Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83461 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
“I still can’t believe that you not only did this, but that I had no clue.”
“I’m very good at keeping secrets,” she quips with a grin. “Just in case you ever need to share any with me in the future.”
“So noted,” I reply. “And here I was bemoaning that I wasn’t going to see you tonight.”
“Oh, I have a good birthday present for you later,” she promises, and there’s enough innuendo in her tone that if I could get away with it, I’d drag her out of here right now and take her back to my condo.
But it’s my party, and that would be rude. We finish our food and return to mingling. Somehow, Ava gets pulled off into a group of women consisting of Sophie, Harlow, Jenna, and Tillie. I use the opportunity to check on Bain, who’s standing with a group of the other players. I clap a hand on his shoulder, and he turns to me. Offering his hand for a shake, he says, “Happy birthday, Coach. What are you, like, twenty-two or something?”
I laugh because that’s the running joke since I’m the youngest coach in the league. “You settling in okay?”
“Doing fantastic. Really happy about the transition here and feeling good with my line mates.”
I nod and clap him on the shoulder again. “You keep up the good work.”
I move around some more, always keeping my eye on Ava. I’d like to steal her away and bring her back to my side, but I can’t deny how much I enjoy the way she is assimilating so well with the people on this team. Mostly the players’ girlfriends and a few of the coaches, but it makes me happy to see her so engaged. Although I fucking hate making comparisons, Melissa was never one to get involved in team social functions. It’s not that she didn’t support me as a player, because she did, and she attended the events that were expected. But she never developed friendships with anyone. In hindsight, maybe that was why she was so lonely when I was on road trips. She didn’t have anybody as her support system.
I exit the library and turn the corner to head back into the sitting room where a bar has been set up. I run smack-dab into an all-out fight between Hendrix and his girlfriend, Tracy. I met her earlier in the evening and was not impressed. She clung tight to Hendrix’s arm and looked bored when he was talking to other people. We were standing in a group, and she kept trying to get his attention back on her, and I could tell it embarrassed him.
I’m starting to see why the other players don’t think she’s good for him, but then I hear her say, “We’ve spent enough time here already. We need to go.”
“This is my team, Tracy. It’s my coach’s birthday, and I want to hang out.”
“You already spend enough time with these people, and you don’t spend hardly any time with me.”
I immediately turn around and walk away, their conversation almost duplicative of the many I had with Melissa over the years. I’d love to pull Hendrix aside and tell him to dump her because she’s trying to compete for his attention over the team, and it won’t end well. But I don’t, because he hasn’t asked for my advice, and I’m not going to nose into his business.
A warm hand slips into mine, and I look down to see Ava. She smiles up at me. “Happy birthday.”
I bend down to kiss her. “You’ve already wished me happy birthday.”
“I’ll do it again a few more times,” she says. “So get used to it.”
“Are you having fun?”
Ava’s eyes shine with happiness. “You work with the absolute best people. All the players are so great, and the women feel like sisters to me.”
I squeeze her hand. “I’m glad. I like seeing you in my world.”
She tips her head back as if to ready herself for a kiss, and I dip closer to give it to her, but then Brienne calls out, “Everybody gather in the dining room for the birthday cake.”
There are two entrances through to the dining room, and everybody crowds as close as possible, just barely squeezing in. Brienne beckons me and Ava over to her where Drake finishes lighting the last of the candles. “Let’s sing a fast happy birthday to Cannon before all thirty-seven of these candles catch the cake on fire.”
There’s laughter, but then everyone bursts into song. Ava’s voice rings clear as she sings, her arm wrapped around my back and her other hand pressed to my stomach.
When the song ends, Ava says, “Make a wish.”
I lean forward, and the first thing that comes to mind is that I wish things could remain this perfect with Ava as we move forward. I suck in the biggest lungful I can manage and blow out all those fuckers in one attempt.