Page 26 of Gareth

“Seems women lose their mind over Gareth,” Aria murmured.

Janessa laughed. “Yeah. First Chelsey, then Nora. I think it has more to do with the fact that he’s an eligible doctor than anything about him personally.”

“I gotta agree with Janessa,” Jackson said as he nudged Gareth with his elbow. “Introduce us, Gareth.” Then he held up his hand. “Actually, no. Don’t introduce Wade. Just me.”

“How about I introduce Wade andnotyou?” Gareth said, bumping his friend back. “Aria, this is Wade, my best friend.”

“Oneof your best friends,” Jackson corrected.

“Hi, Aria,” Wade said, leaning forward to hold his hand out past both his friends.

Aria took it and said, “Nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Jackson,” the other man said, freeing her hand from Wade’s to sandwich it in his. “The other best friend. The best best friend.”

“Yes, that’s Jackson. My most annoying best friend.”

“I second that,” Janessa said.

“I third that,” Charli chimed in.

They all laughed, even Jackson, as if he was confident in the affections of Gareth’s family to know they actually cared for him despite their teasing.

“Now that we’ve moved past that,” Gareth said. “Let’s focus on the game.”

By that point, the surrounding bleachers had filled even more. Teenage boys in two different colored uniforms had come out onto the floor and were warming up with basketballs. The sound of the balls hitting the hardwood floor echoed in the large gym, increasing the noise level.

Aria felt her excitement building along with that of the other people in the gym. The Halversons were not quiet in their support for Cole, and they yelled and clapped when he neared where they sat. He flashed them a grin and a wave before focusing back on the warm-up.

Aria was so grateful for this family that had welcomed her into their midst, and she desperately wanted to stay in Serenity Point.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Somehow, Gareth ended up being the one to give Aria a rundown on the game. He wasn’t sure how it had happened since Janessa was as knowledgeable about basketball as he was.

“Why are they lining up like that?” Aria asked, her shoulder pressing against his as she leaned close to ask her question.

“One of our players committed a foul on a player from the other team, so he gets a free throw. That means the guy with the ball can take a shot without the opposing players interfering with him.”

The player holding the ball let it fly toward the net for his free throw, but the ball hit the rim and bounced away. Along with a bunch of other people, Gareth jumped to his feet and yelled, “Rebound!”

Gareth didn’t keep standing since he didn’t want to block anyone’s view. His mom wouldn’t hesitate to smack his butt to get him to sit down. Sitting forward on the bleacher, he yelled more encouragement as Cole dribbled the ball down the court.

As he neared the basket, Cole jumped. But instead of shooting, he passed the ball to a fellow player, taking their opponents by surprise. It allowed the other player to sink his shot. All the home team fans cheered and whistled as their team’s score went up by two points.

“Good pass, Cole!” Gareth called out to his brother.

Gareth knew that Jay tried to impress on Cole that no matter how good a player he was, he would always be better if he played as a team member rather than a lone star. He was glad to see that Cole was taking those lessons to heart.

The cheerleaders were enthusiastic as they led the spectators in cheers. He could see Aria was getting caught up in the spirit of the game, and she wasn’t asking him quite as many questions now. He didn’t know if that was because she understood it now, or if she was just enjoying the experience too much to ask.

Gareth hadn’t been sure what to expect from Janessa’s friend, but he was glad to see that she seemed to be fitting in with the family as well as the clinic responsibilities. She was very easy to be around, which was nice.

At half-time, the home team was leading by four points. The cheerleaders took to the court in a flurry of cartwheels, then they put on a rehearsed cheer that had the spectators clapping along with them.

The acoustics in the gym magnified the noise, adding to the craziness of the event. But that was all part of a basketball game between long-time rivals.

Once the cheerleaders were done, Gareth took orders for food, then he went with Jackson and Wade to buy it. There was only a brief window of time to get food during the half-time, but the canteen was used to the sudden surge of customers, and the staff moved with quick precision.

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