“This has been one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had,” I tell Murphy as the eight of us leave the dance club.
“I’m glad we could do it,” she says. “It’s been far too long since we’ve all gotten together. Someone is always pregnant or traveling or working. All the stars had to align to set this one up.”
“I need a drink,” Skylar’s sister, Piper, says.
The oldest Mitchell sister, Baylor, stops and reprimands her. “Are you kidding, Pipes? Mason will have my head if I send you home drunk.”
“Not a drink-drink, Baylor. Water. I need water,” Piper says.
“Oh.” Baylor laughs at her youngest sister.
“Let’s go in here,” Mallory says, pointing to a tavern. “We can sober up with coffee and water before heading home.”
“Good idea,” Charlie says, opening the door to let us all file in.
We get settled into a large corner booth and order a round of non-alcoholic drinks.
Lexi points to the television that is showing highlights of the game. “I can’t believe you missed a game for girls’ night,” she says to Murphy.
“It’s not like I’ve never missed a game, Lexi. I miss a lot of the games when I’m working. What do you think DVRs are for?”
“Do you really watch all of them?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Caden thinks I do, but no. I mostly fast-forward to the good parts. I pick out one highlight, something they might not cover on the news, and I tell him about it. It makes him feel important.”
“What is it about men and their need to be the center of the universe?” Mallory says.
“But your man actually is the center of the universe,” Skylar says to Mallory. “I mean, the Thad Stone?” She fans herself melodramatically.
Mallory’s husband is one of the movie stars I’ve worked on at the gym. He goes by his real name, Chad, when he’s not acting. I can’t believe he’s actually an A-list star. He’s so normal and down-to-earth.
“Not to sound too fan-girl or anything,” I say. “But what’s it like being married to one of the world’s hottest actors?”
“Probably the same as it is dating the world’s most eligible baseball player,” she says with a wink.
I roll my eyes. Sometimes I forget the truth of that statement. But only sometimes. Other times my stomach is in knots knowing that thousands of women want him. They want what I have. Well, what I kind of have.
“How do you handle it, Mallory? There are so many women. And Chad has to kiss them and stuff. I can’t imagine.”
She gives me a sympathetic smile. She knows what I’m asking. “It was hard at first. I didn’t trust the girls who threw themselves at him. I didn’t even trust some of the actresses he got paired with. But once I knew he loved me, it got easier. Because no matter how much I don’t trust the women, I trust Chad.”
“But how did you know you could trust him?”
“I just did.” She puts her hand on top of mine. “You’ll know when you know.”
“Look!” Lexi says, pointing to the TV. “They won. That’s fifteen in a row. They are setting up for a press conference.”
It’s late and the tavern is relatively quiet. Murphy asks the bartender if he could turn up the volume on the television.
We all watch as the manager of the Nighthawks talks about the winning streak. Then Cole Crawford talks about being the most winning pitcher on the team right now. My eyes fall to the table. I know that must kill Brady.
Murphy touches my arm in empathy.
Cole gets asked about Brady and he waves someone up to the mic. “Why not let him speak for himself?” he asks, surrendering his chair to Brady.
Brady sits down confidently, looking uber-handsome in his all-too-clean jersey.
“How’s the arm?” a reporter asks.
He holds it up. “Getting stronger every day.”
“Any idea when you’ll be off the DL?”
“Soon,” he says.
My eyes are glued to the TV as he gets asked some more technical questions about his injury which he answers very diplomatically.
“Rumor has it, you’ve met a special lady and you’re off the market, Brady,” another reporter asks. “Care to comment on that?”
All eyes at the table turn to me. My heart races and my palms become sweaty.
“I don’t ever like to talk about my personal life, haven’t you learned that by now?”
Another reporter starts asking a question, but Brady cuts him off. “But in this case, I’m happy to confirm that the rumors are true. I do indeed have a girlfriend.” He pretends to look at his non-existent watch. “Well, as of midnight tonight, I will.”
“Midnight? Why midnight?” the reporter asks.
“Nothing. Next question,” Brady says.
“What’s the lucky girl’s name?”
“I meant next question about baseball,” he says. “Anyone? Okay, I guess I’m done. Jason, you want to talk?” He hands the mic over to the team owner.
I’m left with my chin in my lap. “Did he just …?”
“Yup,” Murphy says.
“Oh, my God.”
Several of my friends squeal in delight.
“What happens at midnight?” Baylor asks.
“At midnight, it becomes June 1st,” I tell her, still reeling over his declaration. “I gave him until then to prove to me he was done with other women. He said that would be the day he called me his girlfriend. I just didn’t think he would tell the whole world.”
“But he didn’t say your name,” Baylor says.
Murphy shakes her head. “Doesn’t matter. Everyone knows he’s taken now and that was his intention. Talk about grand gestures, Rylee. That man just put himself out there. The most private guy I know just gave up a very personal detail.”
I stare at the TV as the news anchor glosses over the story of the winning streak in favor of Brady’s uncharacteristic declaration. “There you have it, New York,” he says. “And if I were a betting man, I’d bet the quest to find out who this girl is will pale the quest to find out who shot J.R. back in the eighties.”
I drop my forehead and bang it on the table.
“What’s wrong?” Lexi says. “This is a good thing, isn’t it?”
“Maybe,” I say looking up at her. “Or maybe Brady has just made me enemy number one.”
Mallory, Murphy and Piper all try to comfort me, being that they have been in my position in one way or another.
“They’ll get over it soon enough,” Mallory says. “In two months, this will be old news.”
“Just remember who your friends are,” Piper says. “You can trust every woman at this table, but you can’t trust anyone else. People will try to break you up. Crazy women from his past may become jealous and try to sabotage your relationship. Don’t go jumping to conclusions and believe them.”
“You say that as if you speak from experience,” I say.
“Sadly, I do. Even after I trusted Mason, I still almost let someone rip us apart.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I say, tearing up at the gravity of my situation.
“Do you love him?” Murphy asks.
I stare at her. How could she possibly know?
“Do you?” she prods again.
I close my eyes and nod.
“I knew it,” she says. “And he loves you too. I’m just as sure of that, Rylee.”
“But … Stryker.” I look at her with sad eyes.
“Brady will come around,” she whispers to me. “Healing has a funny way of happening slowly and then all at once.”
Murphy stands up and puts money on the table. “Come on, you’re going to need your sleep. After all, at midnight you transform into a girlfriend.”
Suddenly I’m excited and terrified all at once. He’s talked about tomorrow so much I fear it will be a huge letdown when it actually happens. I fear I’ll be a letdown. He’s put me on a pedestal these past six months. How can I live up to that?
Maybe that’s not the problem. Maybe the problem is that I can never measure up to a ghost who was his first love. To the woman in the picture who will always be perfect in his eyes. And to the son who can never be replaced.