Grant
They’d justfinished practice when Finn stormed over to where Grant was gathering his things. “We need to talk.”
Grant sighed loudly.Oh great. What did I do this time?
He hadn’t spoken to Em since last week’s game, and while he knew that he shouldn’t have even done that, she looked so sad and beautiful standing there he couldn’t resist going to her.
Grant was just surprised it took Finn so long to dish out the consequences. He looked to see if anyone else still lingered in the arena, but they’d all left pretty quickly.
How convenient.
He braced himself for the verbal—and possibly physical—attack.
He closed his eyes. “Why don’t you just punch me and get it over with?”
“I’m not here to fight with you.”
With everything that had happened this past week, Grant didn’t have any patience left. He looked at Finn. “Then what? Are you here to tell me to quit playing for the Storm? Do you want me to refuse the offer to play here again next year?”
Finn wouldn’t be happy until Grant was out of the picture completely. It was the reason his Storm contract for next year’s season lay unsigned—right next to an unopened letter from USF.
Grant knew he shouldn’t stay; he needed to go back home to Kansas City and forget all about the life he was building in Waterfront. He couldn’t though. Every time he tried to rip up the contract or throw away the envelope that contained an answer from USF about the master’s program, he stopped himself at the last moment.
He didn’t want to leave the Storm. And he sure as hell didn’t want to leave Em.
Finn’s brows lowered. “Greg already offered you a place next year?”
“Yeah. But I haven’t signed it yet, so don’t worry. You can still bully me into leaving,” he said in a sharp tone.
Finn took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I just wanted to talk for a minute. Can you give me that? Please?”
Grant just about fell over in shock. Did Finn, the same guy who’d given him a black eye just a couple weeks ago, just sayplease? “Uh, okay.”
“It’s about Emmeline.”
Emmeline?
He couldn’t think of any reason for Finn to talk about his sister...unless something was wrong. His entire body tensed. “Is she okay?”
“She’s fine, but she’s been really upset. Someone told her about my rule.”
Grant kept his lips closed. He still wasn’t sure if he should expect a fist coming at his face, and he didn’t want to push it by saying something stupid.
Finn ran a hand through his hair. “For some reason, Em likes you, and I’ve realized she gets to decide who she wants to date.”
Too bad Finn couldn’t have had this epiphany a few weeks ago—before Grant had called things off with her. “That ship has already sailed.”
“Does that mean you don’t like her?”
“I really like her, more than any other woman I’ve ever dated. She’s smart, funny, kind, andgorgeous.”
Finn cleared his throat. “And still my little sister.”
“Right.” Grant nodded, glad that he didn’t mention how amazing their kiss was now that Finn was looking at him with his intimidating game face. “Ending things with her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”
Finn adjusted his stance. “Then why did you do it?”
“I did it because I like her so much. I was planning to go back to Kansas City when the season was over. I didn’t want to hurt her by dragging things out. That wouldn’t be fair to her.”
