Page 68 of In It to Win It

“And you definitely don’t want to see his cup,” the dark-haired man says. “Hi, I’m Abdel.”

“Hi, Abdel. Thanks for coming.”

“And this is Ethan Copp,” JP says. “We call him Copper.”

The big blond man smiles and lifts a hand.

“This is Taylor,” JP continues. “She’s the one moving today. And Lacey, my sister-in-law.”

“Nice to meet you.” Lacey grins.

“I, uh, didn’t know you all were coming,” I say.

“We finished practice and I roped them into it. Théo told me you’re moving today. The more bodies the better, right?”

“Right!”

I don’t even have that much stuff and the movers are taking the biggest items, but yeah, having all these guys will make it go quicker.

They load boxes and bags into vehicles, and all I have to do is run around giving directions and try not to stare slack-jawed as these guys heft boxes and bulge their biceps. Because . . . wow.

Byron is at my heels the entire time, not letting me out of his sight. He knows something’s going on and he doesn’t like it.

It’s not long before everything is loaded up.

I gaze around the house, which is nearly empty now. An intense sadness sweeps over me. The house I grew up in and loved so much looks so sad now, cold and vacant.

Because it’s not the house that makes a home . . . it’s the people. And I’ll still have my mom and dad and sister; it’ll just be different.

A hand touches my shoulder. I turn to see JP. “You okay?” he asks in a low voice.

I meet his eyes. Concern shines there. I feel that tug . . . my body reacting, being pulled toward his. Why is he such an asshole sometimes, and so nice others? It confuses me and knocks me off balance.

“I’m okay,” I finally answer, lifting my chin. “It’s the end of something, but it’s the beginning of something too. Starting my life on my own, independent.”

“Right.” His eyes are warm with compassion, and they crinkle up a bit at the corners with a hint of a smile that looks almost like . . . pride.

Byron is pacing, disturbed by all the commotion, strangers in the house carrying stuff out. I drop into a crouch and wrap my arms around him. “Hey, buddy, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”

“Should we take him to my place first?”

I bite my lip, my throat thickening. I don’t want to give him up. But I have to. I nod, press my face to his silky head, then stand.

“He’s still your dog,” JP says in a low voice. He lifts a hand as if he wants to touch me, then drops it to his side. “He’ll be living at my place, but he’s still yours.”

My throat squeezes and I nod. “Thank you.”

“I’ll meet you at my place. Lacey and Théo can take charge at the apartment until we get there.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll come over later,” Mom says. “To see if you need help with anything.”

“Call me first. I might be okay. No need for you to drive all the way there for nothing.”

“You sure?” She gives me a long, searching look.

“Did you see those guys?” I wave a hand, smiling. “They have muscles on their muscles.”

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