Fuck.Tia.
A surge of panic rips through me, fear and anxiety all tangled together in a powerful knot. If Tia hears this shit, what will she think? That I'm just like Daniel? That I've been lying to her this entire time, playing some game and using her for my own ends?
No. No, no.
"I need to…" My hands shake, the weight of anxiety absolutely crushing. I need to get to her and explain. Right fucking now. Before she feels like she's back in college again, finding out that she's just a pawn in someone else's fucked-up game.
Coach must see something on my face, some thread of the panic coursing through me, because he doesn't even hesitate. "I'm excusing you from tomorrow's game," he says. "Family emergency. Go."
I jerk my chin in a nod, too grateful to speak. Too goddamn afraid to stand here another second. I have to get to her. Right fucking now.
I call Tye on the way, but he already knows.
"Hattie just called," he says. "She wants us to tell the truth."
"She shouldn't have to deal with that," I mutter, my hands tight around the steering wheel as I break the speed limit, whipping around traffic going too fucking slow for me.
"And you shouldn't have to deal with this," he says. "That bitch doesn't get to fuck you over and try to destroy you because you've been the one dealing with her bullshit while we lived our lives, Briggs. We aren't willing to accept that. The decision is made. Harlan is working on a statement now. We're all signing off on it."
"Fuck," I rasp, my throat tight. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank us, Briggs. It's what we do for each other."
"I requested a trade," I say, my mouth dry as I pull up to the guard gate in my neighborhood. "To Minneapolis."
Tye is silent for a moment, and then he chuckles. "Good for you, bro. It's about goddamn time you got a life of your own."
"Yeah." I hit the gas, the engine roaring. "Yeah, it is."
Please, God, don't let this be the end of it. Fucking…please.
Chapter Thirteen
Briggs
"Tia!" I shout, racing into the house at a full run, fucking terrified she's already packed her shit and fled. For a split second, when I see her at the kitchen table, I'm convinced she's a mirage, some fantasy conjured up because I'm that desperate for her to still be here.
And then she meets my gaze, her gray eyes full of worry. And I know she's real. Fuck, she's still here.
"It's not true," I say, licking my lips. "None of it is true."
She stares at me for a long, silent moment before pushing away from the table. My goddamn soul quivers when she crosses toward me, stopping a few feet away.
"For about five seconds," she says softly, her head tilted to the side, "the part of me that doesn't trust easily wondered if it might be. But five seconds is all that lasted, Briggs. I know you. Iknowyou."
"Fuck," I choke out, my knees threatening to buckle as I grab her, hauling her up against me. My body is shaking, and I can't stop it. "I thought…"
"That I believed it? That I'd leave?" She tilts her head back, her smile soft. "I'm right where I want to be."
I crush her against my chest, afraid to let her go.
"You aren't the kind of guy who would abandon a kid," she murmurs against my throat. "Anyone who knows you knows that. They aren't going to believe it."
I groan, dragging her to the floor with me. "I don't care what they think. I care what you think, Tia. I was so fucking…" I exhale a shaking breath. "The whole way here, I just kept imagining you not being here."
She crawls into my lap, wrapping herself around me. "You know what I've learned about myself since meeting you?" Her lips ghost across my jaw, soothing me in ways nothing else could. That's her magic. She's my peace. "I learned that I'm not easy to scare anymore. I don't run anymore." Her teeth rake the tendon in my throat. "I fight for what matters, even when it scares the shit out of me. If I didn't, I don't think I ever would have gotten on the plane to come back here. I'd be in Minneapolis right now, hating myself for being a coward." She bites me again. "Instead, I'm right where I need to be. I'm with you."
Jesus.
