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“Did you get it?” Caleb asks, putting an arm out for me.
“Huh?” I stammer. “Oh, yeah.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone. Of course, I never left it in there. I just knew I couldn’t leave this place without telling Sal that we have Dean.
As we reach the parking lot, Abby takes my hand and lets out a yawn. Reaching down, I pick her up as she rests her head on my shoulder. She’s getting far too big to carry, but I’ll still do it while I can.
Stroking her hair, I kiss her head.
“Mommy,” she whispers. “Why did that man call me his granddaughter?”
I smile to myself as we walk a few feet behind the guys. Turning my head toward her, I whisper, “He was just confused, peanut.”
“He can be my grandpa,” she replies with a yawn. “He was nice.”
“Yeah, he was.”
As her eyes close, she adds, “I love Dean. I hope he never moves away.”
My heart aches as I squeeze her closer. With my lips against her head, I say, “Me too.”
Forty
Caleb
21 years old
After the last game of every season, Sean throws a big party at his house. It’s not normally something I would go to, but Briar will be there. And I sure as hell can’t leave her alone with so many drunk guys.
It’s been weeks since she and I first started sleeping together, and while I don’t blame her for not wanting to tell Sean, there’s a part of me that worries that maybe I don’t mean as much to her as I thought. Maybe she won’t tell him because she doesn’t want to lose him.
But when Briar and I are together, it feels real. I love her. More than I’ve ever loved anyone in my life. And it’s devastating to think about a future where she and I don’t end up together.
When I enter the party, half the guys here are already drunk. The music is loud and most people are in the backyard, so I make my way out there, scanning the crowd for Briar.
I spot her in the yard, standing by Sean’s side with his arm slung over her shoulders. Her gaze meets mine, and I notice the sympathetic melancholy on her face. Even she knows this has to come to an end. Either she breaks up with him, or she ends things with me.
But I need to be the one to make that ultimatum.
I have to believe that the only reason Briar hasn’t left Sean is because she’s afraid, and I can’t blame her. This is a tough situation. He’s manipulated her and gotten into her head, so she thinks she can’t do anything without him, but she has me. I will do everything I can to keep her safe and make her happy. She just has to see that.
“Goode!” Sean shouts, and the guys around him cheer. My face remains emotionless as I make my way over because I know their enthusiasm is fake. They don’t like me. Sean and his friends fucking hate me, and it’s obvious. They respect me on the field because I can throw, but that’s all. Outside of the games, they treat me like shit.
And I don’t care.
“Grab a beer,” Sean says with a slur to his voice.
I take a red Solo cup for the sole purpose of not causing a scene. My eyes land on Briar’s face as I lift it to my lips.
“I’m going to the bathroom,” she murmurs softly before leaving his side and heading into the house.
I give it a few minutes before I ease out of the group conversation. Glancing behind me, I make sure no one watches as I slip into the house, following Briar.
Sneaking through the long hallways, I find the bathroom, but a girl I don’t know emerges.
“Psst,” a soft voice calls, and I spin to find Briar, turning down another hallway to the back of the house. When we reach a dark room, she pulls me in and closes the door behind us.
The moment we’re alone, I gather her into my arms and hold her, breathing in the scent of her hair. There is another man’s cologne there, too, and it grates on my nerves.
“This is dangerous here,” she whispers against my chest. “But I couldn’t take another minute.”
