Page 26 of Trust Me With Forever

Me:West’s childhood friend?

Rafe:Mine, too. So, do you have the ring?

Me:Yes. I just finished my visit with Amber, and I’m heading over. Talk to you soon.

The weight of the ring on my finger felt ten times heavier than it actually was. This would be my first time acting as Rafe’s wife in public, and I only vaguely rememberedWest and Mark hanging out in high school, when I’d still been a kid.

Which meant this would be our first real test. Because if we couldn’t convince Mark we were a real thing, then we had no hope in hell of convincing our families.

I finally reached the end of the long driveway to the old Santos place and nearly did a double take. When I’d gotten my pony as a kid, the sprawling complex had mostly been open and fenced, with horses grazing everywhere. The main building had been a small barn, with a house not far away.

But now? The barn had been expanded and modernized. It still had the feel of the former place, but was freshly painted—brick red with white trim—and had glass entry doors, updated windows, and a new roof. It looked like a modern-take on what a barn should look like.

There was also a paved parking lot, and I could see some nearly completed sports fields. There were probably more I couldn’t see since the property sprawled for acres and acres. However, the soccer field was closest, and I could make out a baseball one in the distance, too.

I pulled into a parking spot, exited my car, and took a deep breath. Time to play the part of Rafe’s wife.

After entering the glass doors, my jaw dropped at the reception area. It had been painted and filled with furniture, but it was the pictures on the walls that caught my attention. There were old Starry Hills High and Starry Hills Middle School team photos, some newspaper ones from championships, and even one of Rafe mid-kick in his Manchester Dragons FC uniform. Also, there was one of Mark Shelton in his college uniform, from when his football team had gone to the college playoffs.

Rafe’s voice echoed in the large space. “What do you think of the reception area?”

Tearing my eyes from the walls, I turned to find Rafe and Mark standing nearby.

Mark was older than I remembered, but he had the same black, curly hair, dark brown skin, and dark brown eyes. He flashed a smile—the one that had dazzled my friends and me when we’d been younger—and I smiled back at him.

Show time.I walked over to the pair. “It’s amazing! The school photos will make kids feel more at ease, and including your picture and Mark’s, show what you can accomplish. It’s perfect.”

Maybe I imagined it, but I swore Rafe stood a little taller. “That was my goal. There are better players than me, of course. But since they’ll see me and Mark, I put us on the wall.”

Mark snorted. “If I hadn’t blown my knee, I would’ve been far better than you, Rafe.” He put out his hand. “You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Mark Shelton.”

I shook his hand. “I do. You and West used to play baseball together.”

As soon as I said it, I mentally cursed. Bringing up West probably wasn’t the best thing in the world.

Mark nodded. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago.” Rafe gave him a look, and Mark cleared his throat. “Nice to see you again, Abby. We’ll talk more later, for sure. I want to hear all about your plans for the tutoring center.”

“I want to apologize for Rafe offering me the job without talking to you first. But I promise, I have tons of ideas and want to make it work.”

Mark nodded. “I can’t wait to hear your plans. We can talk a little after the tour.”

He waved and headed into the bowels of the building. As soon as we were alone, I said to Rafe, “You’ve done more than I’d expected, given how you only returned to Starry Hills late last year.”

“I did a lot of research while abroad and was ready to hit the ground running.” He gestured to the door. “Ready for the tour?”

He put out his hand, and I debated taking it. We were alone, which meant we didn’t have to play the part.

But I couldn’t resist placing mine in his. He squeezed, and a little thrill shot through me. I liked how his hand made mine look small, how it was so much warmer than mine, and how I could feel his wedding ring against my fingers.

Mine.

Wait, no. Not mine.

Thankfully, Rafe tugged me along and started his tour, telling me about the indoor training rooms, the locker rooms, and the theater-like room to watch replays of other players. I loved watching his eyes light up as he talked, banishing the grumpy, scowling man from my family dinners.

It reminded me a little of how he’d been when his parents had still been alive.

Eventually he stopped in front of a set of doors with the words, “Tutoring Center” painted on them. He released my hand and said, “Close your eyes, Abby.”

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