Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55153 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
“Algae.”
“Ah. Well, my parents’ place in San Diego is on a beautiful beach.”
Her eyes light up hopefully. “Can we go swimming there?”
“Yeah, for sure. I can teach you how to paddleboard if you want.”
“What’s that?”
Pax takes out his phone and looks up a video, showing it to Jasmine. Her eyes turn into saucers and she looks at me.
“Mom, look at this! I want to do it!”
With a wry grin, Pax says, “I think we’re going to San Diego no matter what.”
“Your parents don’t mind us using it?”
He laughs. “Not at all. They’re mostly in New York and Hawaii these days.”
I’m reminded just how wealthy his parents are. His dad was one of the highest-paid basketball players ever, and he’s parlayed that success into endorsements and businesses. Pax makes great money on his own, but I imagine he’ll inherit a fortune one day.
I never imagined a life like that, but I do have a dream of starting a charity for the families of seriously injured veterans, and money would make that dream more reachable.
I shake my head, resetting. Yikes, way to get ahead of yourself, Kylie.
Pax and I aren’t even close to married. And his parents may not even leave him money. But the dream of the charity is still there, even if it’s small.
We finish our ice cream and I drive Pax back to his car.
“Thanks for the invite,” he says as he gets out of my car. “See you guys Friday night.”
“We’ll be there.”
“I’ll text you the details.”
He winks at me and I get butterflies, just like every time. This time, though, my butterflies are jubilant. After all the years of loneliness and uncertainty, I’m not alone anymore.
I was never truly alone. I always had Jasmine, and my mom, and Pike. But Pax is becoming my person. The one I want to do everything with. The one who makes my daughter feel important and cared for.
The one I am most definitely in love with.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Pax
“Who brought this in?” I ask Pike when I walk into the locker room.
There’s a small table set up with a huge tray of chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I’m tempted to grab a brownie—I love them—but I don’t eat this close to game time and don't want to jinx anything by changing up my regular routine.
“Miranda,” he says. “She got her old job back.”
“No shit?” I grin, happy to hear the news.
Miranda was a damn good marketing director, and she didn’t deserve to get fired to make way for Cassidy. Now that the wicked witch is proverbially dead, as in never setting foot in the arena again, it’s like the dark cloud that had been hanging over the team has lifted.
Pike nods and gives me a serious look. “I hear Kylie and Jasmine are coming tonight.”
Here we go. He and I haven’t talked about me and Kylie since the shotgun incident. I knew we’d have to eventually, though.
“Yeah, they are. I thought we could all go out after the game, if Indie and Nolan are coming. Don’t they usually come to weekend home games?”
“Yeah.”
I nod, walking over to my locker, and he follows, sitting down on the bench.
“My sister’s really important to me, man,” he says.
I don’t look at him, because I’m not up for any more threats or arguments about Kylie. We’re together, and I’m happier than I ever thought I could be. Nothing is getting in the way of that.
“I’m serious about her,” I assure him.
He sighs heavily, rubbing his forehead like this conversation is somehow giving him the world’s worst headache.
“Just be careful,” he says.
I shake my head. “I’m done with your bullshit about this. I’ve never done or said anything to hurt Kylie, and I never will. It took time for Jasmine to warm up to me—thanks in part to you.” I glare at him. “I didn’t deserve that shit. You of all people know what it’s like to not want commitment until you meet the one woman who changes your feelings about it.”
“That’s fair,” he admits in a rare show of humility. “I was a different man before I met Indie.”
“Different, and yet the same.” I sit down next to him. “You’re still a stubborn douchebag a lot of the time. Still incapable of apologizing. And the worst Call of Duty player I’ve ever known.”
He scoffs. “Fuck you, I kicked your ass at Call of Duty.”
“One time. One, out of at least a hundred games we’ve played.”
With a dismissive shrug, he says, “Guess I’ve just got better things to do than play video games.”
“Like what?”
“Fine, I’m sorry, okay?” He looks at the floor, my locker, the ceiling—everywhere but at me. “I was well intentioned, but I took things too far.”
“Apology accepted.” I stand up.
“I have to go stretch,” he says, leaving without another word.
Classic Pike. He’s terrible at admitting when he’s wrong, but he’s my best friend and it’s good to have things right with him again. I’d worried lately that being with Kylie may have come at the cost of my friendship with Pike, but now things are looking smoother with me and him.