Page 11 of Finally Home

“As if, Wes. Your needy butt couldn’t handle it, and you’d track me down,” I laugh lightly before exhaustion hits me again, and a sigh escapes from my pursed lips. “Seriously, though, I had a ridiculously exhausting day yesterday, which is why I didn’t reply last night. And then I talked with Rhodes for a few minutes before getting ready for the day which is why I’ve been AWOL this morning.” I walk out of the room and briefly admire the wide staircase as I make my way down it, my hand grazing the white wood railing. “I literally just checked the group chat, but I did call Ash when I landed just like I promised, so it’s not like y’all were totally out of the loop.”

Jamie shoots a look of betrayal to someone off screen, and I can only assume it’s Asher. My theory is confirmed when I hear him grumbling about how he doesn’t have to report his every phone call to them. It quickly devolves into a yelling match between the two and Jamie huffs in frustration before making a swift exit.

“Sorry about that,” he murmurs into the phone. “Things have been…tense this morning. And the fact that it’s not even six a.m. isn’t helping. Everybody is tired as fuck and edgy, which definitely won’t help us do well in this last training game against Colorado.”

I grimace and guilt overwhelms me as I plop down to sit on the last stair. “I’m sorry, Jamie. I didn’t mean to cause any drama when I left,” I whisper. Again, what does it say about my marriage that I’m more upset over making trouble for the team than I am about my husband cheating on me?

“Enough of that,” he barks. My eyes widen slightly. Jamie rarely gets this upset about anything, and he’s never raised his voice at me before. “This is on Derrick, not you. Wren, everybody in this entire program adores you. They’re all pissed as hell at Derrick and figuring out what they can do to make sure you don’t leave the team for good. There’s even talk of releasing him from the team when his contract is up at the end of the season for the breach of our code of moral conduct. That video’s been making the rounds around the office from what Jeremy has said.”

My eyes water, gratitude for the men and women I’ve worked with every day for the last four years making me feel lighter than I’ve felt in days. Professional sports are notorious for cheaters and playboys, but I never thought I would have to deal with the fallout of being married to one.

“I don’t want to leave the team, Jamie. You know that. I’m here for a month and then we’ll see where things are at. It’s gonna take at least sixty days to finalize the divorce unless we can get it expedited, according to Jeremy’s lawyer, and I’ll have to meet with a lawyer here, too. Derrick should actually be being served his papers today.” I trail off, looking down at my watch. It’s just before nine in the morning here, which means it’s almost six there. “I would assume they’ll be served sometime this morning.”

Jamie’s face lights up, and there’s a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “Oh? Interesting. Wes, Asher, Jer! Let’s go!”

“The fuck do you want now, Reed?” My boss’s gruff voice comes over the speaker, and I wave excitedly when he looks over Jamie’s shoulder. A smile lights up his grumpy face. “Hey Cupcake! Sorry, I didn’t know he had you on the phone. How was the flight? Are you settling in okay? Do you need anything?”

I laugh. “Jer, I’m fine. The flight was good, and I have everything I need.” Talking to the guys on video is great, but I miss them already. And I really miss Jeremy somethin’ fierce, especially since I haven’t seen my dad yet.

“Chill, Bossman. Baby Reid is fine. Can we focus on me now?” Jamie’s voice is on the verge of a whine, and Wes teases him mercilessly for it. “We need to go find Douchey Derrick, right now.”

Everyone goes silent, and even I’m confused. Jamie sighs in exasperation before he clarifies. “Monroe is being served divorce paperwork today, and if we do some light stalking, we can see it happen.”

Whoops and hollers sound around the room, and I cover my mouth to hide my amusement. The phone is snatched from Jamie’s hand and Wesley’s face fills the screen. “We love you, Wren, but we gotta go. Text us back and call when you can!”

A chorus of “Love you, Wren!” fills the air before they hang up, and I take a minute to sit there and bask in the love from my friends when Rhodes’s voice startles me.

“Were those players on the team?” He sounds angry, and I’m not sure why. He’s leaning against one side of the kitchen doorway with his arms crossed over his chest and an irritated frown on his handsome face.

I smile shyly at him before I answer. “Yeah, that was my boss, Jeremy, and three of the guys from the team. They kind of adopted me when I first started, and after you, they’re my closest friends.”

His frown deepens as he cracks his knuckles, and nerves flutter in my chest. Why is he so upset? “You’ll get to meet them when they come to visit in two weeks. I promised I’d show them around Charleston before the season starts.”

“And where will they be staying?”

“Probably in a hotel? Jamie will likely be begging to meet my dad, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he or all of them try to finagle their way into staying with him.”

I’m so confused. He’s being really weird right now.

He breathes angrily out of his nose before visibly calming down. “Are you hungry?” he asks. The quick subject change gives me whiplash. “I made your favorite huckleberry pancakes and grabbed your chai from upstairs.” That gets my attention. I gasp and make grabby hands, and I’m rewarded with a deep chuckle. He passes me the cold liquid-heaven with a smirk, and I take a long drink, nearly moaning at the perfect balance of spicy-sweet flavors.

My stomach growls loudly. “I’m starving. Lead the way Roly-Coly!”

“You know they won’t let you into the training facility with that on, right?” Rhodes asks sarcastically, pointing to my Siren’s hoodie. His mood has been better but every time my phone buzzes he looks a little irritated, so I silenced it to give him my full focus.

We’re driving through downtown Charleston on our way to the facilities, and I can’t stop staring out the windows at everything that’s changed since I was last here. The sun is high in the sky and it glints off the water, nearly blinding me. Rhodes rolled all the windows down as soon as we got in his SUV because he knows how much I love the smell of saltwater and the breeze on my face.

I give him my best side eye. “What do you suggest I wear then, Rho?” I point at the massive gray stone building in front of us as he pulls into the sparsely filled parking lot. “Because we’re here.” The training facilities are attached to the back of the stadium and not nearly as colorful. Everything at Rebel Park is decked out in Carolina blue and white to match the team colors, whereas the training facility is constructed of plain gray stone and glass and sterile white and black on the inside.

Rhodes is still grumbling about my attire when he puts the SUV in park, and I snicker quietly. Could I have worn something different? Of course. But I love riling him up whenever possible and this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

What I’m not expecting is the wicked smirk that crosses his face as he leans over the console, gently dragging his finger over my chin and down my neck. My breath hitches when he hooks it into the neck of my hoodie, pulling until I’m inches away from his face.

“Oh, Starling,” he purrs. “You clearly forget just how well I know you. If you think I didn’t grab a backup shirt the second I saw the offending hoodie, you’d be wrong.” As he reaches into the back seat, his warm breath fans across my face. I shiver, and warmth spreads between my legs. I jerk back and lean against the door with a hand on my chest, desperately trying to slow my racing heart.

Bad Wren. Get control of your libido before you make things awkward.

My inner voice is a bitch, but she’s right. I’m fresh out of a four-year marriage, but it’s been nearly a year since the last time Derrick and I had sex. Not for lack of trying on my part. I took classes, bought sexy lingerie, and booked romantic weekend getaways. But every time I tried to initiate anything, he shut me down. He was too tired the first few months, and then when I started questioning that excuse, he’d get frustrated and tell me he “just wasn’t into it anymore.”

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