Page 95 of Becoming Selfish

Marc shrugs in agreement as Mary swats at her husband playfully.

I look up to Eli as he quickly nods his head in approval.

“Dinner sounds great,” I tell Mary.

“Wonderful! I’m looking forward to having another woman at the house. I’m surrounded by too many boys.”

“I’m going to take off,” Ali says to the group as she quickly squeezes my hand to say goodbye.

“Oh! Let me get a picture of the four of you real quick!” Mary pulls out her phone.

“Mom, come on,” Marc says in an annoyed tone, rolling his eyes.

“I don’t—” Eli begins to complain until I nudge him in the ribs with my elbow.

“Just one,” she begs of her sons.

“Just do it so we can go eat,” Jack says to his sons from behind his wife, which makes me laugh.

Jack gives me an appreciative smile that I understand his humor.

Eli unwraps his arms from my shoulders and instead drapes it across my back, cupping my side and proudly pulling me into his. I snake my arm around Eli’s strong muscular back as Marc stands on my other side and throws his arms around Ali and my shoulders. We all smile while Marc’s mom takes more than a few photos.

“That should be enough, mom,” Marc says as he releases both Ali and me from his grasp, though Eli keeps his hand wrapped around my back, ever so slightly rubbing his thumb against me.

“I really do have to get going, but it was so nice to meet you both.” Ali turns to Marc’s parents.

“You too, dear,” Mary says before Ali goes to leave. Marc gives her a questioning squint, but Ali just shrugs in response before walking towards the exit.

Eli releases his grip on my side, sliding his hand down my forearm before lacing his large fingers between mine. I don’t miss the dirty looks that Alyssa and her minions shoot me as they walk past us to leave, but honestly, I don’t give a shit.

“Logan, you riding with me or EJ?” Marc asks.

“I’m just going to drive myself, I think.”

“You sure? I can take you to the house and drop you at your dorm later,” Eli chimes in.

“That’s okay. There’s no point in either of you having to drive back to campus tonight. I can drive myself.” I’m assuming the boys are staying at their parents’ place tonight, and after last night when Eli bailed on them to stay with me instead, I want to ensure that he doesn’t have a reason to end up in my dorm again tonight.

“Well, let’s go. I’m starving.” Jack begins to walk up the tunnel to head towards the car. “And Logan, I hope you’re hungry,” he adds. “Mary makes the best pot roast of all time. Ain’t that right, baby?”

It makes me smile to hear the name that Eli and I use for each other come from his dad’s lips in reference to his stepmom.

“Yes, baby, that’s right!” Mary exclaims as she tucks herself under her husband’s arm, walking out of the player’s tunnel together.

Chapter 56

Eli

That was the best I’ve felt during a game in a long time. My head was in it, I was moving well, and I felt like I could really read the ice today. The great night of sleep I had last night didn’t hurt, and I knew there was a pretty little red-haired thing watching me today. That alone was motivation enough. I kept looking to Marc’s seats, assuming she would’ve sat there, but she never did. Somehow though, I still knew she was in the arena. The fact that I felt that calm during a game, it’s like I could sense that Logan was close to me.

I don’t think I could’ve been happier than when I finally saw her waiting for me outside of the locker room. I was hoping she would’ve been the first face my eyes landed on, but it was such a Logan thing to do for her to stand away from the crowd as if she wasn’t the person I most wanted to see. She looked fucking gorgeous, as she always does, but today especially.

I felt a little guilty for the dirty looks she got from some of the girls in that tunnel after I kissed her, but it was about time everyone knew she was mine. However, my fumbling ass sounded like an idiot when I tried to introduce her to my parents. I wanted to tell them that she was my girlfriend, but Logan and I haven’t talked about that yet, so I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t think that introducing her as just Logan would’ve said enough about what she means to me, but instead, I couldn’t say anything.

I’ve spent most of my life avoiding having a girlfriend. The idea of someone else counting on me sounded dreadful. I’ve never wanted to be tied down to just one girl, but with Logan, I want nothing more.

The smile spreads on my lips from just seeing her little white Honda pull up in front of my parents’ house.

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