“Then why are you nervous?”
I don’t even look at him this time. “Quint.”
“Yeah?”
“Go get your food.”
He laughs. “Yes, Ma’am. Reid?”
“I’m good.”
Then Quint disappears, leaving just Reid and me. I turn to him to ask my question. “Is Riley,” I pause. “You know, one of you guys.”
He doesn’t turn to look at me. “Yes.”
I chuckle to myself. “You must have had a good laugh when Evie and I volunteered to look after her. I’m pretty sure she’s not going to need any help on that front, especially from us.”
He looks at me with that serious look he’s always wearing. “She’ll need friends, though.”
“Well, we can do that for sure.”
He chuckles, and it surprises me. Then he stands to his feet and moves over a seat. I stare at him. “Do I smell?”
He shakes his head, still smiling. “No. Slate’s not happy we’re up here alone together.”
I shoot my head back to the field. Slater is currently doing warmup drills with his team. “How does he even know?”
“Trust me; he knows. I know any time any guy even gets close to Riley.”
His words surprise me. “Really? But you’re so calm and level-headed.”
He nods. “I am. But not with her. If anybody ever hurt her,” he pauses. “Let’s just say they wouldn’t be breathing for long.”
I stare at him and feel goosebumps break out on my skin. “Okay, that was...terrifying.” He shrugs, not even trying to defend himself. “But she doesn’t know any of this, right?”
He turns to look at me then. “No, and you can’t tell her.”
I lift my hands in surrender. “I won’t. I promise. But,” I pause. “Why haven’t you told her?”
“It’s not my place. She has a life to live. She’s still finishing high school and enjoying life. I don’t want to tie her to me and have her miss out on so many important things. I want her to enjoy everything. When the time comes, she’ll figure it out. When she does, I’ll be ready for her.”
I wave my hands by my eyes. “That was so beautiful; I think I might cry.”
He smirks and shakes his head. “No, you won’t.”
“No, I really might.” I sigh. “Are you going to love having her here next year?”
“Yes and no. I’ll be happy to finally have her close, but I don’t relish the idea of all these other males being around her.”
“Maybe the guys will leave her alone.”
He turns to me, eyebrows raised. “Have you ever seen Riley?”
“No.”
He opens his phone and pulls up a picture and hands it to me. I take in the gorgeous girl in the picture. Tall, long blond hair,perfect figure, athletic. She’s beaming at the phone, and Zane has his arm around her, kissing her cheek. I hand him back the phone. “Yep. You’re in trouble.”
“She’s also too tenderhearted for her own good and the kindest soul you’ll ever meet.”
