Page 82 of Wicked Serve

“But you wish this wasn’t happening.”

“You gonna keep putting words in my mouth?” He prowls in my direction. “You’ve always been good at it, I’ll give you that.”

“If you’ve missed my chirps, just say so.” I lean against the bookcase, crossing my ankles, and smile. “Happy to oblige.”

His jaw twitches. “You can be such a prick.”

“For sneaking around with your sister?”

“I’m not my sister’s keeper and you know it.”

“Then what?” I tilt my head to the side. I know I should be slowing things down, but I can’t help it. Maybe it’s my own self-loathing, or the guilt I can’t shake. Maybe it’s just the fact that Isabelle deserves better, even if no one is saying it. My voice gets stronger. “For letting her get hurt? For trying to get you to take a swing at me?”

“No,” he says, his voice louder now. “Although that was a dick move. I’m fucking pissed that you—”

“Both of you, shut the fuck up.” A man strides into the room, blue eyes ablaze. He looks a little older than us; he must be the eldest Callahan sibling, James. “You want to yell, fine, but do it outside, because my wife is trying to put our daughter down so she won’t scream all night, I’m running on two hours of sleep, and I have to play the Cowboys next game.”

Cooper and I freeze. James shoves us in the direction of the sliding doors banked across one wall. “Go. Now. Have your pissing match, because you need to get over this, but do it where you won’t disturb the rest of the goddamn house.”

He slides open the door, letting in a rush of cold air, and pushes us onto a snow-covered porch. Behind him, the family is gathering in the den, even Coach Ryder and his partner. Fantastic. Isabelle hurries to her brother, saying something to him, but he just responds by locking us outside.

Extra fantastic. I slip on ice and struggle to right myself. My socks are already soaked through, and the only solace I have is that Cooper isn’t wearing shoes either. If I freeze to death, at least he’s coming with me. He gives me a glare that could melt the snow around us.

“Great fucking job.”

“He’s your brother,” I shoot back. “And you were the one yelling.”

“Because you keep trying to bait me.” He swipes his hand through his hair. “And anyway, you’re the one who lied.”

My heart sinks. “Cooper—”

“I don’t care that you’re together, Abney. I really don’t.”

I search his expression, but I can tell he’s being honest. The weight on my chest lightens, despite the emotions running through me. “At the beginning of the season—I thought you hated me.”

“Hated you?” he scoffs. “I thought you could be too much of an instigator, and a bit dirty sometimes, but I never hated you. If anything, I was jealous.”

“What?”

He shrugs. “You’re better than me.”

“You’re talented too, man.” I shake my head, shivering. My feet are going numb. “Why’d you warn me away from Isabelle, then?”

“I was trying to protect her from a guy I figured wouldn’t be serious.” His mouth twists; he barks out a laugh. “Didn’t matter, obviously.”

“It’s...” I hesitate. “It’s always been different with her.”

“She told me everything. Listen—I’m sorry for what I said at the hospital.”

“And I’m sorry I tried to goad you into fighting me.”

He reaches over for a handful of snow from a nearby table, packing it into a ball. “Like I said, I won’t hurt someone my sister cares about.”

He throws the snowball. I don’t duck in time; it hits me in the face. Cold bursts across my senses.

I brush away the snow with a grimace. “Seriously?”

“Didn’t say anything about snowball fights.” I think I catch a hint of amusement in his eyes, but it’s gone in a blink. He packs another snowball. “You lied to my face for months. I’m your teammate, and I thought we were becoming friends, too. And yet you were lying to me.”

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