Page 55 of Lose You Twice

“What happened to the apartment?” I ask before I can stop myself. “I thought you were looking.”

She bends to grab another pile of towels. “Keeping tabs on me, Mercer?”

“Harlow mentioned it.”

She rolls her eyes. Always so sassy. “Of course she did. I decided to stay with my mom for now. I missed the last nine months with the littles, so it’s fine.”

She shrugs like it’s nothing, but I can see right through her. I know Wren.

I know she’s lying out her ass, but I’m not about to push her on it. Not when I gave up the right to ask for the deeper answer and then act surprised when she doesn’t hand it over.

Instead, I step back and start pulling at the hem of my practice jersey. I need something to do with my hands before I do something stupid again.

The jersey comes over my head, leaving me in my compression shirt. Wren’s eyes drop before she catches herself.

My pulse kicks up as a slight blush tinges her cheeks.

Guess I’m not the only one stuck in old habits.

“Sounds like chaos,” I say.

She looks back up. “You always liked spending time with the hellions.”

A low laugh slips out before I can stop it.

She’s right. I did.

I liked their noise. Their house. The way her mom always had something on the stove, and her dad used to yell from the backyard about someone leaving the hose kinked. I liked Daisy and Lily climbing me like playground equipment, Justin throwing himself at my legs, Holden following us around with a hockey stick too big for him and a face serious enough to make me let him take every other shot.

I liked being there because Wren was there, but it became more than that. Her family made room for me in a way I didn’t know I needed until I lost it.

Until I lost her.

Wren’s expression shifts like she remembers, too, but then Weston’s voice cuts through the moment.

“I hate to interrupt whatever sexually loaded field trip this is,” he says, “but I’m about to remove several layers of clothing. Contrary to public opinion, I do have manners and only like to play show and tell with willing participants.”

Wren glances past me.

The locker room seems to register for her all at once.

Most of the guys are still in base layers, but some are halfway through getting out of gear. A few players turn away quickly when they realize she’s looking. One of the freshmen goes so still he looks like he forgot how to be human.

More color hits Wren’s cheeks.

“I’ll come back when everyone’s cleared out,” she says, already steering the cart toward the door. “Donnelly told me I could grab towels first. I’ll get the rest later.”

“Wren—”

But she keeps moving, picking up her pace as she makes a beeline for the hallway.

“See ya,” she calls, without turning around.

The door swings shut behind her.

For half a second, no one says anything.

Then Weston exhales. “Well. That was tense in a fun way.”