Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 131821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131821 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 659(@200wpm)___ 527(@250wpm)___ 439(@300wpm)
Instantly, the girl crumples, burying her face in her hands.
My shoulders fall, and for a moment, fear sparks low in my gut.
Is this real?
Is it even possible?
My eyes find Payton’s, her hands pressed firmly against her chest.
“Allana…” Brady encourages, though there’s an unmistakable demand to his tone.
“I lied,” Allana cries, and relief flows through me.
I look at Payton, and she offers a tight smile, but her eyes fall to the ground. I frown, but my attention moves back to the shit show in front of me.
“I lied,” Allana repeats, regret heavy in her features as she faces Alister. “You said you accepted your offer to Berkeley, so I had to say something to keep you away so you wouldn’t find out. And then you showed up here.”
“To surprise you!” he screams. “I picked this fucking school, where I’m second fucking string, gave up my chance to start, for you!”
My brows shoot up, and I meet Brady’s eyes. Damn. That’s…rough.
“I didn’t ask you to!” she wails.
“No, you just pretended we were good and started fucking your way through your freshman year!”
“Okay.” Chase lifts his hands, looking between the two. “Allana, you should go.”
“And you can’t come back here,” I add. “At least not unless he asks you to.”
I meet Alister’s gaze a moment, and he winces, looking away, but when his eyes move for the door, widening, mine follow.
Cameron of all people steps out, her hair a mess and eyes half-open as if she just woke up from a nap.
She frowns at all of us, her attention settling on Brady. “What’s going on?”
Alister takes a step toward her. “Cameron—”
“Alister’s been fucking with Mason all season ’cause his ex-girlfriend lied and said Mason was her kid’s dad.”
Shock, then confusion pulls at her features, and she looks at Alister. “That’s why you’ve been asking about Mason…” She trails off.
Wait, what?
“You said you wanted to learn how to juggle fatherhood and football. You used me.” She shakes her head.
My brows shoot up.
Alister takes a step toward her.
“You really want to back the fuck up,” Brady tells him, calm as ever, but I can see the strain in his muscles.
Alister stares at her with a torn expression, but Cameron shuffles a step back, taking the shelter Brady offers when he puts himself between them.
Quietly, Allana gets up and leaves, and I take a second to process all this shit.
It all makes sense now.
Why Alister always pushed it with me. Why he freaked out and acted a fool when he saw me talking to Allana that day. Why he used Payton to mess with me and the comments he made. I almost feel bad for the guy. Giving up an offer for a starting position can’t be easy, but he did that. He gave it up because he lived in the love he felt.
My eyes move to Payton’s, and my ribs constrict.
She knows I’d give anything for her, doesn’t she?
I’d leave all this, sweep sand for a living if it meant I got to go home to her at the end of every night.
Wait. I frown, looking at Chase.
He gives a rueful smile, stepping in closer so as not to air my laundry to everyone. “She wanted me to take her home.” But instead, he brought her to me.
I swallow, battling against my own thoughts.
She wants to leave in an attempt to escape us, but she can’t. No matter what she does and no matter where she goes, she won’t be able to run far enough.
She’ll see that.
I know she will.
I face my friend. “Take her.”
His face falls. “Mase, no. You’re falling apart, man. If she leaves…” He shakes his head.
“Take her, my man,” I rasp. “I can’t leave. Two of my professors are letting me make up some work, and I have a test to retake. I have to get it done, so just…take her. Whatever she needs, be that. Do that.”
He glares, studying me, but after a moment, his features settle, and he looks her way, the two of us watching as she climbs back inside his truck.
“She loves you, doesn’t she?” he asks.
“Completely.” I sigh, looking at him. “Take her. She knows what she needs to do.”
He’s unsure but nods and starts walking off.
“And, Chase?”
He glances over his shoulder.
“Ice that thing, will you?”
Chase chuckles, looking down at his knuckles. He shrugs, a grin pulling at his lips. “Couldn’t have my quarterback getting injured.”
I nod. He nods.
And I watch them drive away, hoping to hell letting her go today isn’t something I’ll regret tomorrow, but if I know her like I think I do, this is far from the end.
I’d even argue it’s the opposite.
But only time will tell.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Payton
Now, November
The night my son was born, I dreamed of the boy I created him with. We were so happy, holding our newborn baby boy and imagining all the times ahead. We talked about which of us he’d be most like and who we thought he’d resemble as the years went by. We went over everything for hours, and when I woke, it was with a sense of peace that maybe not all was lost.