Lily did remember. She had been annoyed when Wren told her about a birthday party for one of her teammates, annoyed because she had barely seen Wren since her mom had caught them drinking at her house a few weeks ago. Between training, travel, and Wren’s game schedules, finding time together had proven to be difficult—or maybe it had always been that way, and Lily was only now noticing because her usually packed schedule had lightened significantly since her injury.
“I remember,” she grumbled. She knew she was being petulant. But she wanted to see her girlfriend. That wasn’t a crime.
“But you know what Friday night is, right? Date night. You get me uninterrupted all night. And trust me, I plan on making sure you feel significantly caught up.” Wren winked at her, grabbing at the hem of her T-shirt, pulling it over her head.
“Can’t wait,” Lily said distractedly, blushing at the sight of Wren in a black sports bra.
Lily traced the lines of Wren’s musculature with her eyes, appreciating the way her abs flexed as she reached into theshower to turn the water on. Lily gulped, looking around quickly, confirming that she was definitely still alone—she was—before letting her eyes feast on Wren for a bit longer, heat pooling low in her belly, wishing she could see just a bit more of her.
“Hey, Lils,” Wren said, a lopsided grin fully in place. “You’re staring.”
“I know I am. Can you really blame me?”
Wren blushed, her hands finding her hair and gathering her wild curls into a bunch before letting them cascade over her shoulders. “No, I guess not.”
“As much as I really want to stay and watch the rest of this”—she flicked her gaze up and down Wren’s body, enjoying the way blush crept even further across Wren’s cheeks—“I’ve gotta meet my moms. I have my check-in with the doctors today. Fingers crossed when you see me this weekend, I won’t be in this annoying boot anymore.” She panned the camera down to show the orthotic brace.
“Promise you’ll text me after? Let me know what the doctor says?” Wren asked, her signature sweetness coming through.
“You know it, superstar.”
Wren smiled, touching two fingers to her lips and then to the camera, the gesture sending a fuzzy feeling through Lily from the inside out, only further solidifying what she had already decided days ago. This weekend, she was going to lose her virginity to Wren Parker.
“Talk to you later, Lils.”
Lily sat in silence, holding her phone in her hand and looking at the dark screen, chewing the inside of her cheek. Friday couldn’t come soon enough.
That afternoon, Lily returned home from her appointment with some good news and a big check mark on her recovery tracker. She had officially graduated from the boot to a sneaker with a specialized wedge meant to help her return her gait tonormal, and she had even been cleared for swimming. She was slowly but surely making progress towards her comeback goal.
Before the car came to a complete stop, Lily was already reaching for her seatbelt and unbuckling it, eager to get inside and update Wren.
“Well, I think that appointment went just about as well as it could have gone, don’t you?” Beth asked, putting the car in park.
“Yup. Great,” Lily said quickly, throwing the door open and hopping out. She checked her phone. If she could call Wren in the next five minutes, she would catch her before she left for the party.
“Whoa, hold on, Lily,” Beth called.
“What?” Lily groaned. “I need to go in and call Wren.”
Beth caught up with her, slipping her phone into her pocket. “I guess you don’t want to know about the surprise waiting inside for you, then.”
Lily slowed to a stop at the bottom of the porch steps, her sneakers crunching the gravel as she pivoted, her interest getting the better of her.
“A surprise?”
“Yeah.”
“What is it?”
The sound of the lock turning drew her attention, and Lily noticed a tall figure on the other side of the door, an outline familiar but obscured by frosted glass. As the door swung open, Lily couldn’t help how her smile pulled across her face.
“Surprise!” Wren said excitedly, stepping onto the porch.
Lily’s eyes widened. Wren? But no—because Wren was supposed to be at a party and not here… “Wha-what are…you?” she asked, puzzled.
“I called Beth a few days ago and we planned the whole thing. It was so hard not to tell you, especially since I knew you weresoannoyed about the party and it wasn’t even real!” Wren beamed, pleased with herself at managing to pull one over on Lily.
“I wasn’t annoyed.” She shrugged, trying to act unbothered but fully aware of the smirk on her lips. “And you knew?” She turned to her mama. “You knew and didn’t say anything? Since when are you two teaming up against me? What happened to Team Gallagher Girls? Huh? Betraying your own flesh and blood.”
