And, speaking of change, a lot of unexpected changes had occurred over the last month—and not just in my life. Mandy uncovered some long-forgotten bravery and good sense and left my dad. He’d been a bit blindsided, although I can’t think why. And I was hoping the experience would cause him to rethink some of his established behaviors and ways of thinking. I was done killing myself trying to please him or condone his choices by remaining silent. We still talked, and when we did, I expressed my opinions as the context called for. This made things a bit tense between us these days, but I was hopeful we could carve out a comfortable middle ground in the future.
One thing that had left my dad particularly annoyed with me had been my choice to turn down the job with Larry Henderson. The interview had gone well, but throughout it, I’d had the uncomfortable feeling that I’d be jumping from the frying pan into the fire. There was no Thomas Wheeler at this firm, and it was fairly clear from the start that I’d only be getting an offer because of my father’s relationship with Mr. Henderson—not because I was a good lawyer. As fate would have it, though, a call came in from Mr. Wheeler the day after the interview. It turned out Brent Weston had decided against hiring a corporate law firm, realizing that it made better business sense to hire internal counsel. Ironically, my golf game had come in handy after all. When Mr. Wheeler mentioned my name to Brent as a potential candidate, he’d jumped on the chance to snatch me up. Five minutes into the interview for the position of General Counsel for Weston Enterprises, I knew it was the job for me. The pay was great, the hours were predictable, and my co-workers weren’t out to get me fired.
Which brings me to the last bit of news—a true confirmation that karma is indeed a b-i-t-c-h. One of the new IT workers at Jefferson, Wheeler and Schenk decided to dig a little deeper into the AgPower debacle and found evidence that Craig Pendleton had leaked the patent specs to EnerGro. Craig was not only immediately fired, but he was being disbarred and was up on potential criminal charges. I felt bad about it for about a half a day and then got over it. I had other things in my life that deserved my thoughts and attention.
One of whom was physically pulling me toward a booth where we were all sure to receive a tarot card reading whether we wanted one or not. Gavin dismissed my reluctance and told me to suck it up. I promised him some pretty good things if we could just avoid my mom a few minutes longer, but he just laughed and said he’d get those things anyway. Which was true.
Over the last month or so, I’d been discovering that I was a bit of a sex maniac. It must have been all those years of underwhelming sex I’d endured. But I knew better—it was all Gavin. Well, that, and the fact that, in Ari’s words, we were in lurve.
Following a humiliating sequence of events that required Gavin’s landlord to replace the glass shower door, all bets were off and the l-word was spoken. The simple fact alone that he’d spared me any blame and claimed he’d just lost his balance while showering before work probably earned him more than just love—by all rights, I should have paid him in cash or…you know. But he was more than happy with my declaration of emotions and he returned them on the spot.
I’d heard people say, “when you know, you know” and I’d always dismissed it in favor of a well thought out plan. Turned out I was wrong again. Because I knew. And, luckily, so did Gavin. I’d never been happier to be wrong.
GAVIN
Emmy pretended she didn’t want to see her mom just yet, but I knew better. She missed her mom and was looking forward to Naomi and Aldo moving back to Greensboro. She was going to miss having Jay live with her, but I was confident I could offer enough distraction to compensate.
The high school baseball season was wrapping up, and North had a spot in the state semi-final in the coming week. Jay was pitching better than ever and my gut was telling me he had a real shot at a huge career in the game. Helping him achieve his goals felt like a remarkable gift.
Ari was hugging Naomi as we approached the tent, and then it was our turn to receive hugs and comments about how “cute” Emmy and I were. I was just glad Mark, Jake, and Nate were out of earshot, having been waylaid by their significant others to look at art shit. Despite her advanced state of pregnancy, Bailey had been the first one to jump on the idea of coming to the fair with us. As an artist herself, she ate up this kind of event. As for the guys, Jake wasn’t leaving Bailey’s side this close to her due date; Mark didn’t trust Fiona not to come home with an entire apartment’s worth of crap; and Nate just liked to walk behind my sister and stare at her ass, something that made me slightly nauseous. I just came to the fair because I’d take any opportunity to hang out with my girlfriend.
I had yet to meet the infamous Elliot, but he’d passed on the grounds that he didn’t “do cheesy shit like that.” The guy sounded like a complete douchebag, but Ari had yet to eject him from the picture. She was starting on Jax’s website soon, though, so I was mentally rubbing my hands together in anticipation of that shit show.
The rest of the gang eventually caught up, and Laney and Fiona eagerly forked over some cash for tarot card readings. Jake and Bailey were talking to Aldo about Bailey’s paintings, and the other guys chatted with Ari and Jay.
I felt Emmy lean into my side and I put my arm around her to pull her in closer.
“Did you know…” she began, but I interrupted.
“Wait, are you going to give me useless trivia?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “Interesting trivia.”
My lips tugged up and she continued.
“Did you know that tarot cards were originally called triumph cards?”
“I did not know that.” I shook my head and held my grin. There were way too many things I liked about this woman.
“Did you also know they had that name due to the triumphant feeling the card reader had whenever she tricked somebody out of their hard-earned money?” She smiled her gorgeous smile and I was half tempted to take her up on her earlier offer.
“I’m going to have to call bullshit on that one.”
“Okay, that part was completely made up,” she confessed and I bent to kiss her.
“Hey, they’re having karaoke later,” Ari interrupted our kiss, showing us the event schedule.
“Hey, Ari,” I said. “Did you know that karaoke is Japanese for ‘drunk’?”
She cocked her head. “It is?”
Emmy laughed into my chest and then I got a punch in the arm from Ari.
“Liar,” said Ari, going back to the schedule. “Naomi said we have to check out the glass-blowing demonstration. Apparently, it’s amazing.”
“That does sound cool,” Emmy agreed.
I was up for whatever, so when the card readings were over, we wandered over to the school building and followed the directions to the glass-blowing studio. Jay had opted to stay behind with his parents. I suspected glass-blowing sounded about as interesting to a sixteen-year-old kid as shopping for socks. The room was fairly packed with spectators. It also felt akin to standing directly next to the sun.
“Jesus, it’s hot as balls in here,” said Jake. “Are you sure it’s safe for you to be in here, Irish?”
When I didn’t hear a response from Bailey, I glanced over and noticed all five women were paying absolutely no attention to any of us guys. Well, that’s not quite accurate. They were paying plenty of attention to one guy, and that guy just happened to be the one standing in a wife-beater t-shirt turning some long metal stick in what looked like a giant oven, flames flying every which way. I took another look around the room and realized that, apart from Mark, Jake, Nate, and me, the place was filled entirely with chicks. And all of them had their eyes aimed in one direction.
Jesus Christ.
Awareness of the situation hit the other guys as a muttering of curses sounded down the line of us. Okay, so the glass-blowing dude probably had that whole muscle-bound, sweaty, worker-of-the-earth thing about him, but I didn’t really get what the big deal was. He was just some guy.
He broug
ht the end of the stick to his mouth and blew, making me understand it was a hollow tube.
“Good God, Shortcake. Avert your eyes, would you?” Mark growled at Fiona.
She responded by passing her shopping bags to him, never taking her eyes off the glass-blowing dude for a second. “Here, hold these, will you?” She didn’t bother checking his hold on them before she released them from her hands.
That resulted in a snarl.
“Sweet mother of hotness,” Ari muttered to Emmy, her eyes similarly glued to one spot. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Emmy responded, sounding a bit too distracted for my taste.
“That’s the sound of a hundred ovaries simultaneously exploding.”
All the women in our group laughed at that.
Then the stupid guy took a second to glance at his audience and the fucker had the nerve to wink.
“We’re done here!” shouted Nate, pulling on Laney’s arm to get her moving.
“Five more minutes!” Fiona protested, but Mark picked her up by the waist.
“Five more hours!” Ari responded, beginning to laugh her ass off.
I looked to Emmy and she was laughing too, now watching my cavemen friends dragging their women about.
“Um, I’m ready to go,” Bailey’s voice came out sounding odd. She hadn’t even insulted any of the guys, which was totally out of character.
“Holy shit!” Jake’s voice was panicked.
That’s when we all looked at Bailey and saw a small puddle forming around her feet.
“Oh my God!” Fiona and Laney shouted simultaneously.
“Let go, you beast!” Fiona smacked Mark’s arm and he released her so she could join Laney by Bailey’s side.
Bailey smiled tremulously. “Forget spicy food and long walks—why don’t the books tell you about half-naked glass blowers to induce labor?”
The women snickered, but us guys were too out of our element to do anything but stand there and panic.
“Okay, let’s get you out of here,” Emmy finally spoke up as the only voice of reason and assurance.
This seemed to snap Laney out of her surprise, and, as the only mother in the group, she began asking Bailey questions and leading her to the exit.
Four hours later, Emmy and I were eating ice cream on her couch and waiting for word from the hospital. Most of the group had accompanied Jake and Bailey, but Ari, Jay, Emmy, and I hadn’t wanted to overwhelm the couple with too many people at once. And besides, Laney said these things could take hours, something I had no interest in thinking about any further.
Emmy set her empty bowl on the coffee table and stood up. She stopped in front of me and bent down, placing a lingering kiss on my lips. It tasted like chocolate and Emmy.
“I’m going to see if Jay wants some ice cream. Be right back.” I watched her walk toward the hall, enjoying the view immensely.
My phone rang and I quickly swiped it from my pocket. “Hey.”
“It’s a girl!” Laney shouted in my ear, causing me to instinctively pull it away a few inches until it was safe again. “She’s perfect. I can’t believe how beautiful she is, Gavin. You have to come see her.”
“How’s Bailey doing?”
“Exhausted but happy,” she answered and then laughed. “Jake is the one I’d worry about, though. He looks like he just came home from war.”
I chuckled at that.
Laney sighed. “I can’t wait to have a baby too.”
“Then I suggest you don’t let Nate talk to Jake right now,” I advised with another laugh.
“Yeah, good point,” she responded. “Is Emerson there? I want to tell her all the girl details. I don’t trust you to remember them.”
That was a valid point. “Yeah, just a sec.” I covered the microphone and yelled for Emmy. She didn’t respond so I quickly opened my text app.
Gavin: Baby was born. Laney wants to talk girl shit.
I pressed send and then heard the sound of a text notification coming from the couch cushions. I fished Emmy’s phone out and saw my message on the screen. And that’s when I noticed my contact info had been changed.
I was now “Gavin” with a big-ass heart emoji right next to it.
My lips curved in the smile of a man who knew exactly what he had and wasn’t ever going to take it for granted. I put my own phone back to my ear and asked Laney to hang on a minute. Then I went and fetched my girl.
~THE END ~
Can’t wait for the next Carolina Connections novel? Try Then Again (The Juniper Court Series) by Sylvie Stewart. You’ll love Jenna’s story!
Stay up to date on Sylvie’s upcoming books and projects by subscribing to her newsletter! http://bit.ly/NewsSylvie
Up next will be Ari’s story – or is it Ponch’s turn for love?
Coming in 2018
BONUS SCENE, DOWNLOAD, and SYLVIE SAYS!
Here are three exclusive extras for this latest edition of The Game:
Print and color this fun coloring page based on the Carolina Connections series for your chance to win a signed paperback! http://bit.ly/ColorCC
Want to see what Jay is up to? Turn to the end of the book or click the link in the contents for this brand new, exclusive Bonus Scene!
Get a glance into the inner workings of Sylvie’s brain as she gets real about The Game in Sylvie Says (after the excerpts).
About the Author
Award-winning author Sylvie Stewart is addicted to Romantic Comedy and Contemporary Romance, and she’s not looking for a cure. She hails from the great state of North Carolina, so it’s no surprise that most of her books are set in the Tar Heel state. She’s a wife to a hilarious dude, and mommy to nine-year-old twin boys who tend to take after their father in every way. Sylvie often wonders if they’re actually hers, but then she remembers being a human incubator for a gazillion months. Ah, good times.
Sylvie began publishing when her kids started elementary school, and she loves sharing her stories with readers and hopefully making them laugh and swoon a bit along the way. If she’s not in her comfy green writing chair, she’s probably camping or kayaking with her family or having a glass of wine while binge-watching Hulu. Or she’s been kidnapped—so what are you doing just sitting there?!!
**Winner of the 2017 National Indie Excellence Award for Romantic Comedy
**Winner of the 2017 Readers’ Favorite Silver Medal for Romantic Comedy
Thank you so much for reading The Game – I hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it! If you did, a review on your favorite book site is always appreciated!
Want to stay updated on new releases, promotions and giveaways?
Subscribe to my newsletter! http://bit.ly/NewsSylvie
Want to hang out with me and my other readers?
Join my brand new reader group on Facebook: Sylvie’s Spot - for the Sexy, Sassy, and Smartassy! http://facebook.com/groups/SylviesSpot
Thanks! XOXO,
Sylvie
Keep up to date and keep in touch!
www.sylviestewartauthor.com
[email protected]
Follow me on BookBub for sales and new releases!
Acknowledgments
As always, I need to send a big thanks to my friend and editor, Heather Mann, and to my hubby and kids for enduring the “worst summer ever”—in part due to me holing myself up in the office like a vampire, but also due to the unfortunate tumble down the stairs that rearranged my husband’s leg. Good times. Next summer will be EPIC, dudes!
I also want to send a shout out to Diane for inspiring the epilogue, and to Gwen, just because I can’t thank Heather and Diane and not include Gwen—they’re a package deal and always will be!
Next up are my fellow indie authors…I am proud to be a member of a community that’s so nurturing and generous. To my pals at IAS and to the Super Squad, thanks for your support and friendship. You guys rock it hard!
And, lastly, none of this would be possible without my reader
s!! Thank you so much for buying and reading my stories, and for your messages, feedback, and rants about the jerks in my books. You make all the hard work worth it!
Also by Sylvie Stewart
-------------
The Fix - Carolina Connections Book 1
The Spark - Carolina Connections Book 2
The Lucky One - Carolina Connections Book 3
Taunted (Appearing in Tales After Midnight: A Halloween Anthology)
Then Again (The Juniper Court Series)
Each book can be read as a standalone novel.
The Fix:
My life is a friggin’ fairytale—just not the kind any single girl would ever want to star in.
Laney:
Like any good heroine, I have challenges to face. Getting my son to wear pants is one; dealing with my snooze-fest of a job is another. Then there’s the Beast, my freeloading brother who’s worn a permanent dent in the couch at my new place. And no fairytale would be complete without a smoking hot prince, of course. Too bad he’s a complete ass.
My instincts scream at me to steer clear of Nate Murphy. Because, if life has taught me anything, there is no such thing as happily ever after.
Nate:
I may not be a superhero, but I do my best to come to the rescue when I’m needed. And, hey, I just moved halfway across the country after a single phone call from my mom. But being back home and taking on the responsibilities involved makes me a bit cranky at times. Unfortunately, the one time I completely lose my cool is in front of the hottest girl I’ve ever met. I’ve got my work cut out for me if I’m going to fix this. But I will fix this.
The Game (Carolina Connections Book 4) Page 29