Page 75 of How to Prevent a Fumble

“What ice cream?” I gesture to the wall of flavors.

“Creamcicle.”

When we finally get to the front, I place our orders, pay, and go to meet Briar outside. She’s leaning against the building, watching Champ walk around and smell everything. Handing her the ice cream, I smile.

“Mint, your favorite,” I tell her.

A faint smile pulls at her lips, and I watch them, suddenly wanting to know how they feel.

God, just stop it, man.I reprimand myself.

I don’t need to be moving that fast. There’s no need for it and all I’m going to be doing is hurting her and myself.

“Thank you,” she says, eyeing my ice cream too.

Elara walks out from behind me, taking a huge bite of her ice cream cone. “Are we going home?” she asks Briar.

“We’re going back to Leo’s, yes,” she says, and it pulls at my chest.

That she doesn’t look at my place as home. But why should she?

Sure, she hasn’t gone back to their place since the night she found it trashed before training camp. And she hadn’t been back home in a while before that, too.

But my heart wants her to look at my place as hers.

“Yeah, home,” Elara says, looking up at me with a twinkle in her eye.

I can’t help the grin that spreads over my face.

And I can’t help but notice Briar staring at me with a look I don’t recognize.

23

BRIAR

“Are you ready for the game tomorrow?” I ask as Leo paces the room. He looks distracted.

“Yeah.”

“Okay… you doing alright?”

He looks visibly upset, like something is really wrong and he can’t figure out how to fix it.

“Yeah. I just,” he groans, tossing his head back. “I don’t know who to pick up,”

I’m confused, not understanding what he’s talking about. “What?”

“One of my players got hurt last minute, and I need to fucking replace him. He’s stuck on IR.”

I purse my lips, not quite understanding him. “I don’t get it?”

“On my fantasy team, Briar.”

Oh. The infamous fantasy team. Sure. I’ve heard lots about it from Isla, who was forced onto it last year. It was a secret, of course. One everyone quickly figured out. While the other guys still don’t know it was Isla specifically, they all basically know deep down.

“Is your sister in it this year?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “No. Apparently she started a new fantasy league. We had a rookie who wanted to join so he took her place.”

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