Page 121 of The Winslow Brothers

“Have you ever been to a Mathletes competition?”

“A what?” She blinks three times, and I chuckle.

“Yeah. Me neither.” I press one final kiss to her forehead. “Let’s go see what all the hype is about.”

“You do realize that I still have no idea what’s going on, right?” she asks, and I smile down at her as I open the entrance doors to let us in.

But I don’t say anything else. Instead, I lead us down the main hallway of the school and toward the sign that readsAuditorium.

Once we’re inside, I search the crowd of seats for my family. My brothers’ big-ass heads are easily spotted near the front, and I guide Sophie down the red velvet walkway and toward the two empty seats that reside to the left of my three brothers and whatever random woman Ty has brought to this event.

Thankfully, Sophie just follows along, her eyes taking in the current change in scenery with both bewilderment and interest.

I come to a stop beside Wes’s aisle seat, and he looks up with a friendly smile, but when he spots the woman standing behind me, the one whose hand is currently locked with mine, his expression changes from relaxed to a calculating head tilt.

“Mind if we slide in here?”

“Oh yeah. Of course,” he says and taps Winnie’s shoulder to get her attention.

She pulls her eyes away from the stage where all the students, including Lexi, are beginning to file out and into their assignedseats. First, her gaze meets mine with a slightly irritated smile. “You’re late, but glad you could make it,” she whispers toward me, but when she notices Sophie easing into the aisle with me, my sister’s head jolts back and her lips form a little circle of surprise. “And you brought a guest…?”

“Winnie, this is Sophie,” I quickly introduce as we slide in past my sister and brother-in-law. “Sophie, this is my sister, Winnie.”

“Hi,” Sophie says, her voice timid and more reserved than I’m used to. “It’s…uh…really nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”

Her honesty is unnerving. Mostly because Sophie actuallydoesknow a lot about my family.

She knows even more about you. More than any other woman ever has.

I guess if I weren’t standing in the middle of my niece’s school’s auditorium, that realization might feel like a real kick in the gut, but for some reason, it doesn’t.

I mostly just feel happy that Sophie is here.

Remy, Flynn, and Ty, and whatever random woman Ty’s brought to this event, notice the interruption our late arrival has caused, and just as Sophie and I slip in past them, I don’t miss the snooping stares that follow us.

We sit down in the two empty seats, and I ignore the questioning looks from my mom, sister, and brothers to whisper into Sophie’s ear, “We’re here to cheer on my niece.”

“Oh, okay. Awesome.” Her eyes search the stage. “Which one is Lexi?”

I point toward the spot where the little cutie sits. “The adorable blonde in the center right there.”

She smiles. “Got it.”

Not even a minute later, a teacher steps up to the podium and begins to introduce the contestants of the Mathletes competition. Each kid walks up to the front of the stage and waves, giving the families a chance to clap for them.

When Lexi’s name is called, that’s when I realize it’s not just my family that has come to cheer her on, but Thatch and Cassie and Georgia and Kline, Wes and Winnie’s closest friends, along with four New York Mavericks players.

The mere thought makes me grin.Of course Winnie’s kid would have the fucking Mavericks come to her school competition.

We all stand up to cheer for her, and by far, Lexi’s squad of supporters is the biggest and the loudest.

“Get ’em, Lex!” Thatcher Kelly shouts with a fist pump.

“Go, Lexi!” Quinn Bailey, the famous quarterback for the Mavericks, yells through cupped hands.

Three other well-known Mavericks, Sean Phillips, Cam Mitchell, and Teeny Martinez, also join in with wolf whistles and cheering at the tops of their lungs.

And everyone else is being just as obnoxious.

---