Page 41 of Overtime Goal
Logan shrugged. “Yet to be seen.”
“You should go to Italy,” Harpy said. “Luca took me there last summer, and I loved it. Culture, nice weather, delicious food, and the right outlook on life.”
Abby spoke up. “Take Riley with you. Wouldn’t want him lonely all summer.”
“Duly noted,” Logan said. “Harpy, I’ll text you for restaurant recs and sex dungeon etiquette.”
Everyone went silent. After a few seconds, Holky snorted, and someone dropped a water bottle. I caught Packy exchanging a look with Dog, and then Gabe gave Logan a slow, impressed nod.
Damn. The fuck is that about?
Harpy scoffed and glared at Logan. “Fuck off. I’m a married man, and I would never.”
Logan gave him the side-eye. “Didn’t you go with Luca? I thought you liked it on the wild side.”
Everyone always gave Harpy shit about things like that because he had such an angelic face. He was no angel, though, and when he turned beet red, I wondered if Logan had hit a nerve.
“You’re blushing,” I said.
He turned even redder and looked at Logan. “Luca’s the one who knows the restaurants. You can text him.” Without missing a beat, he shifted his gaze to me. “Or make Riley do it for you, since I know you’ll be together.”
While I tried to think of a stinging retort, Dog walked around with a Ziploc bag full of the shitty candies he liked, handing them out like medals. “We may have lost, boys, but we still have taffy.”
“No way,” Richie said. “That’s the salted licorice kind.”
Dog looked confused. “But it’s the best one.”
“You’re why we lost.” Holky tapped Dog’s cheek. “Nobody wants that. Throw it away.”
It was all loud and ridiculous, and I wouldn’t have traded it for anything. I started feeling better.
But when Logan stood and stretched, I couldn’t miss how he pressed his hand to his back. He caught me watching and gave a subtle shake of his head:nothing to worry about. Like that would stop me.
The team had divided us into groups to face the press. I was with Packy, Abby, and Brody, and the reporters went easy on us.We gave our standard canned answers, throwing in some of the new ones we’d thought of earlier.
Keeping with tradition, we waited around until everyone was done before heading to Revolution Hops for a couple of beers. It would be our last time together as a group until training camp, and you never knew who might be traded before all was said and done. Cleanout day didn’t erase the sting, but it gave us a ritual. Pack your shit, talk some trash, spout a bunch of bullshit to the press, and go out for drinks. We hadn’t won the Cup, but we were still the Warriors. There was always next year.
After we said our goodbyes, Logan and I went back to his house, where we piled up on the sectional and watchedFamily Guy. I knew he didn’t like it and only watched it for me. After a brutal few days, I was glad to hear him laugh.
During a commercial, I got up to get beers. When I handed him his, he smiled. “So, about this summer… The boys didn’t know what they were talking about, but can we go on vacation together? I’ve been thinking about Europe, and what Harpy said about Italy sounded good. We could rent a house for a while.”
Something about the expression on Logan’s face told me he had a lot riding on my answer, but I couldn’t help myself. “What, the sex dungeon part?”
“Nah, that’s not for me. But seriously, would you go?”
My heart felt like it was trying to break through my ribs. I grinned because that was my default when I didn’t know what the hell I was feeling. Under the surface, I was reeling in a way I didn’t have words for. No one had ever been like this with me, wanting me because of who I was, warts and all. Even when I was a kid, everything had been conditional.
I tried to sound casual. “I’d love to go. It would be awesome, and we’d have a kickass time. I’ve never been over there.”
“You’d like it. Want to make our plans tomorrow?”
“Absolutely.”
Another episode ofFamily Guycame on, but before they got into it, I asked, “The fuck was up with Harpy blushing like that today? You think he and Luca get into wild shit?”
Logan didn’t even crack a smile. “Wouldn’t surprise me. It’s always the innocent-looking ones you need to watch out for.”
I hesitated, but fuck that. “Wouldyouever want to do something kind of wild? Get a little unconventional?”
