Page 76 of Breakaway

I let Fletcher drag me out of the club, waving bye to the bouncers as I went. Jason smirked at me, giving Dax a nod as I climbed into the back of the car idling at the curb. As we returned to the hotel, I stopped to check on Reese before heading to our room and then curled around the men I couldn’t stop thinking about wanting everything with.

It was time to quit waiting for the shoe to drop and take my life by the horns.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Henley

Another week had come and gone, two more games won, and the ad campaign gained momentum by the second. The one Polar Garments had released wasn’t even online anymore. It blipped out of existence as if it had never been there to begin with. Sometimes my brain would freak out for a few seconds, freezing up and expecting the attack to come. But then I’d take a deep breath, look around at all the things I had to be grateful for, and let the fear go, remembering my promise to live in the moment full of hope.

It got a little easier each day.

Tonight, we were having dinner with all our new friends at Asa’s house. When Finley heard about the documentary’s release, she insisted we all have a viewing party. So, that was how the dinner party we’d been trying to organize all semester finally came to fruition.

Dax turned down a road and pulled into a driveway a few feet down. The house before us was two stories, with a modern and rustic look, high beams, and wood trimming. It was black with white edging and a bright teal door that matched the pillows on the porch swing.

“Whoa. This is cool.”

“What kind of house do you think we’ll have someday?” Reed asked, shocking me.

“House? You want to get a house together?” My voice came out slightly higher than I’d intended. While I’d been picturing a future with them, it shocked me to hear them say it for some reason. Reed lifted his brow, his crystal-blue eyes challenging me.

“I guess we could live in an apartment if you prefer.”

I didn’t miss that he said ‘we,’ meaning we’d all be together. Warm fuzzies filled me.

“I know it’s probably too soon to talk about this,” I said as I started for the house. “But what are the plans after this semester? Year? Are you going back to playing pro? Will you coach, Fletch? What about you, Dax?”

The guys shared a look before turning their attention to me. I stopped in front of the door, and the three of them lined up together behind me.

“It’s not too soon, but this conversation probably requires more than thirty seconds before we step into our friends’ house,” Fletcher stated.

“Ah. Yeah. You’re right. Rain check?” I cringed.

“Oh, we’ll definitely be picking this conversation back up, Petal,” Dax challenged, his voice deep.

Spinning, I discreetly fanned myself as I knocked on the door. It opened a few seconds later, and I hoped they hadn’t been standing there and listening to us.

“Yay! You made it,” Finley cheered, wrapping her arms around me before I could respond. “Come in. Come in.” She gestured us in, pointing to where we could place our coats and boots.

In the past week, winter had officially come to Utah. A few inches of snow covered the ground now, meaning scarves, hats, and mittens had become part of my everyday attire. Hello, November.

I followed the noise to a large family room. Two large sectionals were along the wall, and I realized it was one of those sofas you could move the pieces around to make it a colossal square or any other shape you wanted.

“Oh wow! I’ve seen this advertised. How cool,” I said, cataloging all who were here.

Susie and Scar sat on one end, Keaton on the other side of Scar. He’d been here more than I ever expected. Maks was in the kitchen with Oliver, and Monty sat on the floor with Scar’s legs over his shoulder as she played with his hair. And if I wasn’t mistaken, Keaton’s fingers rested on top of Monty’s shoulder.

Asa walked in from the deck outside, a pan of grilled meat in his hands. He waved with the tongs he held and handed the tray to Oliver who took it further into the kitchen. Cody walked into the living room with Ty a few seconds later, chatting about something that had occurred at practice today, pulling Susie into the conversation when they disagreed.

Dr. Milo waved at me and gestured for me to take the spot beside him. I couldn’t remember the names of the other people in the room, so I took the offered seat and sat down.

“Hey, Dr. Milo.”

“You can just call me Milo, Henley.” He laughed, pushing up his glasses. I could tell how young he was without his lab coat on.

“Help me out, Doc. I can’t remember the other members of your group.”

“Cohen,” he said, pointing to the guy at the island who had his arms around a guy with dark hair. “And Ryker.”

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