23. Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Three

Susie

“Soooo…” Brie nudges me. We’re in the stands watching the game from our usual seats. The Mavericks crowd is completely amped up and wild. “Want to tell me what wearing Adam’s jersey means?”

“It’s just a jersey.” I shrug, trying to play it cool. “I’ve worn other jerseys before.” But the silly little grin that appears on my face whenever his name is mentioned tells a different tale.

There’s no point in denying it. I am completely smitten with my husband. The husband that my best friend still doesn’t know about.

The crowd around us deflates as the Jags get into the endzone, making it a three-point game. Brie, however, is relentless about the story behind what I’m not saying.

“Did you kiss?” I don’t answer, but the grin that covers my face says it all. “You did! When? How come you didn’t call me with all the details?”

“You’ve been a bit busy yourself.” I laugh, thinking about how everything going on between Josh and Brie has been on broadcast for anyone who follows Tea Time . I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen Pleasant Hollow buzzing with this much excitement.

“Never too busy to hear about my best friend kissing a hot guy!”

“Don’t let Josh hear you say that,” I tease her, laughter bubbling up. “You should’ve seen his reaction the first time you said Adam was hot.”

“What was his reaction?” Brie’s face lights up, and just as quickly, her brows knit together. “Oh no, you don’t! You almost got me. We are talking about you and Adam Daniels. Not me and Josh.”

I pull in my bottom lip. This is where things get tricky. I don’t want to lie to my best friend, but at the same time, I’m not ready to tell her the full truth. My best bet here is to say as little as possible and start talking about something else.

“Mrs. Baker knows that I’m Amelia Adams.” Brie’s eyebrows shoot up, and her mouth drops open. “Yup. I found out yesterday.”

Her eyes get bigger than I thought possible, asking questions that her mouth can’t form.

“Apparently, we got a bit too excited when we saw The Fake Date Playbook sitting on the shelf .” I laugh when I think about how Brie and I started jumping up and down only to have Mrs. Baker shush us. “We weren’t very subtle.”

Brie’s eyes dance. “I guess we weren’t. How many other people know?”

It’s only right for her to assume that if Mrs. Baker knows, odds are high others know my secret, too.

I nod my head to confirm her thoughts.

“Everyone?” Her eyes widen again and she covers her mouth with her hand. “For how long?”

I shrug. “I think it might be the first time in Pleasant Hollow history that a secret has been kept.”

Small towns are a paradox. When you’re the topic of gossip, you may or may not hear about it. But when it’s about someone else, the buzz is impossible to ignore.

For the first time, I wondered if my mom knows everyone knows about my pen name.

There is a subtle rumble from the crowd that turns into a roar. I turn to the field just in time to watch Michaels throw a perfect pass to Shaw. When Shaw crosses the goal line the crowd goes wild. This touchdown puts the Mavericks up by ten, almost guaranteeing another win for them.

My eyes search the field for number ninety-two, but it’s difficult to see numbers on jerseys from up here unless you have binoculars. For the first time in my life, I wish I was closer to the field to see Adam.

“Awfully quiet over there, Suse. Looking for someone?” Brie nudges me with her hip, a mischievous grin lining her lips.

She’s catching on that I’m not talking, but it won’t be the last time she brings it up. I won’t be able to keep the truth concealed much longer.

But I’m finding that I don’t want to anymore.

Thirty minutes later, I’m outside the locker room again. This time, instead of hoping the person I’m with won’t be a total fanboy, I’m waiting for my husband to come out.

My husband.

Shivers run through my body when I imagine the look in Adam’s eyes when he sees me with his jersey on. He didn’t ask me to wear it, but I know he wanted me to, especially after his reaction to me wearing Duncan James’ jersey.

A few days after the hockey game, I came home to see a Wolverines jersey thrown over the kitchen chair. When I turned it over, the name Daniels was on the back.

I never thought a possessive man would be attractive. But that jersey was a not-so-subtle way of him telling me that I was his. It turns out I like being considered his.

A lot.

Adam walks through the doors and my knees go weak. His hair is still damp and full of waves. I watch him laughing and joking as he talks to Darius. His smile has his dimple popping, and my breath catches.

“Yeah, you kissed him.” Brie whispers in my ear with a giggle.

Just then, Adam’s gaze finds mine, and my heart starts to race. His eyes slowly look down at the number on my jersey. When his gaze slams into mine again, I swear that the heat burning there makes the brown look like melted chocolate.

My stomach flutters just as that silly grin appears on my face again.

“Great game today!” Brie says. She’s watching every move we make. The look on her face speaks volumes of what she’s assuming.

“Thanks, Brie.” Adam gives her a grin. “I must say it felt good beating my brother.”

He turns back to me, and the corner of his lip lifts. “Hi.”

That one word has every nerve ending in my body tingling. “Hi.”

He leans forward, sandalwood surrounding me, and whispers. “There is nothing like having your wife wear your jersey for the world to see.”

He lingers by my ear, making me wonder if he’s thinking about kissing as much as I am.

When he finally backs away from me it’s to find Josh and Brie kissing. A grin slides across my face, watching them.

Finally!

After completely forgetting, I recall Adam saying something about one of his teammates sending the video of Josh and Brie to Tea Time . Without thinking, I rest my hand on Adam’s arm and stand on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

“Do you have anything to report on the ‘possible suspects’?”

He narrows his eyes and tilts his head before what I’m asking registers. He bursts out laughing, and chills run down my spine.

“There’s been a lot that’s happened since I heard that news.” Infinite emotions move through his eyes as his gaze pins me. His hand finds its way to my waist, and my breath hitches. “But if you still want to know, I can strike up a conversation about it and see what I can dig up.”

My gaze falls to his lips, and I watch them curve into a full grin. Just as I’m ready to throw all caution to the wind and kiss him, his hand falls from my waist, and he pulls out his phone.

He reads the text and then glances back at me. A disappointed smile on his face. “It’s Steve. I’m gonna meet up with him and Nicole for dinner before they head out. Will I see you later?”

I nod before turning to my brother and his fake girlfriend. “You two are getting very convincing.” I laugh at them.

“I’ll talk to you later, Susie.” Adam puts his hand on my shoulder, and I can’t stop the wide smile from spreading.

“Josh, Brie,” Adam says right before he looks back at me with a mischievous glint in his eye.

“What’s that all about?” Josh asks.

“Wanna talk about what I just saw here?” I gesture between the two of them, in an attempt to change the topic.

“I asked you first,” he presses. I can feel my face turn crimson just as Josh laughs. “Hmmm…didn’t see that coming.”

“How could you not?” Brie asks in mock surprise. “The two of them have been flirting since they first met. For someone who sees so much, sometimes you’re completely blind.”

“Hey, it’s hard to keep up with my sister’s love life.” Josh shrugs.

“Heeeeyy!” I punch him, and he flinches like I actually hurt him. “That’s not nice.”

“Big brothers aren’t supposed to be nice.” He winks, and I can’t help but laugh at him. “So tell me more about this. Any plans to go out in the near future? Do I need to ask what his intentions are?”

“Josh,” Brie and I say at the same time. Then Brie starts dragging me to the car, but not before she turns back and says, “Best friends get the details first.”

Relief washes over me for the brief reprieve. This conversation has been halted, but not over. There is no doubt that Brie will be grilling me very soon.