Page 53 of For the Boys
“What’s a WAG?” Lexie asked.
“It’s an acronym. The letters stand for Wives And Girlfriends,” Berkley told her.
“Ooooh, that makes sense.” Lexie looked thoughtful. “So wait, are you one?”
“Definitely not,” Berkley said, shaking her head. “We’ve literally been on one date!”
Lexie smirked at her. “Boy moves fast.”
Suddenly, Berkley had the urge to vomit. Walking over to the mini-fridge, she grabbed a beer and downed nearly half of it, her friends looking on in concern.
“What is it, Berk?”
“You said it, Lex. The boy moves fast! Don’t you think treating me like some WAG is moving a littletoofast?”
Kimber walked over and dropped her hands on Berkley’s shoulders, looking her in the eye. “Berk. This does not have to be as big of a deal as you think it is. He wanted you to come to the game, and he wanted to make sure he saw you after. It doesn’t have to mean any more than that.”
Berkley took a deep breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out slowly. “Okay. You’re right. This does not have to be a big deal.”
Amelia retrieved a few more beers, handing one each to Kimber and Lexie before opening her own. “Let’s go sit on the balcony until Brent comes up!”
They made their way out to the balcony, sitting down in the front row of seats. The bird’s-eye view was amazing, and Berkley found herself hoping she’d have the opportunity to watch games from here, cheering on herboyfriend, Brent freaking Jean.
“So, do you think you’re going home with him tonight?” someone said from behind her. Since her friends were seated next to her, Berkley knew it was one of the other three girls that had been in the suite when they arrived.
“Definitely,” another said. “It’s been a while since we hung out, but he let us watch the game from here tonight, so I’d say chances are high.”
Berkley stiffened and looked at her friends, who were already watching her, having heard the conversation as well.
“Are they talking about Brent?” Lexie whispered.
“I think so,” Berkley replied.
“Shh! I can’t hear them!” Kimber hissed.
“So when was the last time you hung out with him?” one of the girls asked. Berkley shifted in her seat and turned her head slightly, as though she were looking out over the arena seats, when really it gave her the opportunity to glance at the girls out of the corner of her eye.
“June, I think?” There was a pause. “No! It was late July! We randomly ran into each other one night, and he came back to my place. Let me tell you what…experts talk all the time about Brent Jean’s hands with a hockey stick, but they don’t even know the half of it.”
The girl who was speaking was tall, blonde, and rail thin. Her friends, both dark-haired, tittered in response to her comment.
Berkley had heard enough. She rose from her seat and stormed up the stairs back into the suite, stomping across the room toward the door. She came up short when she heard voices outside.
The door opened halfway, and through it, Berkley could see Brent. He was talking to Cole and Chase. Cole asked Brent where his “lady friend” was.
Brent smiled. “I hope she’s in here,” he said, gesturing to the half-open door. “You want to meet her?”
She watched as Cole and Chase shared a look before pushing past Brent and practically falling into the room.
“Which one of you is Berkley?” Cole asked. Berkley raised her hand. He dropped to his knees in front of her, reaching out for her hand, which she extended toward him. “Miss Berkley, it is a pleasure. What a girl like you is doing with our resident playboy is a mystery.”
Brent winced behind him, and Chase burst out laughing before stepping forward. “You’ll have to excuse Cole. He doesn’t get out much.”
Berkley laughed in response.
At that moment, the three unknown girls shoved past them, the blonde one muttering “bitch” under their breath at Berkley as they did. Berkley frowned, remembering where she’d been headed, and why, before Brent and his teammates had arrived. Brent seemed unfazed, too busy watching as his teammates made fools of themselves. If Brent wasn’t giving the blonde girl any attention, then surely Berkley had nothing to worry about.
While Chase and Cole were distracted by her friends, Brent walked over and scooped her up into a hug and swung her around, planting a kiss on her still smiling mouth as he set her back on her feet. Any awkwardness from the night before was gone, replaced somehow by a welcome familiarity. It seemed as if kissing him after their date had broken some kind of barrier between them. Maybe it was being in a comfortable setting. Maybe it was being around people they knew and loved instead of a bunch of strangers. Whatever it was, Berkley was glad for it. She leaned into him, letting him circle his arms around her.
