Page 68 of Rewind It Back

Anger towards me, that her life has been harder than it was supposed to be, harder than I told her it would be. Anger that she’s working two jobs and brutal hours to make ends meet because I left and didn’t take her with me when I promised I would.

Last night, I drove for another hour before getting Hallie home, and once I finally made it to my bed, I didn’t sleep much. That’s not a new development by any means, but the hours spent lying awake were also spent coming to some harsh realities. I’ve only ever focused on my own anger towards her, never once stopping to think why she could have that same sentiment towards me.

I’m not sure if she’s home tonight. I’m not sure if she had a shift at the bar and if Wren drove her there. Most of me wanted to go next door and offer to give her a ride or hand her the keys to my truck if she wanted to drive herself, but there’s still a piece of me hoping to keep some semblance of distance from her, to not let us get too messy or intertwined.

That part of me also knows it’s playing a losing game.

Tired of thinking about the girl next door, I grab the remote off the coffee table, and as soon as I’m about to drop onto the couch for the rest of the night and binge-watch some TV, my doorbell rings. Which is weird because it’s a Saturday night, most of my teammates are going out again, and my other eight friends are having a date night at the three-star Michelin restaurant downtown that’s near impossible to get into without having a reservation booked a year out.

No, it wasn’t the captain of our city’s hockey team who got the exclusive reservation, or the best point guard in the NBA. It wasn’t the newly retired ace pitcher of the Windy City Warriors or his stud shortstop of a brother. It was Miller who scored the table without a wait because the head chef there is begging her to collaborate on a new dessert menu and is using this reservation as a bribe.

With how stoked Miller is for this dinner, I’d say it’s working.

Of course, I was invited to join when the night was being planned, but I didn’t have it in me to play the ninth wheel yet again. It’s different at family dinner, but a full-on date night where I’m the only one solo? I’m happy to sit this one out.

Apparently, I’m not fast enough to answer the door. By the time I’m nearing the entryway, it’s already being unlocked and the handle is turning.

Way too many people are on my front porch once the door swings open.

Indy holds up my house key proudly before she, Ryan, Zee, Stevie, Kai, Miller, Isaiah, and Kennedy pile into my house with all their kids in tow. My friends are dressed to the nines. Their kids are wearing pajamas.

“I’m going to revoke those house key privileges,” I tell Indy.

She waves me off as she walks by. “No, you won’t. You love us.”

“What’s going on?” Closing the front door, I follow the group into my living room.

“Babysitter canceled,” Miller explains, which in fact doesn’t explain anything at all.

Taylor Zanders ambles over to me and I pick her up, slinging her onto my hip. “Still wondering why you’re here. Shouldn’t you all be downtown for dinner?”

The other kids—Iverson Shay and his sister, Navy, along with Max Rhodes, climb onto my couch, making themselves comfortable in front of my television. Kai keeps his sleeping baby girl, Emmy, held tightly to his chest.

Indy’s smile screams that she’s about to guilt trip me. “Remember how you’re my best friend and you’re in love with my husband and would do anything for him and I’m totally cool with your one-sided man-crush?”

“It’s definitely two-sided,” I scoff, glancing at Ryan. “And I don’t know. He’s starting to lose his appeal.”

Ryan chuckles. “We need you to watch the kids, Rio.”

“Did they make you ask because they thought you’d have the best chance at getting me to agree?”

He shrugs, not disagreeing, which only tells me I’m correct.

“Wait.” My brows shoot up. “You need me to watch all five of them? At once?”

“Not Emmy,” Miller adds. “We can take her with us.”

I like to think I’m good with kids, especially these ones. But babysitting four at one time? Not a chance in hell I’m that good.

I look around at my friends to confirm this is some kind of joke they’re trying to pull on me, but it’s clearly not.

Miller is begging me with big, pleading eyes, trying to remind me how hard this reservation is to land.

Kai nods in her direction while looking at me, as if to say,please don’t disappoint my wife, man.

Before I continue down the line, knowing I’ll get even more guilted into this, I shake my head. “This feels like child endangerment. There’s no way.”

Stevie cuts in. “They’ll be asleep in an hour, they’re already in their pajamas, and we’ll be back by nine. All you need to do is throw on a movie and hang out until we’re back.”

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