Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 489(@200wpm)___ 392(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Truthfully, though . . . she did. She had for their entire acquaintance. It was something she’d just accepted, classifying her jealousy as silly and useless.
Was it even possible to change her perception of him now?
But if he could make her heart race just by walking through the door, didn’t she owe it to herself to . . . try?
Chapter Twenty-One
The only thing making Robbie feel better as he, Elton, and Doug stood at the edge of the lake, preparing to swim to the opposite shore, was he easily looked the best shirtless. His standout physique was little consolation, however, because Madden and Skylar were standing shoulder to shoulder on the other side of the lake and Skylar was in a bathing suit. A black one-piece Speedo, obviously. That was so her.
No nonsense.
Buy the most aerodynamic swimsuit on the market.
No bells and whistles.
Somehow, she managed to make it hotter than a string bikini.
The one silver lining here was that he had an incentive to swim as fast as humanly possible to get to the other side of the lake and break up Skylar and Madden’s little huddle, preferably before she remembered all the reasons she was in love with Madden. Maybe Robbie should be grateful that Skylar had answered I don’t know when asked if she still had feelings for the catcher, but guess what? He wasn’t.
Robbie needed the answer to be a hard no, like, yesterday. Last year, even.
As soon as he’d made the conscious decision to fight for her, all the possessiveness and hunger and admiration and fear he’d been keeping contained broke free. Now he was a teeming tangle of issues, all of which revolved around her, yet she was also the fucking antidote? Love was a bitch, man. It didn’t even make sense.
If there is anyone else in the world who’d work harder to make her happy. As long as the answer to that is no, you’re the right man.
The answer to that question was even more solid this morning after witnessing Skylar’s reaction to the Boston University shirts. She’d needed those symbols of support. He’d noticed that and acted on it. Maybe he’d only done one small thing so far, but it counted, right? She’d tucked her face into his neck afterward. He could still feel it there.
“You boys ready to lose?” Doug said, dropping into a runner’s stance, preparing to sprint toward the water. “I was the captain of the swim team my senior year.” His tone sounded . . . forced? “I swim this lake every morning in the summertime.”
Elton patted his father on the back. “We’ll try to keep up, Dad.”
“Don’t patronize me,” snapped the older man.
Concern crept into Elton’s expression. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine and dandy.” Doug straightened, spearing Robbie with a look. “What point were you trying to make with those T-shirts, son? You think I can’t afford to buy my own shirts?”
Most guys would avoid an argument with the father of their potential girlfriend at all costs. Most guys weren’t Robbie. He didn’t know how to avoid an argument to save his life. Especially this one. “I know you can afford it. That’s what makes it all the more confusing that you don’t already have one. Or ten.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning, your house looks like the gift shop at Brown. Not a goddamn pennant or bobblehead for BU anywhere.” He raised an eyebrow. “How do you think that makes Skylar feel?”
The older man waved him off. “Oh, stop. She knows it’s our family alma mater. She’s tougher than that.”
“Yeah. She is. So imagine someone that tough and high-achieving gets rejected and has to be reminded of it every single day. Everyone is tough to a point.”
“Who made you her spokesperson?” Elton wanted to know.
Robbie rolled a tense shoulder. “I’m not qualified to be anyone’s spokesperson, but I’ll tell you this. When I notice something making her sad, you can bet your ass I’m going to say something about it. That’s my girl.”
God, it felt so good to say that out loud. Even if it wasn’t true yet.
Felt true, though. Felt as real as the sky overhead.
“Ridiculous.” Doug sniffed, his voice lacking the conviction from before. His robust frame seemed to be hunching in on itself, his usual confidence carrying away on the breeze. “Why hasn’t she said something if it bothers her so much?”
“Probably because complaining is a sign of weakness in your house.”
Elton and Doug blustered enough to start a dust storm. “Who asked you?”
“You did!” Robbie countered.
Obviously, Vivica chose that moment to blow the air horn.
“Goddammit.” Elton sighed.
They all ran for the water at once, Robbie yelping at the temperature. “Jesus Christ, that’s cold.”
“Isn’t ice your thing?”
“Yeah, when I’m insulated by pads.”
That was the final exchange before the three men were cutting through the water with freestyle strokes. Robbie took the lead after thirty seconds to the soundtrack of cursing in his wake. Not only was he motivated as hell to make it to the other side of that lake to reclaim his still technically fake girlfriend, but he’d also gone to surfing camp three summers in a row in Long Beach, so his skills were on point. Throw in the fact that he’d blown the climbing challenge and Robbie had something to prove. Thankfully, he did, reaching the other side of the lake long before the other two men.