Page 81 of Only Between Us

My heart squeezes, and I fold my friend into my body just as tightly. “Speaking as someone with experience in matters of abandonment, you know what I bet helps? Seeing her mom bust her ass to make sure she’s happy, healthy, and safe. Rosie is so lucky to have you worrying so hard about her. And to have a dad who can’t wait to come home to you both.” I stroke Rosie’s little cheek. “And in the meantime, I’ll be mommy number two, if you want me to be.”

“I’ve never heard you say you wanted kids.”

I’ve always been neutral about it. Figured I’d have kids if my future husband wanted them. “I’d have them with the right person.”

“With your not-pretend boyfriend?”

I think of Brooks shamelessly dancing with the junior cheerleaders all those weeks ago. The patient way he’d corrected kids about my name at the Huskies camp. How playful he’d been coaching them through drills and a game of flag football. He’s gotdadwritten all over him.

And yet, we’ve just spent the past couple of minutes discussing the pitfalls of raising a kid whose dad isn’t always around.

“With my best friend Shyla. Especially if that kid’s name is Rosalie.” Iboopthe tip of Rosie’s nose. She giggles, so I do it again.

“Okay, that’s enough moaning from me.” Shy disentangles us and reaches into the fridge for the near-empty bottle of pinot grigio our parents have been working on all night. “What’s next for you and your not-pretend boyfriend?”

In the living room, Momwhoopsat what I can only assume to be a victorious round of cribbage. Finally, I turn off the tap.

“I’ve been roped into a photo shoot this week,” I tell Shy as she lifts Rosie off the counter while I pick up the cheese board. It’s Josh and this new publicist’s grand plan to counter the online chatter. Us at Brooks’s house, looking like a happy little family with Pete. “They want me and Brooks half naked in a spread inAround the League.”

“What did I just hear? You’re spreading out half naked with your boy toy in a magazine?” Carla calls from the living room. “What kind of photo shoot is this?”

Evan mutters his signaturefor shit’s sake, love. My mom laughs. But all talk of nakedness and spreading is promptly forgotten when Shy, Rosie, and I come into the room, cheese board first.

Chapter27Brooks

Truly, there is nothing more sobering than spending the majority of your existence in a gym, only to be told you need your abs shaded in with makeup anyway.

TheAround the Leaguecrew has taken over my house since the crack of dawn, shortly after Siena arrived to get a tour of the place before someone realized she’d never set foot here in her life.

All day, she’s watched them put my half-naked body through various shoots. In my home gym, wearing just a pair of shorts. Pretend-fetching a football with Pete, for some reason dressed in the lower half of a football uniform. Apparently, this is meant to be a behind-the-scenes look at my home life. To convince people that Siena and I are the real deal, making me more attractive to the Rebels.

Not sure why I need to be shirtless for it, but what do I know?

Now, I stand in the middle of the living room dressed only in a pair of jeans as hair and makeup people fuss over me. I stare longingly into the kitchen as Siena, Shy, and Summer laugh together.

Siena’s wearing a fluffy white robe given to her when they sat her down for hair and makeup. Her hair is loose and waved around hershoulders, feet in slippers. Like it might be a Sunday morning here with me, drinking coffees and watching Pete run around the lawn.

I know how long and boring these shoots can be, so I enlisted Summer to come keep her company, and told Siena to bring Shy along, too. Predictably, they all took to each other immediately. I knew they would. Summer is awesome, Shy already has proven good taste in friends, and it would take a pretty severe head injury to keep someone from falling for Siena.

Maybe not even then, considering I’ve had one of those and can’t keep my mind off her.

My motives weren’t completely pure. I like the idea of carving a place for Siena in my life, with my group of friends. I want to tangle us up together so much that she forgets all aboutpretend.

I want her to like me. Fall for me.

The way I’m falling for her.

“Don’t take it personally. They’re really good abs,” April, the makeup artist, jokes. “Who knows, you might even like how this turns out. I did it for my husband once, and it boosted his ego so good we had the best sex of our lives that night.”

My laugh mixes with the one coming from Maggie, the hair stylist hovering above me with the help of a kitchen stool.

Across the room, Siena freezes mid-conversation with Summer and Shy. She stares at me, or at the way April crouches in front of me. She looks… irritated?

And hell if it doesn’t send a thrill down my spine. Cool and collected Siena Pippen, jealous of a makeup artist who’s innocently shading in my stomach.

Come on. Get over here, all hot and territorial.

But Summer draws back her focus and Siena seems to forget all about me.

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