Safe Bet (The Rules #4)

by Monica Murphy

  Right. I would’ve flattened that guy’s ass. I wonder if there’s anything on the web today about us. I wouldn’t doubt it. I’m sure that guy—whoever he was—ran off and posted a false story on the Internet.

  The bastard.

  “Listen, just keep up the good work and make it look like you can’t live without her. Since she just came from spending the night at your house.” The smirk Owen sends my way makes me chuckle. “Then you must be doing something right. Maybe you’ll finally settle down like the rest of us after all.”

  “Settle down? Screw that noise.” I wave a hand, dismissing his words.

  “Screw you, jackass. Let yourself fall for once, you know? There’s nothing wrong with having a girlfriend. Trust me. It’s nice having someone who loves you unconditionally, who’s there for you when you need her.” His gaze meets mine, his expression sincere. “It’s okay to need someone, Wade. You don’t have to do everything by yourself.”

  I want to believe him. I want to trust what he’s saying is true. I want to trust Drew. And Fable too. They all preach the same thing. A steady girl wouldn’t hurt me, or my career. She’d keep me straight.

  But I’m still wary. Relationships are bullshit. People come, and people go. They rarely stick together. It’s a fact of life. So can Sydney and I really be a thing?

  I don’t know.

  “I can’t believe you’re going to have another baby.” Chelsea, Owen’s girlfriend, fiancée, whatever she is, smiles brightly at Fable as she reaches across the table and grasps Fable’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Are you guys excited? When are you due?”

  “More like I’m tired. The baby is due in April.” Fable’s smile is weak. We’re sitting outside on the back patio at one of the tables close to the pool, the giant umbrella above us providing plenty of shade against the warm August sun. “Though yes, we’re both excited, and more than a little surprised. This baby was unexpected, and I have to be careful. I don’t need any more complications.”

  Chelsea’s expression turns somber. “I remember. That was so frightening, when you were in labor with Jacob.”

  “Tell me all about it. I don’t think Drew can go through that again,” Fable says wryly.

  I listen to their conversation about babies, covertly studying Chelsea. She’s pretty, but not what I pictured Owen’s girlfriend to look like. And I don’t even know why I’m thinking that, but I guess I had some presumptive thoughts. Besides, I’ve heard a lot about Owen Maguire since I’ve started working for the Callahans. I’ve seen photos, seen videos on YouTube even. He’s larger than life, with a charming, magnetic presence that draws people to him.

  Chelsea on the other hand, is quiet. I can tell. Her long, dark brown hair is pulled into a side braid and she’s not wearing any makeup, though she looks great without it. She has beautiful blue eyes that remind me of the sky and clear, creamy skin. She’s wearing a simple black sundress that gently clings to her curves, showing off her tanned arms. Her face is friendly. Open. And that reassures me.

  My mind starts to drift, my thoughts filled with grandeur. What if Wade and I can really make this work and have an actual relationship? He and Owen are so close. They make sure they’re involved in each other’s lives. This means Chelsea and I would most likely have to spend a lot of time together, too. Could we be friends?

  I hope so.

  “How long are you and Owen here for?” I ask Chelsea.

  She smiles at me, revealing straight, perfect teeth. “Only until Tuesday afternoon. Owen has to get back to practice on Wednesday.”

  “Aw, that’s so soon! I was hoping you guys could stay through the week,” Fable says, sounding sad.

  “Come on, Fable. You know the drill. You’re a football wife.” Chelsea sends her a meaningful look. “Besides, I need to get back so I can go to class.”

  “So you’re definitely going to school there?’ Fable asks.

  “Yeah, I may as well. I need to finish up my master’s degree and Owen didn’t want me waiting any longer. So I’m enrolled in a couple of classes. I think I can finish everything in the next year if I stay focused, but we’ll see,” Chelsea explains.

  Wow. Her master’s degree? I’m impressed. She’s smart. And I’m not. Great. We’ll probably have nothing in common.

  “That sounds like a good idea,” Fable says with a nod. “Just don’t let Owen distract you, and you’ll be fine.” They both laugh.

  Chelsea turns her gaze on me. “Do you go to college, Sydney?”

  I shake my head, suddenly uncomfortable. This is the last thing I want to talk about. “No. Not right now.”

  Fable frowns with concern. “Oh. Do you want to go? You never told me. You should enroll in a few classes. I’m sure we could work around your schedule.”

  She’s always so nice, so accommodating. I don’t know how I lucked out with her as my boss. Even with the naughty nanny drama, I have no regrets. I can’t. I met Wade through them and he more than makes up for all the nanny stories.

  “I can’t really afford to go.” There. That sounds like a perfectly good excuse.

  “What do you mean? If you can’t afford college, you should look into scholarships. There are a ton of them out there,” Chelsea says.

  “I probably wouldn’t qualify for any of them.” When they stare at me blankly my brain scrambles, trying to remember what my high school counselor told me. “Um, I’m still considered a dependent on my parents’ taxes, so that’s why I don’t qualify. They make too much money.”

  Way too much money, but they don’t need to know that tiny fact.

  “Ah. I get it.” Chelsea nods. “Yeah, that happened to me too, even though my parents weren’t contributing anything toward my college fund. Considering they couldn’t, since my dad was in jail.”

  Wait. What? My eyes go wide. Her dad is in jail? I can’t believe she just admitted that.

  “I’m so sorry.” I don’t know what else to say.

  She shrugs. “He stole millions of dollars from his clients. He deserved to be in jail, though he’s out on parole now. Got out early for good behavior. My mom took him back too. I’m sure they’re very happy together.” The sarcasm in her voice is evident.

  “Chelsea doesn’t really talk to her parents right now,” Fable says to me in a low whisper, making Chelsea laugh, though there’s not much humor there.

  “Understatement of the year.” Chelsea shakes her head, her gaze sympathetic when it lands on me. “Sorry to dump on you the first time we meet. But this is as real as it gets around here with the Maguire-Callahan family.”

  “No, I get it. I—” My voice falters. “I don’t get along that well with my parents right now either.”

  “You don’t?” Fable looks surprised—and concerned. I’m learning this is typical Fable. She’s always watching out for others. “Please don’t tell me it has to do with all those false stories swirling around you and Drew.”

  I shake my head. “No, what happened between us was before I came here, though I’m sure they’re pissed about the naughty nanny story, too.” I hesitate. They’re being so truthful with me, so should I do the same? I have nothing to lose here, I guess, except respect. “They’re mad at me because I lied to them.”

  And then I decide to lay it all out. I launch into the story about my senior year, lying about how I got into college, and how my parents caught me in my lies. How they kicked me out of the house and left me on my own.

  “How awful,” Chelsea murmurs when I finish.

  “But look at how well you’ve done since you’ve been doing it on your own, Sydney. Maybe it was a good thing, what they did,” Fable points out.

  I like that she’s trying to keep this positive. I can appreciate that. At the time my parents kicked me out, it didn’t feel like a good thing. I’d been terrified. Scared I’d fail, afraid I’d have no one to count on.

  But now, I’m not scared. I feel…strong. Despite the disaster with the media and all the gossip, I’m with people who want to help me
. Who are there for me. I don’t think I could say that before, when I was still at home and living a shallow, meaningless life.

  In the short time I’ve worked for the Callahans, I’ve found some purpose. I’ve found meaning. I haven’t figured everything out yet, but that’s okay.

  I still have time.

  That night, we all go out to dinner, like we’re one big cozy family. Which I guess we are, if you look at the main players in the group. The six of us plus the two kids go to a nice family-style seafood restaurant in downtown San Francisco, where we stay for almost three hours, laughing and eating and talking so much, my throat is getting sore. The restaurant is full of tourists who stare goggle-eyed at Drew most of the time, some of them even coming up to ask for his autograph, which he gladly gives them. He takes photos with them too, telling them to get Owen’s and Wade’s autographs as well, since they’re both going to be famous football players someday.

  It’s nice, to witness Drew so easily include Owen and Wade with the fans. Drew is such a good guy. I respect him more and more as every day passes. I feel the same about Fable.

  Same with everyone here at this table tonight.

  “You still want to stick with this guy after dealing with us all night?” Owen asks from where he’s sitting across the table, pointing at Wade, who’s sitting next to me. “He comes with a lot of baggage, you know.”

  I laugh, sending Wade a quick glance only to discover he’s watching me carefully. “You guys don’t scare me,” I tell Owen.

  “Well, we should,” he says, lowering his voice like he’s about to reveal a juicy secret. “I have so much dirt on that guy. I could tell you stories for hours.”

  “When we get back to Drew and Fable’s, you should tell me a few,” I say, making him laugh. “Seriously. I’d love to hear them.”

  “I don’t think so,” Wade says, his voice firm, his gaze blazing fire at his best friend. “He doesn’t need to reveal all my secrets.”

  “Really? What about the time you—”

  Chelsea clamps her hand over Owen’s mouth, effectively silencing him, making everyone else laugh.

  “Time for you to keep quiet,” Chelsea singsongs before slowly removing her hand from Owen’s mouth. Owen glares, seemingly irritated, but then he reaches for her, slinging his arm around her neck so he can pull her in for a lingering kiss.

  I look away, blushing. That was almost too intimate to witness.

  “He really does know all of my secrets,” Wade whispers close to my ear, making me squirm. I swear his lips touched my skin, tickling me.

  “Are they that bad?” I turn to meet his gaze, my breath stalling in my lungs when I discover the way he’s looking at me. Like he cares.

  “Nah. Most of them are typical teenage bullshit.” His face turns serious. “Though some of the stuff I did in my past was stupid. Borderline criminal.”

  “I don’t care,” I say, wanting to reassure him. “We’re all dumb when we’re young, right?”

  “You still are young.” He touches my cheek, his fingers drifting across my skin. “Don’t know what you’re doing with an old man like me.”

  I roll my eyes. “You’re not an old man. You’re three years older than me. Big deal.”

  “You still have a lot of life to live, though. From nineteen to twenty-one, I was going out almost every night, partying and having fun.”

  Been there. “Maybe I don’t want that.” Should I have said that? Screw it. Too late.

  He lifts a brow. “What do you want?”

  I part my lips, ready to say I want him, when we’re interrupted.

  “You two look waaaay too serious over there,” Owen teases. “Are you boring her already, Knox?”

  “Not as much as you’re boring me, Maguire,” Wade returns.

  The two of them have given each other grief all night. It’s been nonstop and lots of fun. It’s helped me to get to know the two of them even better. Plus, Chelsea and I have talked a lot too. I like her. Despite my earlier worries, we really do have a lot in common. I think we could be friends.

  I feel a tap on my shoulder and I turn to find Fable sitting next to me, her expression solemn, her green eyes wide.

  “Everything okay?” I ask her.

  Fable nods, her smile tremulous. She’s warned me she gets emotional when she’s pregnant, and I think she’s ready to bust into a full on emotional moment right now. “You two are perfect for each other,” she says, her voice low. “You and Wade? I knew that would happen.”

  “You knew what would happen?”

  “That you two would be a perfect match. That your fake relationship would turn into something real.” Her eyes grow misty. “That’s how Drew and I fell in love.”

  “What?” I frown. She’s not making any sense.

  “I shouldn’t admit this. Hardly anyone knows the truth.” She glances across the table, where Drew sits with Jacob in his arms and Autumn pressed against his side. He’s talking to Owen, his children hanging all over him like he’s a jungle gym, and none of it fazes him. Fable’s staring at him like she wants to reach across the table and attack him with her lips.

  “What are you talking about?” I am so confused.

  “Drew and I. We met when he hired me to pretend to be his girlfriend.” At my wide eyes she hurriedly explains more. “Not like I was a prostitute or anything like that. I worked in a bar as a waitress. My mom was addicted to drugs. Owen was only thirteen. I needed money so I could take care of him and the amount Drew offered me sounded like a million dollars at the time. So I said yes. Best decision I ever made.”

  I’m in shock. Drew really hired her to pretend to be his girlfriend? Sounds like something straight out of a movie—or a book. “That’s the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  “No crazier than what you guys are doing.” She grabs hold of my hands and squeezes them, her gaze boring into mine. “So don’t let the craziness fool you into thinking what you and Wade have won’t work. It can. It happened to me. And who cares how you two met? It doesn’t matter how it all started. What counts is where you end up.”

  Her words stick with me the rest of the night. I’m floored that she told me such a private detail about her life with Drew. More than anything, I can’t help but compare her situation with mine.

  Is she right? Does it really matter how we met? She and Drew are proof of that, if her story is true. And why would she lie to me about something like that? Look at how much in love they are. Maybe someday I could have that kind of love, too.

  With Wade.

  Luckily enough, paparazzi are waiting for us when we exit the restaurant, and all of us pose like one big happy family. There is no denying that Drew and Fable are together. They hang onto each other like they never want to let go, and the way they gaze into each other’s eyes…ugh. And swoon.

  Wade is perfect too. He wraps his arm around my shoulders and hauls me in close, both of us beaming as the photographers keep taking endless photos. The corners of my mouth start to quiver, I’m smiling so much, and I can’t wait for it to be over. We give them a two-minute photo opp before Drew’s yelling that’s enough, it’s time for us to go.

  So we do.

  I’m quiet when we drive back to Drew and Fable’s house. Owen and Chelsea are riding with us, Owen and Wade talking nonstop while I sit in the passenger seat and stare out the window at the city lights as they pass by. My mind is full of outrageous thoughts, all of them dealing with Wade. I want to talk to him. Tell him how I feel, though I’m still a little unsure about that.

  I start scrolling through my phone, looking up articles about myself and Wade and the Naughty Nanny story. I stop at one particular article, going completely still when I read what’s written.

  Some local gossip blog claiming that Drew and I are still together, and Wade is nothing but a distraction from the real story. All the details remind me of that rude reporter who approached me after the game.

  Wade suddenly rests his hand on my jean-clad knee. “You�
��re quiet,” he murmurs. “What’s going on?”

  I glance up to meet his gaze. “I think I found the article written by that jerk reporter.”

  Wade’s expression hardens. “What did that asshole say?”

  “Nothing much that hasn’t already been said.” I glance down at my phone screen once more. “It’s a local blog.”

  “With a huge reach?”

  “Not really. Not that I can tell.”

  “Then it’s no big deal.” He says it so easily I can almost believe him.

  “You really think so?”

  “If we don’t let it bother us, it can’t bother us.” He smiles. “After all, we know the truth, right?”

  His easygoing attitude is the complete opposite of his anger from just a few days ago. And I prefer it. He’s right. We shouldn’t let it bother us. Who cares?

  Besides, we know the truth.

  He’s still smiling at me. “You had fun tonight?”

  I nod. “Definitely.”

  “Mind if I stick around the house for a while and talk with Owen?”

  “Of course, I don’t mind. Though I’ll probably just go to bed. I’m exhausted.” I yawn right after I say that, covering my mouth with my hand.

  “Right. I’m pretty tired too.” The secret smiles we share have everything to do with the reason why we’re so tired. We kept each other up most of last night. And while I’m all for a repeat performance, I really do need to get some sleep. It’s back to work with the kids tomorrow and they run me ragged even after a full night’s rest.

  “Maybe I’ll sneak into your room later,” Wade says when I don’t respond.

  “You want to sneak into my bed?”

  “Only if you don’t mind.”

  With him, I’d never mind.

  It’s past one in the morning before I’m finally headed upstairs to Sydney’s room. All the women and children immediately went to bed. Drew joined Owen and me at first, the three of us shooting the shit and talking about football. But after a while, the old man got tired and left us alone so Owen and I could talk. And it was good. I told him everything that had been going on these last couple of months, and he filled me in on his life too. Not just the general, happy-type stuff, but all the bullshit too. All the hard stuff.