. She damn well may take his nut just on principle. Before I'm even halfway across the bar, she blows me a kiss and then disappears down the hall where the bathrooms are located in the back.
I'm not sure if that's an invitation or not, but fuck it. I plop our drinks down on our table and turn in that direction, more than happy to fuck her in the bathroom, a dark alleyway, the hallway…wherever she wants it.
The bar isn't busy, but it's loud enough that I don't hear the argument at first. I only pick up on it when I hear Serena's voice, followed by some guy's drunken growl and a louder shriek.
I'm moving before my brain even catches up.
I find Serena near the restrooms, boxed in by two drunk assholes and a blonde in a cheap, skintight dress. The woman's voice is that shrill, nasally register that sets myteeth on edge. She's poking Serena hard in the shoulder, jabbing at her with a manicured claw.
"Are you even listening, you pathetic slut?" she says, her eyes glittering with hatred. "The way you throw yourself at the whole team in front of him is disgusting. Austin deserves better."
Serena's body is rigid, her hands clenched at her sides. Her smile is all ice. "Aww. Does it keep you up at night knowing that even if he weren't all over me, he still wouldn't fuck you?"
