Page 26 of Make Your Save

“Congrats,” our backup goalie says as he walks over to me, slapping his hand on my shoulder. “Daddy Rowan.”

A nervous laugh escapes me before the room breaks out in excited chatter. At the end of the day, the guys all only care about what is good for each of us. They’re here to offer their support without any judgement at all.

I catch Lincoln’s eye and he gives me a nod of approval.

I jerk my chin back at him before settling down on the bench as everyone falls back into a conversation that doesn’t center around me and my drama. It feels good to get it off my chest, like I’m not having to hide it anymore.

These guys are all my family and an important part of my life.

Just like Lucy.

HADLEY

Holding my phone in front of Lucy, I show her sleeping form to Rowan before turning the screen back to me. “See. She’s still alive and the house is still standing.”

Rowan’s forehead creases. “Is she in a crib?” His eyes flash to me and he lifts his eyebrows at me. “I told you to leave all of it and I would get it when I got home.”

A smile tugs on the corners of my lips as I stare back at him through the screen. He’s lying on the white sheets in the hotel bed, his hair damp and tousled from the shower. My eyes travel down his throat, lingering on the thin white gold chain around his neck before traveling along his collarbones.

He isn’t wearing a shirt and I’m momentarily distracted. I can’t see his fully bare chest, but I can see the tops of his pecs. I shouldn’t be looking at my ex’sbrother like this, but goddamn, it’s hard not to. He’s always been the more attractive one and the kinder of the two, but Rowan Taylor has always and will always be unavailable.

My relationship with his brother wasn’t something I really planned on happening. We had been friends growing up and at one point we crossed that line where things shifted into a relationship. We became exclusive and I just wanted to help Beau more than anything. After watching him struggle for so many years, I just wanted to see him happy.

I knew I’d never be the one who could fully do that for him, but it was worth a try.

“Hadley.”

Rowan’s chiseled face comes back into focus and his eyes are narrowed on me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” I tell him, a nervous laugh escaping me as I rub the back of my neck, not bothering to divulge my thoughts to him. “Sorry. I know you said not to put the stuff together, but it needed to be done. The girls helped me earlier and it was actually pretty easy.”

“Can I see it?”

“Nope.” I shake my head at him, a mischievous grin dancing across my lips. “You can see it when you get home.”

He stares at me for a moment, his lips twitching as he shakes his head at me. “Now, that’s not fair. You’re really going to make me wait that long?”

I slowly move my phone away from my face, moving it in a sweeping motion around the room. It ends up being a blur, a whirlwind of sorts before myface is back in the center of the screen. “There.” I give him a smile of satisfaction. “You got a little preview now instead.”

“Preview, my ass,” he huffs, his nostrils blowing wide as amusement infiltrates the depths of his blue eyes. “More like a tease.”

“I’m sure you’re not used to that, huh?”

As soon as the words fall from my lips, I want to take them back. My eyes widened slightly as Rowan’s darken. Something unreadable settles in his expression, his eyes lock on me. I want the floor to swallow me whole. Heat creeps up my neck, spreading across my cheeks.

“What do you mean by that?”

Goddammit. “Um, I don’t know,” I quickly say, attempting to recover from sheer embarrassment, but my efforts are futile. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

He dips his head to the side, his eyes hooded, though his stare doesn’t waver. “I’m so not sure I believe you.”

“It literally meant nothing, Rowan. You just seem like the kind of guy who’s probably used to getting what he wants instead of being teased.”

What the fuck.

Someone needs to slap duct tape over my mouth because clearly I don’t know how to shut the fuck up.

“Hm,” he murmurs, tilting his head to the side as he assesses me through the screen. He lifts his hand and pinches his necklace between his forefinger and thumb. My gaze drops down, watching the way he drags his fingers along it. Something about the movement has metransfixed, my breath hitching as I watch him move them back and forth.

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