Page 43 of Saving The Shortstop

Noah is my best friend. The last thing I’d ever want is for him to be pissed at me.

Then again, with how fucking obsessive I’ve become with his sister … it may be worth the risk.

EIGHTEEN

HAVEN

I park my Jeep in front of The Nest and grab my bag from the back. It’s getting late, nearing the edge of dark, and I’m starving. Harley and Gigi had to stay late for pitcher and catcher practice, so I ended up driving home alone, and they said they’d get a ride with Coach since we all rode together.

Pushing my door open, I quickly close it, wanting to get inside. With Tabor living on the same street, I’ve been finding myself more uneasy than ever.

But I don’t even make it past the front of my car before his voice stops me.

“Why did you send Rivers to confront me?” he says, but thankfully, he stands on the sidewalk, a solid fifteen feet away, and doesn’t move.

Part of me wants to run inside, but the other part wonders if I do that, would that prompt him to chase after me. The longer this goes on, the sicker I feel that I’m keeping it from my dad. So instead of running, I keep my phone held tightly in my hand and my feet planted where they are.

“I didn’t,” I say, trying to stop from shaking, but it’s hard.

“I thought you were falling in love with me, Haven,” he says, and the tone of his voice is one I’ve never heard him speak in. Almost kid-like, in a way. “And then you threw me away like trash.”

Still, I stand here frozen. Wishing someone—anyone—would pull in. Right now, we’re on a street where a lot of people live. This is safe. If I run inside, and no one is home, that’s going to be worse than if I stay outside where I have possible witnesses.

“If there’s still a shot with us, I can’t give up.” He takes one step forward but then stops.

I stare at him, unsure of how we even got here. Two people who agreed to have fun, no-strings-attached sex. And now he’s here—again.

I think I know what I need to do, but I’m scared it’ll backfire.

“I’m sorry, Tabor.” I swallow. “There’s no shot.”

One fist balls at his side, and he tips his chin up slightly.

“So there’s someone else?” he mutters bitterly. “You’ve found someone else.”

I don’t say anything back because the last thing I want to do right now is further escalate this situation. But I don’t have to, because he speaks again.

“If you’ve moved on, I’ll have no choice but to let you go.” He pushes his shoulders back. “I hope that isn’t the case. I hope you didn’t move on that fast from me. But if you did, I wish you’d tell me now.”

“I have,” I blurt out because if me being with someone else is a dealbreaker, then that’s what I need to tell him is going on. Maybe it’s not true. Sure, I’ve been spending time with Dallas, but not exactly in a romantic way. But if that’s all Tabor needs to hear to finally give it up …

“Say it,” he demands.

Swallowing thickly, I inhale the courage to say what I guess needs to be said.

“I have moved on, Tabor,” I say boldly. “You should too.”

And then, I turn and walk away from him, keeping my phone in my hand with Dallas’s contact ready to call in case Tabor follows me. Lucky, he doesn’t.

As I walk into the house and close the door, locking it behind me, I sigh in relief, leaning against it. Because maybe I’m finally free of Tabor Timmons.

I may not have said Dallas’s name, but I’m sure that’s exactly who Tabor was thinking I meant. But I’m not going to tell Dallas any of this because he thinks he’s already taken care of it. And now, I really think it’s all done.

DALLAS

By the time I get to The Nest after practice, it’s dark outside. I’ve texted Haven a few times with no response, and of course, that made me fucking nervous. So, I got ahold of Isla, and she said she was passed out cold on the couch, so at least I know she’s not, like, tied up in Tabor’s closet or some shit like my mind has convinced me all day.

Walking inside, I don’t knock now because at this point, the girls don’t even pay attention when I come and go. I mean, I put my damn toothbrush in the bathroom the other day. Though right now, everyone must be in their rooms because aside from Haven asleep on the couch with some chick flick playing on the TV, I see no one.