by Steph Nuss
I could just picture their chubby little girl, her face covered in red, and I laughed with the rest of the guys.
“Hey!” Fletcher took a seat next to Carter on the bench and stretched out his legs. “At least your women want to be with you. I don’t know what happened to your sister as a child, Carter, but Bayler won’t even let me talk about our future anymore.”
Carter smiled at him tiredly. “She hasn’t been living in the city that long. Give her some time. She’ll move in with you when she’s ready.”
“I bought a ring,” he announced in a worrisome voice. “That’s right. I’ve bought her a ring, and I’m terrified that she’s going to find it whenever I leave her alone in my apartment. That’s too much stress for a man. I just want to give it to her already, but she doesn’t want to get engaged until we’re living together! Move in with me then, woman!”
“Women are weird about marriage,” Justin explained, stretching his hamstring. “We have maybe twenty people—if that—coming to our wedding next month, and Tessa is flipping out about everything. If we have enough of this or that, or what kind of music we should have. If she even hints at talking about the wedding, I just leave the room. I learned a long time ago to not make any suggestions or try to help in any way.”
“Oh yeah,” Carter agreed on a yawn. “I left all the wedding plans up to Elly.”
Drake tossed his empty water bottle down harshly next to where he sat on the court and rested his elbows up on his knees. “I have to tell you guys something, but Paige cannot know that I told you.”
The seriousness in his voice hooked our attention.
“What’s going on?” I asked, concern matching the rest of the guys’ expressions. Drake Wilkins and Paige Abram were the problem-solving couple. There wasn’t a hurdle they couldn’t jump, so Drake appearing flustered was out of place.
“We’ve been trying to have a baby,” he admitted, shaking his head as congratulations rang out from each of us. “We’ve been trying for months now, and still, nothing has happened! I got her pregnant when we were teenagers, so it’s not like there’s anything wrong with us.”
“Actually,” Justin started, oblivious to Drake’s rhetorical rant. “Women can have scar tissue form in their fallopian tubes after they’ve given birth. It can cause problems for them in the future when trying to conceive another baby.”
“Thanks, Britannica,” Cash teased him, eyeing the rest of us. “Now, all of us know more than we ever wanted to about women’s tubes.”
Justin shrugged. “I was just pointing out—”
“Look,” Drake interjected, his voice full of uncertainty. “What if there is something wrong with us? I don’t want to go to some clinic and have to masturbate into a cup.”
“Free porn!” Cash announced excitedly, pointing at Drake. “But you’d get free porn!”
“In a doctor’s office,” Fletcher stated with a cringe. “That’s about the least hottest place to watch porn.”
“Guys!” Maverick glared at Cash and Fletcher. “Can we please focus on Drake’s real issue here?”
I sighed and pondered Drake’s dilemma. “Maybe it’s just stress, man. You and Paige just opened the new PR firm not too long ago. That’s stressful enough for one person, let alone the both of you.”
“And you’re working on remodeling the house in Bedford,” Maverick added.
“You guys are right,” Drake said with a nod. “We do have a lot going on right now. I just thought this would be easier for us since we’ve already done it. We’ve had a baby, but we lost him, and I just wanted to give us something else to be excited about.”
“It will happen,” Maverick said encouragingly. “Just give it some more time and don’t stress over it.”
“Thanks.” Drake smiled at each one of us and then his face sobered. “But for the love of God, please don’t let Paige know I told you. She wanted to keep it a secret because she didn’t want the added stress of people asking us how it was going, but I couldn’t keep it in anymore. I had to tell my guys, who could understand how frustrating this is … but yeah, she’d probably have my balls if she found out I told you guys.”
“Then you’d really have problems making babies,” Cash laughed.
Maverick glared at him and elbowed him in the gut. “Will you ever learn when to shut up?”
“Maybe after Drake lets me interview his sister, Lennox,” Cash cried, clutching his stomach in pain.
Drake’s smile widened. “You can’t find anyone else to interview? She’s not ready for radio interviews yet.”
Cash took a deep breath and eyed Maverick warily before exhaling. “If I have to interview one more Kardashian or Jenner chick, I’m going to stab one of them.”
“Interview Max,” Drake offered, nodding at me. “He’s a celebrity.”
All eyes turned to me.
I leaned down and whispered to Drake, “Do you think Paige would be okay with me doing an interview?”
“Oh, yeah,” he answered, confidently. “Cash isn’t going to ask you anything you don’t want him to, right, Cash?”
Cash nodded. “We can talk about whatever you want to talk about.”
I thought about it for a few seconds. If I could do it after my community service was fulfilled, I could promote the volunteer services at the hospital, the homeless shelter, and my work on the Marvel movies, all at the same time. Maybe win some points with Whitley by encouraging others to volunteer.
It’d be a win-win for everyone.
“Sure, I’ll do it.”
“Seriously?” Cash asked excitedly. He stared at me, and once I nodded, he pointed and declared. “A verbal contract is binding in the state of New York. And I have witnesses!”
His antics made the rest of us laugh, but once the laughter died off all eyes fell back on me.
“What?” I asked in a confused tone. “Why are you guys staring at me?”
“This is really the only time we can safely share anything about our women without the fear of them finding out,” Maverick pointed out.
“Yeah,” Fletcher said, patting me on the shoulder. “This is our time to bullshit. If we’ve all got women issues—with the exception of Cash—then you’ve got to have women issues. Spill it, man!”
Leaning forward, I ran a hand through my sweaty, dark hair and gazed around at the six guys. Carter had fallen asleep again, his head tilted back uncomfortably, but the rest of them waited patiently for my confession. I wasn’t used to having a group of guys who gave a shit about me, so the fact that they were actually waiting for me to open up made me feel accepted, like genuinely good guys surrounded me for the first time in forever.
But I couldn’t fucking tell them that.
“I have a date next weekend with Whitley Gonzalez,” I stated, a hint of insecurity evident in my voice. “I’m just glad she agreed to go out with me, but she’s like a closed book. Her son has talked to me more than she has.”
“Where are you going to take her?” Cash asked.
Fletcher scoffed. “Man, he can’t take her somewhere. He’s Maxton Fucking Waters!”
“Exactly,” Maverick agreed. “If he wants to get to know her—I’m assuming that’s what you’re after here? She’s not just some piece of ass, right?”
“Right,” I assured him.
“Then he can’t take her to some fancy restaurant. Paparazzi and fans will be all over that place.”
“That’s the thing.” I glanced over at Justin and continued. “Justin, Maverick said you knew Whitley the best since you used to be neighbors. Do you know what kind of food she likes? I told her I’d cook her dinner, but I have no idea what she likes.”
“Isn’t the whole point of a first date to try to get to know someone? Just make her something generic.”
Groans came from Maverick and Cash, and then Maverick finally explained. “He’d also like to impress her. That’s also part of the first date.”
“Wait, wait, wait, we need to back up.” Fletcher stood up an
d proudly grasped Justin’s shoulder with one hand and mine with his other. “I’d like to take this moment to document what just happened. The man who was voted Sexiest Man Alive just asked Justin Jameson for dating advice. THAT JUST HAPPENED!”
They fell into a fit of laughter, but Justin and I remained stoic. They could laugh it up all they wanted. I didn’t mind taking advice from a man who could be socially awkward from time to time if it meant impressing the woman I wanted.
“Justin,” Fletcher stated in an amused voice, “you have to give him something better than, ‘Just make her something generic.’ Come on!”
Justin sighed, finally caving. “She likes seafood. Anything with shrimp.”
“Great!” I jumped up from the bench, feeling rejuvenated, and woke Carter up again with my rowdiness. I pulled Justin into a man hug and clapped him on the back a few times before letting him go. “Thanks, man! I owe you one.”
“What did I miss?” Carter mumbled drowsily. He looked around at the rest of us laughing at him, his brown hair sticking up every which way. “Did we win?”
“We did,” I laughed, grasping his hand. I lifted him up from the bench and allowed his tired form to lean against my side as the rest of the guys grabbed their stuff, along with Carter’s. “Time to get you home, my friend.”
“You’re a good friend, Max Waters,” Carter said, draping his arm around my shoulders for support.
These six guys had befriended me without any hesitation. They took me in last Saturday when I first showed up to play ball, and they’d easily become the brothers I never had. They bullshitted and teased and helped each other out, and for that, I’d be forever grateful.
Because I needed all the help I could get when it came to Whitley Gonzalez.
***
Next Saturday rolled around, and I was standing in front of my closet trying to figure out what to wear for my date with Max. I’d already called Harper and asked her to come over and help me; after all, she was a fashion designer. If she couldn’t dress me, we had a serious problem. I had too many clothes, and none of them were cute enough for a date. I didn’t have anything that fell in the middle of the spectrum between lounge, mom clothes and professional work attire.
My doorbell rang and I ran out of my room, down the hall, and peeked through the peephole to verify that it was Harper.
It was her all right.
And she’d brought help with her.
Behind Harper stood her sister-in-law, Elly Jennings, and her younger sister, Bayler, Tessa Wilder (soon-to-be Tessa Jameson), and Paige Abram. All of them waited in front of my door, and I felt my face flush in embarrassment. It was bad enough having to call the fashion guru for help; the rest of them didn’t need to witness my pathetic wardrobe, too.
I’d started hanging out with the girls last year after Tessa moved in with my old neighbor, Justin Jameson. Once she figured out that Justin and I were just friendly neighbors, she’d started inviting me to do things with her and the girls. Most of the time I politely declined, opting to spend my free weekends with Zane rather than going out with friends, but I’d gotten better about allowing myself to have some fun. Since I was the one with the oldest child, Harper and Elly occasionally called me for motherly advice, and it was nice to finally have some mom friends who weren’t judgmental about my single parenting style; instead, they praised me for it. I’d learned a long time ago to surround myself with women who built me up rather than tear me down, and these girls did just that.
Most of the time.
Right now though, I worried because all of them had a better fashion sense than me.
“Whitley!” Harper shouted in a sweet voice as she knocked again. “It’s me, Harper!”
Swallowing my pride, I unlocked the door and opened it wide, wearing a polite smile. “And I see you brought help along with you.”
“We were with her when she got your call,” Elly explained, following the rest of the women into my place. “I hope that’s okay that we tagged along.”
“Sure,” I said, nodding. “Would you guys like something to drink?”
“Thanks, but we’re good,” Harper said, tossing her phone in her purse. “Just show us to your closet!”
Leading them down the hall, I realized Harper and Elly were without their children today. Each time I saw their adorable babies, I thought back to when Zane was that tiny and my maternal instincts kicked in, making me want another baby. “Where do you have the little ones today?”
“The guys are watching them,” Elly stated, making all of us laugh.
I’d heard stories about the men babysitting; it usually ended up with someone getting pooped and vomited on.
“I’m hoping the more Fletcher helps babysit, the more he’ll think twice about rushing us into parenthood,” Bayler said.
Paige laughed. “You won’t even move in with him.”
“At this point, if he asked me again, I’d probably agree to move in with him, but it’s just fun making him sweat it out.”
I laughed. “And Tessa, how are the wedding plans going?”
She groaned. “If Justin would help me decide on our first dance song, it would go a lot better. I’m supposed to be making a playlist for the DJ, but I don’t know how I’m supposed to do that when Justin doesn’t want to help.”
“I bet he thinks he’s helping by just letting you plan whatever you want,” Elly said. “That sounds like something Carter would advise him to do.”
“But it’s his wedding day, too,” Tessa offered.
“I said the same thing to Carter when we were planning our wedding,” Elly continued, shaking her head. “You’d be better off picking whatever music you want and being done with it. It’s less stressful that way.”
We all agreed with Elly and then Harper asked, “Where is Zane at this evening?”
“He’s at his grandparents’ house,” I said, smiling back at them. “And yes, he knows I’m going out on a date with his favorite actor, and he hasn’t shut up about it since I told him. I brought him into this world, but Max brought one of his favorite characters to life. Apparently that trumps everything.”
The girls laughed as they filed into my room behind me and eyed the clothes I had strewn all over the floor and my bed. I held my arms out wide and then dropped them to my side dramatically. “I know it doesn’t look like it, but I have nothing to wear!”
“Okay,” Harper said calmly. She walked over to my closet and started looking through the pieces still hanging inside. “What did he say you guys were going to do on this date?”
The other women moved clothes out of the way and sat on my bed.
“Um,” I stated unsurely, unable to make eye contact with them. “I think we’re just going to eat?”
“You don’t know for sure though?” Bayler asked, brows furrowed.
Paige cringed at an ugly top I hadn’t worn in years before folding it up.
Tessa smiled at me. “Where did he say he was taking you to dinner?”
“Oh, he can’t take her anywhere,” Harper said from within the closet. “Too much media and fans.”
“That’s true,” Elly agreed.
Harper came out of the closet holding three dresses I wore back in high school. “So just dinner? Or does he have anything else planned?”
Five pairs of eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer. Honestly, I didn’t know if Max had anything else planned but dinner. I hadn’t even thought to ask him. In my mind, I imagined us eating dinner and having a few drinks while we got to know one another. Clearly, I’d been out of the dating game for too long if one needed to know such details beforehand.
“You don’t know, do you?” Bayler asked.
I shook my head silently before taking a seat on the long ottoman at the end of my bed. “This is a disaster already. I haven’t dated in years. I still have clothes I wore back in high school that I probably can’t even fit into anymore.”
Bayler laughed. “I think it’s safe to say that none of us can wear a
nything we wore back in high school.”
We all laughed in agreement as Harper grabbed her phone again.
“We’ll just call Max and ask!” she exclaimed.
“No, no, no,” I muttered, adamantly. “We don’t need to—”
“It’s already ringing,” she whispered, pressing the speaker button.
We listened in silence as the call went through, and when it stopped ringing, my breath caught in my throat.
“H!” Max exclaimed. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Well, I’m here at Whitley’s—you’re on speakerphone by the way—and we’re trying to help her decide on an outfit for tonight, and we were wondering if you had anything else planned besides dinner?”
“And the obvious, of course,” Bayler said, shooting me a wink. “I’ll make sure she has on her sexiest lingerie just for you, Max.”
Oh, God!
“Bayler!” Elly, Tessa, and Paige slapped both of her arms in unison.
“What?” she whispered, rubbing her arms.
“Not everyone is looking to get laid on the first date,” Tessa chastised in a low voice.
Max’s soft laughter hummed through the phone before he continued. “Whitley, I want you to be comfortable. Wear something cozy, something you’d lounge around in. I’m in sweats right now. Let’s be adventurous and just stay in sweats.”
Sweats? I thought, palming my face. I don’t have any decent sweats that I’d actually risk leaving the house in!
Harper scoffed. “Okay, Waters, let me get this straight. You want her to wear loungewear to your place for your first date. Do you know women? We actually enjoy getting all dolled up for a date.”
Yes, go, Harper!
He laughed again. “I know Whitley. She’s stunning in a pair of heels and a dressy outfit every day at the hospital. As much as I love that look on her, I want this date to be about getting to know her. I don’t want her thinking about how bad her feet hurt because of the heels she’s wearing, or worrying if her top makes her seem too easy because it’s showing a little cleavage. I want her comfy.”
He knew me all right. Hearing him describe exactly what I thought every time I slipped into a pair of heels, a weak smile tugged at my lips. I gazed around the room and found the other girls swooning.