Before I turned to leave, I frowned at Ethan. “So this whole Brad thing, is it some kind of a test?”
“Not exactly,” he said. “But, if you decide to pursue this route, there are many people who’llwalk through that door without the right intentions. You still need to motivate them, help them become a teacher worthy of our students. Consider this a trial run.”
“I can’t believehe might leave,” Hadley said as she scooped a handful of popcorn. “Mr. Cutler is an institution at that place.”
“Right?” I groaned as I dipped my head back, waiting impatiently for the commercials to end so we could get back to the game.Wait, what? When did I become this person?If someone had told me last year that I would spend my Friday nights with my friends watching a baseball game and yelling at the umpires on screen, I would have laughed.
Yet, here we all were.
Hadley and Victoria had come over earlier in the day with Emilia, all wearing their matching Seda jerseys for Cam. We’d made burgers and veggies on the grill, talking about the latest changes in our lives. Hadley was in full-on wedding planning mode and surprised Ollie and me with little gifts asking us to be her bridesmaids. Of course, we both said yes instantly, already looking forward to the wedding. Victoria was the maid of honor, and as Hadley helped prepare our dinner, she filled us in on her plans for the bachelorette party. While the flower girl, Emilia, tried to convince her mother to let her come to the party too, we all sat back, looking over the dozens of pictures Hadley saved on her online boards.
“So, what did you tell him?” Victoria asked from the other couch.
“That I’d think about it,” I said. “As much as I love teaching, this seems like it might be the bestnext step. I’ve already completed half the coursework, so I’d be able to finish my certification in the next eighteen months or so.”
“I say go for it,” Hadley announced. “You’re already helping run that school. Might as well get the paycheck too.”
“Seconded!” Ollie yelled from the kitchen.
I shook my head and grabbed my empty cup.Time for a refill. As yet another medication commercial came on the screen, I stood and moved to the kitchen. At least, that was the plan until I turned, and all the voices in the apartment went silent.
“What?” I asked.
“Umm, are you going to tell us why you’re wearing Damien’s jersey?” Hadley yelled, jumping to my side and twisting me to see the back again. “I knew something was going on!”
“You did not,” Victoria teased.
“Okay, I didn’t likeknow, know, but I hoped it was!” Hadley clapped her hands together. “Okay, details, Bri. Need every single one.”
“Good luck with that.” Ollie snorted. “This one holds her secrets tight. She won’t even tell me, and I’m pretty sure I orchestrated this whole thing.”
“You did not. We got together weeks before that,” I mumbled as I walked into the kitchen, keeping my words low so no one else heard them. At least, I thought I did.
“WHAT?” Ollie yelled. “You’ve been holding out on me, Brianna Sideris!”
“It’s not that big of a deal,” I said after I filled my glass and walked back over to the couch. “We might have…connectedin Dallas during the all-star game, but it’s not like we’re dating. We’re just spending time together.”
“Uh huh,” Hadley said, not believing a word that came out of my mouth. Not that I blamed her; I didn’t even believe them anymore. Over the past month, things between Damien and me had shifted. Some nights, when I went over, we didn’t even sleep together, instead cooking or me learning little phrases in Spanish. It was still the most fun I’d had in years. There was much more to Damien than I’d ever realized, and I enjoyed being around him—not only because of the orgasms, but because of how alive he made me feel. Hadley narrowed her eyes at me. “If it’s not a big deal, then why are you wearing his jersey? You know that’s, like, a thing for these guys. Showing up in your man’s number screams committed.”
Internally, I knew the moment I slipped his jersey over my tank top, but the idea of not wearing it made my stomach sour. Even if he wasn’t here to see it, watching Damien play in anything else seemed wrong. I shrugged, trying to imbue as much casualness as I could into the gesture. “It’s just a jersey, Hads. Now that rock on your finger, that’s a commitment.”
“Oh, I know!” Hadley continued, ignoring my comment. “You should fly out with me and Ollie tomorrow! You can surprise Damien while we surprise Cam and Parker.”
“What about me?” Emilia frowned.
“You get to come next time,” Hadley said as she clutched her future stepdaughter against her thigh. “Besides, Mommy and Adam have something awesome planned for you.”
“You do?” Emilia said as she looked at her mother.
“We might.” Victoria smirked. “But only if you have a good week in school. No more threatening the boys if they say something.”
“But they were being stupid,” Emilia groaned. “It’s not my fault they didn’t think before they opened their mouths.”
Victoria shook her head but failed to hold back her grin. They were in for it when Emilia got older. At seven, she was already a spitfire and could hold her own with most adults. “That’s true, but you need to rise above it, Em. Don’t let them pull you down to their level.”
“Fine.” Emilia sighed as she plopped down on the couch. “This better be a good surprise.”
As the game resumed and we found our spots for the next couple of innings, all talk of Damien and the other guys faded away. Instead, we focused on each play, dissecting every single call, Hadley most of all. You’d never know a couple of years ago, she knew nothing about baseball. Apparently, love turned her into the biggest fan of us all.
