Page 44 of Your Secret to Keep

When I’m showered and ready to go hang with the team, my phone buzzes.

Chris

are you kidding me?

what a game!!!

I grin at my phone, stopping in my tracks. This is the cherry on top of one hell of a night. This almost makes it feel more full—complete. While I won’t be able to look back and remember any games where my dad yelled my name over the crowd or urged me to get more aggressive, I’ll remember this, and hope for more experiences like tonight.

The entire Jags organization is posted up at the hotel restaurant, which is reserved for our post-game team dinner. I’m at a table with a fewteammates, Jalen included, and my eyes keep going for the door, searching for a certain blonde media staff member.

The house sitter sends a text, causing my phone to buzz. I open it to find a picture of Rocky lying in the middle of my king-size bed. When I adopted him, I asked if they had a dog bed recommendation, since they made a few comments about how they didn’t think he’d want to sleep with me. A lightness pulls at me when I look at the photo—he’s clearly comfortable.

“Wait, whose dog is that?!” Jalen grabs my phone and zooms in, his nose close to the screen.

I don’t get to surprise Jalen often, so I soak in the next few seconds. “Mine.”

His head dramatically falls forward, like it’s going to hit the table, and his eyes are wider than the coasters our drinks sit on. “What do you mean,yours?”

“He’s mine. I adopted him.”

Jalen slaps the table with both hands and lets out a full laugh, one that anyone on our team would know is his. “Y’all better get your checkbooks out. This guy went and adopted a dog!” He takes my phone and shows my teammates.

“And made a donation,” I add as I shove him.

My eyes find the entrance as Lia walks in with Megan, a few other staffers trailing behind. She tosses her head back, clapping her hands at something Megan says. I try not to stare, breaking up my glances while they slip into a booth.

Jalen roll his eyes. “Of course you did.”

“Do it for the dogs,” Jamison, our center, laughs. “That was pretty cool what Lia did. Smart, too.” He shifts and tries to get his phone out of his pocket, which isn’t easy for someone who is almost seven feet tall.

The table nods and I work on holding back a massive grin. I’m so fucking proud of her. My teammates calling Lia smart? Fuck yeah. They’re right, too.

As I’m about to put my phone away, it buzzes.

Unknown

good win ;)

Rebecca. Still haven’t saved her number. Definitely haven’t responded or told anyone about her messages. I almost blabbed to Jalen, but honestly, I didn’t want to get into it. I’m not sure there’s even anything to get into. Her texts don’t get much of a reaction—I’m not worried about missing out or anxious about leaving her on read, and there’s no part of me wondering “what if” when I think about her.

Nothing like the way I felt when I saw Lia in the stands, or when I basically felt her walk in. It’s like there’s something we share; something that lets me know when she’s close or missing when she’s not.

There’s no feeling of dread, like ‘what is she trying to get from me?’ It’s a gross question but one that had hit me like a truck in college. As soon as I played a few good games, the buzz started to grow and all bets were off. Girls would wait for me outside my classes and guys would wait outside my dorm. Everyone wanted something and I barely had enough for myself.

It’s gotten better, considering I play professionally, and my teammates deal with the same sort of thing—it’s nice to not experience it alone. And while I may be a known name in the NBA, there are players much better—and more scandalous—than me.

I’ve never questioned Lia’s motives. Not once. The woman I happened to meet by fucking accident, who I watched verbally burn a man who put his words where they didn’t belong, feels like the first string of something good in a while.

“Think much harder and smoke might come out of those big ass ears,” Jalen jokes, waving his hand in front of my face. “What’s up?” he asks.

“Nothing; just zoned out,” I lie as I hear Lia’s laugh from across the room.

Jalen slinks back into the booth, shaking his head. “Doesn’t seem like nothing.”

My eyes must’ve given me away.

Chapter 27

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