Page 253 of Out of Left Field

“Oh,” Isaac deflated.

Hannah shut the dishwasher and shot my brother a look. “What? Isn’t Everett allowed to date?”

“Of course he is. I just…” He gulped, avoiding eye contact.

“You just?”

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. “After Willa and Flamingo Island…I just kind of hoped you two would finally get together.” He shrugged.

Hannah cocked an eyebrow, shooting me a knowing look.

Damn, how I wanted to tell my brother. But if I told Isaac he would definitely tell Kate. And while I wanted to think Kate could keep our secret for a little while, there was a very good chance she’d tell Jeri—or at least let it slip—and then everyone would know.

And I couldn’t have Seth find out that way. When we were ready to tell people, we’d tell them. Until then, Hannah had better be good at keeping secrets.

“Willa and I are friends.” It was true, even if it wasn’t the whole truth.

“Yeah, I know. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “Can I catch a ride to the stadium? Kate went in early and she’s staying for the game tonight.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“I’m bringing Rosie by when she’s done with her homework.”

Isaac smiled. “Perfect. Thank you, Hannah.”

I gave Hannah one last pleading look, then returned to my half of the house to shower, manage my short to-do list, and get ready for practice. June, one of our trainers, had me on a new mobility routine that started at home. As I went through the motions my gaze kept getting stuck on the door where we’d rushed inside last night. The wall where I’d made her come on my hand. The bed. So much bed. All of the bed.

Even the pillows reminded me of Willa. She was everywhere now. Years ago the idea of having my personal space invaded by a woman made my skin crawl. Now I couldn’t wait to have her here all the time. I wanted her clothes in my closet, her towel on a hook beside mine, her camera equipment…shit where would her cameras go?

That was a problem. Fuck, would she even consider moving in with me? It wasn’t strictly necessary I live here, but I liked it. We’d become this weird, big, happy family. I wanted Willa to be part of it too.

There were so many things I wanted and I wanted them now. That was the famous Anson impulse control at work, but when you’ve been in love with your best friend for years, waiting a little longer feels a lot like torture.

But she came to me last night. That meant something, didn’t it? And I made sure we had a good time. That she felt safe and cared for. She didn’t bolt before I woke up and stayed for breakfast. These were all good signs.

So why did I still feel like I was on the verge of losing her?

“You ready?” Isaac called from the living room.

“Yep!” I grabbed my bag and my keys.

Isaac looked up from his phone. Then he frowned. “What happened to your bag?”

Leaving it out overnight hadn’t been good for it. When I walked Willa out it was damp from the morning dew and it looked like a raccoon had taken a look through my stuff hoping for some food. “Yeah, it fell out of my truck and got dragged a little. Need to get a new one.”

“No shit. Did you lose anything?”

“Nope.” I locked the front door and hit the key fob, unlocking my truck.

We were halfway to the stadium when Isaac spoke again. “You’ve been quieter than usual lately. Is something wrong? I’m asking as your brother, not your coach.”

“I’m good.” And I left it at that. I was good. A little frustrated, but overall, my life was better than it had ever been. I was pitching well and I had the woman of my dreams, even if it was a secret.

“So this woman Hannah is helping you out with…what’s she like? Where did you meet?”

Well shit. He just had to go and make it hard to lie to him, didn’t he? “Met over a beer.” Which was true. We were barely into our freshman year of college and partying like it. The football team was holding an illegal kegger. Illegal both because everyone was underage and because they were forbidden from partying during their season. Next thing I knew this girl was out-chugging Seth, giving us shit about our training, and yelling at the game film someone had playing on a laptop.

“And?” Isaac prompted.