The Boyfriend Zone by Jillian Quinn
The men are on the couches drinking beer and yelling at the football game taking place on TV. Even though my mom doesn’t cook, she’s in the kitchen. Aunt Sydney and her daughter, Chloe—Drake’s mom and sister—sit on stools next to Aunt Kennedy and her daughter, Ava, the Kane twins’ mom and older sister. Between the four families in this house, our parents have twelve children.
I introduce Bex and Coach Bryant to everyone, and they look overwhelmed, as if they need to remember all of their names. It’s a lot for anyone to take in.
Coach Bryant squeezes my shoulder. “Thanks for inviting us, Preston. This is a pleasant change of pace for us. Bex hasn’t had a home-cooked meal in a long time.”
“Yeah, this is nice,” Bex says. “Thanks for inviting us.”
She’s pretending as if we’re friends and that my mom invited her for dinner. But keeping my shit together, without spilling the beans, is difficult. I almost slipped three times since they arrived.
Coach Bryant scans the room and then locks onto me. “Where’s your brother?”
“JP had a client emergency to deal with. He won’t be here until dinnertime.”
“I would hate to work on a holiday,” Coach says.
I shrug. “Missed holidays are normal in this family. My parents were on the road a fair amount when I was a kid.”
“That must have been tough on you and your brother.”
I shrug. “Not really. My aunts and Uncle Jameson were always around when my parents were out of town. We made it work.”
“That’s what makes our team so special.” He smiles. “You guys play like a family on the ice. I have a good feeling about this year.”
I return his smile. “I do, too.”
“I know you’ll make it,” he assures me. “You’re just like your dad.”
“Thanks, Coach.”
I feel horrible for dating Bex behind his back. But staying away from her wasn’t an option. She stole fragments of my heart, taking pieces over time, collecting them until all of it belonged to her. Now, she has the power to break it.
There’s only one thing in our way, one thing keeping us from being happy. I have to get the balls to tell Coach Bryant about us. Now, if only I can find the courage to do that.
Hours pass by with lots of drunken yelling and football bets being taken before Mom calls us into the dining room for dinner. We sit in our usual places, saving the spot next to my dad for JP. Normally, I would sit next to my mom, except holidays are different. My aunts gab about girly crap with my mom, and I hang out with Jamie, Drake, Tucker, and Trent.
My dad makes room for Coach Bryant on his side of the table, welcoming him into the family. Bex is on my right in the middle of the table with my usual crew. It’s a full house, one seat open for JP.
“Bex,” my mom says. “How would you like to help me with Philly Clean this year?”
Philly Clean is a youth basketball event my mom has sponsored for the past thirty years. The players from the Sixers work with kids on ball handling and various skills, and all the proceeds go to the charity that helps drug addicts get off the streets and get clean. My grandparents were addicts, both of them dying from drug overdoses, which is how my mom ended up in foster care. It’s also the reason she met Jameson.
Bex’s eyes go wide. “Are you serious?”
Mom nods.
“Yeah. Uh… I would love to.” She smiles so wide her teeth are showing. “Thank you.”
Her excitement radiates off her. I love that she gets along with my mom. Things between us could never work out if she didn’t.
“I hear you’re a big Dante Fisher fan,” Mom says to Bex.
Bex smiles. “The biggest.”
“Bex has posters of him on her bedroom walls,” Coach Bryant says.
Bex turns beet red, shooting her dad a warning look down the table. “Dad, c’mon. Don’t embarrass me.”
The table erupts into laughter.
“You’ll get to meet him.” Mom finishes chewing her food. “Dante, I mean. He’s helping with the kids this year.”
Bex squeals and covers her mouth with her hand. “Shut. Up.” She fans herself with her hand. “Sorry, that’s not what I meant. I didn’t mean for you to shut up. I’m just… wow! Dante is so—”
Mom waves her hand. “I know what you mean. No need to worry. Even after ten years of retirement, he’s still the same player I signed out of high school. He’s arrogant, and a little much to take in all at once.” She points at my dad. “This one was the same way. Actually, all three of them were.”
She’s referring to Tyler Kane and Carter Donovan, who are sitting at the table, laughing.
“Tyler was the most arrogant player I’d ever met,” Aunt Kennedy chimes. “He was infuriating. Trying to get an interview with him was like pulling teeth.”
Tyler winks. “Hey, babe, you got more than an interview.”
Ava, Tucker, and Trent make gagging sounds. The second oldest of the Kane’s, Tyler Jr., who everyone calls Tye, is missing this year.
“Daddy, that’s gross.” Ava, the oldest, flicks her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “We’re trying to eat.”
“Hey, princess,” Tyler says, “I said nothing wrong.”
Ava sips from her wineglass. She’s gorgeous, a fashion model who travels around the world for work. All the Kanes have the same blonde hair, blue eyes, and light features. Their mom has dark hair, all of them the spitting image of their dad. If Ava wasn’t like a sister to me, I would have been all over her years ago.
Ava looks down the table at Bex and me. “So, how did you two meet?”
Bex’s cheeks flush. “I ran into Preston in the locker room.”
Ava gives her a funny look. “Like the men’s locker room?”
Bex nods.
“Oh, now this I have to hear. Sounds juicy.”
“More like horrifying,” Bex says. “My dad asked me to meet him in his office after practice. I didn’t realize the guys were still in the locker room.”
Coach Bryant shakes his head. “Bex found the side entrance to my office after that day.” He looks at Bex. “No more entering through the locker room.”
“No, definitely not,” Bex says. “That’s one place I never want to walk through again.”
Everyone at the table laughs.
In the middle of dinner, JP strolls into the dining room, his black coat dusted with snow.
“Sorry, I’m late.” JP bends down to kiss my mom first, followed by my aunts. “I got stuck in traffic on my way back from New York.”
“Take off your jacket, baby,” Mom says. “You’re getting snow on the table.”
She still talks to us like we’re little kids, even though we’re grown men. Dad stands to hug my brother and then pulls out the chair next to him. With JP across from us, he stares at Bex, confused. He doesn’t know I have a secret girlfriend.
Fuck.
“And who are you?” JP asks Bex. “I don’t think we’ve met.”
“Bex Bryant,” she lilts.
His eyes travel from Bex to me. “I can’t believe Preston has a girlfriend. Would you look at that?”
Bex’s expression turns to stone. She stares at JP, unblinking, unmoving, as if she’s frozen to her chair. Coach Bryant picks up on her reaction, and his eyes narrow.
“Bex and Preston are friends,” Coach Bryant says.
“I know my brother, and these two are definitely more than friends.” I shoot him a look to stop him from going any further, but he keeps going. “How come you didn’t tell me, little bro? I haven’t heard from you in over a month.”
Coach Bryant makes note of Bex’s awkward silence and my nervous fidgeting. “Is there something going on between you two?”
Who should answer? Bex or me?
“Coach,” I start. “I wanted to talk to you.”
Thanks to JP, my favorite coach is now about to hate me. He holds the keys to my future in his hand.
“My bad.” JP fills his plate with food. “I didn’t know you guys were…”
He doesn’t even know what to say, none of us do.
“How was the weather in New York?” Mom asks JP to change the subject.
“Worse than it is here. They had at least two more inches.”
The conversation returns to normal with Coach Bryant shooting devious stares in my direction. He shakes his head at Bex and me, disappointed. She looks as though she wants to crawl under the table. I move my hand to her thigh, slipping my fingers between hers.
“It will be okay,” I say under my breath.
“I hope so,” she whispers.
For a split second, I wonder if this will ruin our relationship. The thought of returning to a life without Bex guts me. I hate the powerless feeling of being in love. It rips you apart from the inside out.