Fumbled Love

by Lila Rose

  He gave me a sweet smile. “Reagan, it’s fine. Once he gets over the shock, he’ll be back to normal.”

  I scoffed. “I doubt that. We’re not a normal family.”

  He winked, and my body shivered. “I like different.”

  Sweet Mother Mary.

  He liked different.

  I was different.

  “Reagan’s always been different,” Dad announced as he entered.

  Slumping back on the couch, I groaned. “Next you’ll try and sell me to Carter.”

  Dad stopped. He glanced to Carter, his brows rose. “Is that an option?”

  “Dad!” I yelled.

  “Herb,” Mom snapped as she entered. “We talked about this.”

  “Yeah. Okay.” He sighed, and then continued forward with Carter’s beer. “Here you go, Carter Anthony.”

  He was worse than me.

  “Just Carter, Mr. Wild.”

  Dad giggled. Never in my life had I thought Dad would ever giggle, but there it was.

  He was going to kill himself after we left.

  “You can call me Herb.”

  “Okay. Thanks, Herb.” Carter took the beer from Dad’s shaky hand. Mom came forward and handed me a lemonade.

  They sat on the couch opposite us.

  “Where’s Fozzie?” I asked.

  Mom rolled her eyes. “He’s in a timeout. The monster chewed up a pair of my panties.”

  I waved my hand around. “Okay, moving on.”

  Mom snorted, then turned to Carter… uh-oh.

  “So, Carter, do you like to play with balls?” Mom asked. It wasn’t the question that unnerved me, because Carter did play with balls, it was the way Mom said it, the innuendo in her voice, and her brows rising up and down with it.

  Dad gasped. “Elaine.”

  “Oh my God. Kill me now, please,” I begged.

  Carter just laughed it off. “I do actually. It’s worked out well for me so far.”

  “I’ll say,” Dad said with a big proud grin.

  I took a sip of my drink to stop myself from laughing, despite my embarrassment. However, the way Carter talked to Mom about football and with the content smile on his face, he didn’t seem to mind at all.

  It put me at ease, the simple action of taking my parents as they were. Really, who was I to ask them to behave and not be themselves for someone I hardly knew? I shouldn’t have, and I was glad they weren’t… at least most of the time. But if Dad offered me up again, I was going to trip the idiot up.

  A buzzer sounded, and Mom bounced up, and sang, “Dinner’s ready.”

  We all made our way into the dining room. Dad helped Mom dish out the meal and bring it to the table. At first, Carter offered to help, but Dad ushered him into a seat and told him to rest. My eyes widened a fraction before I sat in my chair opposite Carter when I caught Dad leaning into Carter, as if he were either going to smell him or kiss him on the head.

  “Dad!” I cried. His body jolted. “Erm, Mom needs help.”

  “Right,” he said and quickly left.

  Carter smirked across at me. “Since I’ve come to dinner at your parents’, I think you’ll need to come to mine. If my mom found out I was here first, she’d kick me in the ass.”

  Dinner.

  At his parents’ place.

  Friends did do that… right?

  Well, he was here, sitting at my parents’ table.

  So I supposed I could do that.

  I gulped. “Uh, sure?”

  His smirk formed into a full grin. “Great.”

  “What’s great?” Mom asked as she entered. Carter stood to help her with the tray of vegetables. She gave him a warm smile.

  After he sat back down, and Dad had placed his meat tray on the table, Carter said, “I was saying to Reagan it’d be great if she came to my family’s house for dinner one night.”

  They both looked from him to me. I was sure I saw Dad’s eyes tear up.

  Mom cleared her throat. “So, um, you two are just friends, right?”

  “Yes,” I said quickly. Then laughed nervously. “Friends. In fact, Carter and I used to go to high school together. Not that we knew each other back then, but we do now, and it’s good to have male friends. They’re… handy.” Handy? Handy for what? “For, um, you know, fixing things and, uh, stuff.”

  “And for protecting,” Carter added. My parents’ gaze swung his way. A soft pink shaded his cheeks. “Because a woman can never have enough people protecting them from, you know, men and such.”

  “Right,” Dad drew out, then sniffed. “Friends. It’s good.” He nodded.

  “Are you gay?” Mom blurted.

  Carter had just taken a drink and then choked, spraying the contents of his mouth to the table in front of him.

  “Mom, you can’t ask that,” I scolded.

  “Elaine, he’s not gay,” Dad growled.

  Carter cleared his throat. “No, Mrs. Wild—”

  “Elaine.”

  Carter nodded. “Elaine, I’m not gay.”

  “Okay then.” She smiled, and then looked at me and winked. I ran a hand over my face and groaned. Would I even survive the night? I wasn’t so sure.

  Chapter Twelve

  Carter

  Reagan’s parents were a damn hoot. Like their daughter, Elaine didn’t seem to have a filter. It seemed I wouldn’t have to try too hard to win them over, either. In fact, I was sure Herb loved me already. It’d been on the tip of my tongue to take him up on the many offerings of having his daughter, but I refrained.

  I had to get Reagan to fall for me as much as her parents were. Actually more.

  Throughout dinner, Reagan seemed to relax more. She’d been shocked, embarrassed, and perturbed by her parents and worried on how I would react to them, but it was the best night I’d had in so goddamn long.

  It was what I’d wanted all along.

  A special someone who would sit around with me and the family, just enjoying each other’s company. Someone to share things with. Someone who meant a great deal to me, so much so I’d want to spend the rest of my life with them.

  I was already seeing that someone as Reagan.

  It was scary as hell, because it was so fast, but I blamed my infatuation back in high school for me wanting to go full-steam ahead.

  Reagan was a whole package deal. Funny, sweet, shy, bumbling, hot, and damn amazing. How could I deny what I was already feeling when it was so strong? Even though I was a man’s man, I was in touch with my feelings and they were all pointed toward Reagan.

  Hell, that sounded cheesy.

  Did I care? Not at all.

  “—and then I had to go and get a drunk Tom and Dad from the bar after they got kicked out and banned for making a scene,” Reagan finished, and I had to laugh. It wasn’t about the story, though it was entertaining, or the way Herb cursed her for telling it in the first place. It was because of her giggle. The way her voice tinkled like a little bell, the way her eyes shone with mirth. Her laughter was catching. I wanted to laugh with her because she made people enjoy the story.

  “Hmm,” Elaine suddenly said. I turned to see she’d been watching me instead of her daughter or husband.

  Shit. Could she tell I wanted her daughter?

  “Tell me something, Carter,” she said. Reagan and Herb’s attention went to us.

  “Y-yes?” I suddenly felt like my collar on my tee was too tight. Had she seen me look at Reagan in a puppy-dog adoration kind of way? My gut twisted, worried my feelings were out of the bag before I even got to share them with Reagan.

  Did I need to move things up?

  Should I declare to Reagan right then I wanted to date her before her mom said anything else?

  She grinned, and that grin didn’t put me at ease.

  “Do you have a home in town? I heard you still had a house a few hours away. How does that work? You must get sick of traveling or do you stay someplace in town for when you play? Once your football career is done, since you mentioned coac
hing before, will you be looking for a job around here?”

  What was with the twenty questions?

  At least none of them were about my infatuation with her daughter.

  So maybe she didn’t see anything.

  “Mom, Carter doesn’t—”

  “It’s okay, Reagan.” I smiled at her. She studied me a moment.

  “At least let’s head to the living room to get comfy before answering,” she suggested.

  “Sounds good,” Elaine said.

  We all stood and started for the living room when I felt my wrist seized. Since Elaine and Herb were in front of me, I knew it wasn’t them. I was spun back around, and Reagan got close. She even went up on her tippy-toes to get in my face. “We can go. The back door is just through the kitchen. We can slip out and make a run for it.”

  I snorted, shaking my head at her, but I did it smiling. Reaching over, I ran my hand up and down the top of her arm, and was pleased to feel her shiver from my touch.

  “Honestly, it’s a couple of normal questions by concerned parents who know we’ll be spending time with each other.”

  Her eyes widened.

  “As friends,” I added, and felt like crap for adding it since it was a lie. Perhaps our initial time together would be based on friendship. But I wanted her to know a lot of couples who started out as friends stayed together forever. I just hadn’t figured out how to share that yet. And hell, so soon into our “friendship,” there was the real fear of moving far too fast for Reagan, possibly enough to send her running. But I was basing the whole friends-to-lovers phenomenon off my parents. They’d started out as friends until Dad wore Mom down to date him—my dad’s words—and they were still very much in love.

  She licked her lips. I wanted to follow the trail with my own tongue. “Okay.” She nodded and dropped my wrist. “But if at any time it gets scary in there, because it could—Mom may bring up your past sexual partners for some reason—then you give me the signal.”

  I winked. “I will.”

  When we walked into the living room, Elaine asked, “Anything wrong?”

  “Nope,” Reagan replied. “All good. Peachy in fact.”

  “Good.” Elaine clapped. “Take a seat you two.”

  We sat on the couch opposite Elaine and Herb, Reagan close beside me. I noticed Herb quickly glance away. Did the man have tears in his eyes?

  What the hell?

  Why?

  Unless Elaine did see my starry-eyed look at her daughter and she’d told Herb, who no doubt would be overwhelmed with the possibility of Reagan and I being more than friends.

  Would they say anything to her?

  Push their daughter on me more?

  I didn’t want that to happen because it could do the opposite and Reagan would probably not want to spend any time with me if her parents were forcing her on me.

  “Carter?” Elaine called.

  “Ah, yeah. So to answer you’re earlier questions, I’ve been wanting to move back for a while, but until recently, I’ve been reluctant to leave my beach house.”

  “But now you want to?”

  “Yes, or at the very least keep it to rent out. Then I can have someplace to stay on my holidays.”

  “So do you enjoy the traveling all the time?” Elaine asked.

  “Dad?” Reagan called out to Herb. “Are you okay?”

  Elaine scoffed. “He’s fine. Allergies are playing up.”

  Reagan’s brows dipped. “But he doesn’t have allergies.”

  Herb sniffed. “I’m good.”

  Clearing my throat, I answered Elaine’s question. “No, I don’t actually enjoy it. That’s why I’ve been staying in a hotel on the really long days of meetings, training, and games.”

  “Why not your parents’ home?” Elaine asked.

  “Or Dustin’s?” Reagan added, with a small frown on her lips.

  I shrugged. “Dustin has things going on, North has a one-bedroom apartment, and I didn’t want to live with my parents again.” Reagan snorted. She understood. No one wanted to ever live with their parents again after moving out. “I’m also waiting to find the perfect place for myself.”

  “Must be terrible flitting here and there all the time. And hotels aren’t always pleasant,” Elaine commented.

  Running a hand through my hair, I said, “It’s not bad.”

  Elaine slapped her hand down on Herb’s leg. He jumped. “I have a perfect idea.”

  “Oh no,” I heard Reagan mutter beside me.

  “What’s that?” I asked, trying not to laugh.

  “You can move in here.” Both Herb and Reagan gasped. A big smile soon formed on Herb’s and Reagan paled.

  “Ah….”

  “It’s perfect. We have the room, and we’re not your parents. You can start renting your place out while you take your time finding the perfect house for yourself. Here would be way better than a hotel.” Elaine smiled, her hands rubbing together like an evil genius. I didn’t understand it.

  Until I saw the panic on Reagan’s face.

  Could Elaine be playing her daughter? But why?

  Reagan stood, then sat back down, only to shift on the seat to the edge while running her hands up and down her thighs.

  “He can’t,” she announced.

  “I can’t?” I asked.

  “Why not?” Herb questioned with a pout.

  “Because, he, um, he’s moving into my place.”

  Holy crap.

  Holy, holy, crap.

  Elaine was an evil genius.

  “I am?” I questioned slowly and then wanted to slap myself for questioning it in the first place. Hell, if Reagan was offering up her place, I was all for it because it meant more time with her… in her house… in close quarters with the woman I was obsessed with.

  Wow.

  The day had just gotten better.

  “But Carter just said he was living in a hotel,” Herb commented.

  “I did.” I nodded. Jesus, shut the hell up, man.

  Reagan laughed nervously. “Yes, but, ah, it was just a new idea. I brought it up on the way over here and he, um, he wasn’t sure about it, but I think he’s, ah, still thinking about it, right?” Reagan asked me. I was starting to get a little worried about how green her face was becoming.

  “Yes. That’s, uh, right. But I’ve concluded it’s a great idea.”

  “You did?” Reagan squeaked out.

  “Well then, that’s fantastic.” Elaine beamed. “When are you moving in? In fact, we’ll help you move in.”

  “When?” I asked.

  “Yes, when?” she queried.

  “Now hang on,” Herb said. “I liked the idea of Carter staying here.”

  Elaine spun her gaze to her husband and glared. Shit, I was even scared of that look.

  Herb sat straighter. “Then again, we wouldn’t want to cramp your style. Moving in with Reagan would be better than here.” He looked at his daughter. “It’s nice of you to help out your friend, honey.” He paused. “Honey?”

  We all glanced at Reagan. She seemed to be in some type of daze, looking down at her lap. Her hands fidgeted with the ends of her summer dress… and what a summer dress it was. It fit her body perfectly.

  “Reagan?” Elaine called.

  “Present!” she yelled, and then blushed. I stifled my laugh behind my hand with a fake cough. “Sorry.” She smiled softly. “I was, um, just thinking of the best day to move Carter in.”

  “What about next weekend? Saturday, since Carter has a game Sunday?” Herb said.

  “S-sure?” she said, and it sounded like its own question. I had to double check Reagan would be okay with it.

  “Great.” Elaine clapped again, and she seemed so smug with the plan. I didn’t blame her; it was pretty brilliant.

  Did it mean Elaine and Herb gave me their blessing with their daughter?

  I guessed it did.

  Hell, I felt myself puff up like a proud peacock.

  “Let’s have some cake to ce
lebrate. Herb, come and help me in the kitchen.” Elaine stood, and when Herb hesitated, she grabbed the neck of his tee and pulled him up.

  As soon as they were out of sight, I turned to Reagan, however, before I could say anything she whispered frantically, “You have to move in. If you don’t they’ll know I lied, I hate lying to my parents. You have to move in—” She gulped. “—with me, into my house, my home… even if it’s just for a little while, just so my parents don’t catch me in the lie.” She shrugged. “I mean, I could tell them you don’t want to but I know them, they’ll pressure you into moving in with them and that….” She shuddered. “It wouldn’t be good. If you did, you’d probably wake in the middle of the night with Dad standing over you just staring down at you. Worse, Mom will follow you around and tell you how important it is to practice safe sex and then you’ll find condoms appearing all over the place to make sure you wrap it before you tap it.” She turned red after saying that. “You have to move in… with me.”

  “Okay.”

  Her eyes widened. “Okay?”

  I smiled. “Yeah, okay. I don’t mind. We get along great, and you’ll be saving me money on a hotel. So really, you’re doing me a favor.”

  She blinked slowly. “Well… okay then.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled.

  “Um, no worries?”

  “As long as you’re sure you don’t mind if I move in. I mean, I won’t be there much. I have gym in the morning and practice in the afternoon, which makes me tired, so I’ll probably just come home and crash after it.”

  “Oh, sure, it won’t be a problem.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Reagan

  It won’t be a problem?

  It was a big problem.

  The biggest out of anything else that had happened to me.

  Carter Anthony was moving in with me, and it was all my parents’ fault.

  Oh God. Carter was moving into my home, my house, with me.

  Insert a huge amount of freak-outs. But I couldn’t let him move in with my parents; I wasn’t even sure if he would. I just couldn’t risk it. He wouldn’t survive. Hell, I nearly didn’t. Okay, that was a lie. I loved my parents with everything in me, but it would be different for an outsider staying with them all the time. Carter only had a few hours of them; multiply that by all the time, and he would certainly be admitting himself into an insane asylum.