I nod. “She freaked out when I told her you’re my mom.”
“She has good taste,” Chloe adds. “I like her already.” She sips from her wineglass and peeks up at me. “We love meeting new readers. You should bring Taylor over to the house sometime.”
Even though my sister can afford to live on her own, she refuses to move out of our childhood home in South Jersey. Me, I couldn’t wait to get the hell out of there. With how touchy-feely my parents are, I’ve had enough affection to last a lifetime. I’m surprised my dad isn’t over here now.
“I’ll think about it,” I lie as I exit the kitchen.
Taylor would love to meet them. Who am I to deny my favorite women from meeting each other?
When I enter the living room, all the men are on the couches yelling at the football game. Bex and Coach Bryant are the only new additions to our normal festivities. Coach must know why Preston invited him to the house with Bex. He honestly can’t be that oblivious to the fact Preston and Bex are together. Not when it’s so clear to everyone else in the room.
I pass beers to my dad, Uncle Tyler, and Uncle Jameson before taking a sip from the last bottle. Kicking my foot up on the ottoman, I lean back, sinking into the leather couch. Tucker is next to me, his arms crossed over his chest. Trent is on the other side, glaring at him. A few weeks ago, the twins accidentally hooked up with the same girl.
For some whacky-ass reason, she couldn’t tell they were different people. I don’t know how she didn’t notice the subtle differences in their personalities. They don’t even wear their hair the same way.
Ever since their big blowout, they have barely spoken to each other. Their fight has affected our game on the ice. We lost the last few games because of their bullshit.
Preston is busy entertaining Bex and Coach Bryant. Jamie is nerding out with his dad about some video game. Trent and Tucker haven’t spoken more than a few words since they arrived. I’m over here checking my cell phone every ten minutes to see if Taylor has texted or called. I fucking miss her. The silence is killing me.
With most of my friends occupied with their own shit, and our fathers busting each other’s balls over bets they’ve taken on the game, my mind keeps wandering back to Taylor. I wonder if Bex has heard from her.
Two hours pass by with lots of yelling, bet-making, and booing before Aunt Charlotte calls us into the dining room for dinner. She didn’t cook any of it, though she’s the one who’s serving it. We sit in our usual places with JP, the only person missing.
Preston’s older brother, John Parker, who everyone calls JP, called a few hours ago to say he would be a few hours behind. He works at DMG, the sports agency Preston’s mom now owns.
Uncle Alex makes some room for Coach Bryant on his side of the table. Bex is on Preston’s right in the middle of the table next to me. We dig into the food, and as usual, it’s good.
Bex and Aunt Charlotte talk about Philly Clean, the charity she’s run since before she started dating Uncle Alex. Philly Clean is a youth basketball event she sponsors and helps run every year. All the money they raise funds for the organization’s mission to help fight drug and alcohol addiction in the city. Some players from the Sixers teach children ball handling and various other skills.
Bex’s eyes go wide when Aunt Charlotte asks her to help this year. “Are you serious?”
From what Preston has told me, Bex is a major fan of his mom. Apart from Taylor, she’s definitely one of the coolest women I’ve ever met. They even have basketball in common. Ugh, I wish she were here right now. Why do I miss her so much? We’ve known each other for less than two months, and somehow I’ve grown so attached to her.
“Yeah. Uh… I would love to.” Bex smiles so wide her teeth are showing. “Thank you.”
All of us pitch in every year. Maybe I can get Taylor to come with us. I hate feeling so uncertain about our relationship, but I do. It’s all so new that I’m afraid she’ll come to her senses and change her mind.
“I hear you’re a big Dante Fisher fan,” Aunt Charlotte says to Bex.
Bex smiles. “The biggest.”
“Bex has posters of him on her bedroom walls,” Coach Bryant says.
Bex turns beat red, shooting her dad a warning look down the table. “Dad, c’mon. Don’t embarrass me. Please.”
The table erupts into laughter.
“If you come, you’ll get to meet him.” Aunt Charlotte finishes chewing her food. “Dante, I mean. He’s helping with the kids this year.”
Bex covers her mouth with her hand and squeals. “Shut. Up.” She fans herself with her hand. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean for you to shut up. I’m just… wow! Dante is so?—”
Aunt Charlotte waves her hand. “I know what you mean. No need to worry. Even after ten years of retirement, he’s still the same player I signed out of high school. He’s arrogant and a little much to take in all at once.” She points at Uncle Alex. “This one was the same way. Actually, all three of them were.”
She’s referring to my dad and Uncle Tyler, who were all her clients at one time. The three of them shrug off her comment and laugh.
“Tyler was the most arrogant player I’d ever met,” Aunt Kennedy chimes. “He was infuriating. Trying to get an interview with him was like pulling teeth.”
“Hey, babe, you got more than an interview.” Tyler winks at her.
