Page 108 of Sweet Oblivion

“Hendrix, can you go down to Love in Bloom and check on Delaney?”

My hands shake as Tori curls into my lap.

“Delaney . . .”

“Maybe we should call Ashton.” Hendrix does a shit job of whispering to Olivia.

“No,” I tell them, even though he wasn’t talking to me.

“Fine, then at least let me call Ryker,” Olivia demands, but I shake my head. This is supposed to be one of the biggest games of the season. I’m not letting them ruin this for him.

“You said your mom already pulled him in to tell him he’s been cleared, right?” I look up at the two of them from my spot on the floor. The same one I’ve been sitting in for the past thirty minutes. Almost positive Olivia told me that a few minutes ago but questioning everything at this point. “I’ll tell Ryker everything as soon as the game’s over.”

“He’d want to know now,” Hendrix argues. “Trust me when I tell you this. Knowing what happened matters more to Ryker than any game, Delaney. You matter more.”

I drop my head in my hands and groan. I know he’s right, but it doesn’t make it any easier when the last thing I want to do is bother Ryker with this before his game. “Fine. I’m meeting the girls in a half an hour, and we’re heading over together.”

“Not a chance, Beneventi. I’ll take you over now.”

I glare at Hendrix. “You don’t know me well enough to be this bossy.”

“He’s always been a bossy bitch,” Liv groans. “But he’s right. Go get changed and get over to the stadium. I’ll let them know you’re coming and that you need to speak with Ryker.”

“Fine. I’ll go with you, but you have to let me go to my sister’s first. You can go with us, if you want, but I promised we’d all go together tonight.”

Olivia clears her throat, trying to cover a laugh. “Not as much fun when someone else is being a bossy bitch, now is it, Hendrix?”

“Stop calling me a bitch, Liv.”

“Umm . . . are you two . . .” I point between them, wondering if I missed something.

“God no.” She looks disgusted, but Hendrix just ignores her.

“Fine. Grab your stuff, and we can swing by Ashton’s. But I’m not leaving your side until we talk to Ryker.” He looks down at Tori and groans. “And no pigs in my car.”

“She has to come with us. She’s staying at Ashton’s during the game.” As if she knows she’s being talked about, Notorious swings her chubby little bacon butt Hendrix’s way and circles him before sitting at his feet. She might as well say,Look at me, I’m cutewhile she’s at it.

“Swear to fucking God. The shit I get myself into,” he grumbles. “Fine. The pig can come. Now, let’s go.”

Guess I’ve officially got an escort to the game.

DELANEY

Is it crazy if everything I’ve ever had a bad feeling about ended up being right?

Or is it the universe’s way of teaching me to trust my gut?

—Delaney’s Secret Thoughts

“You’re seriously going to try to say everything is fine, even though Hendrix Sinclair just drove us to a Kings game like he was our chauffeur?” As we walk toward the VIP entrance of Kings stadium, Kaleigh looks behind us at Ryker’s best friend and waves. Actually waves, like with the spirit fingers of a D1 cheerleader shaking her ass on the mat. Not that I’m hating on cheerleaders. I wish I had that kind of stamina and rhythm. No one will ever refer to me as an athlete, and I’m okay with that.

I’ll leave all the athleting up to my husband.

And if we ever have kids one day, hopefully, they’ll take after him.

Not that we’ll be having kids because, well, I don’t know what the hell is going to happen to us twenty-four hours from now when the next level ofJumanjiunlocks and our life gets even crazier than it is today.

I might also be spiraling the fuck out in my head because I really don’t want to have to do this right now. Ryker issupposed to be prepping for a game, not calming the nerves of his neurotic wife.