Page 57 of The Fake Out

“Where’s your mother?” Pop asked.

“She flew out to see Lottie,” Wren said, referring to her sister. “My niece has a dance competition, so she’s helping with the baby.”

“Aw, grandkids.” My dad smiled. “I can’t wait to have more of those.”

“Hopefully you mean the feathered ones,” I muttered.

As much as my brother was all about making Avery his wife, I wasn’t sure he was ready for kids. And my father understood already that I wasn’t anywhere close to that point. I’d wasted the first four years after high school being afraid to do what I truly wanted, so even though I was thirty, I wanted more me time before kids. Maybe that was selfish, but wasn’t it better than having kids I didn’t feel ready for?

“I’ll take feathered, scaled, furred, or haired. I’m not picky. More love is never bad.” Patting me roughly on the shoulder, Pop moved down the stairs toward the glass door that led to the open-air seats.

“So, is the rumor true?” Wren rubbed her hands together and waggled a brow.

My spine snapped straight at the insinuation. Rumors about Emerson and me couldn’t already be flying, could they? I darted a glance at Avery as my heart beat unevenly in my chest.

She shrugged at Wren. “I told you they looked super cute and coupley at the zoo.”

Oh shit. Did we? My stomach flipped at the idea. Though I supposed we were pretending to be. But was it all really pretend? I swallowed as visions of last night flooded my mind. There was nothing about the connection Emerson and I had that wasn’t real. From the way he kissed me to the look in his eye from across the room. I didn’t want it to be over. But I had no idea what to do about that. The only thing I knew was that I didn’t want rumors.

“Looking coupley doesn’t mean anything,” I hurried out.

“Maybe, but it’s hard to fake the kind of vibes he was giving off.”

Emerson was giving off vibes? At the zoo? How had I missed that? Sure, we’d had that kiss. But Emerson had assured me that he’d explained to Chris that it was for show.

“I don’t know.” Wren lifted her wineglass again. “I feel like everyone associated with a player must love Puff, so I’d hate if that wasn’t the case.”

“What?” My stomach sank. I didn’t gush over the darn bird, but that didn’t mean I didn’t like him. I broke out in a cold sweat. Did people really think I didn’t love my brother’s bird? If that were the case, then why hadn’t Chris called me out on it? He’d never been known for his subtlety. “I love Puff.”

Both women cocked their heads and eyed me with matching looks of confusion.

Avery cleared her throat. “Yeah…we know you do.”

So what was the issue? Surely, they couldn’t think Emerson didn’t love him.

“Em’s obsession almost rivals my dad’s.”

Avery nodded slowly. “Yeah. Everyone on the team loves Puff. Even Tristian, who’s a total jackass, can’t help but have a soft spot for him.”

“Right.” I nodded. Tristian…Tristian. It took me a minute to place him. He was the left fielder and a prick. Thought he was better than everyone else.

“So it’s annoying that Rory doesn’t seem to like him.”

“Rory?” I scanned my brain, searching for a memory of a person named Rory on the roster.

Wren flicked a hand. “The chick Mason’s dating.”

“We think.” Avery dropped her voice low and took a step closer, like someone might overhear, even though we were the only people in the room. “She’s a trainer for the team, and after last year, I have a very good understanding of Langfield Corp’s rules.” She smirked. “Although I can get away with dating one of Dad’s players, a trainer dating a player is a big no-no. But we’ve seen them interacting a few times now, and it seems like a thing…”

“Oh.” They weren’t talking about Emerson and me at all. Relief washed over me, but I did my best to keep a straight face. Even so, my cheeks heated. Because, of course, they weren’t discussing us. No one could know anything. It happened once, and now it was over.

My chest panged at that thought. Shit. My stupid self needed to get on board with that idea.

Ugh. Why wasn’t I built for one-night stands? People did them all the time. Stupid me getting attached.

They were both staring at me.

“Who…” Avery glanced from me to the field and back. “Who did you think we were talking about?”

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