Page 48 of I Wish He Would

I let go of the suitcase handles and extend my hand toward him. “Great seeing you again, Brandon.” I know his name, but after Alyssa told me his parents called her the wrong one recently, I can’t help but return the gesture.

His jaw tics as he squeezes my hand a little too tight. “It’s Bradley.”

I squeeze back harder, and he lets out a small whimper before yanking his hand back. I fight a smile. “Right, sorry, man. Crazy how it’s been”—I turn to Alyssa like we’re a couple coming up with the answer together—“what, three years?”

She nods. “Sounds about right.”

Bianca purses her lips and glares at us. “Bradley and I were shocked at the game to discover you were her plus-one, since we haven’t seen pictures of you together on either of your social media pages.”

I let go of the other suitcase and place my hand on Alyssa’s waist. “That’s my fault. With being such a public figure, I just wanted to keep my girl all to myself.” I look at Bradley. “Not that you would understand, but the media can be ruthless when it comes to relationships in the public eye.”

Bradley sneers. “Guess we lost the bet about her pretending he was her boyfriend,” he mumbles to Bianca just loud enough that we can still hear. I clench my hand into a fist as Alyssa shrinks beside me. I hate that anyone makes her feel small. Like less than the beautiful, kind human she is.

Bianca’s eyes narrow on her cousin. “So, you’ve really been together this whole time?”

Alyssa squeezes my side and looks up at me with a questioning gaze. We have a silent conversation that goes something like this:

Are we really doing this?

If you want to.

You don’t mind pretending in front of my whole family and the Vanderbilts?

I’m down if you are.

I offer her a reassuring smile, and she turns back toward the couple. “Uh-huh. That’s why I love to support my Pooh Bear at all his home games.”

I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing at the ridiculous nickname. That’s smart, though. Sticking with the truth as much as possible will help uncomplicate things. Or, at least, help them be as uncomplicated as they can be when we’re surrounded by her family and her ex’s family and pretending we’re dating when we’re really just friends. Although, I hope to change that by the end of the trip.

“Well, I’m sure my family will talk your ear off all week.” Bradley makes a fist and knocks it against my arm. He pulls it back and shakes it out at his side like he just punched a wall rather than my limb. I cover my laughter with a cough.

“I’m always happy to talk to fans.” I pull Alyssa closer. “As long as there’s still plenty of time to spend with my little Sugar Lips.”

The fake pet name seems fitting since she first had powdered sugar on her lips when I met her.

“Well, you should really go get ready. You know there is a dress code for our events, and it looks like you’ll need some extra time to freshen up.” Bianca sneers.

Alyssa is wearing linen wide-leg pants with a tank top tucked into them. The jean jacket she wore on the plane is draped over her arm, no longer needed in the Caribbean heat. The light blue silk scarf in her high pony brings the whole look together. Even though her curls are a little frizzy from her plane nap and a full day of travel, she’s still as beautiful as ever. She has that kind of effortless beauty most people dream about, where she looks perfect without even trying. So the fact that Bianca has the audacity to insult Alyssa sends my blood boiling. It takes all my willpower not to tell her where she can shove her nasty comments.

Alyssa squeezes my side like she knows I’m riled up and she’s telling me her rude cousin isn’t worth it.

She’s right…

But I know she steers clear of any conflict, and I can’t stop myself from standing up for her and messing with these horrible people. Just a little bit.

“Oh, trust me, I plan on getting her out of these clothes immediately.” I wink. Bianca gasps in horror while Bradley just looks dumbfounded. I grab our suitcases before moving past them, and Alyssa sticks close to my side. Once we’re in the resort lobby, I glance back to make sure we’re alone. “Sorry,” I breathe. “I shouldn’t have said that, but I just hate the way she talks to you.”

Alyssa doubles over and chuckles. When she finally stops laughing, she looks up at me with tears in her eyes. “Did you see their faces? And Sugar Lips?” She wipes a rogue tear away. “That was epic.”

“She’s probably clutching her pearls as we speak,” I say, thinking back to the day we met.

Alyssa clears her throat. “I’m going to check us in.”

I stand with our luggage and check my phone as she heads to the check-in desk. I shake my head when I see I’ve been added to a new group chat titled “Single ’Stangs” and have twenty-seven unread text messages.

HAYDEN

It’s about time we had a group chat.