Henry laughs, nudging Lance with his elbow. “See, I told you she’s serious about this.”
“She’s intense,” Patrick chimes in, and I give him a small smile. I know exactly what he’s been saying about me behind my back—that I’ll never keep up, that I’ll cost the team games. It stings, even though I’m working my ass off to prove themwrong. I’ve been running extra drills and staying late after every practice. I can already see my conditioning getting better, but I still have work to do.
Avery, however, doesn’t give a damn about any of that. She slinks up beside me, tilting her head and giving Henry a playful grin. “Murphy here’s gonna outwork all of you by mid-season, and when she does, I’ll be right there with a smug ‘I told you so.’”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” I murmur, half-embarrassed but grateful.
Patrick rolls his eyes. “Well, I guess we’ll see.”
Henry chuckles, glancing between us. “Wow, you really believe in her, huh?”
Avery meets his gaze and smiles with a teasing glint in her eye. “More than you know. Dylan is a force to be reckoned with.”
Before I can dig into that, the sliding door opens, and Ford steps inside, his dark curls messy from the breeze outside. He catches my eye and grins. “Dylan, we need you out back. Matthew’s beingMatthewagain.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course he is.”
Ford laughs, brushing past me to grab another drink. “C’mon, hurry. He’s already on his third ‘responsibility speech.’ If you don’t stop him, we’re all gonna fall asleep.”
Henry chuckles from behind me.
I grab Avery by the hand and lead her toward the sliding door. “Time to meet the boys,” I tell her.
She grins, her winged eyeliner making her eyes flash mischievously. “Finally. I’ve been dying to see the chaos for myself.”
We step outside, and the warmth of the fire hits me immediately, making the cool night air feel perfect. Matthew is still sitting on the edge of his chair, exactly as Ford described—serious, arms folded, brows furrowed. He’s mid-sentence when we approach.
“I just think it’s important that we all keep in mind—”
“Matthew.” I cut him off with a grin. “Relax. It’s supposed to be fun, remember?”
He gives me a look, half-exasperated and half-affectionate. “I know, I know. It’s just...”
“Coach stuff,” I finish for him.
Ford clinks his beer against Matthew’s soda can. “Take a night off, man. The season hasn’t even started yet.”
Matthew exhales a long breath and finally leans back in his chair. “Fine. But I’m only doing this for you, Dylan.”
I wink. “That’s all I ever ask.”
Avery squeezes my hand and leans in, whispering, “Your boyfriend’s a buzzkill, but he’s cute. I approve.”
I laugh and guide her closer to the fire pit, where Jacob is adjusting the logs with a metal poker. “Guys, this is Avery. Avery, these arethe boys. That’s Jacob.”
Jacob glances up and gives her a lazy grin. “Hey.”
“Ford.” I point the shaggy blond’s way.
Ford nods, tipping his beer in greeting. “‘Sup.”
“And Matthew.” I lean closer to whisper in her ear. “The almost stepbrother.”
Matthew gives her a small, polite smile, clearly still a little on edge. “Hi.”
Avery surveys them like she’s assessing merchandise, then turns to me with a satisfied smirk. “Not bad, Dylan. Not bad at all.”
Henry raises an eyebrow. “So, Avery, are you also gonna try to be a player on this team, or just here to charm the pants off of us?”
