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“I know, right?” He squeezes my shoulders, sending sparks to my belly.
Andrew scratches his chin. “Yeah . . . Colton’s a mystery. But I’m sure one day, it’ll change. Just like it did for you.”
My heart thumps at Andrew’s words. Wade is about to answer, but we’re saved by the bell—or rather, by Jackson running toward us with his football under one arm.
“Dad, Uncle Wade, can we play football, please?” He gives them his best puppy eyes.
“Sorry, duty calls,” Wade says to me. He plants a quick kiss on my cheek, effectively bursting it into flames. Getting up, he jogs to the garden to play with his nephews, followed closely by Andrew.
Meanwhile, I help Piper put everything away in the kitchen. While placing the salads back into the fridge, I notice the magnetic calendar stuck on the door. There’s a big red circle scrawled around the date of the Champions League final. A childlike script reads, “Uncle Wade champion” next to it. My stomach soars and then quickly plummets at the stark reminder that it’ll all be over soon.
“You guys look good together,” Piper says, taking me by surprise. “I’ve never seen Wade this happy before.”
“Really?” I swallow hard as I grab the empty bowls and dishes, piling them next to the sink. I turn on the faucet and start to wash them.
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” she says with a light chuckle, touching my forearm.
I shake my head. “I don’t mind. You invited us. It’s the least I can do.”
“I’ll dry, then.” She grabs the hand towel that’s hanging on the oven handle. We get into a rhythm, and after a beat, she says, “He never brings girls over. He’s never even talked about having girlfriends. So I was really surprised when I learnt about you. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve tried to set him up with my friends,” she says, shaking her head as a slow smile tugs at her lips. “Seeing you here today confirms that he was just waiting for someone serious.”
My mind spirals, grasping for words. Something. Anything to reply to her revelation without coming across as a complete liar when she learns, in two weeks, that we’ve broken up.
“You don’t have to say anything,” she tacks on, probably noticing my distress. “I don’t want to put any pressure on you. You haven’t been dating long, I know. But I can tell he’s happy, that’s all.”
I smile and continue washing the dishes, doing my diligent best to ignore the butterflies swarming in my belly as they’re trying to dodge the dagger she just planted in my stomach.
Wade
Jackson and Everett are now busy showing us their best moves while Drew and I relax under a tall oak tree, cooling off. Roughhousing under the scorching sun after the sheer quantity of food we just ate is exhausting, even for a pro athlete and an active soldier.
“So, ready to get back?” I ask, tying my shoelace.
He shrugs. “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess. Don’t get me wrong. I love my job, and I’m proud to serve my country, but it’s always hard to leave the kids. To leave her . . .”
“Yeah, I can imagine.” I glance to the kitchen window, where Piper and Roxy are doing the dishes.
“Now you can imagine, yeah,” he says, ruffling my hair. “I’ve been teasing you a lot, but you know I’m happy for you, right? I’m glad you’re letting someone in.”
I’m tempted to tell him the truth because I hate lying to my brother. But is it even a lie anymore? When I’m with Roxy, nothing else matters. I can’t focus on anything but her. I’m like an addict who never gets enough, constantly trying to find things to make her smile or laugh. No, this isn’t fake anymore. At least, not for me.
“Roxy’s great,” I say as her bubbling laugh echoes from the open window. My heart swells in my chest. She has the best laugh. Not too high-pitched, truly sounding like a sweet melody.
“She is great. I know you haven’t been dating long, but have you talked to her about the future? About Madrid?”
I rake a frustrated hand through my hair and shake my head. “I haven’t had the guts. London is where her family lives, where she works, where her friends are. She already told me she couldn’t imagine living anywhere else,” I mutter while absently picking a few blades of grass from the ground. “I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
“Madrid is your dream, brother. I thought it’d be a no-brainer.”
“Nothing is simple anymore . . .” Besides, dreams can change too. When I see Andrew and his family, I wonder if I might regret waiting until retirement to start one of my own.
Right on cue, Everett slides on his knees next to his dad and wraps his arm around him. “Please don’t leave, Daddy. I love it when you’re here.”
Drew pats Everett’s back and kisses him on the head. “I love it too, buddy. But you know why I have to go, right? Daddy explained it to you before.”
“Yes,” Everett says, burying his face in Drew’s shirt. “You need to protect the country.”
“That’s right, son. But I’m always coming back, right?”
