Chapter 3

WHITLEY

“So, now that you’ve embarrassed me enough, can you show me where I’ll be staying? I need a shower.”

“Sure thing, Whit. You’re staying beside Gabriel. His lease ended on his penthouse, and he’s having his new house remodeled. So, he’s staying with me till it’s finished.”

“Great, as long as your walls aren’t thin.”

Kendrick laughs and shakes his head as we head upstairs.

“Naw, I think he has his eyes set on someone special. I’m just waiting for the day when he finally gets the balls to tell me.”

“Really? Who is she?”

He smirks.

“You’ll know when I do, Whit. Here, this is your room.”

I walk in, and all my luggage is sitting by the door. There’s a huge canopy bed in the center of the room with baby-blue sheets and blankets. There’s a nightstand and large vanity with a vase full of lilies on it. Turning, I look at Kendrick. He comes forward and pulls me into a bear hug.

“I really am glad you decided to come, Whit. I’ve missed my family.”

“I’m glad I came too. Just next time, remind me to fly.”

***

After my shower, I change into a summer dress and sandals. I let my hair dry freely down my back so my curls will come out and put on very minimal makeup. Making my way back downstairs, I smell food. Someone is grilling, and it smells amazing.

“Excuse me.”

I look up to see bleach-blonde Barbie again.

“Yes?”

“Are you new here? I don’t remember seeing you before.”

I throw my hands up in the air.

~Oh my god, seriously? Tell me this isn’t what I have to look forward to all summer.~

I notice Kendrick is shaking his head and laughing. He grabs Gabriel and points in my direction.

~Okay, two can play at that game.~

“No, I’ve lived in this house for years. Kendrick and I have been married for three years. Just who the hell are you, and why are you in my house!”

“No. That can’t be right!” she stutters.

“Oh, it’s right! So, my best advice to you is one: Slack off on the bleach. And two: Get the hell out of my house!”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t know!”

She turns and runs out the front door. I turn and face a laughing Kendrick and Gabriel.

“Tell me you didn’t sleep with her!”

Kendrick holds his hands up in front of him.

“Hell no! That’s what we call a cleat chaser. I wouldn’t go near that!”

“A what?” I ask.

“A cleat chaser,” Gabriel says. “It’s a woman that will sleep with any player there is in hopes of being that player’s girlfriend or wife.”

“You mean that’s a thing?”

“Oh, yeah,” they say together.

“That damn girl didn’t even remember she had spoken to me earlier or realize that you haven’t even been living here that long. She told me earlier I didn’t belong here. Said the honky-tonk bar was down the street.”

Now both men are laughing their asses off and holding each other up.

~Yeah, okay. Laugh it up.~

“Whatever, I’d take a cowboy,” I say as I head toward the smell of food. “As long as he has a decent package and can make me scream, I’m fine with a cowboy. I hear they have damn good stamina too. Where’s the grill? I need some damn meat!”

I leave them behind me, no longer laughing.

“Wait, what?” Gabriel asks.

“Whitley!”

***

I’m sitting on a pool chair with a fat burger in my hand when Gabriel sits down next to me.

“Umm, you have something right here, and here. Well hell, Whit, you’re wearing the whole damn burger.”

“I was hungry,” I say with a full mouth.

“Obviously. Hold on, let me get you a wet towel.”

Unlike some of these stick-thin, bleach-blonde Barbies, I’m not afraid to eat. Never have been. I guess that’s why I have curves. This burger? Yeah, I’m sure it will go to my ass along with everything else. Though I haven’t had any complaints in the rear-end department. Most men love it. I’m in the gym training just about every day, and I run to clear my mind.

“Here. Let’s get you cleaned up,” Gabriel says when he returns towel in hand.

Gabriel goes about cleaning my face and arms where grease from the burger has dripped down.

“I’m not a child, Gabriel. I’m pretty sure I can clean myself.”

He laughs.

“Just helping, Whit. I’d hate to try and make you put that burger down.”

I chuckle as a dollop of ketchup falls on my leg. Messy burgers are the best burgers. Gabriel leans down to wipe it off and rubs his finger over the scar where doctors had to put pins in my lower leg.

“Gabriel.”

“Has it completely healed?” he asks.

“Do you really want to talk about this?”

He looks up at me with those dark-brown eyes. They’re the color of dark chocolate with golden specks floating through them.

“Whitley.”

“It’s not your fault, Gabriel. Nobody knew she was following me.”

“But it was me she was trying to keep you away from.”

“Only because she thought we were together. She didn’t understand the relationship you have with my brother and our family.”

“Whitley, she wanted to destroy your cheer career to keep us apart, thinking that would help her to get closer to me.”

“She did destroy my cheer career, but I don’t think she thought about how coming after me with a steel pipe and shattering my leg would land her in prison.”

“And I just left.”

“You were drafted, Gabriel.”

“Do you still have nightmares?” he asks.

“Sometimes, when I’m in a new place.”

He stares. I know he wants to say he’s sorry.

“Whitley—”

I hold up my hand to stop whatever he’s about to say.

“It’s not your fault, Gabriel. Don’t you dare apologize for something you have no blame for.”

He just nods. I know he still feels guilty, but there really isn’t anything for him to feel guilty for.

I used to cheer for the University of Alabama where Kendrick and Gabriel played football. None of us knew that one of the girls on the cheer squad had a massive crush on Gabriel and didn’t like the time he spent around me. She thought we were together. No matter how many times I told her he was just my brother’s best friend, she still went bat-shit crazy.

The night Gabriel and Kendrick entered the NFL draft, she saw me hug Gabriel. That was her undoing. As I was walking to my car after the game that night, she came after me with a steel pipe. If there hadn’t been others around to hear me scream, who knows what would have happened.

She told the judge she did it because I was sleeping with her man. Since she passed the psych test, she ended up in prison and not a psych ward, where I believe she needs to be. After that, I graduated and started at NYU for graduate school.

“Gabriel, baby. Let’s go finish what we started earlier,” purrs yet another Malibu Barbie as she walks up to where we are sitting.

He looks up at the blonde-headed girl, and his eyes widen. It’s the ~I-don’t-even-remember-who-you-are~ look. I’ve seen it on Kendrick and Gabriel so many times. He looks over to me for help.

“Oh, don’t bother with me, Gabriel. I had a long trip. I’m just going to go rest. You take your girl here and ~finish~ what you started.”

I get up and throw my plate in the trash. I find Kendrick and tell him I’m done for the night.

“Are you sure, sis? You’re normally the life of the party.”

“Long drive. Plus, people change.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

As I get to the top of the stairs, I look down and notice Gabriel is standing at the bottom looking up at me. The look in his eyes sends a shiver through my body. I wonder who the special girl is that Kendrick says Gabriel is hung up on.