“I miss her so much,” he says through his tears. “I remember watching her get ready for prom, homecoming, graduation. Every big event, she would blast her music, and I would run into her room, sitting on her bed while she finished her hair, did her makeup, and picked out her jewelry. She gave me these cufflinks when I graduated high school.” He fingers them on his wrist.
“She sounds amazing.”
“She was the best big sister. Didn’t hate her younger brother hanging around. Laughed at all my jokes.” He looks up at me. “It hurts to have this event. I’m proud to honor her. She deserves it, but god does it feel like my heart is being ripped out every single time, and I have to put on the face of the organization. Smile, shake hands, kiss the babies—that whole deal.”
I wipe his tears from his cheeks. “What if you didn’t do that tonight? Being vulnerable doesn't make you weak, you know?”
“Using my words against me now?” He pinches my side, and I wiggle away.
“Your parents will be there, right? The board? The staff you’ve put in place?” I ask. He nods in response. “What if for tonight, you just show up for your sister. Leave the schmoozing to the others.” Running my fingers over his hair, I lightly tug on the loose ends that poke out of his bun until he meets my eyes again.
“Okay,” he reluctantly agrees, but I can see from the way his shoulders relax and he lets out a deep breath that he needed someone to give him the permission to not be the face of the foundation and instead a grieving brother supporting his big sister.
“Right. Alexa, play ‘Turn Down for What’ by Lil John.” I back away and begin shaking my hips as the familiar tune starts playing at full volume. He laughs, wiping the last of his tears as I continue to move to the music.
“What are you doing?” he asks when I grab his hands and pull him to stand.
“We’re dancing it out. Let’s go, Mills. Show me your moves.” I start jumping and flinging my body around the room. My movements are crazy and have zero rhythm, but it makes him laugh. Soon he’s loosened up, his moment of weakness tucked behind the silly exterior once more. He’s really getting into it as he twerks against the bed, when suddenly the song ends and the room is silent except for our laughter.
He wraps me in a hug. “Thank you.”
“For what?” I prop my chin on his chest, looking up at him. He looks down at me with a small smile.
“For letting me be me. For always knowing what I need. For being my sister.”
It’s my turn to cry now. I’ve never been a sister before. It’s a new kind of love and acceptance I’m starting to appreciate. Preston, Ivory, and Taylor are my closest friends, but there’s a deeper level of knowing with Miller. Not everyone understands our relationship, and that’s okay. I don’t expect them to.
All I know is Ryan Miller came into my life when I desperately needed someone to lean on without having to explain what I needed. He jumped right into the trenches with me. He never made me talk about what I didn’t want to share. He never made a big deal of anything. He just sat with me in the dark until I was ready to walk into the light, and then he was right there holding my hand, making a joke.
“Right back at ya, big guy.” I step back and blink away the unshed tears from my eyes. “I better finish getting ready or we’ll be late.”
The second she walks into the room, the air changes. My body hums with electricity, my pulse kicks up. My head turns without conscious thought as I find her across the room. Wiping sweaty palms on my pants, I draw in a breath to compose myself. I can’t look away if I tried. Her back is to me.
Her exposed back.
There is a bow tied at the base of her neck, then nothing but the smooth expanse of her bronze skin until the black dress begins again at her lower back. It’s revealing, accentuating her luscious curves, but staying elegant enough to match the black-tie attire. Miller’s hand rests at the small of her back.
My palm itches to replace his.
My other hand is clenched in a fist, wanting to deck my co-captain for touching her. As the rookie on the team, I really had no choice but to show up to this event, which the rest of the team was already attending to support Miller.
What I didn’t sign up for was watching the woman I couldn’t get out of my mind with another man all night without a stiff drink.
Crossing to the bar, I order a whiskey neat and drain it in one gulp as I watch them move across the room. His hand hovers over her back as Miller introduces her to everyone they speak to. Through it all, he’s touching her in some way. She beams up at him as he talks to a group of people. When she reaches aroundto clasp his hand behind her back, I slam the empty glass on the bar and order a second drink.
I’ve just reached for the double pour when I feel someone beside me.
“You really think getting drunk is a good look, Rook.” Fields orders a beer for himself and a wine for his wife.
“Just having a drink, Cap. Didn’t know that was against the rules. There’s an open bar.” I take a heavy sip of the whiskey. We have three more games before the All-Star break officially starts, but I’m ready for the time off while the veterans and Coach go to Atlanta.
He hums, disapprovingly. Tipping my chin toward Miller and Bree huddled together by the head table, I ask, “What’s their story?”
“Not mine to tell,” he evades my question. “Why do you care?” He folds his arms over his chest and stares me down.
“Just curious. They look pretty cozy.” I try to shrug it off. The last thing I need is Fields to catch on that I want his friend’s girl.
Miller knows I’m the guy she stayed with at the beach, even if we’ve never acknowledged it out loud, but from what I can tell, he hasn’t shared that with Fields. Which can only mean he and Bree share something deeper if he’s keeping secrets from his best friend.
