Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

LETTIE

T he sales associate from Chuancey's has five dresses picked out for me when we arrive. Mrs. Greathouse wants the family to blend together for photographs. All my dresses are shades of orange from peach to coral.

This one is strapless but has a "v" cutout at the cleavage. Perfect for garnering the attention of one superstar basketball player and judging by the mesmerized look on Dane's face, this dress is sold.

The way his eyes travel over my body, it's possible he kissed me at Timber Thrills, and it wasn't a figment of my imagination.

"What do you think?" I ask as I twirl slowly. When I stop back in front of him, he's adjusting himself, which isn't unusual. Guys do that all of the time, but he's holding his breath.

"It's a … it looks like you could be Miss America," he chokes out in a raspy tone.

"So, should I buy it?"

What am I saying? I'm not buying it—he is. Or his family is, which is the same.

"Yeah, it looks beautiful on you. Do you need help taking it off?"

His voice is as velvety as his hands. Turning around, I move my hair over my shoulder, and his knuckles travel down my spine with the zipper. I can't stop the shiver that takes over my body. His hand stalls, and I swear he's smiling behind me.

"There."

I glance over my shoulder. "Thanks."

Dane reaches into his pocket and holds his credit card between two fingers. He walks with the saleswoman to pay as I'm getting dressed.

When I come out, Dane's holding a rich blue dress bag with Chauncey's embroidered across the front. "Ready?"

"Yep." We stroll down the sidewalk. Being with Dane shouldn't be awkward.

"Are we going to Brooke's now?"

Dane loves Caleb, and Brooke feels comfortable with Dane taking care of him, so I ask, "Are you babysitting Caleb?"

"No. Brooke said you were coming," he answers, strumming his fingers on the steering wheel.

"Damn, I forgot all about the cookout."

"Do you have other plans?" he asks.

"No."

"Good, let's stop by The Stable. I bought Caleb a little basketball hoop last week."

My smile widens at Dane's thoughtfulness and generosity. "I'll wait in the car."

"Lettie, don't let Nick keep you away from my place."

"I'm not. Just hurry."

He runs to the modern building adorned with what looks like hardwood and "The Stable" written in steel letters. At night, the letters are backlit in blue, so it looks like they're glowing. Using his key card, Dane disappears inside. I barely have time to think about all that has transpired since we went to the theme park before he's plopping back inside.

He hands me the hoop and the soft, blue rubber ball stamped with the Stallions basketball logo.

"This is so cute."

Our friends group all love next door to each other. Brooke and Reed's house is next door to Harper and Logan's, which is right beside Hagan and Adalee's. Hagan and Harper are twins, and it's just one big, happy family.

What if Dane and I moved in together?

Chatter comes from the backyard, so we walk down the driveway and hear Reed and Brooke shout, "Over here."

They're b eside the grill, hanging with Logan and Harper. Although Logan was the number one NFL draft pick to the Louisville Heavyweights, they're living here until Harper completes medical school. Logan‘s holding their newborn baby and singing a song to her about body parts.

"Can I hold her? I haven't seen her in a month since you brought her home from the hospital."

"Lather up first," he says as Harper hands me the sanitizer and rolls her eyes.

Logan notices Harper's reaction. "What? I want to keep our baby out of the hospital. You're going to be a doctor; you should be all for it."

"You do understand that Evy stuffs her mouth with toys. We pick up the toy and hand it back to her without washing our hands. It's fine, big guy."

He kisses Evy's cheek before smooching Harper, and my biggest fear is I won't find this kind of love. Logan hands Evy to me, and I do my best baby talk while holding her head. Dane sticks his long finger into her stomach, and she coos. Of course, she coos for Dane.

What girl doesn't?

"She's adorable," Dane says as his eyes light up.

Logan's eyes shine with pride as he stares at his baby girl. "Isn't she? A year ago, we were having ragers, and now we're having adult cookouts. Is the basketball for Evy?"

Dane blushes from embarrassment. "Sorry I didn't bring her a gift. This is for Caleb."

At that mom ent, Hagan, who plays baseball, and his fiancée Adalee, who was a Stallion gymnast, join in.

Reed shakes his head, "How can I make Caleb a hockey phenom when you all are encouraging him to play baseball and basketball?" He glances at Logan. "Logan's the only one not pressuring him to play football."

Harper blows her water into the hot summer air, laughing hysterically.

Reed asks, "What?"

Harper points to the other side of the yard, where Caleb and another little guy are playing football.

"You've got to be kidding me," Reed barks.

Brooke slides her arm around his waist. "Maybe he'll be the first D1 athlete who plays four sports."

I laugh. "Let him play everything and see which sport he falls in love with."

Reed looks disgusted. "You do remember that my dad is the NHL commissioner, right? And Brooke's dad is the Stallions hockey coach."

Dane pipes in. "I'm sorry, but it really sucks being the son of a former All-Star NBA player. Reed, what if you knew your dad was a hotshot professional player when you were growing up?" His voice is heavy with underlying resentment.

We all fall into a hush, not wanting to add to the weight already on Dane's shoulders. His dad played here and in the NBA, leaving big shoes for Dane to fill.

He continue s, "There's just so much pressure to live up to his legacy and his accomplishments. High school is already tough enough but add in the constant comparing and contrasting of our skills and accomplishments—it's suffocating. You may not want that for Caleb. If he plays a different sport, he can find his own way."

We sit there, stunned and a little speechless. It's the most I've ever heard Dane openly talk about his fears and insecurities to anyone but me. It's not an easy subject for him to discuss and I wonder if his dad was hounding him about being number one in the draft. Dane's dad went twelfth in the draft and honestly, I think his dad wants Dane to surpass his numbers. If Dane doesn't, he'll consider himself a failure.

After a moment, Harper breaks the silence with a soft, "I'm sorry, Dane. We had no idea." All we can do is offer our support and understanding.

"Stallions forever," Logan chants. "I can tell you from my short experience in the NFL, it's nothing like college. Guys live all over the city or surrounding towns and they don't spend time together outside of practice. Some of the single ones do but it's nothing like the friendships you develop in college. Let's make a promise to be there for each other, through the highs and lows. It will make the lows seem higher."

Everyone vows but Dane won't be in Kentucky because there are no professional basketball teams here. I swallow my fears.

"Girls, l et's go inside and make some strawberry daiquiris. Guys are staying sober today. Right?" Brooke asks and they nod in the affirmative.

I never have to worry about Dane anyway. He never has more than one or two drinks.

"It's not often Harper gets a break and we're going to let the guys be in charge of the kids today," Brooke says, seeming anxious to start the day based on her broad smile.

We stand around the island as the blender crushes the ice and strawberries. Adalee doesn't drink because her dad became an alcoholic when her mom passed away. So, Harper pours her a virgin daiquiri.

"Hey, can you make another virgin?" I request.

"Sure, for you?"

"No, for Dane. He loves ICEEs, so he'll love this."

Little grins tug at their mouths. She hands me a blue cup, and I grab an extra-wide striped straw and take it out to him.

Dane has his hands shoved into his athletic shorts, which he's wearing shorter these days. I'm a fan. He rocks from his heels to his toes, which is a nervous habit for him. He's known these guys for over a year. What does he have to be nervous about?

"Hey, look what I made you? Well, Harper made it. No alcohol."

"Thanks for looking out for me, Bug."

Aware that the guys have smirks on their faces and Reed's eyebrows are raised, I ask, "What? Have you been talking about me?"

Dane pulls me into his side. "Just talking about Coach Cappitano."

My eyes narrow. Liar. After peering into each of their eyes, I determine it's better to go inside and spend time with the girls. I need to tell someone about what happened. "Well, I don't want to interrupt such an interesting conversation." I spin to walk off. A frozen daiquiri waits for me on the coffee table and I do not want it to melt.

The girls talk about Hagan and Adalee's upcoming wedding, who have been engaged for a lengthy eighteen months, and the girls can't stop discussing every detail from cocktail hour to vows to the reception playlist.

I grab my drink and sit on the couch next to Brooke, tucking my feet comfortably underneath me. I eagerly join in on their conversation, ready to escape my thoughts of Dane.

"Make sure to play some country music for Dane. God blessed him with lots of things. He can sing and play sports, but he needs music that he can sway too."

"Oh, is he blessed down there?" Brooke chides as her eyes fall to my crotch. "I didn't know you had…."

I slap her arm. "I'm sure he's blessed; he's six-foot-six. But I personally have never seen it." We giggle like teenagers. Sometimes you just need to be with your girlfriends. I've wormed my way into this group through Brooke. Reed was roommates with Harper, Logan, and Hag an. It's a good thing because my other friends Tessa and Jules graduated in the spring and moved back to their hometowns.

Adalee asks, "Will you be back in time from competing to be Dane's date to our wedding?"

"Yeah, I'll be back in a month, but Dane may want to take someone else on a real date."

They snicker.

"What? Maybe he's getting tired of his faithful sidekick. I know I'm getting frustrated."

Brooke says, "That Dane hasn't made a move?"

Just like outside, the room goes from loud to silent. "No, of course not. Besties for the restie." I take a long sip of liquid courage.

"You and Dane are more stubborn than Adalee. And that's saying something." Harper shakes her head.

"Hey! I came around. I just didn't feel like I deserved a man like Hagan. All that cockiness and swagger."

Harper chirps, "Yeah, it definitely sucked being Hagan's sister. I think his overflowing confidence is a result of taking all my nutrients in the womb."

The group erupts in laughter, and I can't help but join in, feeling grateful for the lightheartedness in the room, but we all understand Harper and Hagan's deep twin sibling connection, regardless of her remark. We continue chatting and joking, but my worries about Dane aren't forgotten.

"Spill it , I just got a text from Reed. He wants to know if you've told us anything." Brooke positions herself so she's face to face with me.

I take a deep breath, trying to dispel the tension in the room. "Honestly, I don't know how Dane will ever find a girl who can measure up to me," I add with a hint of exaggeration, a playful twinkle in my eye.

Brooke, Adalee, and Harper laugh, relieved that I'm back to my usual sarcastic self, due to my daiquiri cup being empty. "I need a refill."

"Me too." Brooke hands me her cup. "But you're coming clean when we get back."

When I come back in, Adalee says, "I'm sorry. Hagan and I just assumed you and Dane would attend the wedding together, but there's plenty of room if you each want to bring plus ones. I'm not doing the final seating charts for a few weeks."

"It's fine. He doesn't want a girlfriend. He even turned sweet Hannah down, and that girl is perfect."

"What about you?"

Trying to play it cool, I say, "I don't know. I think I'm ready for a boyfriend. I haven't hooked up in months. I kissed Nick, but that's as far as it went, and I didn't like how handsy he was in front of people, so I broke it off."

"Does Dane know?" Brooke asks.

"We actually got into a mini argument about Nick the night before we went to the amusement park. I've never seen him so upset. We never talk about each other's extracurr iculars. We never have. But that night he… he brought up me sleeping around with Devon, James, and in his words, ‘all of the other fucks.'"

Their mouths fall open. "Sweet Dane said that?" Harper asks, tilting her head. "That must have caused some stress." Harper's empathy for others is pure and genuine, having anxiety herself.

"He thinks it's fine for him to sleep around but not me. So, I set him straight, and he apologized. Then at Timber Thrills, Nick got the boot."

"We heard." Adalee leans forward wanting to hear more.

"I felt a sense of relief, realizing Nick isn't my type. Maybe I ‘date,' I use air quotes. "Dane's friends to stay close to him. Ughh, saying that out loud makes me sound needy and codependent. I'm not; I practically raised myself."

Dane's parents did a good amount of parenting me as well. They fed me, let me ride their horses, and their trainer spent many hours a week training me. They bought me every saddle I've ever owned.

Adalee comes over and gives me a hug. "I know how you feel. If you ever want to talk to someone who also raised herself, call me."

"I will." I take a drink so big that I get a brain freeze and have to press my hands on each side of my head for a minute. "Here's the thing. Dane and I went to buy glow necklaces while the rest of the group were saving a spot to watch the fireworks. It was that dark and dusty time of night when he put my glow necklace around my neck. I c losed my eyes and felt something touch my lips."

"Oh my God, Dane kissed you, and you're just now telling me!" Brooke screams. "We should be eating cookies on the floor like the night Reed and I…"

"First, you and Reed got it on early. I've known Dane since before I could ride a bike."

Harper squeals. "How was it? Hungry? Needy? Seductive? God, you can tell Evy is interrupting my sex life."

Adalee hugs her. "Tonight, Hap. Hagan and I are keeping Evy for a few hours. When I suggested it, you would have thought Hagan was eating moldy cheese the way his nose pinched. He definitely doesn't like to think about you having sex, even though you have a baby."

Harper falls back against the couch. "Oh, thank God. I need some Logan loving. But back to Lettie and Dane kissing."

"I don't even know if he kissed me. It was so light that it could have been my hair or his fingers."

"Girl, if he was touching your lips with his fingers, then he has it bad for you," Brooke says. "I've been around you both for a long time, and I've always known he has the hots for you, but you refuse to see it."

"How? When he has perfect girls like Hannah wanting him. He's seen me covered in mud."

Harper lifts her eyebrows. "That's a guy's wet dream."

"Lettie, I think he kissed you. He must have told Reed because why else would Reed text me?"

"I'll talk to him this weekend." My lips press into a smile thinking of Dane. "But I have a better idea. Why don't you go find out what Dane said to Reed . Go. Go act like your dad needs him," I say way too quickly.

"Me thinks Lettie likes Dane as more than a best friend," Brooke teases.