Page 10 of The Transfer
“My baby boy!” I turn at the female voice to see who it is. She must be Reagan and Jordan’s mom because Reagan is the spitting image of Mrs. Mills. According to Jordan, he grew up just a few hours west of Carolina Tech, so his parents show up to all the home football and basketball games.
Jordan laughs. He gives her a hug and fist-bumps his dad before walking over to the rest of the team.
Holy crap, Everett Mills is ten feet away, and I’ve never been so anxious to meet another human.
I see Reagan walk up and do the same as her twin, only she hugs both of their parents.
“There’s my angel.” Mr. Mills kisses his daughter on top of her head. You can see in that one gesture that he is just as protective of her as her twin brother.
“Hi, Daddy,” she says. Looking over at me, she smiles, and my lips turn up. I can’t help it.Pure sunshine.
“You must be Jake’s nephew and our new point guard,” Mr. Mills says, looking over at me.
I can’t speak. Jordan and Reagan’s dad, Everett Mills, is the player I have always admired and aspired to be. I don’t want to appear too starstruck, but on the inside, I’m freaking out. He’s my basketball hero, and I can’t wait to talk shop with him once I’m able to form words again.
“Mr. Mills, it’s an honor. I have so much respect for your game.” I shake his hand and feel pretty good about that until I see a little scowl on Reagan’s face before she turns it into a small, forced smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Riggs. Call me Everett, and this is my wife, Paige. Jake has shown me some of your game film. Seems like you’ll be an asset to the team this year.”
“Thank you, sir. That means a lot coming from you. I hope we can make a championship run this year,” I reply. He seems pleased with my response, and I’ll take that as a win.
“I’m Paige, and I am a hugger,” Mrs. Mills says as she gives me a very motherly hug. Now I know where Reagan not only gets her looks but also her kind heart.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.”
“Oh, just call me Paige. Ma’am makes me feel so old.” She laughs and, with Everett, heads over to greet Uncle Jake and Aunt Lane.
Then it’s just me standing by Reagan. I don’t know what to say or do because being around her makes me feel like an idiot. I also can’t let my physical attraction to her get in the way of anything else right now. I have to repeat it like a broken record, hoping I’ll convince myself soon.
“Hi, Sunshine.” Her scowl from earlier fades as I say her nickname.
“Hey,Point Guard,” she replies, and I grin a little because she gave me a nickname when we played in the gym earlier this week.
Wait, no grinning. She’s getting under my skin.
Trying to find a quick escape before I say or do something stupid, I look over toward Uncle Jake, but Paige’s eyes connect with mine. She quickly looks between Reagan and me with a glare in her eye and a frown on her lips. Guess she’s leery of guys around her daughter too.
“I’m gonna go say hey to the other guys,” I tell Reagan and quickly turn away to find the rest of my teammates.
“Food is ready,”Uncle Jake says not long after, so we all head over to the table to grab lunch before the game starts in an hour. I park myself on the opposite end of the table from Reagan. I hear her laughing at something Carter says, and a tightness forms in my chest. It’s a feeling I don’t recognize.
Jealousy.
It can’t be.
I don’t get jealous.
After eating and cleaning up,everyone grabs what they need to head into Titan Stadium.
As I tie up a garbage bag, Everett approaches me. “Son, come with me to take this to the dumpster.”
I freeze for a moment, but then comply and walk with him. I try to play it cool, but I’m alone with Everett Mills, and he just called me son. It’s surreal and nerve-wracking at the same time.
He gets right to it as soon as we are out of earshot of everyone else. “Riggs, I hope this doesn’t come off too strong, but I hear you’ve got a lot going on at home right now. That’s tough to deal with on top of basketball.”
That wasn’t what I expected to hear from him, but I appreciate it nonetheless. “Yeah, you’re right about that. There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for my family. I’m here because of my dad, but I’m going to give my all for CTU this year.”
His grin is instant as he holds the lid open for me to toss the bags in. “Good man. I wasn’t worried about your mindset. Jake has told me about your dedication to basketball. It will get you ready for the NBA, having to worry about trades and trying to make things work one season at a time.”
