by Toni Aleo
God, what I wouldn’t give for confidence like that.
She’s exquisite.
“What are you staring at like that?”
I jump at the sound of Shea’s voice. Looking at him with wide eyes, I shake my head. “Nothing. My neck hurts.”
When I rub it, he gives me a look. “You’re breathing so hard your glasses are fogging up, you dork.”
I glare as he chuckles and heads to where Elli and the kids are waiting. Shelli and Amelia are still hugging, acting as if this is the last time they’ll see each other.
“She’ll be back next week!”
“I’ll miss her,” Amelia says, kissing her cheek. “Do big things.”
“Done, and you too. Next time, I want an all-around!”
Amelia nods. “Done. I love you.”
“I love you.” Shelli then looks to me. “I guess you’re okay.”
I roll my eyes. “Love you too, jerk.”
She flashes me a bright grin before kissing Mom and then catching up with her family. I watch as they leave, that is, until my mom asks, “Wanna go to lunch?”
“Sure! Can Sofia come?” Amelia asks.
I’m basically bouncing on my heels like a five-year-old while I wait for the answer. Say yes, Mom!
“Of course. If she can. She looks mighty busy.”
We all glance into the gym to find Sofia still talking to those guys in suits.
Amelia bites her lip. “Let me go see. One second.”
She takes off, and Mom takes my hand in hers. I look over, smiling. “You have fun today?”
“I did.” She exhales loudly. “Though, I miss your dad something fierce. He would have been head over heels watching her today. She was magnificent.”
“She was.”
“Can you believe it’s gonna be three years?”
Swallowing past the lump in my throat, I slowly shake my head. “No, it feels like it just happened.”
Before Mom can comment, Amelia is running back to us. “She has to stay. The school and local papers are going to do a whole interview and then take pictures. Sofia says thank you, though, and hopes to get a rain check.”
“Of course.” Even with the pain filling my mom’s features, she beams as she waves back to Sofia. A beautiful grin is on Sofia’s face, so bright and wide. While I know it’s not for me, my heart still skips a beat at the sight of it. It’s breathtaking, and I want so desperately to be the recipient of it.
Good Lord. I’m sprung on this girl.
That’s not good.
“She seems nice.”
“She’s great,” Amelia answers as she and Mom lock their arms together. “I want hot chicken.”
“Of course you do,” I tease, and she beams back at me. It annoys me that she hasn’t commented on my text or written me back. I know she’s seen it. She’s holding her phone, and she’s updated her Snapchat three times since the end of the meet. She’s ignoring me, and I want to trip her for it.
I’ll refrain. I don’t want to upset my mom. Or hurt Amelia.
She does have a career and all.
Looking back into the gym, I watch Sofia for one more second as my mind goes wild. I’m half tempted to walk up to her and introduce myself, but I don’t want to come on too strong. Plus, having a little sister who can talk me up should be a plus for me.
I am a great big brother.
“Come on, Ry!”
Tearing my gaze from Sofia, I smile. If Amelia comes tonight, I know she’ll bring Sofia, which is exactly what I want.
I want to taste Sofia’s lips.
But I’ll be patient, even if I’m the most impatient person in the world.
Running to catch up with Mom and Amelia, I hurry ahead to open my mom’s door for her.
“Such a gentleman.”
“I have great parents,” I say as she gets in, sending me a tight-lipped smile.
I know she’s missing my dad like crazy, and it’s hard. I get it. For the first time in a while, though, I’m thinking about something other than the pain that is rattling my mom’s heart. While I feel a tad guilty, I need an answer about Sofia.
Shutting the door, I hold my hand over the handle for the back.
Amelia’s brows pull together as she looks up at me. “Yes?”
“I know you got my text.”
Her eyes don’t leave mine. “Maybe.”
“Are you going to answer?”
She narrows her eyes a bit. “I told you, she’s out of your league.”
I scoff. “Are you calling me ugly?”
“Not at all. I’m saying she’s gorgeous.”
“So am I. Introduce us. I’ll take it from there.”
She doesn’t say anything at first. “She’s a little standoffish, Ryan. I’ve seen dude after dude try to talk to her, and she just won’t have it. I don’t think she’s looking for anything.”
That doesn’t worry me at all. “Just an introduction. I promise, I don’t need anything else.”
She looks away, shaking her head. “I can come to the Bullies’ parties?”
“All of them.”
“Even Bikini Night?”
I close my eyes, biting my lip. I do not want my sister parading around the house in a bikini, though I do want Sofia doing just that. But I’m a brother before a horny horndog, and if things go well, I can have Sofia in my room in a bikini. I don’t like that party anyway. Something always goes shitty, and then I’m cleaning up someone else’s mess. Last year, there was a sexual assault claim that almost got the house shut down. The guy wasn’t from Bellevue, so we’ve had to step up security. “No way.”
“Then no deal.”
She tries to move around me, but I stop her. “It’s a shitastic party. I hate it, and I refuse to have my baby sister there. Or even the girl I’m attracted to. So, no.”
“How sweet,” she says dryly. “But no.”
“Amelia,” I stress, and she looks up at me, bored.
“What?”
“I’ll introduce you to Moon.”
Her eyes light up. “Really?”
I can introduce her to my roommate with no problems, and he’ll be nice, but then he’ll stay clear of her. Forever. Or I’ll kill him. Amelia doesn’t need to know that, though. So with a nod, I say, “Yes.”
“Great! I’ll bring her to the party tonight!”
Oh, thank God. “Awesome.”
Now it’s time to put on the charm.
Chapter Seven
Sofia
“They gave me a ten on floor, but I don’t think I deserved it.”
My mom’s soft chuckle fills the line, bringing a grin to my face. “Ah, if they gave it to you, it’s right.”
My heart flutters at the excitement in my mom’s voice. I am giddy, I am, but if anything, I’m nervous. My scores today were awesome. I mean, they’ll probably be the scores to beat for those who come after me. But it means I have to beat them. I have to do the best, be the best, and to do that, I have to stay focused. I can’t get carried away with all the hoopla around me.
And what hoopla it is.
Everyone has made such a huge deal about me. From the local newspapers to the Dean to the students, everyone knows my name now. It freaks me out. What if I have an off day at the next meet? What if I suck? I’ll not only be letting down my team, but the university.
Crap!
“You looked beautiful in all the pictures, bella.”
My smile grows as I cross my ankles, touching my toes. “Thanks, Mama. Amelia did my makeup.”
“I can’t wait to meet her. I think Tia and I are going to try to drive to the meet in Missouri.”
I shake my head. “Ma, that’s too far.”
“Won’t be too bad. Tia has a good car that will get us there.”
“No, maybe I can fly you in. I’ll ask.”
“No, don’t ask for more. They do enough for us.”
I press my lips together. They, the sponsorship, really do a lot for me, us, but I don’t want
my mom in a car for that long. It’s not good for her back or her legs. My aunt Tia isn’t very diligent when it comes to Mom’s condition either. Damn it. “Let me see what I can do.”
“All right, my bella. I am so proud of you. The videos are amazing, and I think you did deserve that ten.”
My lips quirk. “I got loose in the third tuck.”
“I couldn’t tell.”
“Neither could anyone else, I guess.”
“Always want to be the best.”
“Because I am.”
She chuckles softly. “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Disconnecting the call, I drop the phone before reaching for my laptop. Going to a cheap tickets site, I search for a flight for my mom. I’m sure Amelia won’t mind her sleeping here when she comes in, so I don’t have to worry about a hotel. Plus, she’ll bring food because she’s crazy. She’s been bringing food when we travel almost my whole life. She never wants me to go hungry. She’s always taken such good care of me, and now, I’m not there to do the same.
Damn it, I should have gone to a school in Nevada.
Gone is the excitement of the meet. Now I’m hit with the guilt I’ve tried so hard to keep at bay. When my eyes start to well up, I close them, trying to keep the tears from falling. Some leak, though, and I feel weak. I made this choice to better myself and ultimately give my mom a good life. I have to keep my eyes on the prize. I can’t start getting homesick. I have to do what I came to do, and that’s to get an education and to open my own gym.
End game, Sofia. Think of the end game!
When the door opens, I wipe my face quickly as Amelia comes in, kicking off her shoes and throwing down her bag. “Mom got you a plate of food. She figured you’d be hungry.”
I put on a bright smile to cover my tears. I don’t smile much, so maybe she won’t notice my red eyes. “She didn’t have to do that.”
She shrugs. “I think my mom might be trying to adopt you since your mom isn’t here to spoil you, and she spoils really well.”
My heart soars. “That’s so kind.”
“My mom is one awesome chick,” she says, handing me the box. It’s from Hattie B’s, a place Amelia talks about endlessly. She loves hot chicken, and by the smell of it, I’m pretty sure I’m not going to hate it. “How late did you end up staying at the gym?”
“I just left. Got here about forty minutes—”
“Why are you looking at flights? Are you going home?” she says, interrupting me. “Are you running out on us already?” she jokes, and I chuckle as I shut my laptop, setting the food on top of it.
“No, my mom wants to come to a meet. But she wants to drive in with my aunt, and I can’t let her do that. She’ll be in so much pain.”
“Yeah, I don’t think that long of a drive would be good for someone who has MS.”
Ah, I hate those two letters. More than I can ever express. I hated it even when I was battling my own injuries. I was more worried for my mom than my issues. It’s so frustrating.
Nodding, I bite the inside of my cheek. “So I was looking at flights, but they cost my arm and probably all my toes, so I don’t know. I’ll have to talk to my adviser to see if she can get my sponsor to pay. Though, my mom doesn’t want that.”
I chance a glance at Amelia to gauge her expression. I hate people feeling bad for me, but Amelia only looks as if she is thinking. “If you don’t want to ask, I know how we can make some money.”
“If this involves making bad decisions, I’m out.”
She laughs as she waves me off, falling onto my bed as her eyes meet mine. “No, dork, my mom is a party planner, and office parties are starting to pick up this time of year. She is always looking for people to work as servers. My cousins and I do it all the time to get extra cash because our parents are trying to teach us to fend for ourselves and not live off them.”
“How’s that going?”
She rolls her eyes. “Horribly. We’re all terribly spoiled, and they give us money in the end.” I chuckle as she beams, her grin so bright. “But for real. We can work like two weeks’ worth of parties, and we’ll have the money, no problem.”
I just blink. “We?”
“Yeah, I’ll so help get your mom here.”
Tears gather in my eyes once more. “You would?”
“Yeah, what do I need the money for? I have everything I need, and what I don’t, I get. Spoiled, remember?”
For the first time in my whole life, I think I love someone other than my mom. Reaching for Amelia, I wrap my arms around her neck, and of course, my tears start to fall. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Don’t say anything. Just know I got you.”
“You don’t even know me.”
“Yeah, I do. We’re besties, remember?”
We hug for a moment more before she pulls away. Laughing, she wipes my tears from my face. “Don’t cry.”
“No one has ever offered to do something like that for me.”
“Well, that just means you’re around shitty people.”
“Do you think we can make enough to get her a hotel?”
She waves me off. “My mom has a huge house all to herself. I know she would love the company.”
My heart can’t take it. “Your mom doesn’t know me, much less my mom.”
“Oh, she will, and she will insist. Don’t worry.”
A lump forms in my throat. “What if she has her walker? Will she be able to get around?”
Amelia nods eagerly. “Yeah, the whole downstairs is wheelchair accessible. Because of my dad and all.”
I feel like a dumbass. “Shit, I’m sorry. I forgot.” My heart drops at the pure pain that swirls in her eyes, but she waves me off.
“No big. How are you supposed to remember that?”
“I know, but still. I don’t want to upset you, not after all you’re offering to do for me.”
She waves me off once more, shaking her head. “I’m fine, really.”
I know how much it hurts her to talk about her dad in general and especially how it all was in the end. She’s told me a bit, but usually, she gets too choked up to finish. Her dad, James, was not only an amazing guy but one handsome man. Even when he was dying, he still had this light in his eyes in all the pictures I’ve seen of her and him. She misses him a lot, and I wish there were a way I could help her the way she is helping me.
It dawns on me. “We should go to the gym tomorrow morning.”
She sits up. “Really? Think Damien or Melissa will mind?”
“Not at all. I’ll text them.”
“Really? Wait, so I guess that means we can’t get too wild tonight.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I pull in my brows as she gives me a slightly exasperated look.
“Sofia, the Bullies’ party, remember?”
I roll my eyes as I lie back in my bed. I’m still nervous about my mom. I probably will be until I have the ticket and I know she won’t drive, which is why the Bullies’ party is the last thing on my mind. “I’m not going to that. I am beat. You’re beat.”
She shrugs but shakes her head. “Sure, but we have to go. We’re gonna be, like, celebrities in there with how awesome we did today. Everyone is going.”
Last thing I want. “I’m good,” I say, opening my to-go box. “And you should stay in too since we’re going to work beam tomorrow.”
She looks torn as I pop a fry into my mouth, and I smile when she looks up at me. “Please, Sofia. Go with me.”
“But I don’t want to. Don’t give me that look,” I plead, and she laughs as she flutters her lashes at me, begging me with her eyes.
“Only for an hour.”
“No, ’cause it’s gonna take us hours to get ready.”
“Please, I want to go, and I told Ryan I’d introduce you to him.”
I scrunch up my face. “Ryan? Your brother, Ryan?”
Please Lord, let her say no. Please.
“Yes, my brother.�
� Damn it. “He wants to meet you.”
No, no, no, no. “Why?”
“He thinks you’re all that and a bag of chips, I guess.”
Crap on a cracker. I scrunch up my own face, going for totally aloof. “What? No, he doesn’t.”
“Yes, he does!” I give her a disbelieving look, and she just stares at me. “Really, he’s agreed to introduce me to his linemate, Moon, the really hot one, if I do the same for him with you.”
I blink. “For what?”
“I don’t know. Pretty sure to hook up? Date? No telling. The possibilities are endless.”
This is not good. “The possibilities are endless?”
“Oh yeah,” she gushes, shaking her head. “Shelli said he was practically drooling over you at the meet.”
Crap. “No way.”
“Yeah, so come on. Go.”
I shake my head quickly. “No, really, I’m beat. And I don’t know about Ryan.”
“What? Why?”
“I mean, I’m all for meeting him and stuff ’cause he’s your brother, but I don’t know if he’s my type.”
“Your type? You don’t think he’s hot? Everyone thinks he’s hot. It’s annoying. Like, I don’t have a friend who hasn’t tried to sleep with him.”
Oh, I think he’s fucking gorgeous, but I don’t need my new best friend knowing that. Amelia’s eyes are one thing, beautiful in their own right, but Ryan’s… Holy shit. From where I was on the floor, there was no ignoring his blue depths. I wanted to drown in them, they were so inviting. I don’t know if the dark-rimmed glasses he wore made them bluer, but I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Then he was wearing a suit that hugged his thighs and made his shoulders look like they were rock solid. Since he’s a hockey player, I’m sure they are. Add in the fact that his face looks as if it should grace the cover of People for hottest boy band member, and it’s pretty easy to say that I find Amelia’s brother irresistible. More than irresistible, actually, which is very, very bad.
“Yeah, no. I don’t want to offend you, but he isn’t really my type.”
“Really?”