But I still planned to tell Addie she’d been right.
“You’ll be primed for the NFL draft if that’s the direction you want to go.” Leaning forward, he rested his arms on the desk and looked me dead in the eye. “What do you say, Hawthorne? Are you ready for all that?”
I nodded, too blown away to form coherent words. If I could do it—go out on that field as a starter during my sophomore yearandbring home a championship for my team—football would be more than just a hobby I’d look back on one day. A waste of my potential, like my father had always said.
It could set me up for life.
I’d never need anything from him again. I’d be able to make a serious name for myself. It’d be enough to turn me into the man I wanted to become.
And maybe…
Shaking my head before I got carried away, I refocused on my coach. “Hell yeah. I’m ready for it.”
“Then let’s make our dreams come true.”
We spent the next hour going over the finer details, and the whole time, I itched to get back home and share the news. I was finally on the path to pursuing my dream future, just like they were.
I couldn’t wait to tell Addie.
It surprised me how much I wanted to share it with her first.
As much as I wanted to tell Adam and the Barrows, neither had been my first thought.
Addie was.
I couldn’t pinpoint when that changed.
Maybe in high school, when I’d become the guard dog she’d never asked for and swore she didn’t want. Or prom night when I faced the realization that she’d chosen someone else. Someone she thought deserved her.
Even though I’d been right.
Todd Weebly had been a fucking tool.
Or maybe it had been one of a million moments before or after that, occurring so slowly and naturally, it became part of who I was before I realized the truth.
I wanted my best friend beside me, sure he’d be both proud and equally put out by my new position, given the social interaction and extra attention that came with it.
I wanted the Barrows there, too, sure they’d show up for me the way my parents never had. Their approval, their trust, their love—I wanted those things as much as I always had. Because they were, and always would be, my family.
And Addie…
From day one, I’d looked out for her as Adam’s cute but slightly annoying twin sister. I’d protected her because of how much I lovedthem.
She had always been theirs.
That didn’t sit right with me anymore.
Somewhere along the line, my feelings for her—the need to take care of her, to always show up for her—they had changed.
I started seeing her clearly. Too scared to face it. Terrified, it risked losing them all. I hadn’t been able to admit it.
But now?
When my coach extended his hand, I shook on my new future as emphatically as he did. I allowed myself to consider the possibility of everything coming together. That I could be enough for her. Enough to let myself want her. Enough to have her beside me.
For more than what she was to them—even if it risked losing them.
Because she wasn’t just theirs anymore.
