Page 113 of Keeper
“Yeah, what are you trying to say, Austen?”
“Say it! Say it! Say it!”
“Fine, I’ll say it!” Austen blurted out. “Wouldn’t you rather screw his brains out in person?! You’re onSpring break, girl! Get that dick!” She turned to the others, who were now besides themselves with laughter. “C’mon, you’re all thinking it! Don’t even try to deny it.”
Emma came to Austen’s defense. “I’ll admit, I’m a little surprised Tanner didn’tsprintover for some sweet lovin’ once you called him. He lives a block or two away from The Regents, doesn’t he?”
“It was late, we were both tired, and he needed his rest for the game,” I said. I paused before deciding to tell them therealreason. “And we’re um, waiting, actually.”
An“oooooooh”went over the crowd.
“Although, at the rate we’re going, I’m not sure how much longer we’ll last,” I muttered.
“You haven’t slept together and he’s already asked you to be his girlfriend?” Austen asked.
“We’ve fooled around, but no sex. We both want to wait for the right moment—but, er, we have no idea when that is?”
The girls wentawagain.
“That’s so cute,” Katerina said. “How special.”
“He must be wild about you,” Molly said. “From what Ryan tells me, he’s completely smitten.”
“I’m curious,” I said, “did any of you wait with your guys?”
“Ummm. No,” Austen admitted with a chortle. “We still thought we hated each other when we started hooking up. And the night we slept together for the very first time was the same night I accidentally broke his hand.” She looked skyward, suddenly lost in thought. “Which is, um, kinda weird now that I think about it.”
Everyone laughed.
“I waited my whole life for Derek—does that count?” Katerina asked, before quickly adding, “Because we didn’t wait, either! We were all over each other as soon as we met. Derek was the sexiest man I’d ever seen in my life.”
Aw,I thought.
“Jack and I waited about a month,” Emma said. “Granted, I had some issues holding me back before I was ready. But in the end, I was really, really happy we waited. I think you will be, too, Ainsley. Don’t over think it. You’ll know in your heart when the time is right.”
I cracked a smile. “Thank you, Emma, that means a lot to me.”
Austen slapped her hands against her knees. “Okay, the Mama margs are obviouslyworking, because we’re all sharing our sappy stories.” She trailed off, but I knew exactly where she was going. “Which means I think it’s time you tell us everything, Ainsley—how you and Tanner met, your first kiss, everything!”
But I wasn’t nervous or afraid to tell them my story anymore. They were all such good people, I wasn’t worried about them judging me.
I took a deep breath and opened up at last. They wanted the unabridged account which meant spillingallthe details, including the reason why I’d gone on this crazy road trip in the first place. I told them about how my ex had leaked my nudes as revenge, how I met Tanner at the club and had no idea who he was, how I left him with blue balls, the drama with Marta dating back to my high school years, the photo shoot, yesterday’s spending spree, and everything else I could remember that had happened over the course of these whirlwind days.
When they heard about Marta, they clenched their fists and gnashed their teeth with anger. When I talked about my budding relationship with Tanner, their brows grew heavy and they clasped their hands over their hearts. All in all, it took well over an hour to explain everything. But by the end, whatever fears I’d had about not being alegit WAGwere once again extinguished.
“What an amazing way to meet!” Molly said. “Thanks for sharing all that with us.”
“Yeah. You two aresofriggin’ cute,” Austen said. “I never would’ve guessed Vaughnsy was such a romantic. Who knew?”
“Me neither. He’s always so quiet,” Katerina said.
“Right?” Emma asked. “But it makes total sense, somehow. I can see it for sure.”
“I’m not surprised at all,” Molly said. “The quiet guys are always the biggest romantics.”
Having told my story, a calm quiet came over the group. With her finger always on the pulse of the group, Molly took control and guided things forward.
“Well, girls?” she asked. “We’ve put Ainsley through the ringer. I think it’s time, don’t you?”
