Catching Summer (Second Chances #6)(35)

The game was over.

—

We had won, but everyone was on edge. Luckily, Evan didn’t face any penalties for punching the other player, since number fifty-two was the one who had provoked it all. It was clear Evan was being targeted. However, it left us all wondering what he might have done to cause such strife.

“Are you sure you didn’t f*ck the dude’s sister, mother, or anyone, for that matter?” Derek asked.

Clenching his jaw, Evan gripped the armrest and glared at Derek’s reflection in the rearview mirror. We were sitting in the very back of the SUV, so I placed my hand on his knee, hoping it’d help him calm down. It seemed to work a little, but not much. “For the fiftieth f*cking time, I have never talked to that douche or touched anyone that could remotely be connected to him. I don’t know what the f*ck his problem was.”

“Well, he obviously had a problem with you,” Cooper said, glancing at us over his shoulder. Gavin looked at us, too, and nodded.

“At least it’s over and we can call it a night,” I cut in.

Derek chuckled. “You got that right, sweetheart. We need us a few drinks.” He pulled into a restaurant parking lot and turned off the ignition. “What y’all say about stopping here? It looks like a nice place.”

“As long as they have food, I’ll be fine. Is it okay with everyone else?” Brianna asked. She glanced back at me and lifted her brows. I nodded to let her know I was in. Now that I owned my own restaurant, I actually liked visiting other places to see how their presentations were. Evan could probably use a few drinks, and I knew I could. The whole game had stressed me out.

“Are you okay?” I whispered in his ear.

Forcing a smile, he looked over at me, placing his hand on mine. “I’ll be fine. Just let me get a couple of shots in me.” I could tell he was baffled by the whole game incident. If he couldn’t figure out why that douchenozzle was going after him, then I knew none of us could. Maybe the guy was just being a dick. Unfortunately, we’d most likely never find out.

We all got out of the car and strolled into the restaurant. The hostess’s eyes got wide as we walked in, and she squealed when she realized who the guys were. All heads turned our way as she guided us toward a table. Before we could sit down, Brianna grabbed my arm, whispering, “Do you mind coming with me to the restroom?”

Evan pulled out my seat, but I held up my hand. “I’ll be right back.”

He nodded and sat down, but Derek chuckled. “What is it with you women? You can’t take a piss by yourself?”

Brianna winked. “It’s the only time we can escape and talk shit about you.”

Her smile faded as soon as we got far enough away for the boys not to notice. “Are you okay?” Holding my arm tighter, she shook her head and burst through the bathroom door.

As soon as we were inside, she let me go and ran her hands through her chestnut hair, her brown eyes worried. “I have a really huge problem,” she confessed.

“What’s wrong?”

A lone tear fell down her cheek, and her shoulders slumped. “I’m pregnant.”

Mouth gaping, I stared at her in shock. “Wow.”

She leaned against the counter. “Exactly. I found out two days ago, and I don’t know what to do.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know what to do? Are you thinking about aborting it?”

Her head lifted, eyes wild. “No, that hasn’t even crossed my mind. I want to keep the baby more than anything. I just don’t know how to tell Derek. You know how he is. He’s such a goofball. I can’t imagine him wanting to settle down. Not to mention, I’d have to give up cheerleading.”

“What else do you do besides cheerleading? Did you go to college?”

She nodded. “To dental assisting school. I guess I could always do that if I needed to.”

I had no doubt Derek would take care of her, but it was good that she had other connections in case she had to take care of herself. Putting my hands on her shoulders, I smiled. “You’ve got this, I promise. Only you know when the time’s right to tell Derek. I think he’ll surprise you.”

“You think?” she asked, her eyes hopeful. Brianna was still young, and she had an innocence about her that reminded me of myself. Derek would be a fool if he screwed things up with her.

“I know,” I said wholeheartedly. “Derek’s a good guy. I have faith in him.”

Wiping away her tears, she nodded and stood straighter. “I feel much better now. I’ll tell him soon.”

I put my arm around her and led her to the door. “That sounds like a perfect plan. Now let’s get you and that little one in there something to eat. I’m kind of famished myself.”

When we got to the table, Derek held out her chair while Evan did the same for me. I focused on the way Derek looked and interacted with her, and it confirmed I was right. He loved her. “Why are you looking at them like that?” Evan whispered in my ear.

I looked at his smiling face and then at the three empty shot glasses in front of him. At least he was loosening up. It just so happened that I had a glass of wine in front of me. “I was just observing them,” I said, picking up my drink. “Thank you for ordering this for me.”

He put his hand on my leg and slowly slid it up my thigh. “You’re welcome. Are you hungry?”