Dylan (Wild Men)

by Melissa Belle

  “There was this old trick I used at my first apartment. If you prop the antenna against something…” I grab the Bible from the drawer and use it to hold the antenna in place. “Sometimes…” Suddenly we get reception. “It works!” I clap. “See? Awesome.”

  Dylan smiles and kisses my head. “You’re amazing.”

  “I’m handy. I can wire a house too. My first foster parent had a brother who’s an electrician, and he was over all the time. I followed him around, even went on a few jobs with him some Saturdays.” I was desperate for attention back then. Drew was willing to have an apprentice, and he taught me what he knew. It was pretty much all about wiring with him. When it came to emotional issues, he was useless, but if it had to do with electricity, he was a pro.

  “You seriously can wire a house?” Dylan asks me.

  “You’ve got secrets too you know. Remember—you’re the one who knows all about art and waiting tables. Nobody’s just a one-trick pony right?”

  Dylan turns off the TV. “I hope not. Sometimes it feels that way.”

  I put my hand in his. “Where to?”

  “My cousins are already at the bar. But first, let’s stop by the high school. I’ll show you the football field at night. It’s going to be cold, so bring your gloves. I’ll text Bray we’ll meet them soon.”

  The football stadium dominates the school grounds. It’s the only thing I see as we pull into a parking space and step out into the lighted lot.

  We walk slowly toward the field, ignoring the biting wind in our faces. I’m mesmerized by images flashing through my mind of Dylan winning big games, being carried around on his teammates’ shoulders, and the whole town putting up banners on the streets to celebrate the team’s victory. It must have been quite a rush. When I mention this to Dylan, he smiles.

  “Yeah, it was cool,” he says. “I wasn’t the starter all four years. Sophomore year I split time with a guy.”

  “Where’d he end up?”

  “He went to U. Montana,” Dylan says. “Majored in finance of some kind. He was a smart guy, and a good friend. Didn’t play pro.”

  We take a seat on the chilly bleachers and I stare out at the goalposts. “I’ve never even caught a football. Isn’t that funny?”

  Dylan’s eyes light up. “Let’s change that now.”

  He takes my hand, and we walk down the steps together. Underneath the back bleacher, he shows me a few footballs lying around.

  “Always here,” he says as he picks one up. “Been years, and they still hide them in the same place.”

  He teaches me how to throw, and he catches all of them, even my horribly off-base attempts. He teaches me how to catch, and he throws perfect soft spirals directly to me over and over until I’ve caught a few in a row. It’s cold outside, but I get hot from the exertion.

  “Two forms of real exercise in one day is a record,” I call to him as I catch one last pass.

  He laughs and picks me up in his arms. “You’re good.”

  I smile and kiss him. We’re at the fifty-yard line, making out with me in his arms, and I’m still holding the football when I hear, “Dylan Wild! With a lady no less.”

  Dylan lowers me to the ground and looks over my shoulder. His face breaks into a huge grin.

  “Brayden!” Dylan calls out. “You got my text?”

  Brayden reaches us in a run. He throws his arm around Dylan’s neck. “I ducked out of the bar to make sure you were actually going to show up and not spend all your time showing off your hometown.”

  “Brayden, this is Jasalie.”

  Brayden shakes my hand and then grins at Dylan. “You two are serious.”

  “How can you tell that?” I say quickly.

  Brayden turns to me. “Dylan never takes any woman onto a football field. That’s his sacred space.”

  I like Brayden right away. He’s hot too, in a less conventional way than Dylan. His dirty blond hair is shaggy and nearly goes past his ears. He’s about my height and looks like an athlete also.

  “What do you do, Jasalie?”

  “Um…” I always hate talking about Apex.

  “Jasalie’s an artist,” Dylan says proudly, and I look at him in relief. “A sculptor.”

  “Oh, cool.” Brayden’s eyes brighten.

  “Along with Colton, Brayden was my favorite receiver senior year of high school,” Dylan says to me. “Now he’s a coach for Wilcox High. He could have played pro if he’d wanted to.”

  Brayden chuckles. “Not all of us had the same drive to succeed as you and Colton do, Dyl. I like staying here in Montana. It’s where I’ll raise my kids.”

  “Are you married?” I say politely.

  Brayden bursts out laughing. “Not even close. But someday I will be.”

  I look at his handsome face that’s as honest and trustworthy as Dylan’s. “I’m sure you will,” I say.

  “Cam just got to the bar,” Brayden says to Dylan. “His flight was late. His dad’s—you know.” His voice lowers at the mention of Cam’s dad, and Dylan frowns.

  “Still on him, huh?” Dylan says.

  “Yeah. So he needs a break tonight,” Brayden continues. “Ayd and Jenson are already there. We called Colt already, just to bug him.”

  Dylan laughs. “On his freaking honeymoon? Did he kill you?”

  Brayden’s smile widens. “Came close. He put Sky on the phone, and she politely put us in our place. Told us that unless it’s an emergency, her husband is requesting a contact-free zone for the week.”

  When we reach our car, Dylan tells Brayden we’ll follow him to the bar.

  Brayden waves good-bye to me before getting into his truck.

  “Sorry to spring one of the cousins on you like that,” Dylan says to me as we drive off. “I didn’t think he’d show up at the field, but I should have known better. My cousins aren’t exactly shy.”

  “I’m happy to meet all of them,” I say as I try to fix my hair in the car mirror.

  I can’t see very well, though, and we’ve already pulled into Clyde’s parking lot.

  “You look beautiful,” Dylan says.

  I smile at him, but I feel like I don’t really belong here. All these people meeting up for drinks feels like old times plus one.

  “Maybe I should take the car back to the motel,” I suggest. “I can come pick you up later.”

  But Dylan takes my hand. “Please come with me. You’ll have a good time. I promise.”

  Brayden meets us outside the front of the bar. As soon as the three of us walk inside the doors and the customers see Dylan, the yelling gets so deafeningly loud I nearly block my ears. He waves and smiles like this is nothing, but the energy coming at us terrifies me. I wonder if this is what it feels like to come out of the tunnel before games. Or to meet with the hordes of media after games.

  Dylan introduces me to everyone in sight. Most of the men are wearing cowboy hats or baseball caps, and the women are dressed casually in jeans and sweaters. The bartender’s filling up pitchers of beer so quickly it’s like he’s afraid we’ll run out before he’s served up another.

  I shake my head no at the offer of a beer, but Dylan takes one for himself. I try to force myself into my social mode by striking up a conversation with the man next to me, but he only has eyes for Dylan. Everything Dylan says, they all laugh. Every time he laughs, they laugh harder. I almost feel like I don’t exist. But I find the whole experience fascinating.

  After about ten minutes of this, the bartender nods to Dylan and gestures toward the back of the bar. Dylan takes my hand as he and Brayden push past the crowd and head for an unmarked door. Brayden opens it, and Dylan ushers me ahead of him into a quiet, dimly-lit back room where three more hot guys are playing pool and laughing.

  They look up as we enter, and all I hear is—

  “Dyl!”

  “No way! You really brought someone with you? You’re going down just like Colt!”

  “Come on over and fill us in!”

  Dylan shuts the do
or firmly behind us, and just like that, the crowded bar disappears. And I’m left facing three curious stares.

  “Jasalie,” Dylan says in a soft tone, his arm around me protectively. “These are the rest of my cousins.”

  After a short while of each cousin talking over himself to explain who each of them is, I think I can put the right name to the face.

  Jenson’s not really a Wild, but he and Colton met as kids, and now he’s considered one of them. He’s blond and a former football player who, like Brayden, chose another path. He says he’s got twin sons who he adores, but when I ask about his wife, his expression turns dark, and he makes it clear that he’s single. He tells me he flew in from Pennsylvania and that he wouldn’t have missed meeting me for the world.

  I raise an eyebrow as Dylan and Brayden start up a game of pool a few feet away from us. “How come?”

  “Because,” Cameron, the dark-haired hockey playing cousin from Minnesota tells me in a lowered voice, “Dylan doesn’t trust any—and I mean any—woman. So if he’s bringing you home like this, you must have gotten through some serious combination locks.”

  “So you’re a hockey player?” I say politely, in a blatant effort to change the subject.

  He nearly scowls at the question.

  “Sorry,” I say quickly. “I must have misheard.”

  “No.” He shakes his head. “I’m sorry for overreacting. I’ve been thinking of quitting, but my dad won’t give up the dream.”

  “I hope everything works out for you.”

  Cam relaxes at my calm tone. “Thanks. So. We’ve met a few of Dylan’s dates before but never in his home state. So back to you and how you’re the first woman Dylan’s brought home to Montana. Must be serious.”

  I smile and again glance over at Dylan. He’s fully engaged in the game with Brayden, and both of them are cracking up at Dylan’s poor shot.

  “It wasn’t supposed to be,” I say finally.

  Cam breaks into a laugh. “You’re honest. That’s exactly what Dylan needs. I can’t imagine all the yes people he’s surrounded by in that crazy world of his. One reason I never want to go into the majors.”

  “I can understand what you mean. Seeing into his world this past week has certainly been an eye-opener.”

  “Are you in entertainment at all? Since you live in L.A., I have to ask, of course.” He grins like he’s a natural flirt but is doing his best to rein it in with me. “Not to pigeonhole you, but you’re beautiful and clearly could be a model or an actress.”

  Jenson groans. “Easy on the creep factor, Cam.”

  I smile. “It’s okay. No, I’m not. I try to avoid that part of Los Angeles, honestly.”

  He raises his beer to me. “You’re good for Dylan. I hope you can make it work.”

  “Yeah, Colton told us about the crazy deal Dylan offered you,” Ayden says, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement underneath his blue baseball cap with the red B in the center. “Any woman who takes a deal like that from a damn stranger must be someone special. Hey Dyl!” he calls out. “Did that tight-ass see the photos and agree to back your charity yet?”

  Dylan’s looking at his phone as he and Brayden walk over to us. Dylan’s eyes find mine as he answers Ayden’s question with a nod and a, “Yeah, he did.”

  Ayden puts up his hand to me for a high-five. I laugh and slap his hand.

  “I didn’t do anything other than pose for a few photos.”

  Dylan leans in and kisses my temple. “She’s the only reason I got it.”

  I turn to him. “I didn’t even know you’d found out.”

  He holds up his phone so I can see the screen. “Tim literally just texted me the news.”

  I read the congratulatory message, and then I impulsively kiss Dylan. “I’m so happy for you,” I say in his ear.

  His arms go tightly around me, and I hear Cameron say quietly enough that I don’t think I’m supposed to hear, “She’s nothing like any of the other women we met through him in L.A. Thank fuck.”

  “No, she’s not.” The woman talking sounds familiar for some reason, but my face is still buried in Dylan’s shoulder. “Cam, your inside voice needs some work. We can all hear you, including the amazing person you’re talking about.”

  Cam laughs. “No offense meant, Jasalie. We all like you already. That’s all I meant.”

  I pull back from Dylan and start to tell Cam I understand and not to worry when—

  “Bella?” I slap my hand to my mouth as I stare at my old friend from Apex. “I thought I recognized your voice!”

  Bella’s long blond hair gets caught in my jacket as we rush each other in a hug. We spin around in a circle as she says, “I was just in the bathroom! I flew here with Ayden last-minute. I was hoping you’d be here, and I wanted to surprise you.”

  I forgot just how beautiful Bella Wesley is; without even trying, she’s got every eye in the room focused on her. Her black jeans hug her toned legs, and her cream turtleneck sweater accentuates her slender figure.

  She throws her arms around Dylan, and he kisses her on the cheek. “How’ve you been?” he asks her.

  “I live in Maine,” she says, and I laugh.

  “That’s all you ever say to me when I ask you the same question,” I tell her. “What does Maine mean to you?”

  Her hazel eyes darken, and she shrugs noncommittally.

  Ayden, whose gaze has never left Bella since she walked in, puts down his beer. He steps up to her and brushes a stray blond hair off her face. “Bella’s doing great,” he says, his eyes focused solely on her.

  Cam taps my shoulder and whispers, “Watch this,” as he passes by me.

  He walks straight up to Bella and holds out his arms. “We haven’t gotten to hang out yet tonight,” he says, his white teeth flashing.

  Bella turns away from Ayden and gives Cam a hug. He holds on longer than necessary, and she pats his back awkwardly.

  The rest of the room goes silent, and I watch as everyone’s head turns to Ayden, whose jaw is clenched so tight I can see it from here.

  “You look gorgeous tonight,” Cam says to Bella loudly with a purposeful glance at Ayden.

  And if looks could kill, Ayden’s would have sent Cam through the nearest wall.

  “Back off her.” Ayden’s command is lethally low. “I’m only going to tell you once.”

  Cam lets go of Bella, but his grin widens. “I didn’t realize Bella was taken, Wild. You should have filled us in on your status change. We thought you two were ‘just friends.’ Isn’t that what you always say?”

  Ayden narrows his blue eyes on Cam, and Dylan lets out a chuckle. “Cam, point made. Let it go.”

  Bella shoves Cam playfully on the shoulder. “Yeah, go find somebody else to mess with.”

  Brayden and Jenson drag Cam over to the pool table, and the tension breaks.

  Bella shifts closer to Ayden. She fixes her attention on him like he’s the only person in the room, and then she whispers something into his ear. His jaw relaxes, and when she steps away from him, I could swear his hand twitches like he wants to pull her back into his side.

  But he doesn’t. He lets her go, and I drag Bella away from all the boys and sit with her at a private table in the corner of the room.

  “I don’t get how they’re all cousins,” I say. “I never got the whole story from Dylan.”

  “Their fathers are brothers,” she explains. “All the guys in this room, plus Colton, are around the same age give or take a few years. Brayden’s the oldest and Cam’s the youngest. Jenson might as well be a cousin; he goes with them everywhere.” She smiles. “They’re like the brothers I never had.”

  “So Ayden’s like a brother, too?” I say, watching closely for her reaction.

  She noticeably flushes. “Um. That would be a no comment.”

  “Huh. So what’s up with you and him?” I ask her.

  She flips her hair from one shoulder to the other as she vigorously shakes her head. “Nothing.”
/>   “Bullshit,” I say. “The sparks between you two should be illegal.”

  Bella’s lips quirk up, but she just shrugs. “Ayden and I don’t go there.”

  “Go where?”

  “Past best friends.”

  “Why not? You look perfect together.”

  “Because.” She gives me a look like I’ve missed the memo. “Ayden and I are best friends. You know what happens when best friends try to be more and it doesn’t work out?”

  “You’ve lost me.”

  She pats my arm. “Because you don’t have an Ayden, someone who’s been there for you through everything. I know how lucky I am, Jasalie. I would never risk losing that.”

  “Oh.” I get it now. I still don’t agree with her, but I’m not going to argue the point. I’m no one to give relationship advice.

  “So.” She tilts her head in the direction of Dylan. “Spill.”

  I give her a brief overview, finishing with, “I have a weird feeling something’s about to screw it all up.”

  She slaps her hand to her forehead and groans. “Oh no. Don’t do this ‘other shoe’s going to drop’ thing. Not everyone is a leaver.”

  I sneak a peek at Dylan, who’s laughing with Brayden. He catches me looking, and he winks. His gesture is so sweet, so focused on me that my chest constricts painfully.

  “I know. I’ve just been having this bad feeling…”

  “You and Dylan may have some bumps ahead of you,” she says. “But you’re not going to be over. No way. You didn’t come this far to have it all fall apart.”

  Looking back at tonight, I wish I’d been wrong. And if I’d known now what was truly about to happen, I would’ve kept my mouth shut. Because things were about to detonate, and nothing I said to try to prepare myself was going to help.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Dylan’s pretty buzzed, and I’m completely sober when we finally leave the bar. I drive us back to the V Motel, and he rambles on during the ride, mostly about the guys who grabbed him on our way out the door, the ones he hasn’t kept up with.

  “Can’t believe Dirk’s wife left him. And Carl—another baby, and he got fired again? I don’t know how to help more. I always offer, but he won’t ever take money. I understand; I’ve never liked taking hand-outs, either, but I’ve known him my whole life. We’ve never been close, but still.”