Scoring Wilder(106)

Becca and I had both been invited to try out for the Olympic team, and to our surprise, we’d both made it past the first round. And then the second… and then finally our names were the final two printed on the Olympic roster. We were by far the youngest on the team, and we’d had a lot to prove over the last few months. Practices had challenged me mentally and physically, but I didn’t take a single moment for granted. I’d had to step back from the ULA team and put school on pause for the time being, but none of that mattered. I wanted to play soccer and I’d landed my dream of competing at the world level.

“Are you all packed?” Becca asked, stirring me from my thoughts. I glanced back inside the limo to find her and Emily watching me with curiosity.

I shrugged. “I have a few last minute things to get, but yeah, mostly. I just need to remember to grab my passport.”

“As long as you don’t go too crazy at your party, you should be coherent enough to remember it in the morning,” Emily laughed.

I smiled at her joke and thought about how much effort Liam had put into tonight. On top of preparing to leave the country, Liam had planned an early birthday party for me. He’d kept every detail under lock and key, even when I tried to seduce it out of him. The guy wouldn’t crack, so I’d spent the day getting pampered with Emily and Becca, excited that there was a surprise waiting for me at the end of the limo ride.

“I don’t think I’ll drink at all, actually,” I said, staring down at my bright red dress. It was flirty with stretchy fabric, a dipped neckline, cap sleeves, and a flared skirt. It cut off fairly short, but I knew Liam wouldn’t mind.

“Yeah, same here,” Becca agreed. We both had to eliminate anything deemed “unhealthy” from our diets almost as soon as we’d made the team.

“Wait, so now I’m the craziest one out of the three of us?” Emily laughed.

I couldn’t help smiling as I thought back on the first night I’d dragged Emily to the LA Stars’ party. I thought I’d corrupt her, but in the end, the three of us sort of evened each other out. I like to think she gave me a bit of her calmness and I lent her a bit of my wild side. Becca just gave us both a ton of bruises.

“Oh, don’t worry, we’ll party with you when we get back from Sweden,” I winked just as the limo pulled up outside of a trendy club.

In a rush, an attendant ran forward to open our door and escort us out onto the carpeted walkway. I glanced up to take in the scene laid out before me. The club was modern, with sleek white walls and ivy twining up around a mid-century iron sign that read Tiger Lily, the name of the club. Hanging candles replaced the need for interior lighting so that the atmosphere seemed more intimate as we stepped past the front doors.

I recognized all of my teammates from ULA as well as other family and friends. There were a few boys from the LA Stars team and I nodded when I saw Josh. We were in an okay place and I was happy to forget about the drama of those few months.

My parents and Liam’s parents were chatting in the center of the room and I pressed a hand to my chest as a smile spread even wider. It meant so much to have them all there, especially when I knew how long the flight was from London to LA.

However, the best guest of all was standing directly between our parents, and once I saw him, I couldn’t keep my happiness from brimming over. Liam looked handsome as always in a tailored black suit. His hair was styled back in a way that highlighted his sharp features and cleanly shaven face.

I knew he could feel my gaze on him because he glanced up just as I bit down on my lower lip. His grey eyes pinned me to the spot and I was left disarmed as he made his way closer. His smile grew wider with every step, and as he drew near, Becca and Emily fell away from my sides as if on cue.

“Remind me to never let you wear red unless it’s in our bedroom,” he smirked, taking my appearance in with a confident air.

“Like the dress?”

“I love the woman wearing the dress,” he said, taking my hand in his. “C’mon, let me talk to you alone for a second.”

“But, I haven’t said hi to my parents,” I protested half-heartedly. There’d be plenty of time to talk to them; right now I wanted to tear this suit off of him.

“They’ll understand, c’mon,” he said, tugging me through the club and down a side hallway. There was a single black door at the end guarded by a burly looking bouncer. Liam nodded to the man, and the bouncer unlocked the door and held it open so that we could walk through.

I scrunched my brows in confusion. “Wait, where are we going?” I asked.

Liam glanced back at me with a wicked grin, but instead of answering, he led me further up the dim staircase. I thought we’d end up on a second level, maybe in a VIP lounge or something, but instead he pushed through a heavy door at the top of the stairs with a sign taped across that read “roof access.”

Light seeped inside the dim hallway, and in that moment, I realized this was much more important than a small chat. I swallowed past the lump in my throat as he continued to push the door open and then my breath froze in my lungs as I took in the sight before me.

He’d created a tiny slice of paradise up on that roof. Strings of twinkle lights danced overhead. Flowers of every color and variety overflowed in each direction; their fresh fragrance wrapping around me as Liam took my hand and pulled me outside.