Knot so Lucky (The holidates series Book 2)

crew

I took a day off.

And I’m trying to ignore how problematic that is.

I haven’t missed a workout since my rookie year. And even then, it was because I broke my throwing arm. But when she walked out in her bikini, showing off every bit of what god gave her, there was no fucking way I wasn’t following her straight to this pool.

I glance up, appreciating her ass, before I shoot out a text to the fellas.

Me: Playing hooky at the pool. Pass through.

TJ: Nate just told me you had hookers at the pool. I don’t think he can read.

Nate: Fuck you. I glanced at it. We’ll be by.

Nate: Hooky, huh?

I ignore the last text, frowning. Read the plays on the field, Nate. Not the ones in my life.

Me: Shut up. It’s not that big of a deal. Claire suggested I take a recovery day.

Complete fucking lie. She actually told me I was her worst client. Which makes me laugh because I’m her only client now that she’s transitioning with me to the Niners.

TJ: Give us like fifteen. We gotta see a cute little blonde to a cab. *wink emoji

Me: Ever the gentlemen. But do me a favor and take a dip in Clorox before you come here tryna touch my girl.

“Are you texting the guys?” Eleanor throws out from her lounge chair, interrupting my thoughts. As I look at her, she smiles. “Yay. This version of you is way better than the machine.”

She says the last part like a bad impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Machine?” I laugh.

She nods, propping herself up on her elbows.

“Yeah. You work hard, but sometimes you gotta play hard too. And you never do that.”

My forehead wrinkles. “I just borrowed a car and took you out on a whole drive-in date. And if memory serves, you played with something hard.”

She giggles. I’ve never heard that from her. Oh fuck, it’s cute.

My phone vibrates, but I choose to ignore those two jackasses because the pool attendant comes to the cabana to take our order, and Eleanor lets out a dramatic celebratory groan in the name of snacks.

“Gil!” she squeals.

My brows draw together.

Who the fuck is Gil? His brother better be named Flounder.

My arm extends, dropping down behind her as Gil starts talking.

“What can I get for the happy couple?” She smiles at him as he adds, “You finally got him down here, huh?”

Finally? The fuck? Who are you, and how do you know where I’ve been? She’s too friendly. No more roaming the casino.

This feels like when I visit TJ’s grandma with him, and she makes me do the rounds, saying hi to all her friends. They know me, but I don’t know them.

But also…she talks about me?

Eleanor’s hand absentmindedly slides up and down my six-pack as she looks at the menu.

“What do you want for later?” she says to just me. “We can put in our order now, and then Gil will bring it then.”

How nice of Gil.

“Absolutely,” everyone’s favorite pool attendant chimes in. “Anything for my favorite resident.”

My phone vibrates again, so I glance down, the caps jumping out at me.

Nate: And now we got a YOUR girl coming at us.

Wait. What? I scroll up, seeing what I last said. Oh shit, why’d I write that?

Me: It’s a typo. You’re tripping.

TJ: We’re tripping, but you fell…in love. *heart eyes emoji

Nate: Wow. And you don’t even tell us? Your best friends.

TJ: Your best men.

Fuck these two. They’re never going to let me live that down, even though I didn’t mean it like that.

Nate: Exactly. Of all people, we should know that you fell in love with your wife.

TJ: Frankly, I feel betrayed.

For fuck’s sake, they need to stop. It was a typo. We’re not even a real couple, but as I think it, my eyes drop to her hand, still rubbing my stomach.

Nate: He’s not the same guy we used to know. Love’s changed him.

TJ: *GIF of Snoop Dogg pouring out malt liquor

Oh shit. This is my girl territory…I’m a boyfriend. No, no, no, no, no. I swallow hard, reading the last text.

Nate: RIP Crew Matthews’ balls. It was a good run, but we’re pouring some out for you, homies.

Crew Matthews has left the chat.

I’m still deep in my thoughts. Not thoughts, more like sheer-ass panic. My heart is actually beating too fast. I can feel the flutter. She’s not mine. I mean, she is, but like in an I can’t get rid of her because I’m legally obligated kind of way.

Right?

I definitely don’t have feelings for her. That would be crazy.

Yeah…right.

I mean, there aren’t zero feelings…but… I wipe my brow, looking at Gil.

“Is it hotter out here? Like more than usual today?”

He shakes his head, staring at me like I’m high.

Just high on the demise of my life, buddy. Fuck.

My throat suddenly feels thick, so I clear it as I squint before running my hands through my hair.

I like her more than I should.

Eleanor’s face shifts to mine, her smile peeking out.

“Did I tell you Gil here has a nephew that might get drafted?”

She looks at the attendant and then back to me as I mutter, “Congratulations. That’s awesome.”

But I’m still staring at her, just shaking my head because of course I didn’t know. But I’m sure you were going to tell me during our weekly trip to Costco before we did some gardening together.

Holy fuck. We became a couple…like for real. I can’t be trusted with my own life decisions. Next up, I’ll be living on a commune, calling some dude named Sunshine Twig my leader.

She laughs and raises her brows. “Are you good? Do you want me to just order stuff you’ll like?” She looks back to the choices and then points to something I can’t see because I’m about to pass out before she adds, “Maybe the French dip. You love that. You eat it like…” She winks. “Like you like it a lot.”

I just keep nodding because what am I supposed to say?

Hey, stop acting like my girlfriend and go back to being my fake wife?

This is bad. This is so fucking bad. Without looking at her, I lift her hand as my bullshit excuse to put some space between us tumbles out.

“I’m gonna go for a swim.” And maybe stay underwater for a bit.

She hums an acknowledgment, setting the menu aside after ordering and lying back to soak up the sun.

The minute I hit the water, I turn around and look at her. I can’t help it. And it’s like she knows, too, because she pushes up on her elbows again and stares right at me. Even with her sunglasses on, I know her eyes are locked on mine.

Damn, meeting this girl has turned my life upside down. And apparently, it only took seventeen days to get me used to the view.

I’m doomed.

“How didn’t I see this coming?” I mutter to TJ as he takes a drink of his beer. “I’m fucking embarrassed to say that I thought we’d just ride out the thirty days fucking and hanging out. In my mind, I was like, we’re just gonna high-five when she leaves.”

TJ laughs, and so do I. Because what the fuck?

We’re sitting on lounge chairs, watching Nate throw Eleanor around in the pool, making her squeal before she tries like hell to dunk him under. It’s not happening, but it’s cute to watch her try.

“Isn’t that why you call her Wild Card, though? Cuz she ain’t the thing you saw comin’?”

I shake my hand, gripping the football they brought, tapping it with my other.

“Nah, it was because she was an unexpected opportunity.”

I glance over at him as his brows pull together.

“An opportunity for what?”

I exhale, eyes on her as she splashes Nate a couple of times before he almost drowns her in a wave and I grin.

“That night? That was an opportunity for fun. A way to let loose and just be wild. All this contract shit had been wearing me down, and she just felt like a breath of fresh air.”

He takes another swig, then looks at me.

“And now?”

“Shit, Teej. I don’t know. She’s gotten under my skin, you know? But I don’t have room in my life for anyone. And honestly, neither does she. We both made that clear.”

He scoffs, but both our heads snap to the pool when we hear Eleanor and Nate calling our names and waving us out to join them.

“Bullshit,” he throws out before he takes the ball off my stomach and hurls it toward Nate before adding, “No room? Then build an addition in the house of Crew. You got the cash.”

I crack a laugh because that’s such a TJ thing to say, but the initial humor dims because the truth isn’t as funny.

“Truth?” I don’t have to look at him to know he’s nodding. “I don’t want to. And that’s the fucked-up part because I hear myself, dude. But I don’t want a girlfriend. I don’t want to have to think about someone else and how my life affects them… I’m just getting started toward where I want to go. But damn, she makes me feel like I should.”

I’m waiting for him to call me a dick because I deserve it. But TJ doesn’t say anything. We just sit in silence, staring out at the pool as Eleanor laughs and starts calling us out again.

“Damn, you really do like her,” he says under his breath.

So I nod. “Yeah. I do. She’s kinda the perfect girl, just in the wrong lifetime.”

TJ blows out a deep breath before he stands up, rubbing his chest. When we look at each other, my brows raise, and he smiles before delivering his trademark outlandish thoughts.

“This shit’s getting too serious for two guys lying next to each other at the pool. Here’s what I’m thinking. Scale it back. Just be cool, talk to her like you would us. Don’t be like boyfriendy and shit. Definitely don’t take her out on drive-in dates.”

“Yeah.” I chuckle. “In hindsight…you know? I’m a fucking idiot.”

He stretches his arms wide, yawning, before Nate throws a shitty pass to him. Doesn’t matter though—TJ catches it like it was meant to go where it did.

“And not to be a dick,” he adds with a laugh, “but you act like that girl is gonna fall all over herself because you got a boner for her personality. She’s been pullin’. Ya know?”

We both start laughing. Because he’s not wrong. Just because I like her doesn’t mean shit. Eleanor is not the girl who’s waiting for her prince. Why would she when she’s been running the kingdom. Fucking A.

“I just need back on my game,” I say resolutely. “No more taking days off and giving in to distractions.”

He laughs. I don’t, my brows pulling together as I speak.

“We’ve got two more weeks together. It’s not like anybody’s falling in love in that time frame. So, I’m hands-off.”

He looks at me, surprised, until I specify, “I mean everything but sex.” My smirk grows. “A man’s gotta eat.”

He nods, throwing the ball back to Nate.

“Understandable, sir. I concur.”

I smile, watching her splash around like she’s doing those old-people water aerobics. Why does she have to be so fucking cute? And why do I want to go out there and wrap her fucking legs around me just so she’ll kiss my neck. Oh, you dumb fuck. Get it together.

“Plus,” I breathe out, selling every fucking word to TJ and myself. “The reality is, even if we decided to be idiots and try dating—”

TJ cuts me off. “You’d definitely make her cry. She’d just end up hatin’ you.”

I snap my fingers, pointing at him.

“Precisely.”

TJ slaps the wet football he just caught on my stomach, gut-checking me as I let out a groan. But he laughs before giving me a double fist tap to my shoulder and jogging out into the water to join them.

I’m spinning the ball around in my hand as I let my thoughts ruminate. This is for the best. I’m doing what’s best for me. And I owe that to myself and all the work I’ve put in.

“Crew!”

Her voice calls my attention again as she waves her hands in the air before she starts dancing to the “YMCA” song.

“It’s our song.”

I can’t help but thunder a laugh because when we got married, they asked us what our “special song” was. Told us they’d play it as she walked down the aisle. Because apparently, the officiant/Elvis only sings during the hours of six to midnight. I let her choose.

“YMCA” is what she strolled down the aisle to, and the entire place joined in at the chorus.

TJ and Nate are laughing, remembering the same memory as TJ lowers his shoulders below the water, and Nate grabs her waist to hoist her up on top.

Every bit of her pearly whites can be seen from the pool to the cabana as she continues spelling out the song with her arms. But a glimmer of something off to the side catches my eye.

I shift my gaze, looking out past her to a guy sitting by staring at her. And my jaw tenses because he’s holding up an iPhone, aimed at her. What the fuck? Is he…

Is this motherfucker taking pictures of her?

I’m staring for what feels like minutes but probably is only a few seconds as my hand grips the football hard, spinning it around to make it laces up.

Everything in my body calms, and the only pathway I see is from this chair to that motherfucker’s face about twenty yards away.

Before reason has time to catch up to action, I yell, “Nate, go long,” before I launch the football across the pool, whizzing past Eleanor, dead through that fucking cell phone and directly into that dude’s nose.

Two things happen: blood erupts from his broken nose, and Eleanor shrieks in surprise.

Wild Card’s already off TJ’s shoulders, her hands covering her mouth as her eyes turn into saucers.

But the guys are looking at me, easing her behind them protectively.

I stand, holding up my hands as I walk toward where that dude’s sitting, raising my voice.

“Wow. I’m so sorry about that, my guy. The ball really got away from me.”

Nate chuckles in the background, but I ignore it, keeping my face on the motherfucker who now has ice and a towel from the pool attendants.

I smirk.

“You should pinch the bridge of your nose…keep your head back.”

He glares at me, speaking like he’s stuffed up.

“You fucking broke my nose, asshole. I’m going to sue you. I know who you are.”

I look down at the ground where his shattered phone is lying before I swipe it up and pocket it.

“Well, if you’re going to sue me, then I’ll probably have to pay damages. Maybe even fix your phone. So, I’m gonna get a head start and take it with me.”

“You can’t take my fucking phone,” he grits out, shoving more of the towel against his bleeding nose.

But I squat down next to his chair, and glancing over my shoulder, I see the guys have gotten Eleanor out of the pool, and she’s now drying off in the cabana.

I look back at him, keeping my voice quiet.

“Do you think I don’t know who you are? You think I don’t fucking recognize you? I know who you and all your slimy friends are. Out here with cameras all the time, trying to track our every move.”

I stand again, looking down at him, watching his whole demeanor change, worry on his brow as I pull out his phone and waggle it in my hand.

“Sneak in here again and try to take another picture of my wife…and I’ll break more than just your fucking nose.”

I walk away without a worry in the world. Let him sue me. Nobody fucking treats her like that.

Eleanor meets me halfway back around the pool, flanked by TJ and Nate, who look at me with matching smirks.

“What’s the game plan?” TJ says slyly.

I throw my arm over Eleanor and look down. What am I doing? This is quite literally the opposite of the plan. But all reason leaves me again as she smiles up at me.

“Did you do that on purpose?” she whispers as we walk toward the hotel entrance.

I press a kiss to her forehead, inhaling the scent of coconut oil and pool.

“Never. See what happens when I skip a day of training? My aim gets so bad.”

Just because I like her doesn’t mean I have to admit it. And maybe a little fun upstairs will get my head straight.