That bothered me more than it should have, but I didn’t let it show. I knew Prescott was on her stupid fucking list, and again, I had to remind myself that he was just a friend and they’d known each other a long time.
“Yet.” I winked.
She tore her gaze from me immediately, like she was offended by my wink. I held back another laugh. I knew she didn’t like people, but she liked Banks. She liked Prescott. She liked Marissa. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, she definitely liked me. I wanted to hear her say the words, though. And because I never did things half-assed, and like her, I never lost, I wouldn’t just be on the list of people she liked. I’d fucking dominate it.
CHAPTER6
LACHLAN
“I don’t thinkyou’ve ever talked about a girl like this,” my mom said as she set the garlic bread in the oven. “Do you like her? What am I saying? Of course, you like her.” She closed the oven and set the timer. “You wouldn’t bring her up if you didn’t.”
“Yeah.” The wooden dining chair creaked as I shifted to stretch my legs.
“Does she like hockey?”
“I’m not sure.” I frowned.
“You don’t know?” This shocked my mother. “So, this isn’t one of your puck bunnies?”
“No.” I laughed. “She didn’t even know who I was when we met.”
Her brows rose. “Truly?”
“Yep.” I stood up and started setting the table.
“That’s interesting.” Mom smiled. “What’s her name?”
“Lyla James.”
“Lyla James.” Her smile grew. “I love that. Does she know you share a middle name?”
“No.” I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling.
“Does she like you?” she asked, then laughed with an eye roll. “Of course, she likes you. Every girl in the universe falls at your feet without you saying a word.”
Every girl except Lyla James. I didn’t want to get into that with my mother. How was I supposed to explain that I didn’t think she liked anything or anyone without making her sound like a bitch? The only indication I had that she liked me was what happened at her father’s house. I hadn’t been able to stop replaying that scene or thinking about how she let her guard down in front of me. Was it a right place, right time situation? Would she have let Banks see her in that state if he’d been the one to check on her? Would she have let him hold her the way she let me? Fuck.
Whenever I thought about her, I felt like a fish out of water. Most guys my age knew how to navigate this since they’d had girlfriends in the past. The only official girlfriend I’d had was freshman year of high school, and the only reason we were an item was that she was hot, a dancer, and insisted that we’d be good together. It lasted six months before she broke up with me because I “didn’t show enough interest in her.” I walked her to class, fucked her every day, and took her to parties. What more could she have possibly wanted from me? I never got the answer because I didn’t care enough to ask. In hindsight, I should have. It might’ve helped me a little in this situation.
“Lach?” my mom said. I set down the last knife and turned to look at her. “Does Lyla know what an athlete’s life consists of? Practices, away games, merch deals? And soon, you’ll be going pro, so it’ll be multiplied by a hundred.”
I pulled a face. “I’m not gonna marry the girl, Ma.”
“You might.” She shrugged.
“This is why I wasn’t going to bring her up,” I said, taking a seat again. “I knew you’d start planning a wedding right away.”
“I am not planning a wedding.” She laughed, shaking her head.
I shot her a look. “You do it to Liam all the time.”
“Liam was with Robin for two and a half years! They lived together.”
“And look at how that turned out.” I shifted the chair across from me and rested my feet on it.
“I’m just asking if she knows about the life of an athlete,” she said, turning around to chop tomatoes. “Sue me for being interested in the only girl my son has ever mentioned by name.”
“She played soccer,” I said. “She got a fancy national award and everything.”
