All the Way (Hot Jocks #2)(55)

After an easy three miles, I hop in the shower, then zip off to the café to meet with Elise. When I arrive, she’s already standing at the counter, placing her order.

Despite her four-exclamation-point-level night of drinking last night, she looks surprisingly put together, her hair styled into loose waves that tumble over the shoulders of her slouchy pink sweater. When she spots me, I hear her tack on a second almond-milk latte to her order. The girl knows me too well.

Once we’re settled in at a corner table, I hardly have a chance to take a sip of my latte before Elise broaches the subject we both know we came here to discuss.

“So. You and my brother, huh?” She raises one eyebrow at me in a way that’s far more curious than upset. Maybe she’s not as ticked off about this whole thing as I thought she’d be.

“It’s new.” I shrug. I’ll spare her the details of the situation for now. What’s important is that we get our friendship sorted out. “You’re not mad, are you?”

“Oh my God, Becca. Of course not,” she blurts, then creases her brow in thought. “Well, I am a little bummed that you didn’t tell me. But I totally get it. I wouldn’t have told me either if I were in your shoes.”

A wave of cool relief washes over me. I can deal with Elise being “a little bummed” as long as she’s not angry. After all, Owen and I never would have been friends if not for Elise and me being besties first, and I’d never want anything to come between us. Especially not a guy. Even if that guy happens to be her brother.

“That being said,” she says, setting her latte down on the table, “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little worried. You and I both know that Owen doesn’t exactly have a stellar track record when it comes to women. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

I wipe latte foam from my upper lip. “I totally understand. And I appreciate you looking out for me. But things are good.”

“That’s good to hear,” she says with a nod. “Don’t get me wrong; I’m happy for you. I just don’t want you to get your heart broken by how casual Owen likes to keep things.”

That nervous knot in my stomach that never showed up earlier this morning? Yeah, I think it just arrived.

I chew nervously on my lower lip, searching for the right words. “Um, I’m not really sure if it’s casual, Elise.”

Her eyes widen in surprise. “Oh, really? Are you sure?”

My stomach twists, and suddenly, I’m doubting what I heard Owen say last night.

What were his words, exactly? That he didn’t know how to be a good boyfriend? I took that as him wanting to try, but maybe I misread him. Maybe he meant that he just wasn’t boyfriend material and wasn’t looking for that. Two innocent shots of tequila after a solid month off of alcohol can really cloud a girl’s perception.

Elise is right. Anyone who knows Owen Parrish knows that he’s the King of Casual. And that’s so not me. I don’t want to get hurt, and I know that when I got Owen, I got all the history and reputation that comes with him.

But I have to believe that I’m different. What I have with Owen is something I’ve never had before. When he pulls me into his arms, it feels like finding something I didn’t know I lost. Like coming back home again. And with the way he looks at me, I have to believe that he feels the same.

“I’m not sure about any of it,” I say, my lips curling into a soft smile. “But I know one thing for sure. That I’m going to see it through.”

And just hope that my heart remains in one piece.





21




* * *





Confidence Galore





Owen



Becca is perched on one of the stools in my kitchen, watching me cook for her. Tonight, I’m making us chicken piccata. She’d wanted to help, but I enjoy being the one to feed her, so the only task I’ve given her is slicing lemons, which she made quick work of.

“Thanks, angel,” I say, grabbing the cutting board and lemons from her.

“Did you mean all that? Everything you said in your truck?”

I give her a quizzical look. “Of course I did.”

She smiles. “I had coffee with Elise, and ...” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Hey.” I cross the kitchen to stand before her and brush my thumb across her cheek. “It matters to me.”

She licks her lips, toying with a loose string on the hem of her shirt. “She told me to be careful.”

Shit. I should have expected as much. My sister doesn’t exactly have the highest opinion of my ability to be a decent human being. Although I’ve gotta say, I didn’t expect her to try and warn Becca away from me. “She doesn’t want you to get hurt.”

Becca nods. “Yeah. Something like that.”

I touch my lips to hers. “Then she and I are on the exact same page.”

She smiles and kisses me once more. “How long till dinner’s ready?” she asks, giving me a heated look.

I glance at the timer I’d set on the microwave. “Twenty-eight minutes. Why?”

Without answering, Becca hops up from the stool and grabs my hand, tugging me along with her toward my bedroom.